SpeechDAN BIDOIS (National—Northcote): Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. Nau mai haere mai tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. It's a pleasure to speak at the second reading of the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill having followed this bill through our Parliament from its first reading last year. I'd like to start out by absolutely acknowledging the fantastic work of the Māori Affairs Committee chaired by Rino Tirikatene for which I was at the time that this bill was considered in the select committee a member of that committee.I'd also like to acknowledge the Ngāti Hinerangi Trust and all those who have come down from the north today. Thank you for inviting us to Matamata. It is indeed a fantastic part of the country. I must say I learnt an extraordinary amount while on a select committee visit to hear the submissions from the area. It was a pleasure to take time out to hear those submissions. Of course it has been documented in this House that I have a connection to Ngāti Hinerangi and I just want to explain that connection however weak that may be. Now my late grandfather Lawrence Bidois is buried up in the Kaimai Ranges. I didn't really have much connection to Ngāti Hinerangi growing up because my grandmother was whāngai-ed out to Ngāti Maniapoto. So we spent most of our youth growing up in the marae around Ngāti Maniapoto. Also another reason why we didn't spend a lot of time in Ngāti Hinerangi is that the marae where my grandfather whakapapa-ed to was no longer in existence. So I do have a connection to Ngāti Hinerangi but I also have a connection to Ngāti Maniapoto and I'm working through my real parents at the moment and it seems that I also have connections to the North as well. So that's just a little bit of background there but we're not here to talk about myself. We're here to talk about this fantastic process that we've been through and the kaupapa of this bill for the people of Ngāti Hinerangi. That kaupapa of course is firstly founded on acknowledging the grievances of the past whether it's the land that was taken whether it's the villages that were attacked or whether it was the alienation of the land for the people of Ngāti Hinerangi. And it's also an apology. My colleague of course the previous speaker Adrian Rurawhe mentioned the apology for the acts that led to the various uprisings and rebellions but also the loss of culture that went with it. Turning our attention to the future which is really about what we can do about it: yes acknowledge it; yes apologise; but let's also seek to redress the grievances of the past. That is why there is a settlement of $8.1 million there is a fund for cultural revitalisation there are a number of important sites that have been given back to the people of Ngāti Hinerangi and there is also input into the management of a lot of assets and sites and of course Matamata College featured as important in that.I do want to come to the select committee because it was a very vocal select committee. I must say I do learn a lot about Māori culture going to and being a part of these processes because you realise that you really cannot please everybody you know. There are a lot of challenges that the select committees have to deal with. It is our role to hear those grievances to hear those concerns—either for or not pro the bill—and then if there are any issues with the bill to seek to find redress for that. The majority of submissions as has been discussed widely today were in favour but there were a number of submissions with concerns around one of the specific hapū that was mentioned as part of this bill which is Ngāti Tamapango and there was a sense that actually Tamapango wasn't really acknowledged as a hapū in itself. It was I think more an affiliation to Ngāti Pango which is what we heard quite clearly from the select committee. So there were concerns around the association of a hapū and that was not necessarily fit for the actual hapū or people that affiliate to that hapū. The second is around the mandate of the Ngāti Hinerangi Trust. I certainly want to acknowledge the work that's gone in over the years to I think provide a really robust process to seek a mandate for the Crown to enter into negotiations with the Ngāti Hinerangi Trust. But there were a number of submitters including Rawiri Bidois my uncle who did raise some concerns around the mandate that was given or the lack of mandate. I think just taking a step back there was an acknowledgment that possibly the process to seek a mandate is not necessarily smooth enough for those that perhaps don't have a sense that they're part of that.That brings me on to the third issue that was raised which was around the attempts to withdraw from that mandate. We heard from the select committee that there were a number of attempts to withdraw from the mandate. That went to the Waitangi Tribunal and of course that was upheld or struck down by the Waitangi Tribunal. But I do want to raise in this House a really important point which is: how can we make it a really easy process and communicate that process in a really easy way so that in future—and we've got more on the horizon whether it's Ngāti Maniapoto or hopefully up north and iwi settlements up there. How can we make it a really easy process for groups or iwi or hapū or sub-hapū—the ability for them to actually opt out of the mandates that have been sought? I think there were some issues around that that raised some concerns around the ability for hapū groups to actually withdraw from the mandate. Look that was raised from the likes of Ngāti Tokotoko and other various hapū and unfortunately we weren't able to really make many changes to the bill because as was mentioned the bill really just gives effect to the deed of settlement.So look it has been a really insightful process for myself to be a part of this and to just understand the intricacies involved in the way the Crown negotiates with iwi. And don't forget: iwi is really a European construct. Going back to the history well before the Treaty of Waitangi was signed Māori culture was more organised by hapū. These iwi constructs are really a mechanism that was born out of a way to organise ourselves to engage with the Crown. It has been really insightful and I think that there are absolutely lessons that we've learnt as members of the select committee around how to make that process smoother. I just want to again acknowledge the fantastic contributions from the select committee from all those from the Ngāti Hinerangi Trust. Thank you for coming down. Nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. I commend this bill to the House.