Horomia Parekura: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Horomia Parekura: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:662;Page:10832] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rawhiti) 
: 
 Ki te Kingi Tuheitia me to ahurei e mihi ana. Tena koutou mo to kaha ki te tae ake ki konei ki a koutou o te Kingitanga Tainui whanui. Me koutou o Raukawa Maniapoto Ngati Tuwharetoa Te Arawa tena koutou. Na te mea i roto i wetahi o tatau nga kanohi Maori i konei kua tae ake te wa mo te otinga o tenei tino take. Mai i te pakopako o nga pu o te Kawana mai i nga heke nga neke nga piki nga ahua katoa e mau matatau i a koutou o Tainui ki tera. Na te pai hoki o te pire nei e tae tahi ano e noho tahi atu te iwi ki te taha o ratau e tuku ture mo te ahua o te awa nei. E mihi kau ana ki a koe e Koro e Michael tena koutou. E Tuku ka nui te mihi. I to tatau Minita Maori e Pita e mihi kau ana. Ki a koe Chris tena koe. E tautoko atu te nui o nga korero e korero a Tariana mo te ahua o te kereme nei. E mohio atu tatau te pakaritanga i roto i a Bub a Te Kotahi i a ratau ma a muri ra. I tae tahi atu tatau i konei hei whakaae ahakoa i reira ke tetahi ropu e kare e whakaae. 
[ 
King Tuheitia and your entourage I acknowledge you. I commend you the King movement and Tainui at large on your efforts to get here as well as you of Raukawa Maniapoto Ngati Tuwharetoa and Te Arawa; well done. There are Maori members in our midst today who feel that the time to settle this important matter has arrived. Tainui you are very much aware that since the time when the Governor fired the muskets there have been many trials and tribulations setbacks ups and downs and everything that was to happen has taken place. You saw all that. What is good about this bill is that the people have been able to get alongside others to create a bill that will look after the river. I acknowledge your part in this Koro Wetere Dr Michael Cullen and Tuku Morgan. I applaud your efforts. I also commend our Minister of Maori Affairs the Hon Dr Pita Sharples and the Minister the Hon Chris Finlayson. I support the majority of what the Hon Tariana Turia said about this claim. We are very much aware how Bub Sir Robert Te Kotahi Mahuta and others back then who followed after him worked hard. So we have arrived here together to endorse this bill even though one party opposes it. 
] 
For the first time Tainui has been included in the management of the awa—the river. It is historic and poignant because Tainui has never before at any time been part of the river’s management or clearly involved in the decision making. The passageway for travel the waterway to carry their goods for bartering and exchange is certainly what they have lived and have imbued in their history. Ironically it was along the same passageway that the soldiers attacked Tainui. As my colleague Tariana Turia said it is an honour to be here today to ensure that those sins and ills of the past are put aside and that that is recognised. There is a host of examples where the iwi opinion has never been considered—for example the power station and other issues relating to buildings along the awa. Today we will put that aside. 
I certainly recognise the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Chris Finlayson for his efforts and I recognise especially my former colleague Dr Michael Cullen the Minister of Maori Affairs and also Koro Wetere who is here today. 
Na ke nga korero o Kotahi. No tatau te awa no te awa tatau. He taonga tuku iho na nga tupuna taua taonga mo nga uri whakatupu. E kore e taea te wehe te iwi o Waikato me te awa. E whakapono ana matau ko ta matau he tiaki. Ki a Waikato-Tainui he tupuna te awa o Waikato e mau ana te mana te mauri me te kaha o te iwi. He mauri motuhake to te awa. He wairua ake tona he tuakiri tino kaha he mauri tuatahi e kore e wehea. 
[ 
This is what Te Kotahi said. The river is ours 
 
 and we are of the river. It is a treasure handed down by the ancestors for the coming generations. The people of Waikato and the river are inseparable. We firmly believe that our role is to look after it. To Waikato-Tainui the Waikato River is an ancestor  
that 
 holds the status life 
- 
force and strength of the people. The river has a unique life 
- 
force. It has its own spirit a real 
 
 powerful identity 
 
 and 
a unique life 
- 
force. All are inseparable 
.] 
Words have been spoken in the treasured language of Tainui. Certainly all of those people have been on the journey right from the time of Potatau Te Wherowhero Tawhaio. It is important to say at this time just in case I forget that the king’s role is inherited and it is important in relation to all the actions that will pervade the development of this settlement that that is taken cognisance of. He is not there just as a figurehead but we can build up his role in a way to ensure that his say is real and not just platitudes of thanks. 
Regarding te mana o te awa to Waikato-Tainui the Waikato River is a tipuna—ancestor—which has mana and prestige and in turn represents the mana and mauri life-force of the tribe. The river has its own mauri its own spiritual energy and its own powerful identity. It is a single indivisible being. I know that partners whether they be local authorities environmental groups or other organisations have struggled to understand appreciate or even accept that. Today is a day of acceptance. Today is historic in this country. We should relish what has certainly taken a great effort to put together. Respect for te mana o te awa—the spiritual authority—in order to protect the power and prestige of the Waikato River is at the heart of the relationship between the tribe and the ancestral river. Waikato-Tainui regard their river with reverence and love. This is a simple issue about love—non-sensual but very strong in its meaning. 
I can recall the days when Robert Mahuta came here in a big station wagon with a mattress in the back and the people would bring their kai in a bin. They would come down and try to convince those dastardly Ministers about what should be corrected. They have moved on now. I commend Te Kauhanganui and Tainui Group Holdings and all of those groupings in Tainui that matter like Te Arataura—he mihi atu ki a ratou. It is a real irony that we have got this far. It is great that we can celebrate. 
I want to mihi to Raiha. I was there the day when they put all the white seats out in front of Waihi and the lady to tatou Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu named her as her spokesperson. I could hear this bit of a kikokiko with the Tainui people but most were all right. I can see two of them up in the gallery now. I say to them that it was the right thing to do. I am sorry that Raiha is not here but I know that she would not want us to be sad. She would want us to celebrate this great day and that is what we intend to do. That is what we intend to do. 
There is a host of detail in the bill. It is well read it is well spoken but there are simple things that we have to remind ourselves of. If this nation is serious about nationhood if it is serious about giving Maori a better shot then certainly we have to get into cooperation like this. There is nothing to be afraid of. 
I commend the iwi and Maori for coming to the table because that is not easy. For those who are scaremongering and saying that this bill will create incessant pain I say: “Go jump.” because they are not right. That is a disgrace. 
The Labour Party will support this bill and will ensure that it goes through. I ask the ACT Party to reconsider its stance even at this late call. I tell Mr Garrett that it would take a brave party—and a brave person seeing that he is here by himself—to disagree! This bill is not hocus-pocus as his leader has said. It is about real nationhood going forward. This bill is about thinking about this country about all New Zealanders and also it is about Maori standing up after they have been pillaged plundered and debauched. At the end of the day that is what today is about—a celebration. We need to do that. 
We could go on to the details in the bill but in summary I want to recognise Raiha and Tukoroirangi Morgan because there is nothing like being a great leader in Maoridom. They say: “You count the knives in your backs.” That is why most Maori members in this Parliament have that. Mihi kau ana ki to tatau kaiwhakahaere a Tau. To Tau and my colleagues on the Maori Affairs Committee I say: “We have done a not bad job.” I mihi to them. 
Labour will support this bill. Michael Cullen has led us to this point in more modern times. We give Tainui our best wishes but we want to remember that this is a model in contemporary times that can solve a whole lot of issues. The rubbish talked about Maori not knowing where they want to go and about them all being bad mad and sad comes to an end with this sort of thing. 
I say to those mischief-makers on the other side that Tainui is going forward commercially it is going forward culturally and it has a king and a leader. I say to colleagues on the other side of the House that making sure that he is safe is an integral part of this journey forward. This is a great day to celebrate. This is historic and we are really really thankful that we are here. Kia ora tatou. 
I mihi to my colleague Nanaia Mahuta for the effort that she has put in to Mita Ririnui to Shane Jones—I was going to say “to me” but I had better not.  
E mihi kau ana ki a koe te Kingi Tuheitia ki a koutou o Tainui whanui kia kaha kia maia. Ki a koutou e Shane nga kaituhi nga kaimahi e Koro koutou e mahi atu nga mahi e mohio atu te mamae o te hikoi penei tonu kua tae atu te wa hei oti pai. Kia ora tatau. 
[ 
I acknowledge you King Tuheitia and you of Tainui at large; be strong and steadfast. Acknowledgments to you as well Shane the secretariat officials and Koro all of you who experienced the trials and tribulations of a journey such as this one and now the time to settle it well has arrived. Greetings to us 
.]