McKee Nicole; Salesa JennyNICOLE McKEE (ACT): Thank you Madam Speaker. Tēnā koutou katoa and welcome to this Whare. Welcome to your Whare this place where we get to come to a conclusion on what has been a very long time of negotiation. I must admit it is not often that I agree with Willie Jackson but he is right in that this is a celebration. It's a celebration of great achievement where we can recognise what has occurred in the past and move forward together as iwi and the Crown. I've not had the opportunity to speak on this Maniapoto Claims Settlement Bill and I feel very privileged to be able to do so now in this the third reading as we come to its conclusion. I feel privileged because ACT have always supported the Treaty settlements. We do believe in them and we think it is a way that we can unify together as a country and move forward. It's a way that we address the wrongs that have occurred so that we can move forward together. In that respect I'd like to acknowledge the iwi of Maniapoto and the hard mahi that you have done to get to this point. As I read up on the claims I read that there are over 277 of them. I hear of the passing of those that started these negotiations and the advancement of those that started on your behalf and now sit as Nanaia Mahuta does as a Minister in this Whare as well. I acknowledge all of that work and for those that have passed and not seen this completion I acknowledge them as well.Ngāti Maniapoto is somewhat unique in that you have been able to retain your autonomy or your self-government for longer than most other iwi—possibly Tūhoe might be up there with you as well—and I think that this is important because this tribe has been one that has fought the Government for a very long time and did so so strongly. I am of Ngāpuhi descent and I understand that feeling of constant fighting to be able to manage what you know is right for your people those that have passed and those in the future. You retained that autonomy up until the 1880s and my understanding of course is that then the Government reneged on some of the promises that they'd made to you but you fought valiantly all the way through. With this cultural redress is important because when we look at the pain and the suffering that our iwi have had to have this acknowledged by the Minister in this Whare—some of those wrongs—is very important. It's an important part of this process and the apology that is to come is even more so and this allows us to move forward with the Crown and iwi as this entity that is in agreement. It of course begins with the acknowledgment and it ends with the agreement but the mahi in between to get to those points working out the solutions is always a constant. In that respect I acknowledge the Supplementary Order Paper that came to the House earlier to also tidy up. It means that just because we sign it it doesn't mean that it's over. We can continue. The claims settlement bill has taken some time to work through and I acknowledge the resolve of Ngāti Maniapoto to get here. The Government as I mentioned earlier had breached their agreement. They actually breached article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi which guaranteed that the sale of Māori land would be done in a way which protected Māori interests and when the Government came through in the 1890s and aggressively purchased Māori land in the Ngāti Maniapoto rohe without regard to article 2 and respect to Māori land rights. It is great for me to see this being acknowledged here in this Whare today by the Crown of today. We notice that the redress includes natural resources. There's forestry commercial redress titles to land some reorganisation of governance and fisheries matters as well. But more importantly it's about the apology because the Crown did break their promises back in the 1800s and I acknowledge the loss of 250000 hectares of land back then.The Māori townships of Ōtorohanga and Te Kūiti they were self-governing back in the time and the Government replaced the devolved self-government by legislating to create the Waikato-Maniapoto Māori Land Board. They took away your ability to govern yourselves and by promoting legislation without consulting Ngāti Maniapoto the Crown failed to respect Ngāti Maniapoto rangatiratanga. Even today it is inappropriate for the Government to push central government ideals on to local communities even in this modern time so it's important that we do understand and we move forward together because when we can do that as one we will have much better outcomes when we can have these agreements. But I do want to point out that I am in agreement with Willie Jackson: this is a celebration. You have achieved so much and you have worked so hard and the apology that's still to come will be the way that we can finalise that and finish that movement forward. In that respect I do want to also acknowledge the taonga that you're bringing to this Whare for us to hold for five years. I think that's very special. That's so great—when you look back at the things that you have lost and yet you're willing to move forward. This is a celebration of the mahi that is coming to a conclusion. It's a celebration of an outcome. It's a celebration of the future for our tīpuna in the past and our tamariki that are still coming. But most importantly I think it is a celebration for you Maniapoto and the hard work that you have done. I am very proud to be a part of it and to acknowledge ACT's support in this third reading and that you get to have the redress the acknowledgment and the apology and you get the aroha of this House back to you because you so deserve it. Kia ora koutou.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa): The next call is a split call. I call on Arena Williams—five minutes.