Turia Tariana: Christchurch City Council (Lancaster Park) Land Vesting Bill — Second Reading Third Reading 
Turia Tariana: Christchurch City Council (Lancaster Park) Land Vesting Bill — Second Reading Third Reading 
[Volume:649;Page:18047] 
Hon TARIANA TURIA (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Deputy Speaker tena tatou katoa. It is a very rare thing to be able to come to this House to congratulate the sponsor of a bill on the diligent way in which consultation has taken place with affected parties. I say tena koe to Tim Barnett. If I could be so bold I would say that the Christchurch City Council (Lancaster Park) Land Vesting Bill provides a model for others to follow whereby an issue has arisen from the people has been taken back to the people and a bill will now be signed off in Parliament as required by all those with an interest in Lancaster Park. We in the Maori Party were particularly pleased that Ngai Tahu were properly included and consulted through all aspects of the drafting of the bill. The Christchurch City Council approached Ngai Tahu right from the outset consultation was open and honest and most significant as a result of that consultation Ngai Tahu checked off every stage during the drafting of the bill. 
So it is with great pleasure that I can come to this debate and confirm that through our consultation as the independent voice of Maori in this Parliament we can state that the intent and meaning of the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act was followed and upheld and the provisions provided within the Act were sufficient. In particular the right of first refusal provision to purchase land at Lancaster Park is not extinguished. Under the terms of the settlement Act Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu has the right of first refusal to purchase the land at Lancaster Park from the Crown. Ngai Tahu has willingly agreed in the interests of the Christchurch community to consent to the bill and the deferral therefore of its rights under the 1998 Act. The select committee did make one comment that is worthy of note—that the passage of this bill is subject to confirmation of approval from the Office of Treaty Settlements. 
When I think of the Ngai Tahu settlement I cannot help but think of the long history of broken promises made by the Crown to Ngai Tahu including the Crown ownership of pounamu the low prices paid for land and reserves the failure to provide schools and hospitals the loss of mahinga kai customary food-gathering places the unclear boundaries of purchased land the leasing to settlers in perpetuity of reserved lands without the tribe’s consent and the forced sale of Ngai Tahu interests in some land bought from them by the Crown. We may also reflect in this House that when Rakiura Stewart Island was purchased in 1864 a total of more than 34 million acres had been taken off Ngai Tahu for the princely sum of close to £15000. This amounts to a fraction of one penny an acre. When we compare as we have heard tonight that the land sold for Lancaster Park around about the same time was £260 per acre and just note again the difference paid to Ngai Tahu of less than a penny such was the treatment of tangata whenua at that time. We reflect also that Ngai Tahu were left with approximately 1000th of its original lands. 
In this context the action that Ngai Tahu has taken to concede to the deferral of its rights under the 1998 Act is an overwhelming act of generosity and one that the Maori Party wholeheartedly commends like the ongoing acts of generosity during the Ngai Tahu claims. This is an iwi that the Waitangi Tribunal found had suffered from the way in which “the Crown acted unconscionably and in repeated breach of the Treaty of Waitangi.” and an iwi that is now prepared to put on record its preparedness to support this bill in the interests of the Christchurch community. 
So I stand to make a brief comment of support for this bill recognising the role of the sponsor and the generosity of Ngai Tahu in progressing legislation to vest Lancaster Park land in the Christchurch City Council. The nation is in awe of their commitment to manaaki tanga to kotahitanga and to the rangatiratanga of Ngai Tahu Waitaha and Kati Mamoe. The Maori Party will support the bill.