Turner Judy: Ngati Awa Claims Settlement Bill — First Reading 
Turner Judy: Ngati Awa Claims Settlement Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:619;Page:15176] 
JUDY TURNER (United Future) 
: 
 May I take the House’s indulgence to greet Ngati Awa and to say what an honour it is to have them with us today. 
The  
Guide to Treaty of Waitangi Claims and Direct Negotiations with the Crown 
 publication is appropriately titled  
Healing the Past Building a Future 
. As with any settlement of this kind we need to be mindful that this is not a payout a catch-up or even compensation in the truest sense. We can never compensate the generations of Ngati Awa who lived without the collective resources to provide the kind of future they wanted for their children and mokopuna. The apology from the Crown for breaching its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi is an essential starting point. It is an apology for the confiscation of land for inappropriate compensation mechanisms and for legislative initiatives that undermined traditional tribal structures and left Ngati Awa virtually landless. 
It is important that an account of the historical background has been agreed upon by both Ngati Awa and the Crown and is included in the deed of settlement and that a written apology is to be included in attached material. It is important because we need to be very clear both now and in the future about what underpinned this settlement. We also need to be very clear that this settlement is not about Ngati Awa jumping on some treaty gravy train—as some would refer to it—in some opportunistic way but is in fact the final outcome of a process started by Ngati Awa in 1867 when they proactively sought redress for the wrongs inflicted on iwi by the Crown. 
So what is the historical context? In June 1840 certain Ngati Awa chiefs signed the treaty in Whakatane. Twenty-four years later some of the Ngati Awa hapu attempted to provide support for the Tai Rawhiti group that was offering assistance to the Waikato Maori who were embroiled in disputes with the Crown. In July the following year as part of the ongoing conflict a Crown official by the name of Fulloon and three others were killed in Whakatane and a month later in August a large Crown-led force arrived to arrest those responsible. Much property was destroyed and some people were killed. A month later in September the Crown proclaimed peace and pardoned those who had opposed the Crown with the exception of those who had killed Fulloon. In October after the peace proclamation a Crown-led force laid siege to pa at Matata Whakatane and Te Teko arresting 30 men for the deaths in Whakatane. There were two separate trials followed by prison sentences and two executions. Three months later Governor Grey declared the Bay of Plenty tribes to have been in rebellion and confiscated 448000 acres of land 245000 of which were Ngati Awa rohe. The huge loss of resources plus the stigma of being tangata hara or rebels is what we now seek to address understanding that Ngati Awa have been seeking this redress since 1867 the year after the confiscation. 
I also endorse the comments made by my colleague Murray Smith during the first reading of Te Runga o Ngati Awa Bill last week. Mr Smith when commenting on the substantial progress that this bill represents said: “The historical treaty grievance process is weighted against Maori. Indeed some could say it is unfair and unjust. But in the settlements that have been enacted Maori have accepted with graciousness the reality that it is impossible for the Crown to fully compensate for the losses they have suffered.” I too want to pay tribute to Ngati Awa for their willingness to reach a place of resolution to accept an apology and to accept compensation that is substantially less than they deserve. On behalf of United Future I wish them well as they take on the resources agreed upon and chart a brighter future for all their members. I congratulate them on negotiating a governance structure that best reflects their interests and I congratulate the Minister on facilitating this with a private bill. Based on what I have observed to date at a local level I am sure that Ngati Awa will chart a course that results in economic and social well-being for all of their members. I congratulate them and I look forward to the passage of this bill.