Henare Tau: Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Bill — In Committee 
Henare Tau: Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:655;Page:5048] 
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 I do not want to upset the apple cart in any sort of way but let us stop slapping each other on the back. I know that the settlement was a job well done but for goodness’ sake! Speakers are all being far too nice for my liking quite frankly. I will add to the debate in this way—by saying that the purpose of the Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Bill is to give effect to certain provisions of the deed of settlement which is the deed that settles the historical claims of Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika. Essentially that is what this legislation does. Hopefully those people who are named in clause 7 of the bill in paragraph (a)(ii) under the heading “deed of settlement and deed”—the likes of Professor Ralph Heberley Ngatata Love Kevin Amohia Neville Baker Spencer Carr June Jackson Dr Catherine Maarie Amohia Love Hinekehu Ngaki Dawn McConnell Rebecca Elizabeth Mellish Dr Ihakara Porutu Puketapu Sir Paul Alfred Reeves and Mark Te One—and their descendants will be able to use the proceeds and the investments they get out of this agreement to maybe enhance their uri their mokopuna and protect them from some of the claptrap that is spoken by Lindsay Mitchell in  
Maori and Welfare 
. 
You see the thing is that these settlements are clearly for the future and I absolutely totally agree with my whanaunga from Ngati Hine and Karetu that people— 
Kelvin Davis 
: I thought you were going to get hard in this speech. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Well I am going to get hard. I am going to say we should stop slapping each other on the back for a start because for goodness’ sake the issue is about the destiny of the people. And that destiny does not lie in this place; the destiny of those people lies in the hands of themselves. With a little bit of help when we do these things—and it is a little bit of help—we can make sure that at least some of the tools will be left to the next generation and the next generation after that so that they do not end up becoming part of the many publications about our poor health our poor education and our poor welfare statistics. You can bet your bottom dollar that all that most Maori outside this place want to do is to make sure they have shelter food on the table clothes for their children a good education and a good opportunity. Quite frankly I believe that what we are doing now is building the road towards Maori being the masters of their own destiny so I am absolutely over the moon about it. 
But there are some things that we need to remember. Yes the terrible things the Crown perpetrated years ago will be apologised for through the passage of the bill. But let us not forget that the settlement is only a pittance—a pittance—in relation to what really might have made up the payment— 
Hon Mita Ririnui 
: Give us a figure. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Oh I could not give a figure and that is the thing. No one in this Committee can give a figure on the recompense that should be given. But we can say that this settlement is a start and we can hope that those who have been mentioned in our speeches today will remember full well that it is not for them but for the next generation.