Finlayson Christopher: Ngāti Koroki Kahukura Claims Settlement Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFinlayson Christopher: Ngāti Koroki Kahukura Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 09 December 2014. Volume:702;Page:1277. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations):I move That the Ngāti Koroki Kahukura Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time. As we all know we gather in this House to consider to debate and to address matters of State and matters of Government—matters that often define us as a nation. Very few things can be more defining than the occasion of a third reading of Treaty settlement legislation. This is an occasion that brings the Crown and iwi together for a common purpose: to reconcile past differences and to seal our shared commitment to a more enlightened and rewarding future together. In this House today as we debate the third reading of the Ngāti Koroki Kahukura Claims Settlement Bill we welcome the people of Ngāti Koroki Kahukura their leaders and their supporters. To them I pay my respects and in so doing I acknowledge Kīngi Tuheitia me Te Whare o Te Kāhui Ariki. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa.One of the great things about settlement legislation is that you can read into the permanent record the story of the iwi whose claims we settle. Ngāti Koroki Kahukura descend from the high chief Korokī a descendant of Hoturoa captain of the Tainui canoe. Ngāti Koroki Kahukura descend from the high chieftainess Kahukura and joined together through common ancestry and lineage their descendants are the people whom we greet in the House today. The homeland of Ngāti Koroki Kahukura stretches from Karapiro along the Pukekura Range and through Rotorangi in the west; from Maungatautari IV and V Blocks to the top of Lake Arapuni in the south; then follows the Waikato River back to Piarere in the east; and from Piarere to the south of the Maungakawa Reserve and to Karapiro in the north. It also includes interests within the Waikato raupatu claim area. The raupatu claims of Ngāti Koroki Kahukura within the raupatu boundaries were settled as part of the Waikato-Tainui raupatu settlement in 1995 and their claims in respect of the Waikato River were settled in 2009 through the Waikato-Tainui Waikato River settlement. This bill finally settles all the historical Treaty claims of Ngāti Koroki Kahukura.As we contemplate why these settlements are important the Ngāti Koroki Kahukura experience—like that of so many others—should be reflected upon. Early contact between Ngāti Koroki Kahukura and European settlers was characterised by trade. They engaged in a number of economic activities during the 1840s and 1850s and were a prosperous and flourishing community. They built two flour mills near Maungatautari and were involved in the flax industry. They transported goods and produce by sea for trade.From the 1850s Tīoriori was the recorded leader of Ngāti Koroki Kahukura. He developed the relationship with Crown officials leading to his appointment as an assessor for the Waikato district. When adherence to Kīngitanga became important for Ngāti Koroki Kahukura relations between the iwi and the Crown deteriorated. Despite that deterioration Tioriori did his best to maintain cordial relationships with the Crown. He went to the aid of the civil commissioner of Waikato after a chief from a neighbouring iwi seized the Government printing press at Te Awamutu. Tioriori took up residence with the commissioner to prevent further attacks. Ngāti Koroki Kahukura helped defend Kīngitanga lands and peoples against the Crown at the battles of Meremere and Rangiriri when the Crown breached the aukati along the Mangatawhiri River.Tioriori was captured at the Battle of Rangiriri having been wounded while assisting a wounded British officer of the colonial forces. He was then incarcerated without trial in squalid conditions on the hulk of the Marion in Auckland. Tioriori’s incarceration without trial left Ngāti Koroki Kahukura leaderless at a time of great upheaval. The incarceration had adverse effects on the standing of Tioriori and Ngāti Koroki Kahukura.The raupatu that followed the Waikato Wars affected the iwi and caused them severe economic hardship. The confiscation of the Waikato lands isolated Ngāti Koroki Kahukura from their primary transport and trade route. As a result of the confiscation they became alienated from lands traditional pā wāhi tapu and other significant sites. These events contributed to a weakening of the identity of Ngāti Koroki Kahukura as a people with effects that continued to be felt for decades.To add to this the cumulative effect of the operation and impact of native land laws and Crown purchasing left Ngāti Koroki Kahukura virtually landless and further undermined their economic social and cultural development. From the early 1900s the Crown dammed the upper reaches of the Waikato River to produce hydroelectric power. The flooding caused the direct destruction of burial caves and significant cultural sites of this iwi. Members of the iwi recall having to collect the bones of ancestors as they emerged from graves and floated down the river.In the early 1800s the introduction of muskets disrupted relationships between iwi and hapū across New Zealand. During this time of conflict a number of iwi and hapū occupied the Maungatautari area. A pivotal battle was fought by Ngāti Koroki Kahukura in 1830. For the iwi a significant consequence of the battle was the cremation of slain warriors on rocks where the Hauōira Stream joined with the Waikato River. And from that time Ngāti Koroki Kahukura considered these rocks to be tapu and akin to a headstone. The site was called Karapiro after the foul odours emanating from the cremations. The creation of Lake Karapiro flooded the sacred site submerging the rocks. To complete this desecration the rocks were blasted with dynamite to clear the way for rowing lanes for the 1975 World Rowing Championships.From this dark period in the relationship between Ngāti Koroki Kahukura and the Crown we come today to a major turning point of a Treaty settlement that opens the way for reconciliation and a new relationship based on the principles of the Treaty. At the heart of this settlement lie two taonga: Maungatautari and Te Awa o Waikato. To Ngāti Koroki Kahukura Maungatautari and the river are inseparable and indivisible tūpuna and living taonga. Maungatautari was named by a tohunga who arrived on the Tainui waka and Waikato was named by the tumu ariki and the captain of the Tainui waka. As we all know Maungatautari is a defining feature of the landscape south of Cambridge. It has been there for at least 1.8 million years. It is also a defining feature of the human landscape forged generation upon generation by those who call its slopes their home. It is central to the identity and to the mana of Ngāti Koroki Kahukura.Today it is supported by a diverse community with varying perspectives which converge in an affinity for the mountain and a deep sense of pride in the world-renowned ecological island now established on Maungatautari. This broad community of interests presented its own particular challenges when negotiating a settlement. It will for ever be a mark of the standing the integrity and the generosity of spirit of this iwi that they were prepared to compromise their aspirations and agree to an inclusive and novel arrangement that through their settlement legislation will see the wider Maungatautari community become the owner of the Crown properties on the mountain. I have really been very lucky over a number of occasions to visit the Maungatautari ecological island and see the great work that is being done by Ngāti Koroki Kahukura other iwi the Waipā District Council and the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust. Thanks to the generosity of the iwi all of the community has a stake in the ownership of the maunga and everyone needs to give their full cooperation to the trust to allow the special place to be cared for in a way we all want it to be. Participation by Ngāti Koroki Kahukura through the Waikato Raupatu River Trust in the Waikato River Authority and other co-management arrangements for the river reflects and confirms Crown recognition of Ngāti Koroki Kahukura as a river iwi. The provisions of this bill address an unfinished aspect of the river arrangements.In closing I acknowledge the principal claimant for Ngāti Koroki Kahukura the late Wally Papa. He and others no longer here have worked in so many ways for so long to get the Crown to acknowledge its wrongs. I know that Ngāti Koroki Kahukura along with members of this House have many many special people in mind at this time. I acknowledge Mere Kara known as Aunt Olly Kara who passed away this year. She was here during the first reading of the legislation and she was particularly looking forward to the third reading. The deed of settlement most eloquently says: “We remember well those who led the challenge those who flew the flag and those who have carried the burden of responsibility to arrive at this point in time: the orators the quiet leaders the strong shoulders and the undying supporters of yesteryear. To you we say although you are no longer seen you will never be forgotten.” I acknowledge Linda and Willie Te Aho Rāhui Papa Taotao Tauroa Hinerangi Kara Karaitiana Tamatea Poto Davies Steven Wilson Johnson Raumati and so many others.This is a great day for the Crown and for Ngāti Koroki Kahukura. I acknowledge all those who have given me assistance. I particularly want to acknowledge my friend the member for Taupō who worked so closely with me on the Maungatautari redress. She did a great job and she too has been pivotal in reaching a successful conclusion. I commend the bill to the House.