Finlayson Christopher: Ngai Tamanuhiri Claims Settlement Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Finlayson Christopher: Ngai Tamanuhiri Claims Settlement Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
[Sitting date: 18 July 2012. Volume:681;Page:3737. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) 
: 
 I agree with Mr Jones as I do on many occasions that this has been a jovial and quite inspiring morning as we have dealt with this Ngai Tamanuhiri Claims Settlement Bill and with other legislation. I want to take a call to address this settlement that I was so proud to be associated with along with Mr Horomia and Mrs Turia on 5 March 2011. But first I want to make some comments—gentle comments—about the emerging Green Party line which seems to be that settlements are mere deals. Well quite frankly I regard those comments as sanctimonious insensitive and fundamentally incorrect. I actually get quite angry when I hear them because how dare they diminish the importance of these settlements? These are not mere words contained in deeds of settlement. They are a genuine attempt in this case by several administrations—first Michael Cullen and Parekura Horomia and more latterly Mrs Turia and me—to deal with these issues to put genuine grievances to rest and to plan to move forward. 
I do not know but I do not think Ms Delahunty was at Muriwai Marae on 5 March 2011 but Mr Horomia was and certainly Mrs Turia was with me and it was a great day. We went up to the top of Young Nicks Head and initialled the deed up there and then went down to Muriwai Marae. Muriwai Marae is a famous marae situated to the south of Gisborne. I always get almost overwhelmed when I go into it and look at the honours board for those who lost their lives in defence of this country in the First and Second World Wars. In that respect I particularly acknowledge that great New Zealander Mr Raihania who affiliates to Ngati Porou and to Ngai Tamanuhiri. He is a great New Zealander; one of the last remaining members of the 28th Maori Battalion. And there we signed the deed of settlement on that rather cloudy morning. 
I recall that for the first time ever as Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations I read out the full Crown acknowledgments and the apology and I said to Mrs Turia after it was over that it was quite eerie it was very quiet and asked her what was going on and she said that actually people were weeping. So for Ms Delahunty in a fit of moral superiority to stand up in this House and describe what happened on 5 March 2011 as a mere deal and to say that the Greens would do so much better but they never offer anything constructive is something I find profoundly insulting and quite frankly annoying. 
The second point that I wish to talk about in the context of the second reading is to pick up the point made by Mr Jones in his wonderful contribution on the issue of the local leadership body because he talked about the importance of natural resources and referred to water. What we hope to do through this legislation is to establish a local leadership body. It will be a statutory body. It is another one of those mechanisms that has been worked out after discussions with local iwi in the Tai Rawhiti region to contribute to the sustainable management of natural and physical resources in the area for the enjoyment of present and future generations and I believe this is going to work very well. The membership of the board are going to be representatives of the Ngai Tamanuhiri settlement trust and also Rongowhakaata and we hope in the not too distant future the Te Aitangi-a-Mahaki Trust and then members of the council. This is going to be a body that over time will deal with these issues in Tai Rawhiti in a very sensible and pragmatic way adopting a “we’re all in this together” kind of approach for the benefit of all the people of that wonderful region which is led so well by that outstanding mayor Meng Foon. 
So I actually thought it was a very positive day. I think that what both administrations have done is not do some cheap and nasty deal; this is an honourable settlement. This is a genuine attempt on the part of the Crown to achieve a just and durable settlement with these people who have suffered much over the years. My advice to the Green Party is: get off your flea-bitten old nag; do not be so high-handed when you are dealing with these issues; and recognise that you do not have a monopoly on moral superiority and that both the National and the Labour Governments over the years have genuinely tried to achieve a just and durable settlement in this part of the world. I am going to leave it there. 
I want to acknowledge the huge efforts of the various people in this great iwi who have worked over the years and I will name them personally towards the end of my third reading speech. I have acknowledged Nolan Raihania. He always gets very embarrassed when I acknowledge him in the House but he is a great New Zealander and his contribution to this country through the 28th Maori Battalion in farming circles and in Mr Horomia’s part of the world needs to be brought to light and acknowledged. I will leave it there.