Mahuta Nanaia: Rangitāne o Manawatu Claims Settlement Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMahuta Nanaia: Rangitāne o Manawatu Claims Settlement Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 15 March 2016. Volume:712;Page:9784. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato):Rangitāne o Manawatū tēnā koutou nau mai piki mai kake mai haere mai. Tēnei tētehi mokopuna nō Te Awa o Waikato e mihi ana ki a koutou ngā iwi whakatipu o Te Awa o Manawatū kia tae pai mai koutou i runga i tēnei huarahi ahakoa te aukaha o Te Awa ahakoa ngā pikopiko o Te Awa ahakoa ngā au ngā ripo ngā piki me ngā heke ā tāua nei Awa. Ko tēnei huarahi te pai o te tutuki o ngā take Tiriti. He mea kia āta whakaarohia e tātou ngā mokopuna ngā uri whakatipu o ō tātou mokopuna me ō rātou nei whāinga nō reira tēnei te mihi atu kia koutou.[Rangitāne of Manawatū welcome climb aboard ascend and greetings. I am a grandchild from the Waikato river extending a welcome to you the people who were raised alongside the Manawatū River so that you would arrive here well on this pathway despite the strength of the river its currents eddies and the ups and downs of that particular river. This is the best pathway to settle matters relating to the Treaty. It is a way of ensuring that we consider our grandchildren the offspring of our grandchildren and their aspirations and so I commend you.]It is important to be able to spend some time at this first reading recognising the important juncture that we are at. I would like to offer a few comments on the settlement mainly drawing from the contribution of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and some of the matters that he raised which will focus the efforts of the select committee.In no particular order I have highlighted Minister—both for your officials and for the technical team of the negotiators—some aspects that I intend to pursue as a means of seeking greater clarification around the intent of the deed of settlement and the way that it is reflected in legislation. Those issues go something like this. Firstly the advisory board for the Manawatū catchment—in the way that the legislation is portrayed it appears to me that the opportunity to disestablish the board might be preceded by the way in which the advisory board sees itself taking on greater functions in the freshwater management aspects of the Manawatū.If this is indeed the case under the current Resource Management Act the transfer of powers in section 33 certainly allow iwi to be able to take on roles and functions for that purpose. So I raise that as an issue because it may be something that the officials could offer us some advice on as to what the intent and purpose of the advisory board is and what the future opportunity space for the advisory board is in freshwater management.The second issue I would like to ask some questions around will be the ongoing management of reserves and how the thinking is proceeding along the responsibility and the funding of that particular delegation of opportunity. You will notice that these are quite technical questions to some extent but they are important ones when we start to pursue the submissions that may come to us.Given some previous settlements and the challenges around access provisions to private land and public land—and I notice there are some aspects of that within this bill—it is my view that it is worth the Māori Affairs Committee considering rights of access to protected sites; formal easements whether or not that is the intention of what is required here in some instances; and we would have to understand the nature of the sites that we are talking about.The last issue which has occupied the attention of the House for some time through various settlements is the way in which it is intended that the right of first refusal mechanism operates within the context of Rangitāne o Manawatu. This has been something that has popped its head up over all sorts of issues but it will require the diligence of the select committee to make sure that what is reflected in the legislation is what is intended in the deed of settlement.Minister you have had had a mammoth day today in bringing three settlement bills to the House. The efforts of your negotiating team and the negotiating team of Rangitāne o Manawatu is significant and we recognise that. Although the first reading does not allow for all the acknowledgments that must be said to be said be under no shadow of a doubt that once we go through the full process of the select committee and then back to the third reading members will be heartened to bring the full extent of our recognition to the House for your satisfaction.Nō reira e te iwi o Rangitāne ki Manawatū tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou ki a tātou katoa.[And so to you the people of Rangitāne of Manawatū I congratulate you and us all.]Bill read a first time.Bill referred to the Māori Affairs Committee.Waiata