Collins Judith: Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCollins Judith: Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 20 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3492. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon JUDITH COLLINS (National—Papakura): It is indeed a privilege and a pleasure to be able to speak on the Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill. It has been really interesting listening to the contributions from around the House. I always think and often say to people that apart from the fabulous work we do in select committees—I see my colleague Catherine Delahunty agreeing with me—it is actually on Waitangi legislation and Treaty of Waitangi settlement legislation and everything to do with Waitangi where this House generally comes together without any acrimony and genuinely and generally tries to come to solutions to bring about justice for those who make claims but also for everyone really. I think it is something that we generally do very well.So when I have been listening to some of the reasons that are being given around why we need to update and amend this bill I thought that they all sounded very sensible to me. Quite clearly things have moved on from when the trust board was originally set up and it is important to have the families who feel the greatest commitment and obligations to the trust board represented separately although I note that our colleague Pita Paraone apparently does the job of four people—I am sure he does. But I think it is important.I think too that this is a bill that actually has constitutional significance perhaps not in the black-letter law way but certainly within the general sense of it. The Treaty of Waitangi is something that is not solely important to Māori and it is not solely important to the Crown; it is actually of significance to all people who wish to be New Zealanders and who are New Zealanders. When I look at my own whakapapa and I am not going to run it all out for you today although I would be happy to do so at any stage should anyone want it—Catherine Delahunty: Ha ha! Feel free to do it.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Oh Ms Delahunty you are just too kind. But I can say that I have no other home than New Zealand. I am like many New Zealanders. No other country can call me theirs and probably no other country would and I would call no other country home. My family has been in New Zealand in various parts of the country. My ancestors whom I have found so far were first recorded in New Zealandin 1841 a Captain Walker of Nelson—you see this gene of wanting to be in charge is something you just cannot get past. He was a ship’s captain but a whole lot of the family came in through the years. There is no other home. That is not unusual in New Zealand although pretty much I am quite unusual for Pākehā for having been here for so long as a family.I grew up in the Waikato. I grew up in a situation where my parents grew up in the King Country—born there grew up there. We are not people who are fazed by cultures other than Pākehā - New Zealand culture. Having said that lots of New Zealanders now do not have that background and do in fact want to engage in and want to know more about not only the Treaty of Waitangi and New Zealand and New Zealand’s constitutional history but also where we are now and where we want to be going. It is important that these new New Zealanders are able to feel part of our team our team New Zealand or team Aotearoa whatever—our clan where we are loyal first and foremost and pretty much only to our country.So I wonder whether or not this trust board change—and I hope it will—will help to settle some of the issues that we routinely and unfortunately see at Waitangi on Waitangi Day each year. I actually am one of the many New Zealanders who have felt somewhat distressed by some of the behaviour that has been displayed particularly at Te Tii Marae when guests have been humiliated or abused. I know that that is not Waitangi. I know that that is a small group—we probably all know who they are—Catherine Delahunty: I’m one of them.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: —who wish to—oh yes Catherine Delahunty is one of them. A dear old mate Catherine. But actually for a lot of New Zealanders particularly new New Zealanders it is really intimidating and it sets up quite a barrier to wanting to get engaged more. It sets up also for New Zealanders like myself a bit of a barrier to wanting to be involved and hoping to be welcomed. So I like to hope that all these sorts of things that we do are the sorts of things that will mean that the attitude and the behaviours will improve and be more welcoming.I know that there have certainly been instances in the past where people have felt quite rightly so that they should be able to protest on things and of course you can. But I just have this plea about this. I know that this particular board works very hard to maintain what is a treasure for our nation given as we have said to the nation by Lord and Lady Bledisloe. You know this is a tremendous gift that they did not have to make but they did it out of a commitment to New Zealand and an understanding of the importance of Waitangi and also the Treaty of Waitangi to us as New Zealanders. So I say that it would be lovely to have Waitangi Day being celebrated all around the country but particularly at Waitangi and always understanding that things are never going to be perfect—nobody is ever going to be happy with everything. One of the great things in New Zealand is that we are always trying to do better and I think that is where we want to be able to give some credit where it is due.There has been a tremendous amount that has been done wrongover the years actually which we as a country are now addressing. This particular Government since we have been in office just over 6 years has signed 46 deeds of settlement. As at February this year there have been 72 deeds of settlement signed—so it is not just this Government but the previous Government as well—and 43 of those deeds of settlement have been enacted in legislation. This is a huge effort by quite a lot of people actually and it is something where both those representatives of the Crown—in other words the rest of New Zealand—and the Māori involved in this as claimants should be very proud of the effort that has gone in and the goodwill. By the end of 2017 we would like to if possible have all deeds of settlement signed but that is actually very much dependent on both sides being willing. Obviously iwi need to be able and willing to sign as well. You cannot force approval or agreement; people have to want to do it.So these are really good things that we can point to. Point out to me anywhere else in the world where we have that sort of coming together and that sort of commitment to righting the wrongs of the past—point to any other country that has that history. That goes back not just because we are all fabulous people here in Kiwi land; it actually goes back to the very essence and the wording of the Treaty of Waitangi and what it was all about. No other country that I can think of that was colonised in the 19th century by Britain or any other country ever actually ended up with a document such as the Treaty of Waitangi; no other country. And that is something we should be very very grateful for. It enabled settlement in New Zealand of people other than the indigenous Māori population. It also enabled a protection of rights and a conferring of rights as well and a protection that we should be very proud of.No matter what we do in this area there is always going to be someone to complain. That is the nature of democracy; it is a fabulous thing. There is nothing wrong with complaining—I have done a bit myself. But I would say that when we come to these bills we do a great job. I would like to acknowledge the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee and all the members for the hard work that they have put into this and also the Minister for bringing this bill to the House.