Upston Louise: Rongowhakaata Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Upston Louise: Rongowhakaata Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 26 July 2012. Volume:682;Page:4044. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupo) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Speaker tena koe e te Whare. Tena koutou nga iwi rangatira o Rongowhakaata tena koutou. Ko McGill toku iwi ko Karapiro taku kainga ko Maungatautari taku maunga ko Waikato te awa. Kei ahau te rohe poti o Taupo ko Louise Upston ahau. 
[ 
Thank you Mr Speaker and greetings to the House. To the revered people of Rongowhakaata salutations and acknowledgments to you collectively. My clan is McGill my home is Karapiro Maungatautari is my mountain and Waikato is the river. I have the Taupo electorate and my name is Louise Upston 
.]  
I am very proud to speak in the third reading of the Rongowhakaata Claims Settlement Bill. It is fantastic to see so many of you here on this very momentous occasion. This will be a day that goes down in your history and ours. 
One of the words that we use quite a lot when we talk about Treaty settlements is the partnership that is forged between iwi and the Crown. The completion of the legislation and the completion of the third reading here today will cement that relationship that partnership in a new way. We also talk about the fact that settlements unlock the economic potential for iwi for the region in which you live and for the country as a whole. But I think that more important it unlocks the potential of our people and I use the word “our” very deliberately because it is your people and ours who will benefit from the history that is made here today. 
Some of my colleagues have spoken at length in summary of your settlement so I do not want to traverse that in too much detail other than just to be very present to the fact that the Waitangi Tribunal has described the Treaty breaches arising from the Crown military action against the Turanga iwi as some of the worst in our history. That is part of our history that none of us should be proud of. But I think it is also important to acknowledge that it is part of our history. The settlement includes the historical account and the Crown acknowledgments which form the basis for the Crown apology to Rongowhakaata and that is what I want to just spend a bit of time on today in this House. On 1 October 2011 the Treaty settlements Minister the Hon Christopher Finlayson delivered the extensive apology for the Crown’s conduct in the 1860s which included the operation of the Poverty Bay Commission and the execution of between 86 and 128 unarmed prisoners at Ngatapa pa. 
I was not present as some of my colleagues were when that Crown apology was delivered but I was present for the Crown apology to Raukawa. Raukawa is an iwi in the Taupo electorate. I wondered if I could have your indulgence for a moment to share with you my experience of being present at that Crown apology. My memories of that day will be for ever etched as part of my history because it showed me a whole different level of partnership and what is possible—from the powhiri and through the speeches tears literally fell upon the ground at the memory of the history and the stories that were told of the challenges of the negotiation of the many hours of effort that went on and of the passing of those who were then not present on the day that the Crown apology was delivered. It was no surprise to me that day for the Raukawa apology that also the rain fell from the sky. To me that was the tears and the rain playing a part in cleansing some of that pain. I just feel so immensely privileged to have experienced a Crown apology. And I was immensely proud of Minister Finlayson. Some would say that that was the delivery of words of a speech but I can promise to those of you who are listening who may have never had the experience of witnessing a Crown apology it is a moment to behold and it is part of our history. 
I am sorry to those here from Rongowhakaata that I personally was not present for your apology but I can believe what was in your heart and your minds and your soul as you heard that apology. That is what we bring to this House on this occasion in the third reading of your settlement bill. The thing that was very present was aroha. I think that is the essence of partnership. When we talk about Treaty settlements being a partnership between iwi and the Crown that is where a new beginning is possible that is where that potential gets to be unlocked. It is exciting to be here today. 
Earlier today in the two bills that have gone before I have talked about making sure that we share the stories. You are very good at sharing your stories—far better than some of the rest of us are. So part of the story is to look at the new chapter and the new story. Perhaps it is a book or even a trilogy—trilogies are in these days. Perhaps what we should instead be focusing on is what comes next. And I look forward to hearing more of Rongowhakaata and where you take this day. 
I am very proud to speak in this reading to speak of the partnership between Crown and the iwi. In recognition of Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori I hope we can imprint this in Te Reo as well as English to make sure that this moment in history—this moment in time—lasts for many more of us for our children and for our grandchildren. It is fantastic to see tamariki in the gallery to witness this moment. Congratulations. No reira tena koutou.