Finlayson ChristopherNGĀTI TAMAOHO CLAIMS SETTLEMENT BILLFirst ReadingHon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I move That the Ngāti Tamaoho Claims Settlement Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider the bill. In April this year I went to Mangatangi Marae in the heart of the rohe of Ngāti Tamaoho to sign the deed of settlement with this great iwi. Some 2 months on from the signing ceremony I am very pleased to speak in support of the bill which like many others has been so many years in the making. It has been over 4 years since the agreement in principle was signed and despite the time it has taken I have never had any doubt we would get to this stage.To all those who have worked so hard to make today possible I offer my most sincere thanks. Nanny Mere Taka Tokoroa Pompey Barney Kirkwood Te Raha Ngarengari and their various tūpuna before them began this journey many many years ago. They are in our thoughts today. I also want to acknowledge the various members of the negotiation team starting with Ted Ngātaki and Warahi Paki; the lead negotiator Dennis Kirkwood; and all those involved in the negotiation team for the Ngāti Tamaoho Trust. Never have the words of Te Pūea Hērangi rung so true: Mahia te mahi hei painga mō te iwi."—work for the betterment of the people. These negotiations have been long and complex so I acknowledge the hard work the commitment and the perseverance to achieve an enduring settlement for this iwi. I also acknowledge the Crown team officials from the Office of Treaty Settlements and supporting Crown agencies.Let me say something about the chronology of negotiations. The settlement road commenced in 2003 when the Ngāti Tamaoho lands and resources claim was lodged by Ted Ngātaki followed in 2008 with the Ngāti Mahanga Ngāti Tamaoho and Ngāti Apakura (Tahapeehi) lands claim and the Ngāti Āmaru and Ngāti Pou lands claim which was lodged by Ben Katipa.In April 2010 the Crown recognised the mandate of the Ngāti Tamaoho Trust to represent the iwi in negotiating a comprehensive Treaty settlement. The trust and the Crown signed terms of negotiation in October 2010 and an agreement in principle was signed in December 2012. During this period Ngāti Tamaoho were not only busy negotiating the best-possible settlement for their iwi but they were also navigating the complex waters—and indeed they are complex—of collective negotiations in Tāmaki-makau-rau. Ngāti Tamaoho signed the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau collective redress deed in September 2012. After a 2-year hiatus Ngāti Tamaoho and the Crown initialled a deed of settlement in December last year.As is always the case for a first reading I want to take a moment to reflect on the history of the relationship between the Crown and the settling iwi. It is a long history of gradual but constant land loss and of conflicts that severely impacted on Ngāti Tamaoho.Prior to 1840 their rangatira sought to develop commercial relationships with Pākehā settlers by entering into land transactions. After Crown-appointed land commissioners investigated these pre-Treaty transactions the Crown granted land to Pākehā settlers but retained 400 acres of so-called surplus land in which Ngāti Tamaoho had interests. After the signing of the Treaty in 1840 Ngāti Tamaoho sought economic opportunities by selling land to the Crown. Despite Crown assurances that one-tenth of the land transacted through pre-emption waiver sales would be retained for public purposes especially for the benefit of Māori the Crown later abandoned the policy. This is an all too familiar story for many iwi. The benefits they expected to enjoy from selling the land were not realised. Crown purchasing activities contributed to tension and ultimately to armed conflict between Ngāti Tamaoho and neighbouring iwi.Can I now turn to a very dark episode of the Crown's relationship with Ngāti Tamaoho. In 1863 the Crown required Māori in South Auckland to swear an oath of allegiance or vacate their settlements. The Crown did not give Ngāti Tamaoho sufficient time to understand the oath and despite this iwi never having been in so-called rebellion Crown troops burnt buildings and looted property at Pōkeno prior to the invasion of the Waikato. The Crown unfairly labelled most of Ngāti Tamaoho as rebels evicted them from their settlements and confiscated most of their remaining lands.This is an acknowledged moment of our shared history and I wish to reiterate part of the Crown apology that I presented to the iwi in April. The Crown sincerely regrets unfairly labelling Ngāti Tamaoho as rebels and confiscating much of its remaining land. The Crown also unreservedly apologises for the hurt and ongoing grievance caused by the burning and the looting of Pōkeno. The Crown attacked the settlement prior to its invasion of Waikato despite Ngāti Tamaoho never having been in rebellion.By 1900 Ngāti Tamaoho had lost most of their land. Many experienced severe social and economic marginalisation and deplorable housing conditions. Something that every member of this House should note is that the children of the iwi experienced discrimination and segregation—and segregation—at a State-run school in Pukekohe. One law for all did not apply to Ngāti Tamaoho.Pākehā settlement in the Ngāti Tamaoho rohe resulted in significant environmental modifications over which Ngāti Tamaoho exercised little control. Introduced flora and fauna had an adverse impact on traditional Ngāti Tamaoho resources like eels while dam construction and wetlands reclamation resulted in significant environmental damage. As a result they became virtually landless. They have lost their autonomy and their connection with their environment and have suffered from severe social and economic deprivation. It is those facts that led us to the negotiating table and that is why we have a settlement with this iwi.The settlement package contains an agreed historical account Crown acknowledgments and apology cultural redress and commercial redress. Other speakers can go into the particular aspects of the settlement because in my speech I wanted to emphasise the facts of what happened and why we are here.I mentioned at the deed of settlement signing ceremony what could be called a statement of the obvious. It is not possible to fully compensate Ngāti Tamaoho for the loss and prejudice they have suffered. I therefore acknowledge their generosity in graciously accepting the redress contained in this settlement package and I certainly hope that it marks a new beginning in the relations between the iwi and the Crown.Through this settlement the Crown hopes to restore its honour and alleviate what can only be described as an acute sense of grievance and the Crown certainly looks forward to building a new relationship with Ngāti Tamaoho based on respect for the Treaty. I consider that the bill needs to proceed without delay to the Māori Affairs Committee and I commend it to the House."