Finlayson Christopher: Ngāti Kōata Ngāti Rārua Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu and Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui Claims Settlement Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFinlayson Christopher: Ngāti Kōata Ngāti Rārua Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu and Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 16 April 2014. Volume:698;Page:17432. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): Although this bill the Ngāti Kōata Ngāti Rārua Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu and Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui Claims Settlement Bill may be the last to receive a third reading today it is not the least. It provides for four settlements for iwi who have historical Treaty claims in Te Tau Ihu at the top of the south. Many people have sacrificed their time and well-being to achieve these settlements but it is very very sad indeed that ChrisAtutahi who worked for the Tainui Taranaki ki te Tonga collective is not here to see this day. We attribute his work at the commencement of negotiations to getting us here today.The bill contains Crown acknowledgments and apologies made to each of these four iwi and provides for specific redress. Understanding the history is critical and I endorse what Mr Henare and others have said about the importance of history. I do not intend to repeat what he and Mr Tirikatene and others have so eloquently said about the history of these settlements. Mr Tirikatene in particular has spoken very well in this debate about these four iwi. I acknowledge their contribution. I endorse what they have said. But rather I want to make a few comments about each of the iwi represented here this morning.Ngāti Kōata descended from Kōata of theTainui waka and for many years were a coastal iwi residing in Kāwhia. They came first to Te Tau Ihu through a tuku or grant of land from a Kurahaupō chief and then went through the subsequent invasion. They principally established themselves at Rangitoto Island Croisilles Whakatū andWhakapuaka. They were a people with a close association to the coast in terms of both navigation and fishing.In recognition of the importance of certain sites toNgāti Kōata including part of Rangitoto or D’Urville Island this bill requires the New Zealand Conservation Authority to have particular regard to Ngāti Kōata’s values when considering management plans for these sites. Through the bill Ngāti Kōata will be appointed as a conservation statutory adviser over Takapourewa or Stephens Island. This island wastraditionally used as a tohunga training ground as well as being a valuable source of natural resources. Being appointed as a conservation statutory adviser provides Ngāti Kōata with the ability to give advice to the Minister of Conservation in relation to the restoration of native flora and the management of native fauna.This settlement would not be happening today without the dedication of RomaHippolite who led negotiations with the support of Allen Hippolite. Api Hēmi unitedNgāti Kōata and previous chairs and original claimants Jim Elkington and Priscilla Paul guided Ngāti Kōata through the hearings along with Pene RurukuPūhanga Tūpaea Ngārau Tūpaea and the late Martin Dawson.Let me say something about the late Martin Dawson. I am sure Shane Jones would endorse this. Martin Dawson was a lawyer in Wellington for many years. He acted for iwi long before it became the fashionable or popular thing to do. He was interested in these issues because he was a caring lawyer dedicated to justice not because he was interested in the 6-minute units or fees. Without of course descending into personalities—that would be inappropriate—I simply say that he could teach some lawyers a thing or two about professionalism. We greatly miss him for the work he did on this and other settlements. May he rest in peace.I want to say something aboutNgāti Rārua. They originated from the western coast of the King Country region and descend from those tūpuna who migrated to New Zealand aboard theTainui waka. The lands at MotuekaRīwaka and Marahau became a significant area of occupation forNgāti Rārua in Te Tau Ihu as did the Wairau district on the east coast and areas of Golden Bay and the upper West Coast. Despite being settled in Wairau Ngāti Rārua were not party to the negotiations that led to the Wairau purchase. The reserves provided for Ngāti Rārua under the Te Wai Pounamu purchase had only a very small area of cultivatable land. They were isolated. They were of poor quality.In recognition of the significance of certain sites to Ngāti Rārua this bill requires the New Zealand Conservation Authority to have particular regard to Ngāti Rārua’s values when considering management plans in relation to these sites. I particularly want to acknowledge Barry Mason. He was the inaugural trust chair and a founding member of the committee that filed the Ngāti Rārua claim along with Molly Luke who has been a complete stalwart at the helm as chair until very recently. I acknowledge Lee Luke and also my old sparring partner Tim Castle who were the principal negotiators for Ngāti Rārua. I am very kind to the lawyers today.Then there is Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu. They trace their roots to theTokomaru waka from Hawaiki. They take their name from Tamāriki who came aboard that vessel. The Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu rangatira Te Puoho led their migration. He also led the last known taua by northern iwi into the Ngāi Tahu territory in 1836 and was killed doing so. Ngāti Tama established themselves as tangata whenua in Te Tau Ihu with pā at numerous locations including Te Tai Tapu Wainui Tākaka and Parapara in Golden Bay and also at various places like Wakapuaka in Tasman Bay. I think without casting aspersions at all on other iwi that they do have the best sites in the land.Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu negotiators have consistently tried to re-establish their connections with their traditional sites. So one aspect of their settlement that is very important is Te Korowai Mana which acknowledges the traditional cultural spiritual and historical association of Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu with certain sites of significance. Can I acknowledge Janice Manson the inaugural chair and Keri Stephens another previous chair for Ngāti Tama. I particularly pay tribute today to that great warrior Fred Te Miha. I am so very fond of Fred. He says what he thinks and he thinks a lot. He is going to be a force for this great iwi in the future. I also acknowledge Rob McKewen Jo Westrupp and John Ward-Holmes.Then there is Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui and I do want to say some things about that great iwi situated near Anakiwa. By the 1830s Te Ātiawa were settled through Tōtaranui—Queen Charlotte Sound. They also established themselves in Tasman Bay Golden Bay and Te Tai Tapu. The Tasman Sea Pacific Ocean and Cook Strait were great highways for them. By geographical choice and necessity they were coastal dwellers and they continue to place high cultural and historical values on the foreshore the seabed and the coastal and maritime waterways. Through this bill they are appointed as statutory kaitiaki over five islands in Queen Charlotte Sound and this will provide them with the opportunity to provide advice in relation to the restoration of native flora and the management of native fauna.There are so many people who have led the charge for Te Ātiawa. The Rev. Harvey Ruru and Sharon Gemmell particularly deserve a special mention. I wish Glenis Payne and the trust all the best as they lead this wonderful iwi into a post-settlement era.Let me just simply say one thing about the post-settlement era. We have heard this morning as we hear with all third readings some wonderful sentiments being expressed but the bipartisan view that comes from the Labour Party and the National Party needs to be emphasised—that is for all the great phrases what will make these settlements succeed in the future will be the Crown living up to its obligations. I am acutely conscious of that and that is why we have set up a post-settlement commitments unit to make sure that the Crown holds fast to its promises not just tomorrow not just in 25 years but for ever after.So I congratulate these iwi on achieving this moment. I thank you for the work that you have done over so many years. With goodwill on both sides and with the Crown doing its bit I believe it is the start of a renewed relationship with the Crown one that will be based on trust cooperation and respect for the Treaty. The third reading of the Ngāti Kōata Ngāti Rārua Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu and Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Maui Claims Settlement Billmarks the end for Parliament of what is a momentous day—a momentous day of course not just for Parliament but for the iwi. I commend this bill to the House.