Mahuta Nanaia: Nga Wai o Maniapoto (Waipa River) Bill — Third Reading 
Mahuta Nanaia: Nga Wai o Maniapoto (Waipa River) Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:678;Page:1480] 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato) 
: 
 Tena koe. Tena koutou Maniapoto kua tae mai nei ki te kawe i tenei kaupapa. He iti naku tenei rau hei whakatutuki i o koutou nei wawata. Tenei ano i whakahokia mai era o nga kupu korero i waihotia e Ngati Unu ko Waipa te toto o te tangata ko Waipa te toto o te whenua. Koia hoki te wai manawa whenua. Ko Waipa tetehi o nga taonga o Maniapoto whanui. 
[ 
Thank you. Congratulations to you Maniapoto who have arrived to take up this matter. In respect of fulfilling your aspirations this contribution of mine is but a small one and relates to the aphorism left by Ngati Unu in that Waipa is the blood of the person and as a consequence the blood of the land. Indeed it waters the heart of the land. Waipa is one of the treasures of Maniapoto at large. 
] 
It gives me great pleasure to join in the comments in regards to this bill for Nga Wai o Maniapoto the Nga Wai o Maniapoto (Waipa River) Bill. I want to acknowledge the many people who have contributed to the compilation of histories to the technical working group who have put a lot of the effort into preparing this particular claim to the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board and to the negotiating team: Tiwha Bell John Wi and Weo Maag. I particularly want to acknowledge Tiwha Bell and your efforts to steward what has been I think the beginnings of a process for a larger comprehensive claim for Maniapoto going forward. That has not been without trial and tribulation. It is important to note for members of the House today that this particular bill is a step towards a comprehensive Treaty settlement for Maniapoto. It is my sincere hope Minister that within this term the opportunity for Maniapoto to continue its path to seek the full restoration of its Treaty settlement claims in its rohe can be achieved because there is goodwill there. 
This bill is also an extension on the intent to have a better governance and management regime for the whole of the Waipa River including the upper catchment as a part of another settlement well known to this House which is the Waikato River settlement. I have said in contributions before that you cannot have a clean Waikato River with a dirty Waipa so it is absolutely the aspiration of this House I am sure on both sides to work with Maniapoto and Waikato and the other iwi to achieve a common intent which is clean rivers. 
I want to acknowledge the Hon John Luxton who is here today representing the Waikato River Authority and his co-chairing of that body with Tuku Morgan. As a result of this settlement Maniapoto will not only take its place on the river authority which it already has but also strengthen its advocacy in terms of how the whole of the Waipa River can be treated in terms of the governance and co-management challenges going forward. 
I want to acknowledge the Minister who in the beginnings of his speech made reference to a rich and diverse history and recollection of what the Waipa means and the essence and mauri of the Waipa River. Really what you outlined Minister was the rich tapestry of korero that contributes and is preceding the deed of settlement for Maniapoto. A number of rich korero have been captured in the deed of settlement so thank you for doing that. The Minister outlined that for Maniapoto the Waipa River is so much more. This is a settlement indeed but the river itself and the aim to clean up the river comes with a number of inherent intrinsic values that give life to who Maniapoto are and how they want to protect this particular river and also how they want to assert ongoing care and responsibility for this waterway so thank you again. 
I look to the statements of significance. Really it is a matter of refreshing my own memory. I was heartened and delighted to read a recollection of one of the kaumatua there George Searancke when he retold some of his recollections about the Waipa when he was a child. He said something like this: “During the 2nd war & rationing we used the awa for kai as often as we could. Ngati Unu Ngati Ngawaero’s significant tuna pa structure can be viewed if the river level drops during a dry spell in this awa. The 1958 flood changed all that.” It kind of reminded me throughout the process of hearing submissions that we on the Maori Affairs Committee had the good fortune to hear a number of really nice reflections of local history that you would not get anywhere else except through that process. I want to thank everybody who participated in the select committee process and told your stories. I want to ensure that none of that is lost through this settlement and I certainly hope that for the historical record and for the future benefit of Maniapoto tamariki growing up in their rohe the rich tapestry of korero that is attached to this particular settlement and the Waipa River in the telling of stories can be shared throughout the schools in the region because it is just dynamic and rich and gives a strong sense of identity and pride in cultural heritage for the rohe. 
In the debates preceding this third reading I have raised a number of issues that I undertook to follow up on so that I could make progress I guess on the concerns that I had raised. Firstly one of the concerns was on the necessity for Maniapoto and Raukawa to reach their memorandum of understanding because through the select committee process there was some discussion and debate around the Wharepuhunga and potential encroachments of interests. I am absolutely assured that the relationship between Raukawa and Maniapoto is sufficient to work that out; I am absolutely assured about that. But I had expressed a concern that if there is further delay on the memorandum of understanding there could be slippage—probably more on the Crown’s side if people change and memories change in terms of how this debate has stewarded itself through. I understand that even though the memorandum of understanding has not been signed as of yet there is goodwill to have that completed and indeed Raukawa are in its negotiations process. But there will be potential for slippage if there is further delay and it seems to me Minister and it is certainly my hope that there will be a strong opportunity for that memorandum of understanding to be completed very shortly. 
In terms of the issue of scoping costs for the clean-up of the Upper Waipa River $10 million has been set aside but it does fall far short of the sum that was identified as a result of the Waikato River Independent Scoping Study which attributed a significantly larger amount to the clean-up effort. But my understanding is that there will be a review of this amount after a period of time and I will put that on the table because it is something that any future Government will have to be well aware of in terms of the mammoth task to clean up the Waipa River. In a sense it is putting us all on notice that there is probably more to do there on the clean-up side of things. The fact that there will be a review though is a positive thing because I am mindful that when Waikato submitted during the select committee process they were very clear that their clean-up fund was for the Waikato River and the lower catchment and this will be something that will need to be worked out I think as the Waikato River Authority makes its decisions. 
I would like to end my contribution on where the Minister was highlighting his korero which is the significance of Waiwaia and how that is reflected in the Treaty settlement. That really is the Waiwaia Accord and it is really important to ensure that the accord gives body to the aspirations of Maniapoto in its joint management approaches and the relationships required to give life to that and it will be with particular regards to local government and at ministry level that that can be achieved in full. It will be an important part of living the intent of this particular settlement which is a practical useful way of managing the whole of the Waipa River but more important for Maniapoto embodying what is really intended which is protecting the mauri of the Waipa River. 
 I want to congratulate everyone who has been involved in the settlement—the Office of Treaty Settlements officials the select committee staff who service the select committee but more important I want to thank the negotiators the kaumatua and everybody from the marae who contributed their rich histories so that today can be realised. And for people who travelled down from home tenei te tino mihi atu ki a koutou katoa i tenei wa. Tena koutou tena koutou kia ora mai tatou.