Okeroa Mahara: Ngati Ruanui Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Okeroa Mahara: Ngati Ruanui Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:608;Page:5273] 
MAHARA OKEROA (NZ Labour—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
Na ka tu ki te mihi ano ki a koutou Aotea waka Ngati Ruanui me nga hapu. Tena koutou e haramai nei kei roto i te Whare ki te rongo atu i nga korero maroke mai i taua tangata e whaka hoha mai ki a tatou katoa. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
I rise once more to greet you the waka of Aotea the people of Ngati Ruanui and the subtribes. Greetings to you who came here into this House to listen to the dry remarks from that member: remarks that are a nuisance to us 
.] 
On that basis I welcome my people to this House. Fate places people in strange places and with regard to that what do I say as an uri of Taranaki? What do I say as a descendant from Parihaka as they all are as well? What do I say about the mamaetanga te hohonutanga o taua haehae mai? [ 
the hurt and enormity of that laceration inflicted? 
] What do I say about the notion of assets when we have never had any assets? We drive through Taranaki and gaze upon the pastures verdant and green. We are not just talking about this claim; we are also talking about other levels of confiscation that have happened to Taranaki people mai i te raki ki te tonga. [ 
from the north to the south 
.] We engaged in long debate about the Maori reserved lands. In a sense that was also a form of confiscation and the debate was long and hard but the point is that that was part of a parliamentary commission in 1928. It took as long as that to realise some justice and some equity about what we are engaged in. 
What do I also say? I have had the same experiences as we all have had about where we were and are as people. It is not just about the whenua. That is only one key facet of what we are about as Taranaki people. I dispute the claim made by the previous speaker when he talked about assets not necessarily being in terms of how we commonly define them but rather being in terms of health education and other things. I am proud to stand here as an uri of Taranaki and Parihaka and to say that in spite of all the things we have experienced we do not have goals that are less in terms of our striving for education and good health and to live in this community of Aotearoa as equal citizens. That has been part of the ongoing raruraru [ 
problem 
] for our people. We do not participate fully. There have been impediments of a historical nature that have in a way diminished our chances to participate where we want to participate. Someone—I think it was the honourable member Georgina te Heuheu—talked about some of these things and so did the honourable member Tariana Turia. 
The effects have somehow been categorised as only a loss of land. Why do we wear the raukura [f 
eather 
]? From my point of view the raukura symbolises something that is hugely spiritual and talks about the determination and the dynamism of our people. It talks about the courage of our people. It talks about the indomitable spirit of our people and the unquenchable drive for justice. That is what it talks about. 
I am honoured to be standing here and to look at the range of generations from Ngati Ruanui who have come. They have brought their tamariki so that they can witness the historical nature of what we are about here in the House today. I invite members to look at the intergenerational presence of our people. It was people like our tamariki who sat on nga marae o Parihaka at the time of the paua [ 
conflict 
] and the invasion. We exercised huge discipline—and we still do as a people. When I talk about their courage and determination I am also talking about a particular way of doing things o roto o runga i te ngawari o te tangata. [ 
based upon the accommodating nature within a person 
.] It has never been about whakahihi. [ 
snobbishness 
] It is about raukura. I acknowledge the people’s presence as a whanaunga. [ 
relative 
] What I am trying to say is ka puta e to he nga korero papa ngakau. [ 
is that what you said about speaking from the heart came out wrong. 
] I talk about Titokowaru e tohe [ 
challenge it 
] Wiremu Kingi Te Whiti raua ko Tohu and all those other people who are not here to see this. I am reminded therefore of a whakatakitanga korero mai i a Te Whiti ki tana iwi. [ 
a proverbial saying from Te Whiti to his people 
.] When he talked to the colonisers he said: “Nou te paua tuatahi ma matau te paua whakamutunga.” [“ 
Yours is the first conflict but ours will be the one to finish it off 
.”] Are we seeing that? Because that is what the future challenge is about. If we do not look on that sum as a disposable asset the challenge will be and it is on the people that it should grow like a tree kia puawai kia puawai kia noho pai ai a-uri. [ 
that it flourishes it blooms and as relatives we are better off because of it. 
] Our time has come—at the age of 40 for me and a lot of the people here are much older than me! 
As for the parties that are here present I greatly appreciate the support of three members of the National Party and that of the other parties that have contributed to this discourse. I look forward to meeting them all at the conclusion of the third reading no reira ma nga tau heke e noho pai mai i runga i te pokohiwi o te katoa pai marire.  
[ 
so that it sits well on everyone's shoulders in years to come 
.]