Little AndrewNGĀTI RANGI CLAIMS SETTLEMENT BILLFirst ReadingHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I move That the Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider this bill.I'd first like to extend a very special welcome to the people of Ngāti Rangi who are here with us in Parliament today to hear the first reading of their bill. I also have with me the taonga which was gifted to me at the deed of settlement signing earlier this year. It is here to keep me company as well. Ngāti Rangi iwi rau rangatira mā ko aku mihi atu ki a koutou nau mai haere mai.[To the people of Ngāti Rangi esteemed leaders I acknowledge you all; welcome welcome.]I particularly want to acknowledge the kaumātua who honour us today with their presence. For decades they have worked tirelessly to ensure Ngāti Rangi's voice has been heard by the Crown and I regret that many kaumātua have passed on before they could bear witness to this bill's first reading. To Ngāti Rangi since your first Wai claim was lodged in 1990 you have been resolute in achieving this milestone. Twenty-eight years later the Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill has begun its passage through the House. I must therefore acknowledge the work of the Ngāti Rangi Trust. The trust has held the Crown to account for the prejudice it has caused Ngāti Rangi since the Treaty was signed in Whanganui in May 1840.The Treaty was meant to signify a partnership between Ngāti Rangi and the Crown. However this aspiration was not realised as the Crown repeatedly breached its obligations under the Treaty. The Ngāti Rangi negotiation team never lost sight of the future it envisions for its people—a future where each member of the iwi knows and appreciates their history where their language flourishes and where iwi members thrive economically and socially within their rohe. I heard the Ngāti Rangi lead negotiator Che Wilson clearly describe this vision earlier this year when we signed the Ngāti Rangi deed of settlement in the shadow of the maunga Ruapehu and I'm certain this settlement lays a foundation for this future.Through long days and many long nights Che Wilson has led the negotiations for Ngāti Rangi. He's been supported by a united and well-organised negotiating team including Shar Amner Kemp Dryden Cassandra Reid Toni Waho and Carl Wilson. I acknowledge the work of the Crown team led by chief Crown negotiator Dr John Wood with support from the Office of Treaty Settlements the New Zealand Defence Force the Department of Conservation Land Information New Zealand the Ministry of Education the Minister for Social Development Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children Te Puni Kōkiri and the Ministry for the Environment. Lastly I'd like to acknowledge the work of my predecessor the Hon Christopher Finlayson. For three years he encouraged and facilitated settlement negotiations with Ngāti Rangi and I commend him for his dedication in starting negotiations with Whanganui and the Ruapehu regions.Before I outline the features of this bill it's important to acknowledge the long history between Ngāti Rangi and the Crown which makes this settlement and the Crown's apology necessary. When the Treaty was signed in 1840 Ngāti Rangi envisioned a partnership with the Crown. For 178 years Ngāti Rangi have remained committed to this partnership while the Crown has often failed to reciprocate. Many members of Ngāti Rangi fought for the Crown in wars both here and abroad. They made large tracts of land available for European settlers to live on and to farm—land that has become vitally important for all New Zealanders. In the 19th century the Crown sought to construct the North Island main trunk railway on a route which would cut the rohe of Ngāti Rangi in half. Although Ngāti Rangi willingly provided land for this purpose when the Crown needed more land it simply took it and paid no compensation. At the start of the 20th century the Crown took more land on the slopes of Ruapehu for the Tongariro National Park again without compensation and this time without consultation.For most of a century the Crown also failed to provide Ngāti Rangi with any role in the subsequent management of the land despite knowing the strong customary association between Ngāti Rangi and Matua te Mana Ruapehu. Later during the middle of the 20th century the Crown acquired the plains around Waiōuru which included Te Onetapu—land of immense significance to Ngāti Rangi as the site where their revered ancestor Taiteariki died. This land is now used for live firing and munitions testing for the benefit of New Zealand's defence.Around the same time the Crown redirected precious waterways within Ngāti Rangi within the rohe into the massive central North Island hydro-electric power generation scheme—again without consulting Ngāti Rangi. The Crown's use of these waterways to generate electricity has disrupted the natural flow of 26 tributaries to the Whangaehu River. It has undermined traditional fisheries and fishing practices and local authorities have considered the Whangaehu River to be biologically dead.Despite the commitment Ngāti Rangi made to their partnership with the Crown—and for the benefit of the nation—the lack of social and economic development in their rohe has encouraged the widespread dispersal of Ngāti Rangi peoples from their homeland. That Ngāti Rangi have committed themselves to the revival not only of their iwi but also of the wider community despite the Crown's acts and omissions is testament to the iwi's strength and courage. The Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill is but the latest part of the iwi's broader strategy to fulfil its aspirations for the future. What is good for the community is good for Ngāti Rangi and vice versa.Negotiations were impressively swift and decisive. Ngāti Rangi began negotiations with the Crown in 2015 signed an agreement in principle in March 2017 and signed Te Rukutia Te Mana the Ngāti Rangi deed of settlement one year later.The Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill includes redress designed to aid Ngāti Rangi on their journey to vibrantly exist in 1000 years. I need to impress upon this House that Ngāti Rangi have consistently emphasised to the Crown their traditional and contemporary role as kaitiaki for the natural world within their rohe. The environmental and natural resources redress included in this bill is therefore essential to enable Ngāti Rangi to fulfil their kaitiaki responsibilities particularly the Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika framework which establishes a joint river entity comprised of all iwi connected to the Whangaehu River who will work for the benefit of the awa. Furthermore the bill also provides for the establishment of Te Pae Ao—a joint committee for the Ngāti Rangi and the Crown to manage 10 reserve sites within the Ngāti Rangi rohe. Six cultural sites will be vested in Ngāti Rangi including the beds of the sacred Rotokura lakes and defence lands will be vested in the iwi and then gifted back to the Crown as a contemporary gesture of Ngāti Rangi's generosity towards the people of Aotearoa New Zealand.A unique feature of this bill is the volume and depth of its relationship instruments with 14 Crown agencies and six local authorities. These relationship instruments represent the Crown's formal commitment to Ngāti Rangi to act as a Treaty partner and friend. The bill also provides financial and commercial redress for Ngāti Rangi including a $17 million contribution to the future development of the iwi. Ngāti Rangi will also receive commercial redress properties including the ability to purchase the Karioi Crown-licensed forest.Although no settlement could ever compensate Ngāti Rangi for the prejudice they have suffered by the Crown's acts and omissions this bill heralds our entry into a renewed relationship and a significant contribution to the fulfilment of the aspirations of Ngāti Rangi that they hold so clearly for their future. I consider the bill should proceed without delay to the Māori Affairs Committee and I commend this bill to the House. No reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātau huri noa.