Mahuta Nanaia: Ngāti Hauā Claims Settlement Bill Ngāti Koroki Kahukura Claims Settlement Bill — First ReadingsText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMahuta Nanaia: Ngāti Hauā Claims Settlement Bill Ngāti Koroki Kahukura Claims Settlement Bill — First Readings[Sitting date: 22 October 2013. Volume:694;Page:14154. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato): Tēnei e tāpiri atu i āku mihi ki a koutou i uru mai nei ki roto i tēnei Whare. Nō reira Ngāti Hauā ko koe tērā te tumuaki me koe Ngāti Koroki Kahukura tēnei te mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa.[I add my acknowledgments to you collectively who have entered this House. That is you Ngāti Hauā principal negotiator and you Ngāti Koroki Kahukura. So a loving salutation to you all.]We have not got much time. We are reading two bills in conjunction the Ngāti Hauā Claims Settlement Bill and the Ngāti Koroki Kahukura Claims Settlement Bill. I do not want to mince my words. I want to give those who have come to hear the first readings of these bills the assurance that we want to give the legislation full attention at the Māori Affairs Committee but we want to pass it fairly quickly so that you can get on with doing what you need to do.Firstly I want to make a few points with regard to the Ngāti Hauā settlement. The interests represented within this settlement are extant to those agreements that were reached under the 1995 Waikato Raupatu Claims Settlement Act. It is important to mention so that people who are not familiar with the history of the Waikato region areaware that these are legitimate and important claims which were not covered within the boundaries of the confiscation settlement that was reached earlier in 1995.Secondly I think that for Ngāti Hauā there are two particular aspects that relate to the history that Minister Sharples was talking about that would be of significant interest to members of Parliament: firstly the Tumuakitanga and the accord to recognise Wīremu Tamihana and his descendants and the role that they played in relation to the Kīngitanga movement and the importance of having an enduring relationship. So within the context of this bill it is important that the nature of that Crown-iwi relationship with Hauā is embodied within the context of the tumuaki accord.Secondly of particular interest to the House will be Te Kauhanganui within Ngāti Hauā. As members will recall when Māhuta came down and sat in this Parliament—and we have celebrated some 100 years since that time—there was a Māori Parliament within the area of Ngāti Hauā for which they have now done up the building. It is an important historical feature within the area and I know that the member Lindsay Tisch will be familiar with that. It has a lot of historical records and artefacts that are significant to the history of New Zealand and again there have been aspects of this settlement that seek to ensure that its contribution can be a rich part of New Zealand’s history.Extending the accords or the relationship of Hauā to the Waikato River to that particular part of the catchment becomes significant. There are major waterways running into that area. We have just had the local body elections. There have been two newly created Māori seats. People want to ensure that there is going to be some greater contribution of certainly iwi-hapū interests with regard to catchment management and resource management within the area. I am sure that the pillars of the Hauā settlement and its intent will seek to make that real.In regard to the other aspects of the redress that the Minister spoke about I can say only that they will ensure that Hauā are able to do things that help their children thrive and prosper that will continue to unite and strengthen the hapū within the Hauā area and the marae—which are very active—and more important that will ensure that there is going to be growth and opportunity in a part of the country that is very rich and fertile and that is a gateway if you like through the Waikato region to Tauranga and also to Taupō and to Rotorua. So I certainly applaud those who have negotiated this settlement.This is just the first reading. The legislation will go to the Māori Affairs Committee. We will peer over it we will bring it back for the third reading and we will get it back to you as soon as we can.For Ngāti Koroki Kahukura the next thing I would like to say is that there is an important relationship between Koroki Kahukura and Hauā. Again they are somewhat linked through the geography and the adjacent relationship of the areas but also through whakapapa which is enduring into contemporary relationships of this time.Again the interests in this particular claim become significant for the select committee today because we are also hearing the Raukawa settlement claim. I want to draw the attention of the House to the nature of Koroki Kahukura’s relationship with both Waikato and Raukawa and to put a point on the expectations of how that relationship relates to a bill we are currently hearing in the select committee. A letter like a relationship accord was written between the Raukawa Trust Board and Ngāti Koroki Kahukura Trust on 8 May and if it pleases the House I am happy to table it if members should wish to see that for their own interest.There are three paragraphs that I would like to single out and read for theHansard record. When we are considering the Raukawa settlement bill and the interests of Ngāti Koroki Kahukura and their settlement we can be assured through the select committeeprocess that there is no impinging on one another’s interests because clarity has been reached between the two iwi and is nicely set out in the letter.It reads as follows. Paragraph (3) says: “As a part of our undertakings to each other Ngati Koroki Kahukura acknowledges that the Raukawa rohe includes the Maungatautari rohe and extends to Te Tiki O Te Ihingarangi and Te Taurapa O Te Ihingarangi. For its part the Raukawa Trust Board acknowledges that from a Raukawa perspective the mana whenua mana whakahaere and kaitiaki within the Maungatautari rohe is held predominantly by Ngati Koroki Kahukura.” It goes on to say: “For the purposes of this letter the Raukawa Trust Board acknowledges the specific dominant mana whenua (ahi kaa) mana whakahaere and kaitiakitanga of Ngati Koroki Kahukura in the following resources: a. The Waikato river …”—and then there is a description of that—“b. Pukekura Horahora and Maungatautari land blocks (excluding titles west of Maungatautari and specifically excluding Parawera marae and surrounding area); and c. Maungatautarimaunga.”The letter culminates in paragraph (11): “Ngati Koroki Kahukura Trust and the Raukawa Trust Board agree that Ngati Koroki Kahukura descendants will be unable to access Treaty of Waitangi financial or commercial redress benefits from the wider Raukawa Treaty Settlement unless this is through another Raukawa whakapapa. To reinforce this the Ngati Koroki Kahukura Trust agrees that it will indemnify the Raukawa Trust Board against any claims that Ngati Koroki Kahukura descendants may have against the Raukawa Trust Board with respect to any settlements achieved through the Ngati Koroki Kahukura Trust.”I have read that out for members so that we understand that within the context of the Raukawa settlement that is being heard by the select committee committee members have to assure themselves that there is no crossing over of interests—that the boundaries are very clear—because what has been reached in the Koroki Kahukura settlement is very clear. If there is any shadow of a doubt that it is impinged upon by another settlement then we have got a level of concern. I would not say that it is substantial but it is an area where greater clarity might need to be given within the context of a related settlement.As I said I will not dabble about with my words. I think we should be considering this legislation with the fullness of interest that it deserves but let us get on with it get it through the House and return it to Koroki Kahukura and Ngāti Hauā so that they can do what they need to do for their people. Kia ora.