McKee Nicole; Salesa JennyNICOLE McKEE (ACT): I stand here today on behalf of the ACT Party to speak on the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill a bill that allows provisions from the deed of settlement to be made in law so that that deed can actually progress and you can be awarded what you should be awarded for the travesties that you have experienced. The deed and this bill records historical events—ones that I have only just recently read about and educated myself on. I'm pleased to see that there is an apology that is in there that is awarded to you because you greatly deserve that.Rēkohu / the Chatham Islands occupied by Moriori karāpuna the ancestors of Rongomaiwhenua—and I welcome you here today and I see you and acknowledge you as the ancestors of Rongomaiwhenua standing here or sitting here as the case may be to watch this bill progress. I welcome you all to this Whare where we will progress that deed of settlement and this bill on your behalf. I acknowledge the work of the Labour Party our Government in getting this through and I also acknowledge Paul Eagle who looks after the constituency of the Chatham Islands. I did try to get it from him but I wasn't successful. But I do acknowledge the work that you've done there Mr Eagle.Moriori remained undisturbed on the Chatham Islands until 1791. You lived such a peaceful non-violent life. Your way of life was turned upside down and by the 1830s we heard of how many had been killed and how many had been enslaved. For me to read about how in the 1840s you wrote letters you submitted petitions asking for the Government to stop the enslavement to award you back your land and it was all ignored—when hundreds of your people have been killed and enslaved and you are being ignored I commend you for spending this amount of time to push so hard for the recognition that you do deserve. Even after the Chatham Islands / Rēkohu became a part of New Zealand Aotearoa in 1842 you were still enslaved you were still ignored and in the 1870s when you did get some redress it really just wasn't good enough. The outcomes of that redress were not good enough. Most of your land had been lost the numbers of Moriori had deteriorated and many had left the Chatham Islands. By the early 1900s it shows that it was just an untenable place to be and an untenable situation to be in. You were losing your historical references you were losing the language and you were losing your people.I am one of those that were brought up in the education system at school where I was told that Moriori no longer existed—where I was told that the effects of the people were nothing that we needed to be worried about or concerned but I will tell you that by the time I got to college that had been corrected. And at college I was told Moriori did exist and that they were treated badly both by Māori and by Pākehā. So I want you to know that while I grew up with a School Journal I was taught by my Māori teacher at Sacred Heart College that that was not indeed the way or the truth.By the 1970s you looked to rebuild your culture your heritage your language and your identity. When I read of the deaths from deep despair I recognise that that is the harsh realities of ill-treatment and I am not surprised when you hear of a people who founded their entire being on peace on love on unity and non-violence—to be treated in such a way and not recognised. To hear of the deaths by despair is saddening because it never should have occurred. But you are here you have fought hard you've fought with determination with effort with bravery and with courage to make sure that none of those deaths have gone unnoticed because they will be recorded for ever here in our legislation. I had the great opportunity of visiting the Chatham Islands—I think it was about 2014 or 2015. I came for the annual pig-hunting competition and I must say it didn't go ahead because there was an unexpected death the night before we arrived. So the island went into lockdown and I have never experienced such a beautiful heartfelt community where everybody gathered around to support the other whānau and the visitors that were on the island at that time. I must say to Tāmati over there yeah I went to catch the plane out too and couldn't. Ha ha! When we got told No it's too windy. You can't get on the plane. Come back tomorrow." we all thought "Choice!" because the island that you have is beautiful—just it's so magic to be there. So from my heart I do feel the pain that you must have been feeling as the ancestors of Rongomaiwhenua for the actions that have occurred to you since the 1800s.The ACT Party support the first reading of this bill. This bill acknowledges the loss of respect the loss of dignity the loss of property and land rights in the displaced sector of New Zealand's history. ACT supports the righting of the wrongs by returning the rights to the Moriori. Kia ora.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa): I call the local MP Paul Eagle."