Little Andrew; O'Connor GregNGĀTI PAOA CLAIMS SETTLEMENT BILLFirst ReadingHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I present a legislative statement on the Ngāti Paoa Claims Settlement Bill.SPEAKER: That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website.Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I move That the Ngāti Paoa Claims Settlement Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider the bill.Tākiri mai ana te ata ki runga o ngākau mārohirohi kōrihi ana te manu kaupapa ka ao ka ao ka awatea. Tihei mauri ora. E mihi ana ki a koutou kua tau mai nei i runga i te karanga o te kaupapa o te rā tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. E mihi ana ki te hunga mate haere haere haere atu rā. Ki a tātou te hunga ora tēnā tatou.Tēnei au tēnei mātou te Kāwanatanga e mihi ana ki te kaupapa o te wā. Ngāti Paoa tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.[Dawn breaks upon a resolute heart the bird chorus of this issue now sings a new dawn leads to the full light of day. Vitality and health to all.Thanks and greetings to you all who have responded to the call of this issue to be here today. I acknowledge those who have passed may you rest in peace. And to us who remain welcome one and all. I indeed we the Government acknowledge the present issue. Ngāti Paoa greetings and thanks to you indeed to us all.] It was just over two years ago that I was welcomed on to Wharekawa Marae in Kaiaua to sign the Ngāti Paoa deed of settlement. I'm very pleased that this settlement is now making progress through the House and that I'm able to speak in support of this bill today at its first reading. I'd like to welcome members of Ngāti Paoa who have travelled to be present at Parliament for this occasion of the first reading of their bill—it has been my great pleasure to host you here today. I'd like to begin by acknowledging and paying tribute to the generations of Ngāti Paoa who have sought justice for their people and the many members of Ngāti Paoa who have passed away and could not witness today's event. In particular I pay tribute to Morehu Wilson a negotiator from Ngāti Paoa who alongside his close friend and whanaunga Hauāuru Eugene Rawiri led this settlement until he sadly passed away after deed signing. I acknowledge Morehu's whānau in particular his wife Louise and sons Caleb and Josh. Moe mai rā e te rangatira. [Rest in peace noble leader.]I also want to acknowledge the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust as the post-settlement governance entity for Ngāti Paoa who have been entrusted with taking this settlement forward on behalf of the iwi to realise their aspirations for the future.On the Crown's side I acknowledge the leadership of the chief Crown negotiators Michael Dreaver and the Hon Rick Barker. I acknowledge my predecessor the Hon Chris Finlayson for his significant contribution to the Ngāti Paoa Treaty settlement. I also want to thank my ministerial colleagues Crown agencies and local authorities for the support that they have given to this agreement to this settlement and indeed to this day.Negotiations with Ngāti Paoa began in 2011 when iwi members gave a mandate to negotiators to progress a comprehensive historical Treaty of Waitangi settlement with the Crown on behalf of Ngāti Paoa. An agreement in principle was reached in July 2011. Following approval by Ngāti Paoa iwi members the Ngāti Paoa deed of settlement was signed in March 2021. Reaching this milestone hasn't been without its many challenges. Ngāti Paoa you have demonstrated perseverance and much patience on this difficult journey.In 1840 Ngāti Paoa rangatira signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi—the Treaty of Waitangi—in Tāmaki-makau-rau and Coromandel. In those years Ngāti Paoa saw opportunities to trade with Pākehā and after Auckland was established as the capital in 1841 Ngāti Paoa supplied that settlement with produce. However the Crown didn't live up to its obligations under the Treaty nor the promises of that sacred document. From as early as 1841 the Crown acquired Ngāti Paoa land without payment did not set aside reserves for Ngāti Paoa to live on and did not fulfil promises to set aside lands for schools and hospitals.During the wars of the 1860s the Crown invaded Ngāti Paoa lands. In 1863 the Crown caused the death of Ngāti Paoa people when the HMS Miranda shelled the village of Pūkorokoro and Crown forces attacked a number of Ngāti Paoa people without warning. Following the conflict the Crown confiscated lands in which Ngāti Paoa had interests; in the Waikato east Wairoa and the Tauranga confiscation district. Subsequent Crown land acquisition the operation and effects of the native land laws and public works takings led to the alienation of much of Ngāti Paoa's remaining land maunga and awa and the destruction of pā and wāhi tapu. Crown actions severed connections with ancestral whenua and left Ngāti Paoa virtually landless. A decline of Ngāti Paoa tribal structures and the loss of te reo Māori contributed to a loss of Ngāti Paoa mātauranga.Responsibility for those things sits at the feet of the Crown. This settlement is grounded in the Crown's acknowledgment of this history and the Crown's apology for its breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Ngāti Paoa Claims Settlement Bill will give effect to the Ngāti Paoa settlement package. This settlement includes total financial and commercial redress of $23.5 million; cultural redress including the return of 12 sites of traditional historical and cultural significance to Ngāti Paoa; an overlay classification which acknowledges the traditional cultural spiritual and historical association of Ngāti Paoa with certain sites of significance; agreements with a number of Crown agencies; and statements of association acknowledging Ngāti Paoa's association with and asserting spiritual cultural historical and traditional values in relation to 13 areas of significance to Ngāti Paoa.While no settlement can ever fully compensate for the injustices Ngāti Paoa has experienced today marks a new beginning in the restoration of the relationship between Ngāti Paoa and the Crown based on mutual trust cooperation and partnership. I sincerely hope that this settlement will support a prosperous future for Ngāti Paoa for many generations to come. I propose the bill should proceed without delay to the Māori Affairs Committee. I commend this bill to the House. Nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa. DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to.