Mahuta Nanaia: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMahuta Nanaia: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 30 July 2013. Volume:692;Page:12096. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato):Having listened to those last two contributions I just wanted to put on the record that were it not for the collegial nature in which Treaty settlements have been reached we would not have seen the success we have seen. It must be noted that Treaty settlements are the types of issues where unless both sides of the House agree and commit to ensure that they are progressed well then there is no long-term commitment.But can I say that there are some outstanding matters that the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations will I am sure be a little bit anxious to sort out such as what is happening with the mediation of the Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust claim. That is a very serious question that is before the minds of a number of iwi in terms of the Waitangi Tribunal claim and how the Government is going to put some emphasis on reaching resolution around the undertakings that were given by the Waitangi Tribunal.Also the proof of the pudding for Treaty settlements is in their implementation. There are a number of relationship accords and there are a number of agreements that require the ongoing commitment of not only the Office of Treaty Settlements but also the Ministry for the Environment the Ministry of Social Development—Hon Tau Henare: You’re moonlighting too.Hon NANAIA MAHUTA: —and Tau well knows that there is more progress to be achieved to ensure the proper implementation of many of these Treaty settlements. So although members on the other side of the Chamber have stood heroically and promoted what the Government has done in Treaty settlements the fact of the matter is and remains that the commitment to ensure that Treaty settlements are being achieved well requires both sides of the House to agree.I have been to a number of occasions where the Minister has stood and secured the confidence of a number of iwi in the way he has approached the Treaty settlement process. He is to be applauded like the Labour Minister before him Michael Cullen. We recognise that he did a lot of things too. Although those members on the other side of the Chamber said that Labour took a long time to achieve Treaty settlements we still achieved many. In fact we achieved some groundbreaking Treaty settlements. I look to my own electorate and the Waikato River settlement which was under a Labour Government. It was a landmark settlement that sought to do something very different.What was also done in the period of a Labour Government was moving iwi towards large natural groupings. National well knows how difficult it is to try to get iwi together and come under one umbrella to ensure that a comprehensive claim can be achieved. That was very difficult so I do not accept at all any criticism from members of the Government saying that Labour did not make some progress in this area. I am sure the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations will recognise that it is not easy to try to get more than one hapū together sitting at the same table to try to reach their agreement. In fact I am sure he recognises that were it not for some of the work that Labour achieved in its time around getting comprehensive claims and trying to get iwi sitting within the same tent his job would not have been as easy as it has been.I again want to put on the record in so far as Treaty settlements are concerned that some good progress has been made but the proof of the pudding is in their implementation—the proof of the pudding is in their implementation. What we do know is that there are a number of iwi who continue to want to ensure sustained commitment from the respective Government organisations—like the Ministry for the Environment like the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment like the Ministry of Social Development and like the Ministry of Education—to make some of these relationship accords practical and effective sitting alongside the intent of the agreements that have been set out in their deeds of settlement and in their legislation.The last thing I want to really put on the record in this part of the estimates debate is the good work that the Office of Treaty Settlements has been able to contribute to this process and the ongoing need to ensure that the capacity is retained and the institutional knowledge is retained to be able to ensure proper implementation so that agreements that have been reached under the Treaty settlements can be implemented. Kia ora.