Tirikatene RinoRINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga): Tēnā koe Madam Speaker. Tēnā koutou ōku rangatira. Mana Ahuriri ngā hapū maha Ngāti Kahungunu nui tonu tēnā koutou. Nau mai whakatau mai. Nau mai whakatau mai ki Te Whare Pāremata me kī e kite anō te raiona. Tēnā koutou āe. Harikoa te ngākau kua tae mai koutou. Ko Ngāti Pāhauwera tēnei e tū atu nei e mihi atu nei ki a koutou. Ka hoki ngā mahara ki a rātou mā nā rātou i arahi i kōkirihia tēnei kaupapa. Āe haere koutou haere koutou hoki wairua mai ki a tātou te kanohi ora e pae nei. E ōku rangatira rau rangatira mā huri rauna i tō tātou Whare tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.[Greetings Madam Speaker. Greetings distinguished guests. The representatives of Ahuriri the many hapū wider Ngāti Kahungunu greetings. Welcome. Welcome to Parliament come back to see the lion. Greetings to you all. I'm happy you have arrived.This is Ngāti Pāhauwera that stands before you who acknowledges you. My thoughts go back to those who once lead this issue who drove it forward. Farewell to you but also come back in spirit to us the living.To the leaders to the distinguished assembly throughout our House greetings greetings to one and all.]It's an absolute delight for me to stand and tautoko this bill at its first reading and I want to add my welcome to the whānau of Mana Ahuriri and all the splendid hapū—the seven hapū that make up Ahuriri who have travelled here today. They've had a long wait—they've had a long wait to get to this stage. As Minister Little said this has been a long journey. There have been many steps along the way which Mana Ahuriri have diligently followed—working and making sure that everyone is taken every step of the way. And I'm just delighted that we are able here today in 2020—it's been about four or five years since the deed was signed—to start this last phase of this process.So I add my welcome and I want to acknowledge the contributions of all those that have been involved in particular the Hon Andrew Little but also his predecessor the Hon Christopher Finlayson who I know was very much involved with Mana Ahuriri with this settlement. Likewise from all sides these are very important occasions very historic occasions and we get to do the good part by ushering through this legislation which brings into effect those special documents that have been signed with the deed of settlement.So I want to acknowledge the history that underpins this legislation—the history of the hapū and the whānau from Ahuriri. As has been traversed—and I want to acknowledge the contribution from Joanne Hayes—it is a story of Aotearoa of the settlement of our country. All too typical—all too typical but that is the history. It all stems from I guess an insatiable desire for land for the settlement of new lands of Aotearoa and those interactions which took place between the tangata whenua and the settlement powers: the Crown of the day. And just as we've done with the settlements across the Hawke's Bay—whether it's Maungaharuru-Tangitū Ngāti Pāhauwera and others—Ahuriri were no different. They were impacted by Crown policies. They were basically hoodwinked into losing their whenua—hoodwinked by the promise of opportunities of the benefits of welcoming settlement in their areas. Unfortunately that wasn't to be. The settlements—yes they did take place but the laws that were implemented which were systematically designed to ensure that Māori lands were alienated are a real regret and a stain I guess on us as a country. But the good thing is that we are here to acknowledge those wrongs of the past and to make some degree of redress to Ahuriri.If you look at the Hawke's Bay Napier: what a beautiful beautiful part of the country I'm sure—well represented too—well represented by my wonderful colleagues here. It's a very thriving beautiful part of Aotearoa—whether it's from the coast up in Ahuriri's place to the Esk—is it the Esk River?Hon Meka Whaitiri: Yes.RINO TIRIKATENE: —down to Ngaruroro and over to the Kāweka Ranges. So that's a beautiful part of Aotearoa. Unfortunately yes there were historic purchases that took place but mainly through the works of one Donald McLean—we can reflect on what that particular member of this esteemed House achieved during his time in the 1860s in particular—Ahuriri were effectively forced off their lands through the 10-person rule of putting communal land tenure into these foreign structures which were designed to ensure that lands were lost and divested and handed over to the settlers and the Crown.So that is the crux of this—the mamae because of the impact that that had on the Ahuriri hapū and their whānau and also on their mahinga kai their treasured taonga of Whanganui-ā-Orotu and those traditional areas where they lived and flourished. So this is a means of redressing that.The Crown has acknowledged its wrongs and its breaches of the Treaty and its principles in that series of actions which took place over 150 years ago. But we mustn't forget them because it's had a very detrimental impact. I'm so pleased that through this process which we do quite regularly and I have the privilege of being a part of as the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee we can see the positive impact that these Treaty settlements are having across the motu. Ms Hayes outlined all the various elements to the settlement and it was a tough negotiation I'm sure. What I'm actually thrilled about is that Ahuriri are not waiting around; they're very anxious and they're on the move. I was thrilled to see that they have an aspiration of being a—and they are—major commercial property stakeholder and owner right in the heart of Napier Ahuriri. That is the future which we are ushering in today through the passage of this legislation.So it's those sorts of inspiring things. It's seeing the mokopuna who came in with all their aunties uncles parents kaumātua today; they are the future for Mana Ahuriri and I'm sure they won't forget this special occasion.I do want to acknowledge Matua Piri Prentice—what a rangatira; just his presence his gravitas his leadership that he showed when we welcomed Mana Ahuriri into the House this afternoon. So I'm sure that with outstanding rangatira and leadership of all of the trustees of Mana Ahuriri the future is well in hand.So with that I am looking forward along with other members of the Māori Affairs Committee to—I'm sure—hopefully coming up to Napier to conduct our hearings to hear from the whānau and completing the task that we have to undertake because this is a really significant piece of legislation. I'm pleased to have spoken at this first reading. I add my tautoko once again. Nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou kia ora tātou katoa.