Mahuta Nanaia: Ngati Toa Rangatira Claims Settlement Bill Haka Ka Mate Attribution Bill — Third ReadingsText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMahuta Nanaia: Ngati Toa Rangatira Claims Settlement Bill Haka Ka Mate Attribution Bill — Third Readings[Sitting date: 16 April 2014. Volume:698;Page:17401. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato): Tuatahi tēnei ka tāpiri atu aku mihi ki a koutou katoa e uru mai nei ki roto i tēnei tō koutou nei Whare ki te whakarongo ki tēnei āhuatanga te whakaturengia ā koutou kaupapa i mua i te aroaro o te Pāremata nō reira ki a koutou katoa tēnā koutou. Me tuku mihi ki a koutou ngā whanaunga o Ngāti Toa. I kite i a koe taku kaumātua iwi kōrua ko Matiu nei te mihi maioha ki a koutou e kawea nei ēnei kaupapa i tēnei wā.[Firstly I add my tributes to you all who have entered this House of yours to listen to this situation that relates to the enshrinement of your matters into law which you have placed before Parliament so congratulations to you all. I must acknowledge your presence the relatives of Ngati Toa both yours and my elder Matiu. Fond greetings to you collectively who brought these matters forth at this point in time.]It gives me great pleasure to be able to support the third and final reading of the Ngati Toa Rangatira Claims Settlement Bill and the Haka Ka Mate Attribution Bill. With that as members in the House have reflected on history it is an opportunity for each member who has participated in the Māori Affairs Committee to reflect on their connection in some way to what has been considered at the select committee with the passage and consideration of each Treaty settlement. In this particular regard I reflect on my own history and connection. In some humble way I consider that as I have grown up from childhood and tried to pursue and find out more and more about who I am I cannot get away from the matrix of histories of our people within theTainui waka region.With that said there are stories that you grow up with that are a part I guess of your identity and how you relate to people and places and events. You cannot grow up within theTainui waka region without hearing about Te Rauparaha whether it is his exploits as a mature man and his fighting prowess or the nature of his departure from Kāwhia or his illustrious birth and the significance of what the old people at that time had seen in the marriage that took place between Te Rauparaha’s parents but more important the intent with which Te Rauparaha was raised and things that were foretold of his lifetime.I reflect on my Maniapoto connection. Again as I grew up I heard about this man Te Rauparaha who was strong and when he departed from Kāwhia all through Ngāti Māhuta Ngāti Maniapoto Ngati Tuwharetoa Ngāti Raukawa and right down to Ngāti Kauwhata Ngāti Raukawa ki Te Tonga—all the way down to the top of the south—you will hear a number of stories from families who recount how their tūpuna joined the heke then connecting them to the exploits the rampage or however you would like to refer to it but they were significant from Kāwhia all the way down the North Island and into the South Island.With some pride and trepidation I think to myself that Te Rauparaha has left more than a footprint but a legacy and it goes beyond Ka Mate. But the fact that Ka Mate is now reflected on by Māori and Pākehā alike within New Zealand and outside of New Zealand in our kōhanga reo in our schools and in our universities certainly strengthens the way in which our stories and our connections can be told and retold. Many members have made the point better than I can but I certainly want to recognise that.For the purposes of this third reading debate I want to set on record the apology of the Crown to Ngati Toa Rangatira so that when their children come back to reflect on what their parents and grandparents did to settle they will see why it was so important. Clause 426 of the Ngati Toa Rangatira Claims Settlement Bill reads: “The text of the apology set out in the deed of settlement is as follows: (1) The Crown recognises that a number of Ngati Toa Rangatira including Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata signed TeTiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. The Crown profoundly regrets that it has not always lived up to its obligations to Ngati Toa Rangatira under Te Tiriti o Waitangi … Accordingly the Crown makes this apology to Ngati Toa Rangatira to their ancestors and to their descendants. (2) The Crown unreservedly apologises for the breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi … and its principles which have hurt and caused prejudice to Ngati Toa Rangatira. The Crown is deeply sorry for its actions that intentionally undermined the mana and rangatiratanga of leading Ngati Toa Rangatira chiefs. In particular the Crown apologises for its indefinite detention of Te Rauparaha and deeply regrets that it has failed until now to acknowledge this injustice in an appropriate manner. (3) The Crown profoundly regrets and apologises for its actions that left Ngati Toa Rangatira with few landholdings by 1865 and its ongoing failure to protect their remaining landholdings which has left Ngati Toa Rangatira virtually landless and unable to access customary resources and significant sites. (4) The Crown deeply regrets the cumulative effect of its actions and omissions which severely damaged Ngati Toa Rangatira social and traditional tribal structures their autonomy and ability to exercise customary rights and responsibilities their capacity for economic and social development and physical cultural and spiritual well-being. (5) With this apology and settlement the Crown seeks to atone for these wrongs restore its tarnished honour and begin the process of healing. The Crown hopes that this apology and settlement will mark the beginning of a new positive and enduring relationship with Ngati Toa Rangatira founded on mutual trust and co-operation and respect for Te Tiriti o Waitangi … and its principles.”I set this on the record for the future generations of Ngati Toa Rangatira to ensure that a Treaty settlement can be durable to the aspirations of their grandparents their parents their tūpuna in coming to this day. I also set this on record as an opportunity for those members of Parliament who will often listen to these debates but not really grab the full intent of them to know that the significance of a Crown apology can be huge—both reflective but prospective when we think about how to make the settlement work and evolve in the way that it was intended to.Coming to the substance of the bill I had a look at the statutory areas that are included. It should be noted that there are a significant number of areas where statutory acknowledgments are made but more important where they intersect with local government with the Resource Management Act and with the Conservation Act. This is a real opportunity to evolve the settlement into a different working relationship. Some of that has already taken place. It has not needed to wait until the settlement to secure that. However with statutory acknowledgments the ongoing commitment of various local councils to improve their relationships with Ngati Toa Rangatira in relation to these sites will be greatly enhanced. I need only look at the Pāuatahanui Wildlife Reserve Lake Rotoiti Lake Rotoroa in the Nelson Lakes the Wairau Pā—these are but some of those particular areas. The other unique part of the settlement is the ngā paihau sites and there are three of them—Kāpiti Island The Brothers and Wairau Lagoons. Importantly it ensures that there is an opportunity in the ongoing management and setting of plans for these areas.I have come to the end of my contribution and I would really like to say at this point that if children in kōhanga reo today grow up learning Ka Mate and stand with pride in knowing who they are and where they come from and can share a little bit of the history of what connects them to the leadership attributes of Te Rauparaha or the places he has been or the exploits he has undertaken then New Zealand is in good stead. Tēnā koutou katoa.