Tamihere John: Ngati Awa Claims Settlement Bill — Second Reading 
Tamihere John: Ngati Awa Claims Settlement Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:423;Page:18556] 
JOHN TAMIHERE (Labour—Tamaki Makaurau) 
: 
 E nga rau rangatira ma e kui ma tuahine ma tuakana ma i raro i te maru o te tipuna rongonui a Awanuiarangi i Ngati Awa. Kei te mihi kei te mihi kei te mihi nunui ki a koutou. Kare e wareware ki a matou te mahi kaha mo nga tipuna ki a koutou. Kei te mihi nunui mo nga tipuna. Te mahi kaha ki te awhi ki te hari i te manaaki mo nga iwi kotahi tatou a Ngati Awa. Haere haere haere atu ra. 
[ 
To the chiefs of a hundredfold to the elder womenfolk sisters elder siblings and cousins under the jurisdiction of Awanuiarangi the famous ancestor of Ngati Awa I greet and acknowledge you and extend a huge greeting to you. We will never forget the great work carried out by the ancestors for you. We cannot thank them enough. They worked hard to embrace and carry the welfare of the people and to make us of Ngati Awa one. Depart the ancestors depart and farewell 
.] 
I was just making an acknowledgment of the leadership of Ngati Awa who are here in the House today and also acknowledging the fact that they whakapapa back to a great ancestor in Awanuiarangi and finally acknowledging the work of a number of their ancestors who have passed on. 
The only person who ever becomes confused on treaty settlement legislation that comes before this House is Dr Wayne Mapp. He is aptly named “Mapp” because he is always looking for somewhere to go but he can never find the right sorts of coordinates! I did want to say that I am grateful to Ngati Awa because—unlike the mean-spirited comments made by members of the National Party and particularly the ACT party—there is a generosity of spirit in which Maori entertain those settlements and agreements. It is not about compensation but the amount of compensation that they are willing to settle for to bring closure certainty and sustainability to their people has to be acknowledged. 
So to that extent as a member of the Government on behalf of those bringing closure to these people in terms of the Crown I wanted to acknowledge the dignity humility and the integrity of the treaty partner called Ngati Awa. 
Finally there are two other points that I did want to make. I commend the Governor-General’s speech made on Waitangi Day when she directed all her comments to the National Party and particularly to its leader with regard to the cultural custom that the National Party now has of driving all its women to the back seat. Georgina te Heuheu used to be on the front bench but she is no longer on the front bench. Katherine Rich used to be on the front bench but is no longer on the front bench. To be a member of the National Party front bench one cannot be a female. So I just wanted to commend the Governor-General for bringing that to the attention of a once-great party. 
Coming back to the Ngati Awa Claims Settlement Bill precedents have been set from Tainui all the way through in terms of the poll and the way in which it is conducted. Quite contrary to popular belief the rate of non-participation in it can also be seen as a participatory contribution because often our people are the first to stand up in terms of what they are against. So when they do turn up they will vote against things and they will vote in big numbers. 
I also wanted to acknowledge the fact of the ACT member’s contribution mean-spirited though he is—1.6 percent in the polls—and I have to say that the new wonderful telegenic leader whom ACT members elected just before Christmas cannot even pass muster to get 1 percentage point in the preferred Prime Minister poll. So I just say to the National and ACT members that I regret their not wanting to support this bill and I do want to acknowledge Ngati Awa. 
Bill read a second time.