Okeroa Mahara: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Okeroa Mahara: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:613;Page:10057] 
4.  
MAHARA OKEROA (Labour—Te Tai Tonga) 
 to the  
Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations 
: What progress is being made on Treaty of Waitangi settlements? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON (Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) 
: 
 I am pleased to announce that the Ngati Tama Claims Settlement Bill will have its second reading today and will be the second treaty settlement bill through the House this year in line with our policy objective to have a settlement every 6 months. 
Mahara Okeroa 
: What other progress has been made by the Government in treaty settlements? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: This Government has been making very good progress in settling historical treaty claims in a relatively short time. We have signed five settlements with Te Uri o Hau Ngati Ruanui Ngati Tama Ngati Awa and Ngati Tuwharetoa in the Bay of Plenty. We will also be shortly signing another deed of settlement with Nga Rauru. We have also passed three treaty settlement bills—those relating to Pouakani Te Uri o Hau and Ngati Ruanui—and we will of course be passing through this House the Ngati Tama Claims Settlement Bill this week. We are also currently engaged with five different groups at various stages of negotiations. 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: How many sets of legislation will the Minister introduce into the House before the next election or will she continue boasting about settlements that have been negotiated by her predecessor Sir Douglas Graham? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: It is true that some of those settlements were started by the National Government. It is also true that that Government failed to settle them and to bring them to finality. That is what this Government does; it actually gets the job done. 
Bill Gudgeon 
: In recent Treaty of Waitangi claims there has been disagreement on who should be the mandated personnel to represent iwi negotiating teams and that this has been a stumbling block that has created disharmony and distrust amongst— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member has not yet started to ask the question. He must use a question word. Please commence. 
Bill Gudgeon 
: What is the Office of Treaty Settlements doing about those claimants not happy with the mandated personnel? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: The Office of Treaty Settlements with Te Puni Kokiri has a process to ensure that all claimants involved in a claim do have an opportunity to be represented. It is true as the member said that in just about every settlement there will be someone who is unhappy with that process. The way we intend to deal with that—and do deal with that—is to make sure that there is always a place at the table for those who do not want to participate at that time and frequently by the end of the negotiations they do. 
Metiria Turei 
: When will the Minister undertake a comprehensive review of the Office of Treaty Settlements and the treaty settlement policy in line with restorative justice principles so that hapu affected by settlements have some control over the process of restitution for the heinous crimes committed against them? 
Hon MARGARET WILSON 
: The treaty settlement process is intended to address the heinous crimes the member referred to. What I think the member is getting at is that the policy of the office and the Crown is to have large natural groupings in negotiations as opposed to individual whanau and hapu on every occasion. The reason for this is simply that all those parties have an interest in the settlement. Also it is important that the settlement process be undertaken in an appropriate time. To have every hapu have an individual settlement would mean there would probably be no end.