Samuels Dover: Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill — First Reading 
Samuels Dover: Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:637;Page:7850] 
Hon DOVER SAMUELS (Minister of State) 
: 
 I am always amazed when Maori issues come before the House at how remarkable the debate becomes. When I listen to the contributions of my Maori colleagues I wonder whether the Maori Wars have actually passed. Are we still involved in that kind of warfare? I certainly hope we do not blame Te Roroa for the kind of warfare that may go on between us Maori colleagues. It is remarkable indeed when I hear my friend the Hon Mark Burton being referred to as the doctor. Some people might say he is a witch doctor but never mind about that; he was referred to as the doctor and if he accepts that promotion kei te pai. 
Then of course my whanaunga on the other side Tau Henare apologised to our whanau Te Roroa that he had his back turned to them. Well sometimes one does not recognise which is one’s front and which is one’s back. The reality is that he is sitting on the other side of the House which shows us very clearly that he is on the wrong side. For me I am addressing our whanau from Te Roroa kanohi ki te kanohi—eyeball to eyeball—and there they are before us. I have no problems with that at all. 
It is always remarkable when we are talking about Maori issues that we do not stray off the issues the subject and the wairua of the bills that we are here to debate. 
Ko te mea nui ke ki ahau i tenei wa kei te mihi atu ki a koutou nga whanau. Kei te maumahara ki tena o nga kaumatua a Ned to tatou rangatira. I te wa i a ia e tu mataara ana e hautu ana e hapai ana i tenei kaupapa. Ko ia ratou katoa etahi o nga rangatira o nga whanau me nga kuikuia kua huri atu ki muri o te arai. Ko ratou nga kaipoipoi o tenei kaupapa kore ratou e warewaretia e tatou. No reira koutou nga rangatira kua wheturangitia moe mai moe mai moe mai moe mai i roto i te ringa kaha o to tatou Kaihanga. 
Nga mihi hoki katoa ki a Hami tenei o nga whanaunga e Pita nau nei te mihi aroha ki a ia e mighty Alex tena korua. Tena korua me nga tuahine me nga whaea kia kaha kia manawanui mai. Kite atu ana au ki a koutou e katakata mai ana e whakamiharo ana ki nga whakawhitiwhititanga korero i roto o tenei Whare hurihuri. No reira kei te mihi whanui atu ki a koutou katoa 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
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The significant thing for me at this time is to greet you the families. I think about our chief and elder Ned when he was alive. He drove and carried this matter. He has passed on as have other elders womenfolk and chiefs of the families who nurtured this matter. They will not be forgotten. And so to you who have crossed the divide sleep slumber rest there in the powerful hand of the Creator. 
Acknowledgments also to this one of the relatives Hami; Pita you mentioned him in your tribute; you too mighty Alex greetings to you two and to the sisters aunties be strong and stout hearted. I noticed how the exchanges in this House amused and awed you. And so a huge tribute to you all. 
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It is important that we focus on the event and the bill before us and on the need to progress the discussions in terms of the wairua and the spirit in which the deed has been put together. Let me say at the outset that there is no way in the world that we can compensate Te Roroa for the injustice and the hurt put upon them. I think we recognise all that in this Parliament. There is no way in the world that we can compensate. There is no way in the world that apologies will be able to take the place of the injustice and the hurt that has been made to our people. When this Parliament starts saying that the Crown will apologise that we will compensate with land that may be available and that we will give back to our people tino rangatiratanga in the way they know how to administer their fisheries their lands and their forests it must say that in all humbleness because that is not true justice. 
If in fact those types of injustices happened today in this civilised society I wonder what our so-called lawyers would be saying in regard to some form of compensation? Let us think about it. If those injustices took place now—if thousands of tracts of lands were stolen and people were killed or murdered in terms of the acquisition of those lands—what really would be the penalty the compensation in today’s terms? I put forward the challenge to members of this House that no constitution or law would be competent in terms of analysing and putting forward an answer to that scenario I have just painted. The difference is that it is not happening now—but it happened some time ago and it certainly happened to the whanau and hapu of Te Roroa. Let me say again that we can never compensate for the injustices that affected our whanau of Te Roroa. 
But Te Roroa have generosity of spirit and wairua. One of the icons we have in Tai Tokerau—and in Northland and New Zealand—is the Waipoua Forest. In terms of my portfolio as Associate Minister of Tourism let me say that thousands and thousands of people from all parts of the world visit Waipoua Forest and they stand before the majesty of Tane Mahuta amazed and in awe. They look at the beauty of that forest and they get shown it and told stories by the people who have a relationship with that forest such as Te Roroa. Those visitors go away with a memory they will never ever forget. I acknowledge that even though this bill gives back the fee simple ownership to the people of Te Roroa they never really relinquished their mana over their ngahere. Yet they have opened the doors to and the tracks of that icon to the people of the world. Day after day week after week buses bring our manuhiri from all parts of the planet to view Waipoua Forest and Tane Mahuta. This is the type of generosity that I am speaking about. 
I do not want to take too much time in regard to some of the peripherals that have been debated in this House such as how many Treaty settlements have been made or who has made the Treaty settlements—whether it is National the Maori Party Mauri Pacific or Labour who cares? But once the issue comes before this House lets us get on with it and acknowledge the truth the pain and the wairua of the people who were actually affected by those past events because no money and no apology will be able to compensate for that. I want to make that very clear because I believe that some people from all around this House think that because they get up and say they are sorry that is adequate compensation. Well I suggest to those people that they had better think again. Quite clearly they are not in touch with the reality of the issues. 
Hoi ano me mutu ake waku nei wahi pitopito nei i konei ki a tatou katoa nga mema Maori kei te tautoko atu i te whakatau o tenei o nga whanau kei te mihi atu. Tatou katoa e mohio ana kei te maha ratou kua huri atu ki muri o te arai kei te haere tonu kei te haere tonu kei te tarewa tonu etahi o nga kaupapa nga kerema engari ko te mea nui me whakakotahi tatou o tatou whakaaro o tahi kaupapa i raro o tenei tono a tenei o o tatou whanau hapu Te Roroa. No reira kei te mihi whanui atu ki a koutou katoa tena koutou tena koutou kia ora mai ano tatou katoa. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
However I must end my little contributions to this debate here and to all of us Maori members I support the claim by this branch of the family and congratulate them. We all know that many have passed on and that this situation will continue that some claims have been suspended but the most important thing is for us to be united and of one mind in respect of this claim of one of our families and subtribe Te Roroa. So I extend a huge greeting to you all: greetings greetings and greetings to us all. 
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