Little Andrew; O'Connor GregTE ROHE O RONGOKAKO JOINT REDRESS BILLSecond ReadingHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I present a legislative statement on Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill.SPEAKER: That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website.Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I move That Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill be now read a second time.Tākiri mai ana te ata ki runga o ngākau mārohirohi. Korihi ana te manu kaupapa ka ao ka ao ka awatea. Tihei mauri ora.E mihi ana ki a koutou kua tae mai nei i runga i te karanga o te kaupapa o te rā tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa. E mihi ana ki te hunga mate haere haere haere atu rā. Ki a tātou te hunga ora tēnā tātou. Te whakamānawatia ngā mana o ēnei whenua e tū āhuru nei tēnei au otirā mātou te Kāwanatanga e mihi nei ki te kaupapa o te wā tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa. [Dawn breaks a new morning and a dauntless heart. The voice of this issue now sings a new dawn leads to the full light of day. I now begin. Greetings to one and all who have responded to the call of this issue to be here today. I acknowledge those who have passed. May you rest in peace. And to us who remain welcome one and all. To pay tribute to these comfortable lands I stand here we the Government stands here acknowledging the present issue. Greetings to you all. Greetings greetings one and all.]It is my honour to support the second reading of Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill. This second reading is the next important step in the legislative process to bring us closer to passing this bill into legislation and to giving effect to the redress contained within it.Firstly I wanted to thank members of Rangitāne o Wairarapa Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua who are watching this second reading online. I acknowledge that while Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu are separate groups and trace their descent from different ancestors they are closely interconnected and share whakapapa throughout Wairarapa and Tāmaki nui-a-Rua. To both groups I admire your resilience your energy your tenacity and your drive which have brought us to where we are today. I'd also like to take the time to particularly thank the iwi negotiation teams and trustees of both Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu who have worked together throughout the Treaty of Waitangi historical claims process to negotiate a shared redress package that rightfully sits with both groups. Their dedication to finding a shared path to carry these taonga forward for future generations is highly commendable and I thank them for their continued work in this space as we continue to support this bill through the House.Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill gives effect to certain provisions contained in the deeds of settlement signed between Rangitāne o Wairarapa Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua and the Crown in August 2016 and between Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua and the Crown in October 2021. The bill does not settle any historical claims for either Rangitāne or Ngāti Kahungunu; those claims will be settled through the Rangitāne Tū Mai Rā (Wairarapa Tamaki nui-ā-Rua) Claims Settlement Act 2017 and the Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua Claims Settlement Bill which has now been reported back from the Māori Affairs Committee. However echoing the sentiments spoken in this House at the first reading the joint nature of this bill and the shared redress is notable and momentous for iwi.Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill will provide joint redress over Lake Wairarapa Lake Ōnoke and the Ruamāhanga River catchment to both Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne acknowledging the importance of this taonga for both iwi. Significantly this redress also includes the vesting of the Crown-owned part of the bed of Wairarapa Moana in iwi. The bill will also establish the Wairarapa Moana Statutory Board to act as a guardian of Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamāhanga River catchment for the benefit of current and future generations with six members appointed by iwi and six members appointed by the Minister of Conservation the Wellington Regional Council and the South Wairarapa District Council. Furthermore a property in Mākirikiri will be vested in the tipuna known as Rangiwhakaewa to Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangiwhaka-ewa to Rangitāne and a joint management board will be established to administer the reserve. Undivided half-shares of a property at Mataikona will be vested in both iwi and an overlay classification that recognises the traditional cultural spiritual and historical relationships of Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne with the Castlepoint Scenic Reserve. The bill also gives effect to cultural and other redress shared between Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne.After its first reading on 30 March 2022 this bill was referred to the Māori Affairs Committee. The committee called for submissions between April and May 2022 and received 28 written submissions from interested groups and individuals. They also heard 21 oral submissions. I would like to thank all those who took the time to share their thoughts with the Māori Affairs Committee. The committee reported back to the House on 30 September 2022 and recommended unanimously that the bill be passed with a small number of technical and minor amendments. The committee's report also focused on key issues raised through submissions. This was primarily regarding concerns about the vesting of Mākirikiri Reserve and the rights and interests of iwi and hapū there. I acknowledge the time that the committee took to understand and consider submitters' thoughts and I thank the committee for swiftly considering those issues. I want to say to the committee that their hard work especially under the chair of Tāmati Coffey is much appreciated.Finally it's the Crown's sincere wish that Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill honours the Crown's commitments to its Treaty partners Wairarapa and Tamaki nui-ā-Rua Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu. I'm hopeful that this bill is an opportunity for all of us to move forward towards a true partnership one that is based on co-operation mutual trust and respect for Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles. I look forward to welcoming Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne to Parliament for the third reading of this bill and ultimately to seeing this important redress returned to them on settlement date. Until then I commend this bill to the House. Nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to.