Little Andrew; Rurawhe AdrianThird ReadingHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I move that the—SPEAKER: No. You're presenting a legislative statement.Hon ANDREW LITTLE: Sorry I present a legislative statement to the House on the Mana Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill.SPEAKER: The legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website. The Hon Andrew Little.Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I move That the Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time.I would like to acknowledge that on the precincts of Parliament there are representatives of Mana Ahuriri who are here to mark this historic occasion. That is to say the third reading of their bill. I know they are watching and I extend a very warm welcome to them. Many have travelled here today to be part of this occasion and to see and to witness for themselves this very important occasion. Ko aku mihi atu ki a koutou ngā uri o Ahuriri Hapū nau mai haere mai ki tēnei Whare.[I greet you the tribal descendants of the Ahuriri Hapū welcome to this House.]I again say welcome. This day marks the final stage in progressing the Mana Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill by giving effect to their Treaty settlement. In doing this it begins a process of healing and building a new positive and enduring relationship between the Crown and Ahuriri Hapū. I acknowledge the patience and fortitude that Ahuriri Hapū have shown over the many years that they have waited for this settlement. The Ahuriri Hapū journey to settlement started in 1988 with their first claim filed with the Waitangi Tribunal. On 13 June 1995 the Waitangi Tribunal published its report on Te Whanganui-a-Orotu recommending the Crown consider the return of the Landcorp farm Roro o Kuri and the Ahuriri Estuary. Negotiations began with the granting of mandate in February 2010. Six years of negotiations led to the Ahuriri Hapū deed of settlement being signed on 2 November 2016.Following the deed of settlement signing the Waitangi Tribunal heard an urgent claim regarding the mandate of Mana Ahuriri Incorporated. The tribunal recommended that full elections for all post settlement governance entity trustees be held prior to the legislation being passed. Following an agreement with the Mana Ahuriri Trust to hold trustee elections this bill was introduced on 20 December 2019 and full elections were completed early this year. In addition to these challenges since introduction the settlement legislation has also been delayed by the COVID-19 outbreak. Most recently this third reading was scheduled for August this year but was then delayed due to the country moving to alert level 4 lockdown in response to community transmission of the Delta variant of COVID-19.It's important to mention these challenges if only to highlight the strength and persistence of Mana Ahuriri to reach this final milestone. It is finally time for the Crown to make redress to the people of Ahuriri for its breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. I'm saddened that Ahuriri Hapū cannot be here physically in this session today but it is nevertheless a great privilege and an honour to stand here today in this House to support enactment of the Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill as they watch from the banquet hall. I acknowledge the seven hapū of Ahuriri Hapū: Ngāti Hinepare Ngāti Māhu Ngāti Matepū Ngāti Paarau Ngāi Tāwhao Ngāi Te Ruruku and Ngāti Tū. I wish to acknowledge those who are not with us today to witness the outcome of years of hard work courage and commitment. We cannot and do not forget those who have suffered the grievances and those who initiated and carried the claims process for the seven hapū of Ahuriri. They are in our thoughts today. I particularly wish to acknowledge the leadership and work of Piri Prentice Heitia Hiha Barry Wilson Joinella Maihi-Carroll and Tania Eden who have all completed a long and difficult task with a clear purpose and have done an excellent job for Ahuriri Hapū.On the Crown side this long overdue settlement has been the work of successive Governments and numerous officials and in particular I acknowledge and thank the Hon Paul Swain for his role as chief Crown negotiator; Tā John Clarke for his role in assisting to bring Ahuriri Hapū closer together; my predecessors the late Hon Dr Sir Michael Cullen and the Hon Christopher Finlayson who both worked closely with the Ahuriri Hapū negotiation team; and officials from across agencies who have led and supported negotiations.The Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill gives effect to the settlement package set out in the Ahuriri Hapū deed of settlement and acknowledges all the historic Te Tiriti o Waitangi claims of Ahuriri Hapū. The bill like the deed acknowledges the Crown's historic breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi but also seeks to go some way in providing Ahuriri Hapū with a strong foundation for their future social cultural and economic development. The historical account records that Ahuriri Hapū sought to establish an ongoing and mutually beneficial relationship with the Crown after 1840. Ahuriri Hapū as Treaty partners have fulfilled their obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi something that the Crown has not done.Ahuriri Hapū have suffered severe and lasting prejudice as a result of the Crown's breaches. The interests of Ahuriri Hapū were not protected by the Crown when it purchased land or by the native land laws when they provided for a small number of individuals to dispossess hapū and members of their lands. Not only have the hapū been left virtually landless but environmental change and urban development in the rohe of Ahuriri Hapū including Te Whanganui-a-Orotu have been sources of great distress for the hapū. The socioeconomic consequences of the Crown's breaches have been dire.A particular grievance addressed through the settlement relates to the Crown's 1866 attacks on Ōmarunui and Herepoho during the New Zealand Wars. The Crown resorted to force to settle a crisis that should have been resolved peacefully. Some members of the hapū were killed defending themselves against the Crown's attacks while others were captured by Crown forces and detained without trial in harsh conditions on the Chatham Islands. These events caused deep and long-lasting divisions amongst the hapū some of whom exercised their rangatiratanga to fight at the Crown's side. Some members of Ahuriri Hapū made claims in the Waitangi Tribunal regarding the historical redress and the Ahuriri Hapū deed of settlement including in relation to Ōmarunui. To address those claims the Crown agreed to record the perspectives of those claimants regarding the Battle of Ōmarunui. I'm pleased to note that this work is currently under way and I hope those agreements can be completed as soon as possible.No settlement package can ever truly fully compensate for the loss Ahuriri Hapū have suffered for generations. In spite of this Ahuriri Hapū have graciously accepted a package of redress to acknowledge their connections to land and resources of significance. Due to the delay of years between signing the deed of settlement and today it is appropriate to record for the Hansard some of that redress given effect to by this bill. A key piece of redress relates to Te Whanganui-a-Orotu or the Ahuriri Estuary. The Crown acknowledges that Te Whanganui-a-Orotu and the islands in it are prized taonga and recognises the role of Ahuriri Hapū as kaitiaki. The settlement provides for the establishment of a permanent multiparty statutory committee to promote the protection and enhancement of the environmental economic social spiritual historical and cultural values of Te Muriwai o Te Whanga for present and future generations of the entire Napier community. In addition Ahuriri Hapū will receive cultural commercial and financial redress including a kaitiaki fund to assist the work of the Estuary Management Committee; a right to purchase Ahuriri Station as the tribunal recommended in 1995; a right to purchase the Crown's shares in Hawke's Bay Airport; the Crown's gift to Ahuriri Hapū of Heipipi pā at the head Whanganui-ā-Orotu; the gift of Conservation House in Napier and land at Pakake; $19.5 million in financial redress; and shares in the Kaweka Gwavas Forestry Company.While nothing can compensate Ahuriri Hapū for the harm the Crown caused them and their tipuna through this settlement the Crown acknowledges and finally takes responsibility for the harm it has caused. It's my hope that this Treaty settlement will provide a platform from which Ahuriri Hapū can design a new future for themselves and their mokopuna in true Treaty partnership with the Crown. This is the time for reconciliation and for celebration for Ahuriri Hapū and the important step of restoring the relationship between the Crown and Ahuriri Hapū. Nō reira I commend this bill to the House.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ko te pātai kia whakaaetia te mōtini.[The question is that the motion be agreed to.]