Finlayson Christopher: Ngā Punawai o Te Tokotoru Claims Settlement Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFinlayson Christopher: Ngā Punawai o Te Tokotoru Claims Settlement Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 31 July 2013. Volume:692;Page:12221. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations):I moveThat the Ngā Punawai o Te Tokotoru Claims Settlement Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider the Ngā Punawai o Te Tokotoru Claims Settlement Bill.First and foremost a heartfelt welcome to the manuhiri here today to represent Ngāti Rangiwewehi Ngāti Rangiteaorere and Tapuika and witness the first reading of their settlement bill. The iwi of Ngā Punawai o te Tokotoru have not it must be said had a particularly smooth or speedy passage through the tribunal and Treaty settlement negotiations. Nevertheless the iwi have to their great credit emerged with their grievances and their distinctive identities acknowledged and their mana enhanced. I want to acknowledge those iwi members who have contributed so very much to the realisation of these settlements. These include the very able lead negotiators: Te Rangikāheke Bidois for Ngāti Rangiwewehi Pia Callaghan for Tapuika and Donna Hall for Ngāti Rangiteaorere. I also want to acknowledge the chairs of the mandated bodies: Te Rangikāheke Bidois for Te Maru o Te Ngāti Rangiwewehi Carol Biel for Tapuika and Tai Eru and Kereama Pene for Ngāti Rangiteaorere. Without their vision their support and their leadership these settlements would not have occurred.It is important to acknowledge all those who are no longer with us who carried the injustices the Crown inflicted on these three iwi those who lodged the claims with the tribunal and every person who has contributed to this settlement. Without these people this settlement would not have been possible. I want to acknowledge those who have worked to find a way to ease the burdens of the grievances carried by the three iwi here today. This involves timeless efforts from many individuals. That is not a formulaic statement. I do actually say it in the first reading of most settlement legislation because it is a simple fact that these grievances are carried down through the generations and the negotiations can take a very long time and require a great deal of effort from quite a number of people. As I have said before so often it is the case that the grand nieces orthe grandsons of the original claimants are the ones who are signing the deeds of settlement.I have spoken about the grievances of each iwi in detail when the deeds of settlement were signed. There will be another opportunity to traverse that material at the third reading. Today I simply want to say something about the magnitude of those grievances. First I refer to Ngāti Rangiwewehi. Its Treaty grievances relate to the Crown’s initiation of hostilities in Waikato in 1863 and Tauranga in 1864 and the subsequent loss of life for Ngāti Rangiwewehi. The Crown also compulsorily extinguished Ngāti Rangiwewehi customary interests through the Tauranga raupatu of the 1860s and contributed to the erosion of traditional tribal structures of Ngāti Rangiwewehi as a result of native land laws. The Crown failed to provide the iwi with an effective form of corporate title prior to 1894. The native land laws promoted by the Crown facilitated the alienation of lands and resources cherished by Ngāti Rangiwewehi including a site of very great significance at Hamurana Springs. The Crown also played a part in the iwi losing the Pekehāua Puna reserve another of the iwi’s most sacred sites.Ngāti Rangiwewehi signed a deed of settlement with the Crown on 16 December 2012. The deed provides for a range of redress including the historical account the Crown acknowledgments the Crown apology and financial and commercial redress of $6 million comprised of an on-account payment paid in 2008 a cash amount and commercial properties. It provides for the return of 37 hectares at Hamurana Springs including Puna-a-Hangarua in recognition of the iwi’s special relationship with this place and I am sure Mr Flavell will mention that in greater detail in his speech. It provides for the vesting of Te Riu o Ngata an 18.41 hectare site in Ngāti Rangiwewehi subject to a conservation covenant for biodiversity values and with a provision for the cultural harvest of flora. This will enable the iwi to share their history and culture and to educate and train people about conservation and harvesting. There is the vesting of 6 hectares of the Taumata Scenic Reserve to enable Ngāti Rangiwewehi to establish a native plant nursery on the site and there are statutory acknowledgments and deeds of recognition over Crown-owned lands across the rohe.I now turn to Tapuika. Tapuika’s Treaty grievances relate to the Crown’s responsibility for initiating hostilities in Tauranga in 1864 and subsequent loss of life for Tapuika. The Crown also compulsorily extinguished Tapuika customary interests through the Tauranga raupatu of the 1860s and destroyed their settlements in 1867 using scorched earth tactics. The erosion of the traditional tribal structures of Tapuika resulted from native land laws and the Crown’s 1875 determination of customary interests within the rohe of Tapuika and the exclusion of Tapuika from the titles to around 40000 acres of ancestral coastal lands. The Crown also unlawfully took a Tapuika urupā in 1971. The iwi are aggrieved also by the degradation—the continued degradation—of the Kaituna River.Tapuika signed a deed of settlement with the Crown on 16 December 2012—a great day—alongside Ngāti Rangiwewehi. Redress in the deed of settlement includes as with Ngāti Rangiwewehi the agreed historical account; the Crown acknowledgments; a Crown apology; and the financial redress of $6 million less the on-account payment of $2.5 million provided in December 2008 and the value of 17 commercial redress properties. There are also rights of first refusal in relation to 11 Crown-owned properties for a period of 171 years 12 sites of special significance to Tapuika across their rohe totalling approximately 209 hectares and three additional sites jointly with other iwi including Ngāti Rangiwewehi. Very important the deed also sets out a framework for governance of the Kaituna River Te Awanui o Tapuika that will acknowledge—[Bell rung ]—in a meaningful and practical way the great significance ofthe river to Tapuika and help protect the ecological and cultural values of the Kaituna. Was that the 8-minute bell or did you just inadvertently press a button?The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): No it was the 8-minute bell.Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: Ah. Well very well.Then there are also the grievances of Ngāti Rangiteaorere. I am dealing with three iwi so maybe I could crave an indulgence. Their grievances relate to the erosion of the traditional tribal structures as a result of native land laws and the Crown’s failure to provide the iwi with an effective form of tribal title prior to 1894. Through native land laws the actions of Crown purchase agents and the extension of the Lake Ōkataina Scenic Reserve the Crown facilitated the estrangement of this iwi from some of the most cherished parts of their rohe. The redress is set out in the deed of settlement and includes the historical account the Crown acknowledgments and commercial redress numerous statutory acknowledgments and the return of 321 hectares of Whakapougnākau reuniting Rangiteaorere with their maunga.So my thanks to the iwi for coming to this House today to hear the first reading of what is an omnibus bill containing three settlements which is why in the space of 10 minutes I have to say so much. But I look forward to saying more about each individual iwi when the bills come back to the House. I want to thank all of them for coming today. Finally I give my very special thanks to my chief Crown negotiator Patsy Reddy and the team at the Office of Treaty Settlements for all their good work on these three settlements. I commend the bill to the House.