te Heuheu Georgina: Ngati Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty) Claims Settlement Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
te Heuheu Georgina: Ngati Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty) Claims Settlement Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:625;Page:20204] 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU (National) 
: 
 I want to make some comments about clause 13 “Meaning of Ngati Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty)”. I will just make a preliminary comment. Originally the bill dealt with this on the basis that the claimants or the settlees were Ngati Tuwharetoa. What has happened is that the bill is now properly named the Ngati Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty) Claims Settlement Bill. That is basically to differentiate the claimants from those Ngati Tuwharetoa living beneath Mount Tongariro. The claimants here the Bay of Plenty families originally wanted the bill’s title to say just “Ngati Tuwharetoa” but the Maori Affairs Committee saw that as being designed to cause confusion unnecessarily and now we have the bill named as it is. 
I now come to clause 13 in which the group itself defines who are to be regarded as Tuwharetoa people. Clause 13 states: “(1) In this Act ‘Ngati Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty)’—(a) means—(i) the collective group composed of individuals …” and “(b) includes—(i) the hapu of Ngati Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty); and (ii) any hapu group family or whanau composed of individuals …” of those hapu. 
The issue I want to make some comments about is the meaning of whangai in clause 13. Whangai as members will know is a type of Maori adoption where there is a recognition that a child has been taken into the home of a particular family and for all intents and purposes but without the legal trappings of a formal adoption has come to be regarded as being of that family. Some tribes unless that whangai child is actually related by blood to the family who have taken him or her into their home do not necessarily regard that child as being of that tribal entity. 
It seems that Ngati Tuwharetoa Bay of Plenty have settled upon a definition in clause 13 that states: “ ‘whangai of Ngati Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty)’ means a Maori who is recognised as Ngati Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty) in accordance with Ngati Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty) tikanga (customary values and practices).” I wonder whether the Minister could just confirm for this Committee and for those who are listening in to this debate whether that definition is limited strictly to whangai who are descended by blood from their original family or whether it includes a whangai child who has been brought into the family and is being brought up by that family and is a Maori none the less but not of that same kin group. 
Pita Paraone 
: Could be Chinese. 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU 
: The child could very well be Chinese. He or she could be but on the other hand as the provision states “in accordance with Ngati Tuwharetoa (Bay of Plenty) tikanga” then surely the child could not be Chinese. But I do not think it is clear and that is why I would ask the Minister to take a call and clarify for us whether that includes Chinese people. Does it include Gerry Brownlee? If I recall correctly Gerry Brownlee raised this as a matter of real concern in the select committee. 
Pita Paraone 
: He’d be a good whangai. 
Hon GEORGINA TE HEUHEU 
: He would be a good whangai yes but does it include him? I am sure my colleague Gerry Brownlee would not mind me bringing him into the debate because as I say this was an issue of real concern to the committee members and it took up quite a lot of our discussion.