Upston Louise: Ngati Tuwharetoa Raukawa and Te Arawa River Iwi Waikato River Bill — Third Reading 
Upston Louise: Ngati Tuwharetoa Raukawa and Te Arawa River Iwi Waikato River Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:667;Page:14747] 
LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupo) 
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Tena koe e te Whare. Rau rangatira ma tenei te mihi ki a koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te ra. Tena koutou nga iwi rangatira o te awa o Waikato. No reira e te Ariki Tumu te Heuheu e Te Arawa Raukawa ma tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. No reira e te Whare Miere tena koutou katoa. 
[ 
Greetings to you the House. To the leaders of a hundred or so I acknowledge you in regard to the matter of the day. Greetings to you the principal tribes of the Waikato River. Greetings to you paramount chief Tumu te Heuheu Te Arawa Raukawa and the others; greetings greetings and greetings to you all. So greetings to you all the Beehive. 
]  
As the member of Parliament for Taupo it is indeed a proud day for me to share this occasion with the visitors from Tuwharetoa Raukawa and Te Arawa. As Government speakers including the Hon Tau Henare have said before me this is a day for celebration. More important this day signifies a day of partnership and a day of history. It is a day on which I am proud to be part of the history of our visitors. 
Our Government is delivering on its promise to complete final and durable settlements of all remaining historical Treaty of Waitangi grievances. I am sure that as many people have already stated today the Hon Chris Finlayson is doing a fantastic job in keeping these settlements moving. I also agree with the Hon Nanaia Mahuta about the importance of finalising these settlements. Finalising these settlements allows us to resolve issues from the past and to focus on the future. Whether the investment is in infrastructure or in businesses and jobs it creates wealth in our communities. The creation of wealth in our communities means a better quality of life for our whanau. It means a better future. That is what this Government is committed to delivering. 
The Waikato River connects my constituents from the south in Taupo Atiamuri Whakamaru Mangakino Arapuni and Karapiro. So it is my pleasure to be here in the third and final reading of the Ngati Tuwharetoa Raukawa and Te Arawa River Iwi Waikato River Bill. We all know how significant the Waikato River is not just in our area but for the whole of New Zealand. I am sure that everybody in this House can think of a time when they enjoyed the river for its recreation whether it was swimming fishing boating duck shooting or simply dipping in their toes at the water’s edge. Many of us have business interests that depend on the Waikato River—whether electricity generation or domestic industrial and community water supplies—and irrigation is important for the farming interests of not only iwi in this Chamber but of many in the Waikato region. 
I will touch on the co-management arrangements that this bill makes possible. Some of the elected members of local authorities will have changed but that does not change this legislation and what it allows for. It allows for local authorities and iwi to develop joint management agreements. We have already seen the winning of an Institute of Public Administration award with a joint management agreement between the Taupo District Council and Tuwharetoa. This bill gives iwi participation in specific and defined river-related resource consent decision-making. It recognises the potential of iwi environmental plans decisions and regulations regarding fisheries and other matters mentioned under conservation and also their important input into an integrated river management plan. 
Many of us recognise the strategic importance of the Waikato River for so many reasons. I thought I would touch on just one from the weekend. On Saturday I was with a crowd at Karapiro that had gathered for the opening of another stretch of walkway and cycleway: 5 kilometres of what will eventually become a 350-kilometre walking and cycling track from Ngaruawahia in the north to Taupo. It will be for locals and visitors alike. It will be a fantastic day when we are able to travel and share the beauty and might of our river for 350 kilometres. 
This recently opened 5-kilometre stretch connects Leamington in Cambridge with Lake Karapiro where the World Rowing Championships start in only 10 days’ time. On Monday of this week I was in Mangakino and watched one of the rowing teams training on the lake. As a 14-year-old I trained at Lake Maraetai at Mangakino and I have to say that our boat went a whole lot slower than the Dutch boat was going on Monday. It is an exciting time. New Zealand recently got a gold medal and three silver medals in the Commonwealth Games so I am sure that I am supported in the House in knowing that the World Rowing Championships will bring us some gold. 
The bill provides a new era in the relationship between the Crown and Ngati Tuwharetoa Raukawa and Te Arawa. This is an important day in their history in our history and in the history of New Zealand. I am proud to support this bill. Kia ora ka mutu.