Finlayson Christopher: Tauranga Moana Iwi Collective Redress and Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui Claims Settlement Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFinlayson Christopher: Tauranga Moana Iwi Collective Redress and Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui Claims Settlement Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 13 April 2016. Volume:713;Page:10545. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I join with the previous two speakers Te Ururoa Flavell and Peeni Henare in welcoming our guests in the public gallery. I am delighted we have reached this stage as they and I know it has been no easy task for reasons that I will develop in my speech.The Tauranga Moana Iwi Collective comprises Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui whose settlement is being read now together with the collective redress; Ngāti Pūkenga whose bill will also be read a first time later this morning; and Ngāi Te Rangi whose bill I expect to be introduced to the House in the next few weeks. I am particularly pleased we have reached that stage and I acknowledge all the good work of Ngāi Te Rangi.These groups entered into collective negotiations in 2010 to negotiate shared redress alongside their individual iwi settlements. This collective approach has required intensive engagement and has resulted in the three iwi agreeing on the shared redress which is set out in the Tauranga Moana Iwi Collective deed and the bill. On 22 December 2011 the collective signed a statement of position and intent with the Crown. This summarised the status of negotiations between the Crown and the iwi collective and outlined the remaining steps that needed to be taken to reach final agreement on the collective redress. On 2 November 2012 the collective deed was initialled by the Crown and the collective and after a lengthy hiatus that followed to enable the Tauranga Moana Iwi Collective parties to organise their affairs the deed was finally signed on 21 January 2015. The Tauranga Moana Iwi Collective Redress and Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui Claims Settlement Bill will give legislative effect to the final agreements on collective redress as set out in that collective deed. Settlement redress for each individual iwi within the collective is set out in their respective individual deeds of settlement.Let me say something about the history that has got us to this place. The tribunal found that along with loss of life and loss of land Tauranga Moana iwi “suffered reduced access to and use of traditional resources from the rivers sea and the forests [around] Tauranga Moana.” Later the “accelerating pace of urban development” and economic activity led to “degradation and pollution” of the environment. Much land—as so sadly we hear every time there is a settlement bill read in this House—was taken under the Public Works Act. The collective actions and the omissions of the Crown left all Tauranga Moana iwi with insufficient land for their needs undermined their economy and frayed the social fabric of the region. It also impacted on the ability of whānau hapū and iwi to pass on language tikanga and mātauranga to younger generations—and that is one of the reasons why this afternoon we are going to have the third reading of the Māori Language Bill.The enactment of the Tauranga Moana Iwi Collective Redress and Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui Claims Settlement Bill is going to provide for Crown acknowledgment of statements of association for statutory areas joint management of the sacred maunga Mauao a right of first refusal over certain land the transfer of Crown forest land to Tauranga Moana Iwi Collective and Te Kūpenga and a relationship agreement—a very important agreement—between the iwi collective and the Department of Conservation (DOC). I acknowledge the good work of Lou Sanson and the team at DOC.I must also mention the framework the Tauranga Moana Framework a very important and novel co-governance framework for Tauranga Moana iwi and other iwi with recognised interests to participate in the management of the harbour and surrounding waterways and the coastal area. As described in the collective deed the whānau and hapū of Ngāti Pūkenga Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui are moana-centric people with an enduring thousand-year association with Tauranga Moana that is fundamental to their identity and well-being both culturally and materially. I know and I recognised it was an incredibly difficult decision for the collective to remove the framework from this bill because of reasons beyond their control. I too was very disappointed that we had to go down that path and today I reiterate my commitment to support the iwi as they work with their neighbours to see the Tauranga Moana Framework finalised. Then we will bring it in through separate legislation.Can I now turn to the Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui claims settlement which as I said is in the same bill as the collective redress. Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui is an integral member of the collective and as can be deduced from the title of their bill a hapū-centric iwi. To all of those in the gallery who have come to Wellington to witness this long-awaited and historic day I reiterate my welcome and my thanks to you for all your hard work so that we got to this stage. It is a very real pleasure to welcome you to Parliament this morning.Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui gave the mandated negotiators a mandate to negotiate a deed of settlement with the Crown. The Crown recognised the mandate on 7 April 2008. The negotiators and the Crown signed terms of negotiation on 27 September 2008 and on 21 December 2011 Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui and the Crown signed a statement of position agreeing in principle that Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui and the Crown were willing to enter into a deed of settlement. On 6 April the deed of settlement was initialled and on 21 June 2012 the deed was signed on the anniversary of the battle of Gate Pā. The bill will give legislative effect to the final agreements on the redress as set out in the deed.The historical claims primarily concern the war and the raupatu at Tauranga the purchase of the Te Puna and Katikati Blocks soon after the war and the effects of the Crown’s native land laws and later Māori land legislation and once again public works takings during the second half of the 20th century. The Crown’s actions during the bush campaign are of particular note. This conflict was sparked by Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui resistance to the raupatu and the Te Puna and Katikati purchase which Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui refused to recognise. In response to the obstruction of surveys and threats against surveyors the Crown employed a scorched earth policy to subdue Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui. A Crown force numbering in the hundreds looted and destroyed villages burnt crops and took any livestock that was found. In the years followingNgā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui have struggled to support themselves. Food shortages were common. Poor sanitation resulted in sickness. The Crown’s apology is set out in the deed of settlement and as I say was delivered by me personally in June 2012.The redress in the deed of settlement is designed to go some way to correct that which has been lost and I certainly hope it will eventuate for the whānau and the hapū of Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui. The financial and commercial redress offered to Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui seeks to recognise the losses suffered by them. They will receive just over $38 million plus interest as well as numerous commercial redress properties some sale and lease-back commercial properties a 20 percent share in Pūwhenua Forest lands and a right of first refusal in relation to certain right of first refusal land.I once again say it has taken longer than we anticipated to reach this stage but I want to thank all the negotiators for their work and my chief Crown negotiator Dame Patsy Reddy who has been working so hard both on the collective redress and on the individual settlements. We now move to the final stages of the deed of settlement process and I look forward to seeing the bill back in the House in the very near future.