Finlayson Christopher: Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFinlayson Christopher: Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 11 August 2015. Volume:707;Page:5643. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I move That the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill be now read a first time.I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider the bill. Earlier in the year I had the pleasure of welcoming many of the community of Hineuru to Parliament to sign their deed of settlement and I am really pleased to welcome back to the House a number of them this morning as we put legislation into the House that covers their settlement agreement—reached if I may say so through determination pragmatism and willingness.I want to say something about the history of Hineuru’s interactions with the Crown. In the mid-19th century the tīpuna of Hineuru lived and cultivated land in the mountainous inland region between Hawke’s Bay and Taupō Moana. They had few interactions with the Crown until 1866. In that year Crown forces attacked a group of Māori who were camped at Ōmarunui near Napier after the expiry of an unreasonable ultimatum calling on the group to surrender. On the same day Crown forces also intercepted surrounded and then subsequently attacked another group led by the Hineuru rangatira Te Rangi Hīroa further north near Pētane. Crown forces killed Te Rangi Hīroa and other Hineuru people during their attacks and then pursued Hineuru and other Māori into the rohe of Hineuru and plundered their kāinga.By the end of 1866 Hineuru had abandoned nearly all of their kāinga and cultivations due to conflict with the Crown. Thirty-four individuals from the iwi were among 86 prisoners captured by the Crown. The Crown transported most of the prisoners to the Chatham Islands and detained them without trial in harsh conditions for almost 2 years. In 1868 the prisoners escaped and became embroiled in a war with the Crown. During this war Crown forces summarily executed a number of prisoners captured at Ngātapa in January 1869.In 1867 the Crown proclaimed a large confiscation district in Hawke’s Bay that included many of the lands of Hineuru. In 1870 the Crown concluded an agreement to retain some of the confiscated land in the core of the Hineuru rohe and return the remainder to individual Māori. This arrangement excluded a number of Hineuru from the titles for the Tarawera and the Tataraakina blocks and reduced the Hineuru interests in the Tarawera block to that of a minority. After years of protest in 1924 the Crown promoted legislation that allowed the Native Land Court to award land in Tarawera and Tataraakina to Hineuru individuals who were descended from those excluded from the 1870 titles. Then in 1952 the Crown promoted further legislation that overturned the titles that were awarded in the 1920s. For Hineuru these changes resulted in decades of tenurial uncertainty significant financial burdens and social dislocation.Fortunately the northern part of the Hineuru rohe was not included in the confiscation. However after 1877 the Crown and private purchasers acquired large areas of Hineuru land and so today as we have so often heard in this House in debates on Treaty legislation Hineuru are virtually landless.In the late 19th century Hineuru re-established a community at Te Hāroto where their marae and wharenui Rongopai stand today. However in the 20th century Hineuru faced economic insecurity which was accompanied by widespread poverty poor housing disease and the subsequent migration of many Hineuru from their traditional rohe. It goes without saying as I always have to say that it is not possible to compensate Hineuru fully for the loss and prejudice they have suffered as a result of the Crown’s acts and omissions. It really is a testament to their generosity that in agreeing to this settlement Hineuru have forgone full compensation so as to contribute to New Zealand’s development. As the history suggests their journey to settlement stretches back many decades indeed.Although I acknowledge those members of Hineuru here at Parliament today I also need to mention those who are no longer with us. This includes the tribunal claimants who carried the claims of their tīpuna but who were unable to see their efforts and their aspirations recognised in legislation. Hineuru settlement negotiations began in October 2009 when the Crown recognised the mandate of Ngāti Hineuru Iwi Inc. to negotiate the settlement of all their historical Treaty claims. Settlement negotiations began in 2010 and I asked our former parliamentary colleague Paul Swain to be the Crown negotiator. I acknowledge Mr Swain and the tremendous work that he has done. I regret that certain people in this House have been attacking Treaty negotiators in a very personal way in the last few days because they do an excellent job and Paul Swain is one of my closest confidants in this area. On behalf of him I reject everything that has been said about Treaty negotiators and I notice that no apology has yet been forthcoming.The Hineuru negotiators then provided me with a set of pou representing Hineuru’s settlement aspirations. These included the restoration and protection of Hineuru’s cultural heritage and their health and well-being; the recognition of Hineuru’s mana and the restoration of their relationships with neighbouring iwi a very very important consideration for the iwi; the reassertion of Hineuru presence throughout the rohe; the ability to rebuild an economic base for the iwi; and the revitalisation of Hineuru’s role as kaitiaki of the environment and its resources. These pou have guided Hineuru through their negotiations and have ensured they have obtained a settlement package that achieve these goals resulting in a stronger and more prosperous future for the iwi.In August 2012 I signed a letter of agreement and on 2 October 2012 I signed an agreement in principle. Intensive negotiations followed. These are not superficial negotiations as one member of this House seems to think. The Crown and Ngāti Hineuru Iwi Inc. initiated the deed of settlement in July 2014 and then as I said earlier we were very lucky to have Hineuru present in the precinct a couple of months ago when the deed of settlement was signed.The redress package recorded in the deed which will be given effect to by this legislation includes an agreed historical account Crown acknowledgments of its breaches of the Treaty and its principles and a Crown apology to Hineuru. These are not negotiated in 5 minutes; they are complex and carefully crafted documents that deal with important matters of history—I say that for the benefit of some members of this House. Then we have financial and commercial redress including a quantum of $25 million. Then thirdly we have cultural redress including the vesting of six significant sites overlay classifications statutory acknowledgments deeds of recognition and place name changes all of which require careful thorough negotiation as Mr Swain would tell us.I am confident that this package fulfils the objectives of the pou presented to me by negotiators in 2010and provides Hineuru with a strong vehicle for the development of their people in the future. I understand the trustees have already begun their strategic planning and have already made important decisions concerning the future of their iwi. I commend the trustees for their leadership and I acknowledge their decision to purchase both blocks of Woodstock Station at settlement date.The journey of this fine iwi now moves into the final stages as we look to implement the settlement legislation in the next couple of months. I say to the trustees of the post-settlement governance entity and to this House that this bill should proceed to the Māori Affairs Committee without delay. As we know that committee does a great job in processing these bills and getting them back to the House as quickly as possible. I commend the bill to the House.