Barry Maggie: Ngati Whatua Orakei Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Barry Maggie: Ngati Whatua Orakei Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 14 November 2012. Volume:685;Page:6692. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
MAGGIE BARRY (National—North Shore) 
: 
 E te Whare tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. E nga uri o Ngati Whatua te mana whenua o Orakei kei te mihi atu i runga i te aroha. He tino mihi ki te whanau Hawke. 
[ 
Salutations acknowledgments and greetings to you all the House. A loving tribute to you the descendants of Ngati Whatua who hold jurisdiction over the land at Orakei and a special welcome to the Hawke family. 
] 
Warm greetings to the descendants of Ngati Whatua who have traditional authority over the land at Orakei. Special greetings to the leadership of Grant to Sharon and to Joe and to the wider Hawke family and to Ngarimu Blair and Tiwana Tibble for their important roles. This has indeed been a very long time in coming and I acknowledge those who have passed on. I tenei wa whakahirahira ka huri nga whakaaro ki nga tini totara kua hinga atu a Ta Hugh Kawharu ratou ko Ruby Gray ko Cyril Talbot ma. He mihi aroha ki a ratou ma i whawhai mo te kaupapa. Waiho ratou kia moe. At this important time our thoughts turn to the great totara who have fallen: Sir Hugh Kawharu Ruby Gray Cyril Talbot and others. Warm greetings to those who fought for the cause. Let them now rest. 
I stand to support this bill the Ngati Whatua Orakei Claims Settlement Bill—kei te tu ake ahau ki te tautoko i tenei pire. I join with others who have sent their prayers and best wishes to Grant Hawke. Even though he is exhausted and has fainted today when I spoke to him he was as ever cheerful and thinking of others. We send our best wishes and prayers for his speedy recovery. It has been a very long and hard battle and the people of Ngati Whatua Orakei although exhausted have never wavered in their determination and in their resolve. Our congratulations go to them on this very special day but they have paid a very high price for today’s historic settlement and I acknowledge that. 
The purpose of this bill is to give effect to the settlement of the deed entered into by the Crown and Ngati Whatua Orakei. It is sponsored by the Hon Chris Finlayson who continues I think to do a magnificent job of completing the work started by Sir Douglas Graham. If you judged the Hon Chris Finlayson by his achievements I am certain that history will acknowledge that he is the most effective member and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations this country has ever seen. 
I had the privilege of witnessing the Minister’s signature at the signing of the Tamaki Collective a couple of months ago at the museum. In the time I have been involved with this settlement I have welcomed the wisdom and the very balanced approach of the Minister and also of the Crown’s chief negotiator Mike Dreaver who has helped explain the detail of the settlement and helped the community on the North Shore to understand why the cultural and historical redress is so important and why it needed to happen. 
Since we became the Government in 2008 National has signed 22 deeds of settlement because we believe we need to resolve these historical issues. We need to do what is fair to right the wrongs of the past so that we can leave the pain and the grievances behind us and move forward together as a nation. This John Key - led Government honours the partnership and the Treaty of Waitangi and with tenacity and determination has negotiated in good faith. This settlement focuses on the cultural and historical redresses and it forms the basis for the Crown’s apology to Ngati Whatua Orakei. 
As the member of Parliament for the North Shore for almost 1 year next week I can tell all of those who are gathered here in the House today for the third reading of this bill that this settlement has been contentious locally particularly in Devonport as others have said. But looking back at the history to 1840 following Ngati Whatua Orakei’s chiefs’ signing of the Treaty of Waitangi some 32 acres of land was transferred to the Crown much of which was then onsold for a vast profit. Although that land allowed European settlers there were too few benefits and too few protections to Ngati Whatua Orakei. 
As others have said almost all of their land was lost and the once-proud tribe was impoverished and suffered terribly. I commend Ngati Whatua Orakei for your patience and your very generous spirit throughout the long and frustrating decades of inaction and then through the robust negotiations over some 13 years now that have led to today’s historic settlement. 
The financial and commercial redress recognises the economic loss suffered because of the Crown’s breaches of the Treaty. Ngati Whatua Orakei as the Minister has said will receive $18 million plus interest. Using this and their own funds they now assume the right to purchase two properties and to purchase and lease back six more. This includes the Narrow Neck property which is currently used by the Defence Force. It will be leased back to the Navy for a minimum of 15 years and for a maximum of up to 150 years. Public access to the land at Narrow Neck will continue to be available in exactly the same way as it is today. In fact it will be improved because the public walkway is now enshrined in legislation and will be available in perpetuity to everyone. 
I am very aware as the member of Parliament for the North Shore that some of the European settlers in Devonport have a very strong sense of connection to that land at Narrow Neck. It is an integral part of their traditions and of their community and it is very special to them. Knowing how important that land is to so many I invited all the concerned parties to korero with Minister Finlayson at the end of March. On that Saturday morning in March some 500 people attended the meeting. The depth of feeling was very apparent and there was robust questioning and discussion. 
As the MP I encouraged all of those with concerns to participate in the process and to make submissions to the Maori Affairs Committee. That committee received and considered 99 written submissions on the bill and heard 23 oral submissions at the Orakei Marae. As a result of that consultation there were three amendments and ultimately the committee unanimously supported the bill in its final form. 
With today’s final reading this settlement passes into law. Although I acknowledge the depth of sentiment that some detractors have I urge them to now put that aside and to draw a line in the sand and welcome Ngati Whatua Orakei with open arms. I know from my meetings and my discussions with tribal members and with members of the Hawke family in particular that they are completely sincere in wanting to be active and constructive members of our community. 
From today when this bill is passed into legislation Ngati Whatua Orakei will become the biggest single landowners in Devonport. They will be great neighbours and we are indeed fortunate to have them as part of our community and to have them amongst us. My hope as the local MP is that the unity and the harmony that is expressed here today will continue on in the North Shore and will be very evident there. We do welcome you with all our hearts and thank you for your forbearance your determination and your tenacity. 
This is a day I will never forget. This is an emotional time made more poignant by Grant’s collapse—the man whom many call “Uncle”. He is a remarkable individual and somebody who has touched many of our hearts. It is symbolic that on this day he was affected by what happened. It is particularly poignant that such a strong and dedicated leader should have been taken to hospital to recover. We understand that he is there under observation. As I said earlier our thoughts and prayers are with him his family and his whanau. His resilience and determination and the wisdom and leadership he has shown I think set the tone to celebrate today’s settlement. 
I congratulate all of you on being here today and on making the journey in the buses—a hikoi of sorts. I know you stopped along the way. I thank you all for being here today and making this such a special occasion. No reira ka mutu taku korero mo tenei wa—I have finished speaking for the time being. Ka tuku aroha ki a koutou o Ngati Whatua Orakei mo nga nawe me te mamae e ngau ana kai roto me tu kaha koutou kia oti pai ai. 
[ 
I empathise with you of Ngati Whatua Orakei in respect of the imperfections and hurt that gnaw away inside. Stand staunch to ensure that you finish it well. 
] 
I commend this bill to the House. Thank you.