Little AndrewThird ReadingHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I present a legislative statement on the Maniapoto Claims Settlement Bill.SPEAKER: That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website.Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I move That the Maniapoto Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time.Tākiri mai ana te ataKia rongo a ngākau mārohirohiKorihi ana te manu kaupapaKa ao ka ao ka awateaTihe mauri ora.E mihi ana ki a koutou kua tae mai nei i runga i te karanga o te kaupapa o te rā. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa. E mihi ana ki te hunga mate haere haere haere atu rā. Ki a tātou te hunga ora tēnā tātou. Kia whakamānawatia ngā mana o ēnei whenua e tū āhuru nei. Tēnei au otirā mātou te kāwanatanga e mihi nei ki te kaupapa o te wā. Maniapoto kua hīkoi koutou te hīkoi roa kia tae mai ki tēnei rā tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.[The morning has dawnedA brave heart is heededThe bird of purpose singsIt is day it is day it is daylightBehold there is life.I acknowledge those who have come here today for this occasion. Greetings to you all. I acknowledge those who have passed rest in peace. To the living present I greet you. Let us honour the authorities of these comfortable lands. The Government and I acknowledge this occasion. Maniapoto you have traversed a great distance to get here to this day greetings to you all.]This is a significant day for Maniapoto and for the Crown. I'm honoured to move the Maniapoto Claims Settlement Bill to be enacted into law and for Maniapoto to finally receive the benefits of a settlement that has been long hard fought for and which is long overdue.I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Last week Parliament adjourned in order for this House and New Zealanders to pay their respects to Her Majesty but last week we were scheduled to have this reading in the House and so much effort has had to go into rescheduling not so much for this House but for the many representatives of Maniapoto who are here today. I want to acknowledge the patience and understanding of those who have had to reorganise their schedules in order to be here for this third reading today. It has allowed us to appropriately mark our respects for Her Majesty and appropriately pay respect to Maniapoto and this significant day for you.We are joined in the House this morning by Maniapoto who have travelled to Wellington from all parts of the motu to witness this final reading of their settlement bill. I want to extend again my warm welcome to you all not just to those in the House but to those who are watching at Pipitea Marae and those who are watching at home in the rohe Te Rohe Pōtae because we know just how significant this bill is and how significant this reading is. This is a momentous occasion and it is testament to the significance of the settlement to your iwi and actually to the whole of Aotearoa New Zealand. I acknowledge Te Nehenehenui the post-settlement governance entity of Maniapoto and all members of the Maniapoto negotiating team. Maniapoto representatives in the House today include Bella Takiari-Brame chair of Te Nehenehenui; Matua Tiwha Bell former chair of the Maniapoto Māori Trust Board; Matua Pat Stafford; and other kaumātua trust board members and staff. I also want to acknowledge the tūpuna who began this settlement journey for Maniapoto and who are no longer with us today. This settlement could not have happened without the determination and dedication of all those involved.I acknowledge my colleagues in the House who whakapapa to Maniapoto especially the Hon Nanaia Mahuta the former lead negotiator for Maniapoto who began the negotiation process and for whom this settlement carries special significance. I acknowledge the previous Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations the Hon Chris Finlayson who began the settlement journey with Maniapoto. And I acknowledge all my colleagues in the House—those who were there this morning at Pipitea Marae to welcome Maniapoto and to welcome Maungārongo the taonga that Maniapoto has lent this House for the period of five years as an expression of their trust in this House and the Crown.As we celebrate this milestone it's important to reflect on where we have come from. In 1840 your tūpuna signed the Treaty at Kāwhia and at the heads of the Waikato River. Maniapoto rangatira including Taonui Hīkaka and Haupōkia Te Pakaru put their trust in the Crown and the commitments that the Crown then made. But the Crown abused that trust and over the last 180 years the Crown repeatedly breached the solemn promises it made under Te Tiriti. It indiscriminately killed and injured your people during the Waikato Wars including women and children who were non-combatants. One such event when the Crown attacked Rangiaowhia Pā was so atrocious that we are now working with your whanaunga separate from your settlement to address this mamae. Following confrontations with the Crown it subsequently labelled your people as rebels and confiscated land in which you had interests. Despite strained economic circumstances you provided shelter and manaakitanga to your whanaunga who were displaced by the wars and by raupatu—a responsibility which the Crown discharged. It's to the Crown's great shame that it treated you with such disdain and disrespect. In these circumstances it's understandable that you enacted a puru or an aukati to preserve mana whakahaere over your rohe. Your dedication to keep your lands and people safe both then and today is resolute and is a quality to be admired. Over the 1880s the Crown and Maniapoto engaged in negotiations and agreements to remove the aukati manage Maniapoto land and allow the passage of the North Island main trunk railway Te Ara-o-Tūrongo. These agreements were known as Te Ōhākī Tapu. As described by the esteemed rangatira Rewi Maniapoto Te Ōhākī Tapu was like the planting of a tree of goodwill so that both parties could enjoy its fruits. But again the Crown dishonoured its promises. The railway was supposed to bring prosperity to your tūpuna and the Crown was to only purchase as much land as was required for its construction. So the aukati was withdrawn construction began on Te Ara-o-Tūrongo and the vast tide of Crown purchasing swept into Te Nehenehenui. That's why the symbolism of so many of Maniapoto who have come to Te Whanganui-a-Tara today by train is so important. It reflects what happened at that time. It is right that the Crown atones for the pain and suffering it has caused your people. The Crown will deliver its long-overdue apology at Te Tokanganui-ā-Noho marae on 4 December this year following the 150th anniversary of that great wharenui and I look forward to accompanying the Prime Minister as she delivers that apology.You have brought with you as I said before the taiaha Maungārongo. He will be on display at Parliament for the next five years. This taiaha has been used by Maniapoto to guard the boundaries of the aukati. When the aukati was withdrawn in 1885 the rangatira Wahanui gifted Maungārongo to the Crown symbolising the coming of peace between the Crown and Maniapoto. We regard Maniapoto's offer to lend the taiaha to Parliament for five years as a gesture of reconciliation. This taonga is a symbol of our renewed partnership. Maniapoto's association with their whenua is central to their history. Maniapoto have a deeply felt responsibility as kaitiaki in their rohe that has been passed down through the generations. No settlement package can ever fully compensate Maniapoto for the magnitude of loss you have suffered. It's a testament to your extraordinary grace that Maniapoto have chosen to accept the current package and move towards a period of reconciliation with the Crown. With $165 million in financial redress and a commitment from the Crown to establish a true Treaty partnership which supports the aspirations of the iwi I'm confident that Maniapoto will have the means to chart their own path.I express gratitude to the Maniapoto kaumātua and tūpuna who took the first steps towards reconciliation. They had a clear vision and I deeply regret that many are no longer with us to witness this momentous occasion where their vision becomes a reality. I must acknowledge the hard work of the Maniapoto Māori Trust Board and in particular its two chairs throughout negotiations Tiwha Bell and Keith Ikin. Negotiations can be long and difficult. However through this time you did not compromise on the values and aspirations at the heart of this settlement and you've worked tirelessly to persist to achieve the best for your people. I have absolute faith that Te Nehenehenui will continue to lead Maniapoto with the same foresight and integrity and I wish the new chair of Te Nehenehenui Bella Takiari-Brame and her team well. I want to also thank and acknowledge all the Crown agencies who worked on the settlement and the chief Crown negotiator David Tapsell for leading the Crown team.Lastly I thank all the people of Maniapoto for your strength determination and dedication in carrying this important kaupapa. Today we reaffirm the Maniapoto-Crown relationship. Your strength and independence means you do not need the Crown to guide you. It's important that the Crown respects your mana whakahaere as we grow our partnership. Today marks a new beginning in realising the promises made to Maniapoto and it's my sincere hope that this settlement and new partnership based on mutual trust respect and cooperation will provide for the future wellbeing and prosperity of Maniapoto. Kia tau ko te maungārongo ki a tātou katoa. [Let there be peace among us all.]I commend the Maniapoto Claims Settlement Bill to the House. Nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa. SPEAKER: Ko te pātai kia whakaaetia te mōtini.[The question is that the motion be agreed to.]