Jones Shane: Ngati Manuhiri Claims Settlement Bill Ngati Whatua Orakei Claims Settlement Bill — Procedure First Readings 
Jones Shane: Ngati Manuhiri Claims Settlement Bill Ngati Whatua Orakei Claims Settlement Bill — Procedure First Readings 
[Volume:678;Page:1031] 
Hon SHANE JONES (Labour) 
: 
 I te tuatahi me tuku i roto i to tatou reo Maori he mihi ki nga huanga mai i nga iwi kua tatu ki Te Upoko-o-te-Ika kua uru mai ki roto i te Ana o te Raiona. Na reira e oku matua e nga tuahine e nga whaea koutou katoa kua tatu mai nei tena koutou tena koutou tena tatou katoa.  
[ 
First of all an acknowledgment in our Maori language to relatives in the tribes that have arrived here in Wellington into the “lions’ den”. So salutations to all of you my parents sisters and aunties I acknowledge you all 
.] 
We naturally have no hesitation in supporting the work of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and the negotiators in this very protracted claim—firstly the Ngati Whatua. Secondly a number of us know of the history of the tupuna Rahui Te Ki and Ngati Manuhiri—otherwise claimed by Ngati Wai but that is another matter—occasionally led by that great kauri tree Laly Haddon who when he is in a good mood is a very friendly individual. So I must acknowledge the people of what we called when I was a lad at St Stephen’s School Takaparawhau—the people who were up at what was popularly referred to in Auckland as Bastion Point. In that time along with my grandmother boys from St Stephen’s School were welcomed by a kuia called Nanny Hopi on to that marae which saw a great deal of anguish and indeed saw blood. But today we gather here as proxies for the New Zealand public and offer our support to the Minister and those who have worked with him to bring the Ngati Manuhiri Claims Settlement Bill and the Ngati Whatua Orakei Settlement Bill to a stage where if there are further matters to be considered then we can rely upon the processes of the legislature—figuratively speaking the highest court in the land. 
When you struggle with how the identity of the original inhabitants ought to be embedded into civic life commercial life or indeed the community life of our largest city it is not often understood by the civic leaders and community leaders and it is certainly not understood by commercial leaders that the tangata whenua the Maori occupying the wider Tamaki-makau-rau area are not a monolithic group. But beyond doubt the people who comprise the populations of the three hapu Te Taou Nga Oho and Te Uringatu are the descendants of Apihai Te Kawau and others the tupuna who were at Waitemata when the Pakeha originally arrived with the designs of colonisation. Te Taou has a special connection for me from Muriwhenua because it is a name that originated in the extreme far north around the  
Kurahaupo 
 waka area.  
So our focus is not on the finicky detail. We know that there is a source of tension in some of the properties being offered back by dint of this legislation but let us say in this House that this is a Treaty settlement between the Crown and the leaders of the hapu or iwi and there is always scope for dealing with community concerns and community issues as the settlement is fully implemented. If anyone knows about that it is us on the Maori side of the House but on these issues there ought not to be a Maori side or a Pakeha side. We actually want to see these issues dealt with expeditiously and to see people get on with their lives go home and expend energy on doing what is far more challenging—making $15 million $18 million or $20 million and making the land into something that is a lot larger and turning it into a legacy for uri whakatupu future generations.  
A number of us also remember the railways settlements when I talk about Ngati Whatua and the original Waitangi Tribunal claim hearings in the time when Monita Delamere Bishop Bennett Ned Nathan Mira Szaszy and others played a key role working with either the tribunal or members of the tribunal. So I want to mention the name of that particular individual Mr Ned Nathan. Not only was he a fearless warrior of the Maori Batallion but he was a stalwart for the people of the north and I recall him taking a group of us to the marae at Ngati Whatua and those areas when the Waitangi Tribunal in those rather lonely days was dealing with those issues and indeed Koro Wetere was the Minister. So these people have waited a long time.  
Just to reiterate what Tariana Turia said about Ngati Manuhiri they are near an area known as Omaha unfortunately more popular these days because the Prime Minister has got a bach there twice the size of Hone Harawira’s house but that is another matter. It is always difficult when you are leading a hapu in an area where your land has basically been stripped from you and you get the fringe development around the coast because the coast is so beautiful and there is always a balance as to how you establish and maintain a Maori presence there when the land is so expensive the rates are so demanding and your neighbours are people who by dint of either good luck or other designs have amassed wealth and they choose to spend that wealth and create considerable homes up there. So we commend this legislation and we offer our mihi and affection to the people who arrived here to see it move forward and we offer our support to the Minister. Kia ora tatou.