Cullen Michael: Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Cullen Michael: Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:650;Page:19133] 
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) 
: 
 I move  
That the Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time 
. I acknowledge the people of Te Roroa who have now arrived in the galleries. I welcome those who have travelled from Northland to be here today to listen to this third reading of their claims settlement bill. I acknowledge them and all of those from Te Roroa who have worked so hard to make this day possible. I acknowledge the many Te Roroa kuia and kaumatua who are no longer with us but who provided leadership and inspiration to Te Roroa’s negotiators and to the Te Roroa people. 
I am told that Te Roroa means “the tall ones”. Te Roroa take their name from Manumanu the tupuna who was killed in battle. He was so brave that his enemies exclaimed “Behold! That man is as tall as a white pine.” Te Roroa are indeed the tall ones; they have stood tall throughout their dealings with the Crown. They have conducted themselves with honour and dignity in even the most difficult of times. 
This bill settles the Treaty grievances of Te Roroa. The Crown formally acknowledges its breaches of the Treaty offers an apology to Te Roroa and provides cultural financial and commercial redress. The bill therefore marks a historic point in time in the Crown - Te Roroa relationship. The people of Te Roroa have waited a long time for today. They have been seeking redress for the Crown’s breaches of the Treaty since at least 1861. In the 1980s they took their claim to the tribunal and I acknowledge the efforts of all those of Te Roroa who went before the tribunal—in particular Ned Nathan and Emily Paniora two of the original Wai 38 claimants who are no longer with us. 
Te Roroa were one of the first groups to come into Treaty settlement negotiations. It is 16 years since the Waitangi Tribunal released the Te Roroa report in 1992 and 15 years since negotiations commenced. In 2004 after 12 years the Crown and Te Roroa signed an agreement in principle and in December 2005 Te Roroa and the Crown signed the deed of settlement. In late 2005 the Te Roroa people also ratified the governance entity Te Roroa Manawhenua Trust to receive and manage the majority of the assets. The trust was established in August 2006. A second trust has also been established Te Roroa Whatu Ora Trust which has a commercial focus and will receive and administer the commercial redress properties. The passage of the Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill is the final step that will enable the Crown to provide settlement redress to Te Roroa. 
In this bill the Crown acknowledges it breached the Treaty in respect of Te Roroa. The breaches relate to the cession of land at Te Kopuru in 1842 Crown land purchases from 1876 and the operation and impact of the native land laws. These breaches have left Te Roroa virtually landless. In this settlement the Crown also acknowledges that the separation of Te Roroa people from their wahi tapu and taonga has been a source of great spiritual and emotional pain for Te Roroa. The Crown unreservedly apologises for these breaches of the Treaty. 
The settlement also includes financial and commercial redress worth some $9.5 million. Te Roroa has decided to use this redress to purchase 15 Crown-owned properties. These properties include over 3000 hectares of commercial forest and over 2000 hectares of farmland and other properties. These provide a platform for Te Roroa to pursue its economic aspirations. 
A key component of Treaty settlements is cultural redress. The settlement bill provides for the gifting by the Crown of 24 sites of cultural significance comprising an area of over 2000 hectares. Not only is this the largest cultural redress vesting in any settlement since the Ngai Tahu settlement but it also includes the return of two of the reserves recommended by the Waitangi Tribunal’s 1992 report Manuwhetai and Whangaiariki. 
The Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill also includes redress designed to strengthen the relationship between the Crown and Te Roroa. It enables Te Roroa to have increased input into the protection of Waipoua Forest home to the mighty Tane Mahuta New Zealand’s largest kauri tree. Also underpinning this new relationship are protocols between Te Roroa and Government departments. 
This settlement does not and cannot fully compensate Te Roroa for the losses it has suffered either in economic or in cultural terms. No Treaty settlement is able to do that. Many of Te Roroa’s losses relate to wahi tapu and taonga no longer held by its people. In fact I have heard the Te Roroa claim described as a wahi tapu claim reflecting the number of significant cultural and archaeological sites across the rohe. The full force of this grief in respect of particular wahi tapu became clear during the select committee hearings. The people of Te Roroa talked about Kaharau which could not be returned through the settlement as it is currently in private ownership and the Kohekohe taonga which are held by the Auckland Museum. The trustees of the Te Roroa governance entity also spoke of the financial difficulty facing Te Roroa in acquiring properties available for purchase under the right of deferred selection provided for in the settlement. 
The Government has taken steps working with Te Roroa and other political parties to find solutions to these issues that benefit everyone’s interests. These proposals were largely outside the Treaty settlement process and have not required any amendment to this bill. I am confident that these measures will further strengthen the durability of the settlement. Its enactment is a historic milestone. It is also an important step in the country’s progress towards settling all historical claims and is the third settlement to reach the final stage of legislation today. 
Many people contributed to this settlement over the years. I acknowledge the contribution made by the first Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations to enter into these discussions during the early stages of negotiations Sir Doug Graham; Margaret Wilson who renewed negotiations when they had stalled; Mark Burton who negotiated and signed the deed of settlement on behalf of the Crown; the Minister of Maori Affairs who continues to bully me along into these settlements; the Minister of Conservation; the Minister for Land Information; and the Associate Minister of Finance. I also acknowledge the valuable support of my Associate Ministers Mita Ririnui and Shane Jones—who has taken a particular and close interest in this particular settlement—and the work of many Government departments that have been involved. 
The heart of the Te Roroa rohe is the Waipoua Forest home of the kauri tree. My hope for Te Roroa is that this settlement is like a kauri seedling starting small and growing perhaps slowly but in the years to come growing into a tall and mighty tree and providing a canopy of shelter for those around it. I am certain that with the benefit of Te Roroa’s leadership and the revitalisation of its mana and identity future generations in Northland and throughout New Zealand will receive a strong and enduring legacy from this settlement. I commend the bill to the House.