Rurawhe AdrianADRIAN RURAWHE (Labour—Te Tai Hauāuru): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare otirā kei te mihi hoki au ki a koutou ngā whānau me ngā hapū o Te Ātiawa nau mai hara mai ki Te Whare Pāremata i tēnei rā mō te pānuitanga tuatoru o tēnei tō tātau pire i mua i a tātau nō reira tēnā koutou nau mai hara mai tēnā tātau katoa.[Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker but at the same time I commend you the families and subtribes of Te Ātiawa. Welcome and come forth to Parliament House on this day with regard to the third reading of this our bill before us. Therefore congratulations to you collectively. Welcome welcome and my appreciation to us all.]First of all can I acknowledge the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations for all the work that he has done on all of the Taranaki iwi settlement claims. Can I also acknowledge the members of the Māori Affairs Committee and the chair of the select committee Tutehounuku Korako for the work that they have done on this bill. I had the pleasure of listening to the submitters and I want to acknowledge all of those who have made submissions on this bill. Probably the one that sticks in my mind the most is actually the submission that was made by Peter Moeahu and I want to acknowledge him for his submission. I think he contextualised this settlement very well in that he talked about his mokopuna—the mokopuna whom he had at the time that this started and the many more whom he had at the time of the submissions—so I want to thank him for that context. I want to read part of the acknowledgments and part of the apology that is made through this settlement. Within the settlement bill the Crown acknowledges that (a) it unfairly treated Te Atiawa as being in rebellion; and (b) the confiscations of 1865 were indiscriminate in extent and application and had a devastating effect on the welfare economy culture and social development of Te Atiawa;". In the apology it states: "(c) The Crown is sorry for the immense prejudice it caused by confiscating the lands of Te Atiawa. The raupatu was indiscriminate unjust and unconscionable. The Crown deeply regrets the damage this caused to the economy and society of Te Atiawa." It is really important that when we make an acknowledgment and apology we actually follow through on it and I have to say as I said in my second reading speech and after hearing submissions on the New Plymouth District Council (Waitara Lands) Bill I do think that a shadow has been cast upon this settlement. I read those out specifically in relation to the Pekapeka Block. I think it is important that it is also recorded in the debate today. The words that we use around this block and what happened there is important to be acknowledged. To talk about "endowment lands" actually reinforces the history of those lands. They became endowment lands as we heard in submissions on the New Plymouth District Council (Waitara Lands) Bill through a process that was unfair and unjust. So the terminology that we use today is important to be acknowledged—we are actually talking about the Pekapeka Block. I refer to these acknowledgments and apology in this context. The other bill before this House potentially if we are not careful will impact negatively on this settlement and the people of Te Atiawa. I want that recorded because I think it is important that we go into this with our eyes wide open and fully cognisant of the potential of that other bill. That is not to say that we will vote against it—no we will support this bill in its third reading. It is clearly what the people of Te Atiawa want. Within this bill there is clause 117 which outlines a process around the Pekapeka Block or as we are calling it the endowment land. The other bill that is before the House will remove that and that is the bit I am really concerned about. But those are issues that the Māori Affairs Committee must deal with with the other bill not this one. It is clear that this bill needs to pass and I stand here in support of it but it would be remiss of me not to actually mention the magnitude of what is being proposed. That is something that the post-settlement governance entity needs to be very clear and direct about in its oral submission when it makes it next year. The paper trail tells me that the heads of agreement for that agreement between the district council and Te Atiawa was signed within days of the deed of settlement. It kind of tells me that these discussions had already taken place and are directly linked to this settlement. I want it on the record that the submission of Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa now opposes the New Plymouth District Council (Waitara Lands) Bill and I want that on the record in the reading of this bill. It is a very difficult situation for negotiators. This is not an easy process to navigate and to get through with so many competing interests. But my words to Te Atiawa and to the post-settlement governance entity are words of encouragement to encourage Te Atiawa to take every opportunity it can to reconcile this issue not only with those who are opposed but also with those who are in favour of it. Not an easy task I acknowledge but I want to acknowledge everything that is in this bill for what it is. I have said on a number of occasions before that the Treaty settlement process is a flawed process and we must all enter into that process with our eyes open. We must acknowledge what it can deliver and what it cannot deliver and be absolutely aware of those two things. As I have said to the House on a number of occasions before we must then ask the question whether or not the claimant group—the iwi—can accept what it can and cannot deliver and whether or not we can live with it. Those are the important questions before even entering into this process. I have to ask whether or not everyone connected to this settlement considered that question because there have been a number of objections to this settlement and even requests to have this settlement legislation delayed—which I do not agree with. But those are questions that I wanted to pose within this debate with humble respect to all of those who participated in this process. Tēnei au e tuku mihi atu ki a koutou ko te tūmanako kia ūhia mai e rātau mā i te wāhi ngaro ō rātau kaha ō ratau manaakitanga ō rātau aroha ki runga ki ngā whānau me ngā hapū o Te Ātiawa nō reira e Te Māngai o Te Whare tēnei te mihi atu ki a tātau katoa o Te Whare nei tēnā tātau katoa.[I accord this tribute to you collectively with the hope that they and others at the place out of sight bestow their courage kindness and empathy upon the families and subtribes of Te Ātiawa. Therefore Mr Deputy Speaker I commend us all of this House. Well done.]"