Goldsmith PaulWHAKATŌHEA CLAIMS SETTLEMENT BILLSecond ReadingHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I present a legislative statement on the Whakatōhea Claims Settlement Bill.DEPUTY SPEAKER: That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website.Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: I move That the Whakatōhea Claims Settlement Bill be now read a second time. Tihei māuriora. Te Whare e tū nei tēnā koe. Te papa i waho nei tēnā koe. Te mana whenua o tēnei rohe kei te mihi. E ngā tipuna o te pō haere haere haere. Haere ki te wāhi ngaro haere haere. E ngā kāwai Rangatira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa.[Tis the breath of life. The House stand greetings to you. The land outside greetings to you. The native people of this area acknowledgments. The ancestors of the night farewell farewell farewell. Farewell to the unseen realm farewell. Dear esteemed leaders greetings to you all thank you thank you.]I'm pleased to be here today to support the Whakatōhea Claims Settlement Bill for its second reading and to greet the many people from Whakatōhea who have come to the House to hear this second reading speech today.This bill gives effect to the deed of settlement signed by Te Whakatōhea and the Crown in 2023. The deed settles all the remaining historic Treaty of Waitangi claims of Whakatōhea and iwi in the eastern Bay of Plenty comprising six hapū: Ngāi Tamahaua Ngāti Ira Ngāti Ngahere Ngāti Patumoana Ngāti Ruatakenga and Te Ūpokorehe.The Whakatōhea settlement journey has been a long one and today we remember and pay tribute to the leaders including the many whānau members who have passed on before they could witness this milestone. Te Whakatōhea has been served over the years by courageous and committed negotiators and advisers. To Robert Edwards Graeme Riesterer and the entire Whakatōhea Pre-Settlement Claims Trust I thank you for your hard work throughout these negotiations. I congratulate the trustees of Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea on their election at the inaugural AGM in March. I also acknowledge the negotiators Maui Hudson and Jason Pou and their support team led by Arihia Tuoro and Gina Smith for their significant contributions to this settlement.On the Crown's side I acknowledge the work of my predecessors the Hon Chris Finlayson who reached agreement in principle with Te Whakatōhea in August 2017 and the Hon Andrew Little who introduced this bill in August 2023. I also acknowledge the work of the chief Crown negotiator Glenn Webber in these negotiations and my ministerial colleagues Crown agencies and in particular the Office for Māori Crown Relations - Te Arawhiti and local authorities for their support to achieve this settlement. Today's reading marks another important milestone for Te Whakatōhea in their settlement journey.Te Whakatōhea first petitioned this House in 1914 for the Crown to honour its commitments under the Treaty of Waitangi and to recognise its breaches regarding the confiscation of Whakatōhea lands. While that petition was unsuccessful Te Whakatōhea continued to petition the Crown with many members contributing to these efforts. In 1946 Te Whakatōhea received a small form of compensation from those land confiscations but the full impact of the Crown's actions was not addressed. In the 1990s Te Whakatōhea were amongst the first iwi to enter settlement negotiations with the Crown and in 1996 initialled a deed of settlement. That deed of settlement was never put into ratification. More than 100 years on from the 1914 petition and 30 years on from the initiating negotiations we finally reached a point where the Crown acknowledges and apologises for the grievances it caused.The bill was referred to the Māori Affairs Committee on 17 August 2023. The committee received and considered 112 submissions on the bill and heard oral evidence from 40 submitters. The committee recommended minor amendments to the commencement date and the insertion of a reference to traditional knowledge labels. The committee also considered requests for two hapū to be withdrawn from the settlement: Te Ūpokorehe and Ngāti Ira. The committee acknowledged the different strongly held views about the removal of hapū from the bill. However the committee did not recommend any substantive changes because on balance they considered it in the best interests of Te Whakatōhea for the bill to proceed without change.I'd like to extend my thanks to the committee members for their work on the bill. I acknowledge the strong views of those from Te Ūpokorehe and Ngāti Ira who seek their own settlements. However I support the committee's decision. Te Whakatōhea has worked hard towards settlement for many years and moving into the post-settlement space will provide opportunities for all hapū. I hope all Whakatōhea hapū can find a way to work together to make the most of the settlement opportunities that are provided.Today is about looking forward to the future while acknowledging the past and the long and difficult journey it has taken to get here. I personally first encountered the story actually studying my Master's in history and my thesis was on William Colenso who wrote an article called Fiat Justitia" about Mokomoko and his story defending him. I've always been interested in those tragic tragic events and the redress contained in this bill provides a foundation that will benefit many generations of Te Whakatōhea to come by supporting them in their future endeavours and in realising their aspirations.No settlement can fully compensate for the wrongdoing of the Crown or compensate Whakatōhea for the hurt that they have endured but it is my hope that this settlement will mark the beginning of a strengthened relationship between Whakatōhea and the Crown based on mutual trust cooperation and partnership. I support the committee's recommendations as they will ensure the redress in the Whakatōhea deed of settlement can be properly implemented through this bill. This reading today is another important step in the settlement process before the third reading which will result in the full and final settlement of the historic Treaty of Waitangi claims for Whakatōhea.I look forward to hosting many many more of Te Whakatōhea on what will be a special occasion and to honour the commitments the Crown has agreed to take towards reconciliation. I commend this bill to the House. Nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa.DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question is that the motion be agreed to."