Mooney JosephJOSEPH MOONEY (National—Southland): It is an honour to rise as the member of Parliament for Southland and the spokesman for Treaty negotiations for the National Party to speak on the Ngāti Rangitihi Claims Settlement Bill.Kia ora e koro mā e kui mā e rau rangatira mā e ngā Ngāti Rangitihi tēnā koutou nau mai haere mai ki te rā whakahirahira.[Greetings to the elders male and female the esteemed leaders those of Ngāti Rangitihi greetings to you all welcome welcome to this significant day.]It is a privilege to speak on this first reading of the Ngāti Rangitihi Claims Settlement Bill. I'd certainly like to extend a very warm welcome to everyone from Ngāti Rangitihi who has come here to witness this historic occasion here today in Parliament. Welcome to the whānau and hapū of Ngāti Rangitihi. This legislation and this process is about you your tūpuna and uri.I note that this bill completes the settlement process which began under former Treaty negotiations Minister Christopher Finlayson under the last National-led Government. I want to acknowledge the Hon Andrew Little who has completed this as the present Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. I also recognise the settlement negotiators for the Crown and for Ngāti Rangitihi who through their efforts have shaped an agreement that helps to build a brighter future for the iwi and subsequent future generations.On a personal note I spent a short part of my childhood living near the shores of Lake Tarawera looking across to Mount Tarawera and I travelled on the school bus past the gates of the very village every day. The stories of the approximately 110 lives that were lost and the villages that were destroyed when Mount Tarawera erupted in 1886 made a deep impression on me as a child as did the stories of what preceded that and what happened afterwards.It's an honour to stand here today to be part of recognising the wrongs that were visited upon Ngāti Rangitihi following the eruption when the people of Ngāti Rangitihi were already devastated by the effects of that eruption; to be here today to be a small part of righting the wrongs of the past to strengthen the present relationship with the Crown and iwi and provide some redress which will help create a stronger base for Ngāti Rangitihi to expand on its economic potential.I note Te Rangitihi the man was the eponymous ancestor of the iwi that became known as Te Arawa and his eight children became known as the eight bleeding hearts of Rangitihi pumanawa e waru. All of the children became the founders of significant iwi in their own right.This bill reorients the relationship with the Crown and Ngāti Rangitihi towards the future. Through this legislation the Crown recognises and apologises for the many historical injustices wrought upon Ngāti Rangitihi through its failure to uphold its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi. Crucially the Crown commits itself to renewed and strengthened partnership with Ngāti Rangitihi.An immensely valuable aspect of all Treaty settlement legislation is the enactment of the historical account. Minister Andrew Little today has laid out the historical events that led us to today; allow me however to draw attention to four aspects of the account. The Crown promoted land laws in the 1860s which individualised the tribal land tenure of Māori. Between the 1870s and the 1890s the Native Land Court investigated the areas where Ngāti Rangitihi claimed interest. The court system involved significant costs for Ngāti Rangitihi particularly for surveying. Although Ngāti Rangitihi rangatira protested against the outcomes of many court decisions the Crown largely ignored those complaints. In the 1910s the Crown drained the Rangitāiki swamp depleting Ngāti Rangitihi of food resources. The drainage led to the neglect of two Ngāti Rangitihi urupā and degraded the mauri of Te Awa o te Atua. From 1954 Crown legislation allowed the Tasman Pulp and Paper Co. to discharge waste which caused heavy pollution to the Tarawera River and Lake Rotoitipaku.Despite the many challenges that Ngāti Rangitihi have faced I want to acknowledge that they maintain a history of loyal military service in support of the Crown which continued into the 20th century with Ngāti Rangitihi serving in many countries and suffering through combat and disease. And it's a particular moment to acknowledge that here today in the House. It's a great sacrifice that your tūpuna made for our country.Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries Ngāti Rangitihi faced poor housing conditions and lower levels of education and employment than Pākehā. They recall being punished for speaking te reo Māori in schools. Those conditions along with the alienation of their customary lands had a devastating impact on Ngāti Rangitihi's social and economic development and cultural hauora. In a spirit aimed at genuine hope for reconciliation in this bill the Crown acknowledges its failure to protect the tribal structures of Ngāti Rangitihi its failure to act in good faith when leasing and purchasing Ngāti Rangitihi land blocks its failure to protect Ngāti Rangitihi from becoming virtually landless its failure to protect the Tarawera River from pollution its failure to actively protect te reo Māori and encourage its use among Ngāti Rangitihi and its failure to protect Ngāti Rangitihi from excessive surveyor costs and by failing to act in good faith by taking excessive land at Te Ariki for public work purposes.The Ngāti Rangitihi settlement package includes a total financial and commercial redress of $11334820 plus interest. Nineteen sites have been transferred to the iwi as cultural redress and three place names have been changed for the settlement legislation.Mr Speaker and te iwi of Ngāti Rangitihi it is not possible to fully compensate Ngāti Rangitihi for the loss they have endured and the mamae of their ancestors. However I hope and I trust that this settlement will forge a new relationship with the Crown and Ngāti Rangitihi and will be a real catalyst for positive change for our present and future generations of Ngāti Rangitihi. Today I hope is a day for the heart of Ngāti Rangitihi to beat strongly with pride. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa.