Paraone Pita: Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi Claims Settlement Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
Paraone Pita: Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi Claims Settlement Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:627;Page:21925] 
PITA PARAONE (NZ First) 
: 
 A tena ano koe Mr Speaker. E nga rangatira nga kaikawe o tenei kaupapa mo Nga Rauru Kitahi e kara ma e kui ma koutou katoa i tae mai ki te Whare nei mai i te hau kainga o Nga Rauru Kitahi mai hoki i raro i te maru o te maunga tapu o Taranaki tena koutou tena tatou katoa. 
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.] 
[ 
Greetings again to you Mr Speaker. To the chiefs and negotiators of this matter for Nga Rauru Kitahi to the men and women and all those who have arrived in this House from the home winds of Nga Rauru Kitahi from beneath the shelter of the sacred mountain of Taranaki greetings to you and greetings to all of us 
.] 
On behalf of New Zealand First—and I just want to reiterate that we are the only non-aligned party in this House—I rise to speak in the third reading of the Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi Claims Settlement Bill. This bill will see the culmination of what has been a long and an arduous period of endeavour for the people of Nga Rauru Kitahi towards what we all agree is a satisfactory claims settlement. The bill records the acknowledgment and apology given by the Crown to Nga Rauru Kitahi the detail of which is articulated in the deed of settlement dated 27 November 2003. The bill also gives effect to the settlement of historical claims as agreed between the Crown and Nga Rauru Kitahi. It passes governance responsibility for the assets from this settlement to the entity known as Te Kahui o Rauru which the majority of the people and the beneficiaries of Nga Rauru Kitahi have indicated their support for. 
New Zealand First supports the timely and satisfactory settlement of claims to the Waitangi Tribunal whether by way of hearing or of direct negotiation. This bill is the outcome of an agreement reached by Nga Rauru Kitahi and the Crown. I am happy to note that the people of Nga Rauru Kitahi have supported the ratification of this settlement agreement and that their support of the management structure put in place to receive and manage the settlement assets is almost unanimous. That bodes well for the future of the iwi and it displays unity and concord. This agreement acknowledges that the Crown acted unlawfully during and after the colonisation period and in particular that iwi land was illegally confiscated during the war of the 1860s. It also acknowledges that the Crown acted abominably both morally and legally in its treatment of iwi members including children. It acknowledges that many lives were lost in the Crown’s pursuit of its aims during that period. 
New Zealand First supports the passage of this bill. In doing so I would like to include a comment regarding the part of the bill that relates to cultural redress for not to do so would be very remiss of me and the party that I represent. New Zealand First is of the view that the inclusion of a statement of the beliefs and values of Nga Rauru Kitahi in legislation is actually erroneous. The references that describe the divine origins of Nga Rauru Kitahi are clearly a matter for Nga Rauru Kitahi alone. We in New Zealand First do not disregard or question the beliefs of Nga Rauru Kitahi or for that matter the beliefs of any group whether Maori or non-Maori in that context. But we do question their place in legislation and we believe that their inclusion may actually give credibility to them. That is not the purpose of this bill. This settlement is not about cultural beliefs and we see no valid reason for their inclusion in the legislation for this settlement. 
Of course the inclusion of that statement of cultural beliefs raises further questions. The first one is what the effect is of including those beliefs in legislation and I add that in considering that question we must look to the future. The second question is whether those beliefs are what future generations of all New Zealanders will now have to believe in. The third question is how the judiciary will be able to make judgments on issues that may arise as a result of the inclusion of those beliefs in this legislation. Last night that very question was posed and although it may be considered that the response addressed the question it certainly did not answer it. We note further that the exclusion of reference to those beliefs would have no effect on this settlement proceeding or on its durability. During the process that has seen the bill arrive at this stage I heard that the inclusion of reference to the cultural beliefs of Nga Rauru Kitahi was done at the insistence of the claimant group and I ought to acknowledge that the Minister in the chair said during the Committee stage that an approach was made from the claimant group in that regard. I also heard reference to the tino rangatiratanga of Nga Rauru Kitahi. We in New Zealand First do not question the tino rangatiratanga of Nga Rauru Kitahi. We do note however that insisting on the inclusion of its beliefs in this legislation means the subservience of that tino rangatiratanga to that of this House and indeed to the tino rangatiratanga of the Crown. 
 Despite those comments I extend my congratulations on behalf of New Zealand First to the people of Nga Rauru Kikahi. I sincerely hope that this settlement allows them to reach closure on past injustices and to move forward creating opportunities for their tamariki and mokopuna. They are the future and this settlement is ultimately for the benefit of them. I also acknowledge the ancestors and their descendants of the iwi who have passed on and I express my sadness that they cannot be here to see this settlement. 
In conclusion I offer these words to the present and future leadership of Nga Rauru Kitahi. Today they begin a new journey that will require them to lead their people to economic and social destinations never seen or imagined by some of them. However that should not deter them in their endeavours in that regard. It is often said that we should never forget our past for to do so may condemn us to making the same mistakes of that time. I say to the leaders of Nga Rauru Kitahi that they should not live in the past and should not be afraid to take on the best people to take the iwi into the future be they members of the iwi or not. I ask the leaders of Nga Rauru Kitahi never to forget to look behind themselves from time to time to ensure that the people they purport to lead are still there behind them. 
Na reira e te iwi o Nga Rauru Kitahi nga hapu hoki o koutou haere i runga i te huarahi i whakapai era o nga matua tupuna i whakatimata mai tenei kaupapa. Kua puawai te kakano i whakatongia e ratou mo koutou me nga tupuranga kei te heke mai. Kei ia o o koutou te kawenga inaianei ki te whangai i a ia. Na reira e te Whare nei tena koutou tena koutou huri noa i tenei o o tatou whare kia ora mai ano tatou. 
[ 
Therefore to you the people of Nga Rauru Kitahi as well as your subtribes travel along the pathway blessed by those elders who began this matter. The seed that they planted has blossomed for you and future generations. It is your responsibility now to nurture it. And so to all of us throughout this House in this building greetings greetings and greetings once again to all of us 
.]