McKelvie IanIAN McKELVIE (National—Rangitīkei): Thank you Mr Speaker. It's a little difficult to know where to start with this bill because I've listened to the speeches that have been given this afternoon and tonight on it and it's kind of interesting. I get to speak on a lot of these bills in my time in Parliament and it's kind of interesting because I've never in my time sat on the Māori Affairs Committee except to stop by for a bit of kai and I can tell you what it's worth stopping by for. But that's the only introduction to the Māori Affairs Committee that I've really had in my time in Parliament. The thing that interests me about it is that when you think about the challenges that we have—and the last two speakers at least spoke about this exact thing—we're trying to make a judgment on something that in some cases happened 150 years ago. We're trying to impose today's standard—well not impose today's standard but we're trying to balance the standards we live by today with the standards we lived by at the time when these events happened. Not only that but then we've got the various iwi and hapū trying to balance what happened to them at that time with what they might be able to gain—not gain but what they might be able to achieve now for future generations of their families and the people that associate with them and you can see why it takes such a long time but the challenge of it taking so long of course is that there's massive lost opportunity in it. In the course of the commentary on this bill that lost opportunity is talked about and I don't think there's an easy answer to it. I find it a great privilege to speak on these bills for the reasons I've just mentioned to some extent but it is an extraordinarily difficult thing for a group of people in 2021 to balance what happened to people in some cases as early as 1850 or even earlier than that—in fact before 1842. So it's extraordinarily difficult for us to get to the point that we can achieve I guess a fair settlement of grievances that have gone on for—well if we carry on for much longer it's going to be 200 years isn't it? So it's quite a challenge and I find the Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill quite an interesting one because it's a piece of New Zealand that I think is an extraordinarily beautiful piece of New Zealand but it's also a piece of New Zealand that's been subject to some pretty devastating events. Of course if you look at the Ahuriri Estuary which is part of this settlement and it's a place where at least two of my grandsons live and look over and play in every day—well they're getting a little old to play now. They ride their bikes there and they'll soon be doing other things there no doubt. But it's a part of New Zealand that has had some very challenging events happen to it. So when you look at this claims settlement bill the area that it affects almost goes as far as the Rangitīkei electorate. In other words it goes right up into the Kāweka Ranges and probably over the hill—in fact the Taupō electorate probably bounds on it more than the Rangitīkei does at the top. But it's a big part of New Zealand and a very important part of New Zealand and it also contains what I think is a very interesting port. For anyone who ever goes and spends some time at Ahuriri—and my mother lived there for a long time. She still does actually although sometimes I don't know whether she knows she lives there or not but she lives there and of course that's one of the tragedies of life I suppose. But it is a fascinating place and when you have a look at the port and the activity that that port generates it's a hugely important part of New Zealand. It's also a very attractive part of New Zealand and not only does this area of land contain the port but it also contains the airport. So when you look at what's happened to that since perhaps the beginning of these challenges that happened in the 1870s and you look at what's happening to it now it's a spectacular piece of New Zealand infrastructure and a very important part of New Zealand. So for this claims settlement bill to be put through given the background of what's going on there today and what happened there in the past it's an extremely difficult thing to get a balance on. So I've got great admiration for the iwi and hapū who go into these negotiations and for the negotiators that take part in these things because as I've said it's an extremely complicated and I guess to some extent risky process to get involved in because you're going to be blamed for ever if you get it wrong. So I think it's pretty special that we can get these bills to the post but I also think it's important that we get as many of these settlements done and get them done as quickly as we can. But at the same time we can't sacrifice quality for speed because if we do we'll make a whole lot of mistakes that will just be repeating the damage of the past. So it's a great privilege for me to speak on these bills. As I said I have a bit more association with the Ahuriri Hapū claims settlement area than perhaps I do with some others because my mother and my daughter and my grandchildren live there and they'll benefit. Inevitably they'll benefit—I'm not really sure my mother will but—Hon Member: Your poor mother. IAN McKELVIE: Well she wouldn't like me taking her name in vain but she won't be able to listen because she's deaf. So I'm safe. SPEAKER: The member's safe—I know the feeling. IAN McKELVIE: So do I. But I think the point that I'm making is that they'll benefit hugely from this settlement because the activities that will happen as a result of these settlement bills and the result of those settlements benefit everyone that lives in those areas and I think that's pretty special. So I'm hugely supportive of these settlements and I'm also hugely supportive of the activity that takes place as a result of them. I know we go back and we talk about what might have been because as I said when I started this little address to the House it's very difficult for us to judge what might have been when we are looking at a span of perhaps 180 years in a lot of cases with these bills. So I think that we've got to give the Māori Affairs Committee particularly and those iwi and hapū concerned a great deal of credit for the work they do to get to the point they get where they can at least get an agreement and get a settlement of a sort in place. I think it's of great benefit to New Zealand and I also don't believe that we should go back and make judgments on what happened in the past and compare that with what's happening today—we do it in all forms of life—actually because what happened when I was born was very different to things that are going on today. The other thing that I think is very relevant to this is the time this bill's taken and there are people in this House who weren't born when the process for this bill started. So that just shows how long it's taken—over 30 years—for the process to take place and get through and get finally through to a second reading and I've no doubt the third reading will not be long following. But I think it's really important. I'd just congratulate everyone concerned on it and I think it's pretty special that we can be part of these claims settlement bills. I just hope that they continue and that they continue with speed and that we can get them—I shouldn't say we get them out of the way" because that's not the object of it at all. The object of it is to get to a settlement that at least can be agreed by as many of us as possible. Thank you Mr Speaker. I hope it gets good support at the third reading and I'm sure it will."