Turia Tariana: Ngati Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill — Second Reading 
Turia Tariana: Ngati Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:664;Page:11847] 
Hon TARIANA TURIA (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector) 
on behalf of the  
Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations 
: I move  
That the Ngati Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill be now read a second time 
. Last weekend over 200 descendants of Nga Wairiki / Ngati Apa gathered at Whangaehu Marae to celebrate the special significance of Puanga at the start of the Maori New Year. In our tribal records Puanga was the time of wananga a time to feed the mind and spirit and to learn whakapapa and histories. It was a time to share hospitality to be entertained and to learn. And it was a time to reflect on our past acknowledging those who live on in our memories inspiring the promise of a stronger future. It is therefore an entirely appropriate time to be advancing the bill to settle all the historical claims against the Crown by Ngati Apa. 
I firstly acknowledge the work of the Maori Affairs Committee which considered this bill and reported back to Parliament within 3 months. The chairperson the Hon Tau Henare is to be commended for his leadership and for ensuring that progress was both comprehensive and expeditious. The committee considered 34 submissions on the bill. Submissions in support of the bill were received on behalf of each of the hapu collectives of Ngati Apa including Nga Ariki Nga Wairiki Ki Uta Ngati Tauira Ngati Kauae and Ngati Rangiwhakaturia me Nga Uri o Taitapu. 
The committee has now examined the bill and unanimously supports it. The committee has recommended that it be passed with a number of technical amendments. For Nga Wairiki / Ngati Apa this settlement is life changing. It provides a springboard to the future that is forever associated with our foundations back to the whenua. 
Our research describes Ngati Apa as an alliance of Nga Wairiki and Rangitikei people which emerged from events in the 1820s 1830s and 1840s. From that period on we have been linked together by whakapapa our connections strengthened by relationships to the five rivers of Mangawhero Whangaehu Turakina Rangitikei and Oroua. As we move forward it will be because of the importance we are giving to unity between Nga Wairiki Rangitikei and Oroua the rivers along which our ancestors dwelt. 
In coming together we are joining together the autonomous hapu collectives that make up Nga Wairiki / Ngati Apa because we are intrinsically connected. Our whakapapa is indivisible. It has also been important to work collaboratively with overlapping claimants. The need to sit down early on with Ngati Raukawa Whanganui iwi Rangitane o Manawatu Ngati Kauwhata and Ngati Haua and others has required a huge commitment from all parties. It was wonderful to read the submission of Te Runanga o Ngati Hauiti and their reference to the Pourewa Accord. The accord demonstrates the deep respect between Ngati Hauiti and Ngati Apa the mutual acknowledgment of the validity of each other’s overlapping interests and the agreement that identifies clear boundaries for future management and development. 
Although some submitters felt that Nga Wairiki should not be included in this settlement the committee’s view was that the vast majority of Nga Wairiki gave their mandate to Te Runanga o Ngati Apa. They were also satisfied that the mandating and ratification processes were robust. There has never been a separation of Nga Wairiki / Ngati Apa certainly in my lifetime. Indeed it is impossible to remove strands of one’s whakapapa when our whakapapa sites of significance and rivers are intrinsically linked together. The committee was finally assured that te runanga has left the door open for members who were not supporting the settlement to still participate in the post-settlement affairs of the iwi including the right to participate in elections in respect of the governance entity. 
I firmly believe that out of the growth of kotahitanga Nga Wairiki / Ngati Apa is now moving to a new phase; a time when Mt Curl will be known as Parae Karetu and when Round Bush Scenic Reserve will be called Omarupapakau. The settlement includes the gifting of five papakainga properties AgResearch lands Parewanui School part of Santoft Forest and Lismore Sands Forest and Kauangaroa School. 
The settlement allows for the implementation of the cultural redevelopment plan including marae development and investment in current programmes or initiatives that focus on areas such as te reo arts taonga and matauranga. This is a unique initiative to revive the life force of the people. The revitalisation focus has been recognised as a first in Treaty settlements and it is something to be immensely proud of given that many of the Ngati Apa hapu are probably lucky if they have one te reo speaker on each marae. 
The immediate history of this legislation started on 16 November 2004 when the Crown recognised Te Runanga o Ngati Apa’s deed of mandate. But of course the enduring story for Ngati Apa tracks back to 1849 when the Crown purchased the 260-arce Rangitikei-Turakina block. Our circumstances reflect that today. Ngati Apa own less than 1 percent of their traditional rohe the lands have been alienated and the people have been disenfranchised. This bill confronts the failure of the Crown to adequately protect 35000 acres of reserves set aside from the 1849 transaction. 
The bill also takes into account the impact of the native land laws. They contributed to the erosion of traditional tribal structures and resulted in the alienation of nearly all of Ngati Apa’s remaining land. It also brings to the fore the consistent perseverance of our tipuna in challenging the injustices meted out by the Crown. It reminds us of the petitioning of the Premier in 1899 seeking the establishment of the reserves for the Ngati Apa Act; a call on the Crown to pass an Act of Parliament to protect our lands. 
Through all of the land transactions Ngati Apa endeavoured to establish a relationship with the Crown. They sought to strengthen this relationship by going so far as to expressing loyalty to the Crown but it was to no avail. The Crown failed to ensure that the arrangements in 1849 were given effect. The Crown failed to take steps to adequately protect the tribal and hapu custodianship of their lands. 
The settlement enables us to gain a clear appreciation of the historical relationship between the Crown and Nga Wairiki / Ngati Apa. A history is documented; the disillusionment that grew out of the transactions resulted not in prosperity but in poverty. We know now that the Crown’s policy was to acquire land as cheaply as possible on the pretext that the growth of European settlement all around us would have ongoing benefits. The partnerships aspired towards in those times did not eventuate and the wealth of a secure living was rarely experienced except by those who settled the land. 
Now with the progress of this settlement we are poised to build a strong foundation to carry all our descendants of Ngati Apa / Nga Wairiki forward. The deed of settlement was signed by kuia and kaumatua appointed by their respective hapu. All the hapu provided the runanga with information to negotiate the statutory acknowledgments to write the statements of association and to negotiate the deeds of recognition. 
We are also indebted to the leadership and vision of a very young negotiating team Te Roopu Rangahau and the strength of their w’anau in supporting them through such a demanding process. Many complex negotiations have been required and our young people have made us proud through their skills and talents and most of all the great integrity they brought to the task. 
We mihi today to all those previous Labour Government Ministers who began the process of negotiation. Ki a koe e Mita he mihi noa tenei ki a koe.  
Finally I want to mihi to the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Chris Finlayson who has brought a fierce intellect an irrepressible enthusiasm a gracious dignity and a genuine sense of understanding to the settlement of Ngati Apa as indeed he does to every Treaty settlement. It has been a privilege to work alongside him and I thank him for the honour of being able to speak first in this debate for my own iwi. Na reira tena koutou tena koutou katoa. I commend this bill to the House.