te Heuheu Georgina: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — First Reading 
te Heuheu Georgina: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — First Reading 
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Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU (National) 
: 
 E te waka o Tainui te awa rere ana e Waikato nga uri o Te Wherowhero e Te Arikinui mai i tenei o Taupo Nui a Tia he mihi he mihi tena tatou katoa. 
[ 
To you the canoe of Tainui the river of Waikato that flows the descendants of Te Wherowhero and to you Tuheitia this one of the great lake of Tia humbly acknowledges and recognises you; greetings to us all 
.] 
I feel very privileged to rise to speak on the first reading of the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill. This is a significant bill that has come into the House this afternoon and having acknowledged the elders and the uri o Te Wherowhero in the gallery and others in support I want to turn—hopefully not too lengthily because 10 minutes does go quite quickly—to the preamble which sets out some of the essence of the emotions the sentiments and the passion that I believe the iwi bring to the House this afternoon. 
Te mana o te awa is one of the principles underlying this bill. To Waikato-Tainui the Waikato River is a tupuna—an ancestor—that has mana prestige and in turn represents the mana and mauri or life force of the tribe. Respect for te mana o te awa the spiritual authority protective power and prestige of the Waikato River is at the heart of the relationship between the tribe and its ancestral river. Mana whakahaere is the other underlying principle that this settlement will proceed on. Mana whakahaere embodies the authority that Waikato-Tainui and other river tribes have established in respect of the Waikato River over many generations to exercise control access to and management of the river and its resources in accordance with tikanga—that is the values ethics and norms of conduct that are special to this iwi. For Waikato-Tainui mana whakahaere has long been exercised under the mana of the Kingitanga. 
Waikato-Tainui as at 1840 possessed their river and their lands in accordance with their tikanga along with other Waikato iwi. They made public statements of their authority over the river from very early when they first became concerned that the Crown might itself claim authority over it and that was as early as 1862. In July 1863 the Crown’s military forces crossed the Mangatawhiri River. In the ensuing war of 1863-64 the Crown forces attacked by both land and water the people of the Waikato. 
In December 1863 Crown forces occupied Ngaruawahia the home of the king and the political centre of the Kingitanga. During the war many communities that supported the Kingitanga were driven out of the Waikato. In 1864-65 military settlements including Hamilton and Cambridge were established on the Waikato River and also on the Waipa River. Confiscation of Waikato lands followed in 1865. The confiscation of those lands gave rise to a settlement that was concluded in this House in 1995 under the leadership of the late Te Arikinui Dr Dame Te Atairangikaahu and Sir Robert Mahuta. That was but the first part of what I understand is really three parts that restore to the people of Waikato-Tainui that which was theirs in the beginning and was taken away from them by successive Governments. 
I am proud to stand here today following in the footsteps of the Rt Hon Douglas Graham who under the leadership of the Rt Hon Jim Bolger negotiated the first Raupatu claim for Waikato-Tainui. This bill is the second in relation to the river which was alienated from them through the same raupatu forces that occurred back in the 1860s. I acknowledge the leadership of Dr Michael Cullen in bringing this settlement to the House today. I understand that in the fullness of time the tribe’s interest in its harbours will also come to this House. 
This is a great day. The fact that this settlement has now reached this House demonstrates the great leadership of the Waikato-Tainui people and I feel very privileged to stand and talk to their aspirations to their moemoea. None of this has anything to do with me or us in this House; it has everything to do with what they aspire to and what they felt ought to have been since the 1860s. The bill itself and the provisions that make up the settlement are encapsulated in the vision that the tribe itself has put forward for its river. I read from clause 1(2) of schedule 2 which sets out the vision as being “for a future where a healthy Waikato River sustains abundant life and prosperous communities who in turn are all responsible for restoring and protecting the health and wellbeing of the Waikato River and all it embraces for generations to come.” 
In other words the whole thrust of this settlement is about restoring the river and restoring the relationship of the tribe with its river and the communities around it. In that regard it has huge importance not just for Waikato-Tainui but indeed for all of the communities that surround the river for the wider public and for the New Zealand community in general. 
This is the fourth bill that we have had the privilege of debating today. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Fifth. 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU 
: This is the fifth bill—I am sorry I am losing count which shows how long we have been doing this. 
This is the fifth bill that we have been involved in today. It is about a people and their river. No doubt some questions will be asked outside this place about who has the ownership and happily no one need be concerned about that. Although there are some provisions in this settlement that foresee possible ownership interests being raised in the future that is not the thrust of this bill today. The thrust is about the well-being of the river and the well-being of a people who since the 1860s have been deprived of access to it and their rights to protect it not just for themselves but for the wider community. 
I refer briefly in closing to what I understand has been an extensive consultation process on the part of Tainui led by Lady Raiha Mahuta a fact that in itself stirs emotions because of course Sir Robert Mahuta led the previous negotiations. These were also led by Tuku Morgan a former member of this House who really should be sitting down here. He is sitting up in the gallery but he belongs in here as well. My heartfelt congratulations and my heartfelt aroha go to the people of Tainui for the enormous amount of work they have done. They have done it in a patient and humble way in the way that they are and slowly but surely they have achieved a very momentous settlement. I am very pleased to be in this House to support the introduction of the bill. No reira tena koutou tena koutou tena tatou katoa. 
Debate interrupted.