Little AndrewThird ReadingHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I move That the Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time. E Te Kaiwhakarite o Te Whare tēnā koe e ngā hoa mema tēnā koutou. Tēnā koutou Tākitimu waka ngā uri o Rongomaiwahine me Tamatakutai me Rongomaiwahine ki a Kahungunu ngā iwi me ngā hapū katoa o te rohe o Te Wairoa; e karanga ana tonu te huia i ō koutou ngākau maha rau rangatira mā tēnei taku mihi atu ki a koutou. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.[Greetings to you Mr Speaker and to you my parliamentary colleagues. I salute Tākitimu waka the progeny of Rongomaiwahine and Tamatakutai of Rongomaiwahine and Kahungunu all the tribes and subtribes of the Wairoa district; the huia still calls to you all distinguished leaders I pay my respects to you. Greetings greetings; thrice greetings to one and all.]I extend a warm welcome to the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa who have travelled here by plane and bus and possibly other means from the Wairoa region Heretaunga and Ōpōtiki. I particularly want to acknowledge the patience and fortitude that they have shown over the many years that they have waited for their settlement. The enactment of this bill will mark the end of a long-running Treaty settlement process between the Crown and the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa that started in the early 1980s. It's a privilege to stand before you today and commend this bill to my parliamentary colleagues. This is a very significant day for the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa and it's also a very significant day for the Crown. I want to acknowledge the driving forces behind the settlement starting with those who led the way many years ago but who are no longer with us. I pay tribute to Te Ariki May and Valetta Wairau who sadly passed away and did not see their work come to fruition. To those of you who have worked so hard to make today possible I offer my most sincere thanks. I would like to acknowledge the hard work of John Whaanga Te Tira Whakaemi o Te Wairoa lead negotiator and Tāmati Olsen Te Tira chair in reaching agreement on settlement redress. I acknowledge the input of Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust on the bill and thank the Tātau Tātau chair Leon Symes and deputy chair Pieri Munro in particular for their leadership and support. I also acknowledge the chief Crown negotiators who have been involved in the settlement Pat Snedden and John Harbord. Finally I thank local authorities and Government officials for their valuable input into these negotiations.It's important that we therefore acknowledge the troubled history that makes this settlement necessary. I would like to outline key aspects of the past relationship between the Crown and the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa to be recorded. The history of the Crown's interactions with the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa is marked by land alienation warfare and socio-economic deprivation. From the very beginning the relationship was flawed. The Crown did not take Te Tiriti o Waitangi to the Wairoa region so the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa did not have any opportunity to consider whether to sign it.When it purchased large quantities of land in the 1860s the Crown failed to adequately survey some of the blocks failed to fully investigate who had the customary rights to the land and failed to set aside adequate reserves. The outbreak of war between the Crown and the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa began on Christmas Day in 1865 when the Crown attacked the Omaruhakeke kāinga. Some members of the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa were captured and executed without trial. Others were imprisoned without trial for over two years on the Chatham Islands. The war created divisions among the iwi and hapū who fought on different sides. As well as creating inter-iwi and hapū division the war resulted in a loss of property for the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa. Under duress the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa agreed to cede more than 42000 acres of land to the Crown. This sad history continued into the 20th century when the Crown without consultation with the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa purchased large areas of land in the rohe for the Urewera Consolidation Scheme and to establish Te Urewera National Park. Additionally more than 500 acres of customary land have been compulsorily purchased by the Crown for public works from as early as the 1870s. Many of the policies of the Crown have significantly contributed to the migration of members of the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa away from their rohe. Those still remaining have suffered socio-economic deprivation lacking the same opportunities to thrive that many other New Zealanders have enjoyed.Following the initial lodgment of Treaty of Waitangi claims in the 1980s in 2002 members of the hapū and iwi of the Wairoa district came together at Rangiāhua Marae to work together in resolving Treaty claims in the district. This was the genesis of what would later become the large natural group known as the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa and their mandated negotiators Te Tira Whakaemi o Te Wairoa commonly referred to as Te Tira. For the three years that followed the group discussed fully which pathway to take to resolve their claims before finally in 2005 deciding on direct negotiations.The Crown recognised Te Tira's mandate to negotiate in 2009. In 2012 terms of negotiation were agreed and negotiations began in 2013. An agreement in principle was signed in 2014 and a deed of settlement was initialled in May 2016 and signed on 26 November 2016 at Tākitimu Marae. The Tākitimu Marae has significance as the place where in 2014 the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa met to air their grievances with the Crown. Through this settlement and apology the Crown seeks to restore its honour and to atone for its wrongs to the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa by easing the burden of grievance that has been carried for generations. This settlement and apology is key to developing a new relationship based on mutual trust in and respect for Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles.While the settlement is substantial I acknowledge that no redress can ever fully compensate the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa for what has been lost and for what they have suffered. However the settlement given effect by this bill will provide the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa with a powerful platform for future growth and development.One of the distinctive elements of the redress is an emphasis on forming new relationships to benefit the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa into the future. In addition to the usual relationship agreements with Crown agencies the redress also includes agreements to work with local government and Te Urewera Board. The $100 million in financial and commercial redress which the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa will receive through the settlement places them in a key position to contribute to the economy of Hawke's Bay and Gisborne. Today is a significant moment a historic moment for both the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa and for the Crown. While we should never forget our history today marks a truly important step in moving together beyond our shared history and beginning a new relationship built on mutual respect trust cooperation and partnership. I wish the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa and the Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust well in the successful continuation of this process. I commend this bill to the House.