Turia Tariana: Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill — Second Readings 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Turia Tariana: Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill — Second Readings 
[Sitting date: 18 July 2012. Volume:681;Page:3703. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon TARIANA TURIA (Minister for Whanau Ora) 
 on behalf of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations: I move  
That the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill be now read a second time 
. These bills give effect to the Maraeroa A and B Blocks deed of settlement which was signed on 12 March 2011 at Pa Harakeke. 
I want firstly to acknowledge the descendants of the original owners of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks comprising individuals from Ngati Rereahu Maniapoto Raukawa Ngati Tuw’aretoa and other iwi and hapu groups. The Maraeroa A and B Blocks are located on the volcanic plateau to the east of Te Kuiti. The beneficiaries of the settlement will be the descendants of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks regardless of their iwi affiliation. 
It is customary in the stages of Treaty legislation for the House and for the w’anau hapu and iwi concerned to consider the sacrifice and the commitment of those who have acted as guardians and champions of the settlement process. I want today to mihi to Phillip Ngawhira Crown who as chair of Maraeroa A and B Blocks Trust has made such a significant contribution to our collective knowledge of the Rereahu and Maniapoto traditions. Phillip has devoted his life to learning the traditions history customs culture language waiata and genealogy of Rereahu Maniapoto and Tainui. Indeed his publication  
Rereahu Chronicles 
 was launched here in Parliament in 2009. Phillip has been a valued member of the negotiations team that negotiated the deed of settlement and I want to acknowledge his extensive traditional and cultural knowledge which has been called on to confirm the integrity of this claim. I want to also acknowledge Glen Katu trustee who has been such a powerhouse of energy in advancing the settlement legislation that we will be debating today. 
It should be noted that this settlement is outside of the settlement framework and does not comprehensively settle all the claims of the claimant groups. However all claims that relate to the Maraeroa A and B Blocks will be extinguished by settlement. 
As with all Treaty legislation the history that led to this legislation is not a story that we can be proud of as members of Parliament or indeed as New Zealanders. The claims of the descendants of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks relate primarily to the operation of native land laws of the 19th century which led to the alienation of most of Maraeroa A and B. The Crown acknowledges that in 1862 native land legislation was imposed on the owners without consulting them. To add insult to injury from 1884 to 1908 the Crown had a monopoly over purchasing land from the owners and by 1908 the Crown had purchased 90 percent of Maraeroa A and B Blocks. The blocks contain very significant indigenous forests. The prices paid by the Crown did not appear to include the value of the indigenous timber that was on the land. Felling of the indigenous forest in fact destroyed the habitat of the indigenous flora and fauna. 
The alienation of Maraeroa A and B separated the descendants of the original owners from their wahi tapu and severed their cultural connection to the land. I cannot understand just how significant this dislocation has been. We have many sayings that represent the absolute connection that tangata w’enua—literally the people of the land—have in our connection with the w’enua connections so strong that they have spanned multiple generations and endure as one of the foundation principles that w’anau hapu and iwi exercise in the undertaking of their rights and responsibilities as guardians as tangata tiaki. Manaaki w’enua manaaki tangata haere waka mua—care for the land care for the people go forward. 
In the case of this legislation the loss of these lands undermined the social and traditional tribal structures of the people of Maraeroa A and B and their ability to exercise customary rights and deprived them of the ability to access nga wahi kohinga kai cultural resources and materials. This settlement bill therefore gives effect to the undertakings made by the Crown in the deed of settlement. The redress includes an agreed historical account Crown acknowledgments and apology the vesting of sites of cultural and historical significance a high-level partnership agreement with the Department of Conservation over public conservation lands within the Maraeroa A and B Blocks a financial settlement of $1.8 million and redress over Crown properties including licensed forest land. 
In the framework we have available to us through the cognate bill process today we will also consider the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill. The incorporation bill will establish a Maori incorporation to form part of the post-settlement governance that will receive and manage the settlement redress on behalf of the claimant community. It was not possible to establish a Maori incorporation through the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill. Part of the first post-settlement governance arrangements is a Maori incorporation that needed to be established through a private bill in order to comply with the Standing Orders. We are considering the two bills together to progress the incorporation bill at the same time as the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill so that the transfer of settlement assets can take place. 
These bills were referred to the Maori Affairs Committee on 8 March 2012. The committee reported back to the House on 14 June 2012 and the committee unanimously supports both bills and has proposed no major amendments. The committee has recommended two technical amendments. One is to clarify the definition of the claimant group by reciting specific Maori Land Court minutes. The other amendment is to remove an unnecessary clause. I wish to thank my parliamentary colleagues on the Maori Affairs Committee for considering these bills in a timely fashion allowing progress to be achieved. 
Finally I would like to thank the trustees of the Te Maru o Rereahu Trust who negotiated the settlement on behalf of the descendants of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B. I trust that the agreement reached with the descendants of the original owners embodied in these bills will enhance the relationship between the Crown and those descendants into the future. Indeed this was a promise that was made when the Crown and tangata w’enua entered into their partnership at Waitangi. Legislation such as this helps us to pave the way for a new approach to the Treaty relationship as a relationship of equals. Tena tatou katoa.