Horomia Parekura: Whakarewarewa and Roto-a-Tamaheke Vesting Bill — First Reading 
Horomia Parekura: Whakarewarewa and Roto-a-Tamaheke Vesting Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:650;Page:19240] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 I move  
That the Whakarewarewa and Roto-a-Tamaheke Vesting Bill be now read a first time. 
 At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be referred to the Maori Affairs Committee and that the committee report back to the House by the end of March 2009. 
This bill vests the fee simple estate in Whakarewarewa Valley and Roto-a-Tamaheke Reserve land in Ngati Whakaue and Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao. The iwi partners will collectively become the landowners of this area subject to the usual protections. For clarity the area comprises the Whakarewarewa Thermal Springs Reserve the Southern Arikikapakapa Reserve and the Roto-a-Tamaheke Reserve. These lands surround the Whakarewarewa Village. The village has always been in Maori ownership and is not affected by this bill. The lands include the Pohutu Geyser and other iconic tourist attractions. The Whakarewarewa Thermal Springs Reserve and the Roto-a-Tamaheke Reserve will be transferred from the Crown to the trustees of the Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa Trust under the affiliate Te Arawa iwi and hapu legislation. As agreed by the iwi parties the Whakarewarewa Thermal Springs Reserve and the Roto-a-Tamaheke Reserve will transfer from the Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa Trust trustees to the Whakarewarewa joint trust the day after the affiliate Te Arawa iwi and hapu legislation passes. 
It is very satisfying indeed to be able to promote a bill that recognises the cultural traditional historical and spiritual importance of an area to the iwi. The bill continues the positive progress made by this Government and by iwi across the Bay of Plenty region in strengthening the Crown-Maori relationship both through Treaty settlements and through contemporary initiatives like this one. The bill also provides for the more generalised interests of all New Zealanders. The Whakarewarewa joint trust has been established for the purpose of administering these lands which will retain their recreation reserve status under the Reserves Act 1977. The leases to the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute will continue and the protections of conservation values contained within the Reserves Act will remain. 
Before I go on I acknowledge the leadership of Ngati Whakaue and Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao representatives. E mihi kau ana i a koutou e Anaru e Rangi koutou katoa nga whaea. On 1 April 2008 iwi representatives presented Ministers with their proposal to remove the lands from the affiliate Te Arawa iwi and hapu legislation and vest them in a joint trust of the iwi partners. A number of representative entities are involved and I pause to acknowledge each of them: Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa Trust Pukeroa-Oruawhata Trust Ngati Whakaue Lands Trust Te Kotahitanga o Ngati Whakaue the Tuhourangi Tribal Authority and the Rahui Trust. Those entities came together to progress the successful resolution of a range of issues raised during the transfer negotiations so that this bill could be finalised for introduction into the House. I congratulate them on their leadership and unity of purpose on this matter. 
A large number of hapu and iwi entities were involved in this initiative representing a diverse range of interests. This meant that the negotiations for the transfer of these lands were always going to require the determination goodwill and generosity of those iwi and hapu representatives. The common and shared interest of those groups in this area and the whanaungatanga expressed by their leadership meant that this initiative was achievable. I commend them for that. 
For the purpose of this bill Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao are defined as a single entity. A small number of iwi members asked that Tuhourangi and Ngati Wahiao be separated for the purposes of this bill. The Maori Affairs Committee considered that issue during the hearings on the Affiliate Te Arawa Iwi and Hapu Claims Settlement Bill. The select committee report back to the House did not recommend that Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao be separated in this instance. I am satisfied that Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao have expressed a desire to be represented as a single entity through both their endorsement of the vesting agreement and their agreement to this bill. The bill also provides for an independent mana whenua determination process which I will talk about shortly. But overall this bill provides for Tuhourangi and Ngati Wahiao to determine their beneficial interests and does not constrain them. 
The bill of course represents more than a simple land transfer from the Crown to Maori subject to the provisions of the Reserves Act 1977. The wider motivations for the Crown and the iwi negotiators included an agreement to vest the fee simple estate in those reserve lands outside the Treaty settlement process. By so doing the mana of the land of the people of Ngati Whakaue and Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao will be recognised and a stronger Crown-Maori relationship can continue to be built. Taken together with the pending successful conclusion of the affiliate Te Arawa iwi and hapu legislation and the Central North Island Iwi Collective Treaty settlements this bill will position Ngati Whakaue and Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao to build a better future for their people and will provide a foundation for the better realisation of their potential as Maori in their rohe hau kainga. 
This bill will give effect to an agreement signed by the Crown Ngati Whakaue Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao and at a later date the trustees of Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa Trust. With 34 clauses the bill itself is not overly long. Its contents however reflect the complexity of transferring this kind of Crown land to Maori. It is situated at the intersection of neighbouring hapu and iwi. It has well-known iconic value to the country as a whole and to tourists who visit the area. The bill will transfer the land to a joint trust that is representative of Ngati Whakaue and Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao. The agreement also recognises the wider significance of the land to the public generally. 
To ensure that hapu and iwi have a way of determining their interest in the land the bill enables the trustees to determine the beneficial entitlement to the fee simple estate in the land. The trust deed therefore includes a procedure for determining the beneficial entitlement to the reserves and the possible transfer of some or all of that land to the appropriate entities. As reflected in the vesting agreement the Crown has acknowledged that the hapu of Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao and Ngati Whakaue have the right to have their claims to the beneficial ownership of the Whakarewarewa Valley land and the Roto-a-Tamaheke Reserve independently determined. That may result in the subdivision of the reserves into smaller parcels in recognition of the particular interests of iwi and hapu if that is what they wish. 
The bill provides that the administering body of the reserves will be the trustees of the Whakarewarewa joint trust who represent Ngati Whakaue and Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao. The trustees will become the lessees and will receive the rental proceeds from the leases to the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute to administer them on behalf of the people. The bill is significant because the vesting will recognise the mana of the iwi parties to the Whakarewarewa Valley and Roto-a-Tamaheke lands. Iwi will lead the process through which their more specific interests in the lands will be reflected in the future. For those reasons the bill should proceed without delay to the Maori Affairs Committee and be reported back to the House by the end of March 2009. That will allow the select committee sufficient time to receive submissions on the bill after the Christmas break. I commend the bill to the House.