Volume 694 Week 58 - Tuesday 4 November 2014(continued on Wednesday 5 November 2014)Text is incorporated into the Bound VolumeVolume 694 Week 58 - Tuesday 4 November 2014(continued on Wednesday 5 November 2014)[Sitting date: 04 November 2014. Volume:694;Page:561. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Tuesday 4 November 2014(continued on Wednesday 5 November 2014)Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement BillFirst ReadingHon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations):I move That the Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider this bill.I want to begin by welcoming the representatives of Te Kawerau ā Maki who are here in Parliament today to attend this first reading. I acknowledge their ancestors and the weight of the historical grievances that they have borne. I also want to acknowledge the recent passing of Eru Thompson a kaumātua of Ngāti Māhanga and Te Kawerau ā Maki. Mr Thompson was the iwi spokesperson when we signed an agreement in principle in early 2010. Te Kawerau ā Maki representatives here today will be returning to Auckland after this first reading to attend his tangi and I acknowledge their grief.On 22 February this year I signed a deed of settlement on behalf of the Crown with Te Kawerau ā Maki. The deed and this Treaty settlement bill put to rest the longstanding grievances of Te Kawerau ā Maki. This iwi and its members are descendants of the youngest son of the ancestor Maki named Tāwhiākiterangi who also took the name Te Kawerau ā Maki. There are other iwi and hapū who claim descent from Maki’s other sons such as Ngāti Manuhiri who have their own Treaty settlement. Collectively these descendants of Maki are sometimes called the Te Kawerau confederation which can cause confusion.Te Kawerau ā Maki hold customary interests in the Tāmaki region particularly through Hikurangi and the Waitakere Ranges which can be described as the heartland of Te Kawerau ā Maki. Their customary interests extend through lands in the upper Waitematā Harbour the North Shore and into the Mahurangi coast and south Kaipara. This is a broad rohe through which Te Kawerau ā Maki maintain relationships with many other iwi.In 2008 the Crown recognised the mandate of the Te Kawerau Iwi Tribal Authority to represent Te Kawerau ā Maki in negotiations. A year later in June 2009 Sir Douglas Graham proposed that all the iwi and hapū in the Kaipara Tāmaki and Hauraki regions including Te Kawerau ā Maki enter direct negotiations with the Crown to settle their historical Treaty grievances. Sir Douglas also proposed collective redress for the iwi of Tāmaki over the maunga and the motu.In February 2010 I signed on behalf of the Crown an agreement of principle with Te Kawerau ā Maki. Negotiations continued until 12 December last year when the negotiators and I initialled the deed of settlement. After initialling the tribal authority took the deed to the wider community. Hui were held and a vote was taken. Of those who voted 99 percent support the settlement. This is an outstanding result and I congratulate Te Kawerau ā Maki on their fine efforts.In the negotiating team I must acknowledge the perseverance of Te Wārena Taua the lead negotiator and the chairman of the tribal authority. When I signed the deed of settlement in February I said he was a very difficult man to deal with and I stand by that statement of the truth. Through our negotiations we traversed a number of hard issues. We ultimately resolved them and this will be for the benefit and the durability of the settlement. Finally behind the negotiators have been the trustees for the iwi tribal authority. They have worked tirelessly to have their grievances addressed and I acknowledge that their Treaty settlement process has been a very long journey for them.It is worth saying something about these historical grievances. Te Kawerau ā Maki lost most of their land through extensive and excessive Crown purchases in the three decades after the signing of the Treaty. What reserves were set aside were never protected and were gradually alienated from tribal control. At the end of this process Te Kawerau ā Maki were rendered landless. This had a severe impact on the health and well-being of their community. Today they are one of the few iwi in Tāmaki that do not have a marae or an urupā on their own land.The financial and commercial redress provided to Te Kawerau ā Maki recognises the losses that have been suffered by them. They will receive $6.5 million plus interest and with this money they will acquire 86 percent of Riverhead Forest Crown forest licensed land. The accumulated rentals that come with the forest will provide a cash reserve and allow other commercial opportunities to be taken up. With good management this redress will provide the iwi with a commercial base for the future.Cultural redress provided to Te Kawerau ā Maki includes the vesting of nine culturally significant sites including lands on which they can establish a marae and an urupā. The balance of the cultural redress package includes an overlay classification over Te Henga Historic Reserve 11 statutory acknowledgments and other redress that is culturally significant to the iwi.I consider the bill should proceed without delay to the Māori Affairs Committee. As I said often in the last Parliament the committee was brilliantly chaired by Mr Henare and I have no doubt at all that the new team on the Māori Affairs Committee are going to deal with this legislation urgently and get it back to the House for its final stages. I commend the bill to the House.PEENI HENARE (Labour—Tāmaki Makaurau):Ā tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Kāti e Te Whare Reo Māori. Kia hiwa rā kia hiwa rā! Kia hiwa rā ki tēnei tuku! Kia hiwa rā ki tēnā tuku! Ka whakapurua koe i te toto ka whakapuru tonu ka whakapuru tonu! Ka whakapuru tonu! Ka whakapuru tonu ngā tai ki Te Henga e tangi tīari ana ki runga o Te Taupaki kāre koa ko au e kimi ana e hahau ana i ngā pari rā i ngā piringa ahakoa ko wai. Ka tō te rā ki tua o te ākau ka ara mai ki runga i a Maki e tū nei. Tihewa mauri ora! Ki Te Pane o Mataoho ki Te Ara Pūeru kua tau te kākahu taratara te kākahu rērea ki runga i tōna tihi.E te pāpā e Eru e taku rata tūtahi e te kākākura o Te Wao Takunui ā Tiriwā. Kua roa rawa koe e hāpai ana i te mana o Te Kawerau ā Maki o Ngāti Te Ata Ngāti Mahanga Ngāti Pukenga o Tainui Waka whānui. I rauhī koe i ngā moemoeā me ngā maruāpō o te tini o te mano i tau ki runga o Tāmaki Makaurau. Kua pōhara mātou i tō ngarotanga atu ērangi ka ora tonu koe ki roto i ēnei kōrero me ngā mahi ka tīmatahia ki roto i tēnei Whare i te rangi nei. Nō reira ka tāpae atu ki runga i a koe ko ngā mihi ki ngā kaumātua me ngā kuia katoa i ngaro atu ki te pōkākā o ēnei mahi. Kotahi tonu te kōrero mō rātou kua ngaro atu ki te pō rire rire hau Pai mārire! Ka whakahokia mai te rārangi kōrero ki te tāhuhu o tēnei Whare ki te hunga ora ki a koutou e ngā puāwaitanga o Te Kawerau ā Maki tēnā koutou tenā koutou tēnā koutou katoa.[Thank you Mr Speaker and to the House. I am going to speak in the Māori language. Be alert and wary be alert and wary! Be alert and wary on this and that rampart in case you are crammed up repeatedly by blood! Tides cram repeatedly up at Te Henga and shriek and reverberate above Te Taupaki. Without a doubt it is I seeking out and striking against those cliffs havens and whomever. The sun sets beyond the coastline and rises above Maki standing here before me. Behold the breath of life! The barbed cloak that flies at the top of its peak has come to rest at Te Pane Mataaho and at Te Ara Pūeru.And so to you uncle Eru my lone standing rata tree precious orator of the great forest of Tiriwā you spent many many years raising the integrity of Te Kawerau āMaki Ngāti Te Ata Ngāti Mahanga and Ngāti Pukenga of the Tainui canoe at large. You fostered the dreams and aspirations of themany thousands whosettled in Auckland. We are impoverished by your loss but you will live on in these talks and in the work that will be initiated in this House today. I place upon you the tributes to all the elderly men and womenfolk who died in the stormy nature of these deeds. There is but one statement to them lost to the void rire rire hau Pai mārire! I bring the talk back to the ridgepole of this House to the livingand to those of you the descendants of Te Kawerau ā Maki my greetings congratulations and accolades to you all.]The Labour Party supports the first reading of this bill and recognises Te Kawerau ā Maki who despite mourning the recent loss of one of their leaders in Eru Thompson have continued to forge ahead with their future today and I acknowledge them. Throughout the speeches on this matter my esteemed colleagues from within the Labour Party will take us on a journey that brings into light the rich history of Te Kawerau ā Maki. We will also speak to matters in this bill and time permitting highlight some of the opportunities that will mark the future for Te Kawerau ā Maki.The fact that Te Kawerau ā Maki are here today is cause to celebrate. Their story is a tale of established settlement in and throughout wider Tāmaki-makau-rau from just south of Te Mānukanuka o Hoturoa otherwise known as the Manukau Harbour stretching north to the southern Kaipara Harbour. We greet Te Kawerau ā Maki today. This settlement saw Te Kawerau ā Maki grow and thrive for hundreds of years. At their disposal were the vast resources of land and sea. This is illustrated by the following proverb of Te Kawerau ā Maki: he toka hāpuku ki te moana he kaihua ki uta. [A rock in the sea where hāpuku abound a tree where birds are speared on the land.]The term “mana whenua” has no doubt been long debated in this House much to the amusement of iwi Māori and indeed of Te Kawerau ā Maki today for the rich history and genealogy of Te Kawerau ā Maki has been handed down through many generations. This history tells of the feats of their many ancestors who guided their people through prosperous times; through war with Ngāti Whātua Ngāpuhi and other competing iwi and hapū throughout the Tāmaki isthmus; through trying times of colonisation that as the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations pointed out saw systematic alienation of Te Kawerau ā Maki from their lands and resources; through to more recent times where Te Kawerau ā Maki have traversed the legal minefields to gain mana whenua status as dictated to them by the Crown.We need only look to the history of Te Kawerau ā Maki to define what mana whenua means. The historical place names that are still shared in traditional Māori schools of learning are finally coming to the light of public knowledge. It is in that vein I acknowledge the many ancestors and the many leaders within Te Kawerau ā Maki the storehouses of such precious and ancient knowledge. Indeed the name of Te Kawerau ā Maki as the Minister has already pointed out affords us a snapshot of a point in time for Te Kawerau ā Maki. He is the son of Maki and takes his name from a dispute between his father and the people of Ngāti Whātua over kūmara. On that point I must say to the House that the kūmara has a lot to answer for. Māori history speaks of the kūmara being a point of war between many tribes. I want to acknowledge Te Kawerau ā Maki who in their battle with Ngāti Whātua found peace and their shared genealogy today is testament to their enduring legacy of being not only a staunch warrior nation but also peacemakers in times of war.Te Wao Nui o Tiriwā otherwise known as the Waitakere Ranges is another name that has been burnt into Papatūānuku. I say it was burnt into Papatūānuku for if it was left to the Crown that name would have been lost for many years. In fact I would say it would have been lost to time. However that name has been held by Te Kawerau ā Maki and it is testament to this House and to them that mana whenua held by Te Kawerau ā Maki has gone on for many generations from circa 1500 to today and long may it continue into the future.The Minister acknowledges the breaches of the Crown with matters arising from Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Te Tiriti o Waitangi we know is a founding document. We believe—certainly Te Kawerau ā Maki share this belief—that it is a founding document of this country. However I notice in the bill that it also refers to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. I want to echo the words of my grandfather in this very House who said: “Let it be a reminder to this House in the history of our people we did not sign the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. However we did sign Te Tiriti o Waitangi.” And it is from that kawenata or that sacred covenant entered into by our people that we find Te Kawerau ā Maki here and we have the first reading of the bill and of course we support it as the Labour Party.I want to just briefly touch on some of the details within this bill that talk about redress—cultural commercial and otherwise. We know that this bill affords to Te Kawerau ā Maki a seat at the table when it comes to matters pertaining to their wāhi tapu their sacred sites and to land held by them. Can I with caution congratulate Te Kawerau ā Maki and the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations on finding this compromise. However that caution I want to share is that when we consider tino rangatiratanga is this true self-determination? Yes I agree that it is a start. However I look forward to a more prosperous time for Te Kawerau ā Maki in years to come one that shares the values of tino rangatiratanga as left to us by our ancestors in Te Tiriti o Waitangi; not one prescribed by this House but one they hold dear to their hearts. Kāti ake rā. On the wāhi tapu that have been signed over to Te Kawerau ā Maki it is with great sadness that we hear that Te Kawerau ā Maki do not have a traditional marae on their traditional lands that they do not have a urupā where they can rest the descendants—the descendants of Te Kawerau ā Maki. And it is with great pleasure that I want to support the Minister and his officials in allowing and affording the people of Te Kawerau ā Maki a traditional right that was theirs from the beginning.Nō reira kāti ake rā e Te Whare. Ka huri tū atu ki a koutou e Te Kawerau ā Maki kua tatū mai nei ki runga i te tāhūhū o tēnei Whare ka tukuna atu ēnei kōrero hei tīmatanga anake. Ka uru atu ki te pānuitanga tuatahi o tēnei pire ki roto i te roanga ake o te haere o tēnei pire ka āta totohe ka āta kōrero tātau katoa i ēnei take e aku rangatira e Te Whare e Te Māngai tēnā koutou tēnā tātau katoa.[So enough for now for the House. I turn to you Te Kawerau ā Maki who have arrived here beneath the roof of this House and say that these sentiments are presented as a starting point only. When we enter into the first reading of this bill and into the lengthy progress that it will go through we will all carefully debate and deliberate over these matters together. So my acknowledgments and thanks to you my esteemed elders the House Mr Speaker and us all.]MARAMA FOX (Co-Leader—Māori Party):Ā tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. Karanga mai ko Te Kawerau ā Maki ko Te Wao Nui-ā-Tiriwā mai Te Korekore ki ngā Tai-ā-Rakataura ko Rangihina ko Whangaparāoa ko Mahurangi nā Maki te mana me te rangatiratanga! Tēnā koutou i ngā āhuatanga o te wā iri te rau kawakawa iri i te whare aituā he piki he raukura he kōtore huia. Ka whaitia ka whaitia ka ngaro ki Paerau ka ngaro whakaoti atu. Āpiti hono tātai hono ko te hunga mate ki te hunga mate āpiti hono tātai hono ko tātou te hunga ora te kanohi kitea ki a tātou anō tēnā koutou.[Thank you Mr Speaker. Behold Te Kawerau ā Maki and Te Wao Nui-ā-Tiriwā call from the Realm of Potential Being to the tides of Rakataura as indeed do Rangihina Whangaparāoa and Mahurangi. Maki has the power and autonomy! Greetings to you collectively with regard to the circumstances of the time. Adorning the house of death are macropiper excelsium leaves as do the feathers plumes and tail feathers of the huia in our pursuit of a loved one passed and lost to the Meeting Place of the Dead forever. The lines are drawn let the dead be united unto themselves and us the living the seen faces interact with ourselves as well I acknowledge you collectively.]As we gather here this morning we grieve the passing of a son of Te Kawerau ā Maki Eru Thompson. Four years ago on 18 February 2010 it was Eru Thompson who was pictured in a symbolic hongi with Sir Doug Graham the then Crown negotiator for the agreement in principle. It is so fitting that as this significant claim reaches its first reading we acknowledge the incredible efforts and sacrifices made by all those who have carried this claim. After more than 150 years of annihilation from your whenua and a negotiations process stretching back nearly 7 years this is a very significant day for the descendants of Tāwhia-ki-te-Rangi a day signed with sadness a day touched with meaning.Te Kawerau ā Maki originally lodged claims with the Waitangi Tribunal nearly 30 years ago but the history dates back over centuries. We welcome to the House today Te Kawerau ā Maki the descendants of the famous chief Maki and his wife Rotu who in the early 17th century migrated with their whānau from Kāwhia to what is now the Tāmaki-makau-rau region. In time the children of Maki and his followers dispersed throughout the southern Kaipara Te Whenua roa ō Kahu Hikurangi Whangaparāoa Mahurangi Matakanakana Pakiri Aotea and Te Hauturu-o-Toi. Together they are known today as Te Kawerau confederation. Nau mai haere mai ki te Whare Pāremata.Te Kawerau ā Maki held their land and resources under collective tribal custodianship. Their rangatira exercised authority over their tribal domain and the surrounding sea. They enjoyed a highly mobile lifestyle based on a cycle of seasonal resource gathering. With intermarriage they soon had interests throughout the wider area settled by Te Kawerau confederation. However—and this is where our story becomes laden with heaviness—intertribal warfare and the arrival of Europeans had a devastating toll on the tribe especially during the 19th century when numbers dwindled. European contact in the late 18th and early 19th centuries brought the tragedy of rewharewha.In 1825 Te Kawerau ā Maki then suffered major losses in battles and with other groups were forced to exile to the Waikato. In 1835 they returned to Waitakere in the south Kaipara under the protection of Tainui ariki Te Wherowhero. By 1840 Te Kawerau ā Maki although reduced in numbers like other tribes of the region were resident on their ancestral land. They continued to exercise kaitiakitanga over the vast natural resources and focused on the Waitakere coastline between Pīhā and Muriwai. At the time Te Kawerau ā Maki had little direct contact with the Crown. However pre-Treaty land transactions between other iwi and early European settlers saw the annihilation of Te Kawerau ā Maki lands.From 1841 the Land Claims Commission investigated the pre-Treaty transactions. However when resolving them the Crown failed to consider Te Kawerau ā Maki’s interests. The Crown granted settlers lands and retained a surplus of land for itself. In 1841 the Crown purchased an extensive area called Mahurangi and Ōmaha. This area included land that Te Kawerau ā Maki held shared interests in but true to form Te Kawerau ā Maki was not consulted about the sale. Nor did the Crown provide adequate compensation in reserves when it later learned of Te Kawerau ā Maki’s interests in the area.Between 1844 and 1845 the Crown waived its right of pre-emption allowing private individuals to negotiate directly with Māori. However the Crown did not apply the regulations it had established to protect Māori. Through these transactions Te Kawerau ā Maki lost land in west Auckland and around the upper Waitematā Harbour. The Crown took with one hand and gave with another providing land for settlers and gaining control of the local rich timber sources.In 1853 and 1854 the Crown turned its attention to acquisition of 100000 acres in the Waitakere Ranges deep in the rohe of Te Kawerau ā Maki. That is right—100000 acres. These purchases included the Hikurangi block for £1100. The heavily forested block was estimated to include 12000 acres. It was not surveyed at the time. It was later found to include 54141 acres. Again the deed was not signed by any leading Te Kawerau ā Maki rangatira. No reserves were set aside for Te Kawerau ā Maki in the large Hikurangi block. Te Kawerau ā Maki received £50 as a final payment for Hikurangi and two neighbouring blocks.From the mid-1860s the individualisation of title made Te Kawerau ā Maki lands including their reserve lands more susceptible to partition fragmentation and alienation. This process continued throughout the 20th century for the very limited areas of the land that Te Kawerau ā Maki had left. Between 1920 and 1951 the Crown acquired the remaining Te Kawerau ā Maki interests in Kōpironui and Puketapu blocks in south Kaipara. The Crown did this by compulsory purchases and Public Works Act takings for sand dune reclamation despite Te Kawerau ā Maki protest.The Crown’s actions and omissions have meant that today Te Kawerau ā Maki is virtually landless with no marae or urupā of its own as has been previously said. The Crown’s failure to ensure Te Kawerau ā Maki was left with sufficient land for its present and future needs has completely and utterly stalled the tribe’s social economic and cultural development. Furthermore this failure has undermined the ability of Te Kawerau ā Maki to protect and manage its taonga and wāhi tapu and to maintain spiritual connections to the lands. Today the Crown acknowledges that for too long it failed to appropriately respond to Te Kawerau ā Maki claims for redress and justice for its breaches of the Treaty and its subsequent failure to protect the lands reserved for iwi. Today we finally begin to lift the burden of grievance for Te Kawerau ā Maki—a day that is long overdue.As we start to make those next tentative steps forward the Māori Party stands to acknowledge the trustees of the Te Kawerau Iwi Tribal Authority. You have acted so diligently and unrelentingly on behalf of your tūpuna and your present descendants and you have secured a future for generations of Te Kawerau ā Maki yet to come. We take this moment to acknowledge you: George Winikere Taua Te Wārena Taua Miriama Tamariki Hāmuera Taua and Ngārama Walker. Anō nā koutou i whakapau werawera i whakapau kaha ka tuohu te māhunga ki mua i tō koutou aroaro. [Once again and because you collectively expended sweat and energy I bow my head before you.]Finally I want to leave the last word to your own Eru Thompson. On that auspicious day of the signing in 2010 Eru summed up the importance of the settlement when he said: “It’s taken almost 30 years for the Government to admit that my people are the tribe of the region. That is just a step leading up to the completion of the claim. It was never going to be exactly what we wanted. The issue is now about moving forward and developing a future for our grandchildren.” Moe mai rā Eru. Your work to this point is done. Ka waiho anō te toenga mahi ki a mātou te hunga ora te hunga tūtuki i ō wawata. Nō reira e te whānau Te Kawerau ā Maki tēnā koutou kai raro.[What remains to be done is for us the living the ones who are to fulfil your aspirations to address once again. And so I salute you the family of Te Kawerau ā Maki and resume my seat.]KELVIN DAVIS (Labour—Te Tai Tokerau):Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Tuatahi māku ka huri ake ki a koutou o Te Kawerau ā Maki i tae mai ki raro i te tāhuhu o tēnei Whare hei rongohia i tēnei te pānuitanga tuatahi o tēnei pire. E ai ki ngā kōrero e tautokongia ngā kōrero o te whanaunga nei a Peeni he tīmatanga tēnei ehara tēnei i te otinga. Nā reira pīkaungia mai ō koutou tini mate kei runga i ō koutou pokowhiwhi utaina mai ki runga i ngā mate o konei. Te haerenga o tērā o ngā rangatira a Eru ēhara tōna haerenga he haerenga mokemoke. Ko tōku hungawai kua mate i ngā rā kua taha ake nei te pāpā o tōku hoa rangatira otirā nā runga i tōna ngākau atawhai ki wēnei kaupapa nāna i mea mai ki ahau kia haere mai ki konei hei korero ki wēnei pire hei mua i tōku hokinga atu ki te kāinga mō te nehunga o tōku hungawai. Nā reira e Eru e Tom te hungawai haere atu kourua takirua haere atu hono atu ki a rātou kua haere i mua i a kourua haere haere! Ko rātou te hunga wairua ki a rātou ko tātou ngā kanohi ora tātou ki a tātou anō huri rauna tēnā koutou.[Thank you Mr Speaker. The first thing for me is to address Te Kawerau ā Maki who have arrived here under the ridgepole of this House to hear the first reading of this bill. In line with the sentiments expressed by this relative Peeni which I endorse this is only a beginning it is not the ending. Therefore bring forth your many deaths that you bear on your shoulders and place them upon those here. The passing of that one of the esteemed elders Eru is not a lonely departure. My father-in-law father of my wife died 2 days ago but because of her kindness in matters like these she said to me to come and address these bills before returning home for the burial of my father-in-law. Therefore to you Eru and father-in-law Tom depart both of you link up with those who have gone on before you two depart farewell. Allow the spirits to be with the spirits and we the living to be with the living as well. So acknowledgments to us throughout and thank you collectively.]I just initially would like to acknowledge the people of Te Kawerau ā Maki who have arrived here to hear this the first reading of Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill. I agree with my colleague and whanaunga Peeni when he says that this is just the beginning of better things for Te Kawerau ā Maki. I also ask them to bring with them the spirits of their dearly departed such as Eru Thompson who passed away yesterday. We have a saying in Māori that the spiritual walk is not a lonely walk because of the numbers who are going alongside. I just want to acknowledge that someone else who is walking that path with Eru is my father-in-law who passed away in the last couple of days. My wife knowing the importance of these bills said it was fine to go and talk to the bills—this bill and the one that follows—before heading back to Kaitāia for the funeral. So we just acknowledge all those who have passed on but we say te hunga wairua ki te hunga wairua. [The spirits with the spirits.] Those people who have passed on they will be with themselves and we who are living must return to ourselves.If the House can just bear with me I am going to read some of the evidence from Graeme Murdoch written in March 2000 around the Te Kawerau ā Maki claims. I think it actually describes the issues and the history very well in terms of why we have got to the place where we are now. I will start: “Te Kawerau ā Maki regard themselves as a distinct iwi but recognise their close genealogical connections with other tribal groupings of Kawerau descent. This applies in particular to the present day Ngāti Wai hapū of Ngāti Manuhiri Ngāti Rehua and it also applies to Ngāti Rongo hapū and Ngāti Whātua and the seldom recognised Ngāti Te Kahupara hapū of Ngāti Whātua and Te Kawerau descent. All of these tribal groupings share descent from the founding Kawerau ancestors Maki and Mataahu and their children. Te Kawerau ā Maki also treasure their special ancestral ties and associations with the Waiohua hapū who live around the shores of the Manukau Harbour. It is with them that Te Kawerau ā Maki have long-shared allegiances to the Kīngitanga and the Paimarire faith. Te Kawerau ā Maki Trust who have lodged the claim Wai 470 represent approximately 800 people yet the iwi has so often been portrayed as being extinct until recent decades. In 1988 there was a television documentary series Waka Huia and in a dramatic opening to the programme the Rev. Hone Kaa commented on this enigma stating: “Kai te tirohia e tātou ngā kōrero i tuhia e tauiwi. Kei reira e takoto ana te kōrero ko te iwi o Te Kawerau kua rite ki te moa kua mate kua ngaro. Kei konei tātou ki Te Henga.” [We are examining the stories written by foreigners. Lying amongst it is the statement that the tribe of Te Kawerau has become like the moa. It has died it has become extinct. We are here at Te Henga.]This view of Te Kawerau ā Maki as a lost tribe who have disappeared off the face of the earth has been widely held and promoted by successive authors in recent generations. It is a view which has resulted from an ignorance of the complexity of Māori whakapapa and the history in the Auckland region and also from an almost total reliance on 19th century historical chronologies produced by such authors as Percy Smith John White and George Graham. Most importantly however it is a perception resulting directly from the actions of the Crown which have left Te Kawerau ā Maki bereft of their ancestral land and without a marae or kāinga to call their own.”—and we hear without even an urupā of their own to bury their dead. “Prior to 1840 Te Kawerau ā Maki lost a significant proportion of their ancestral land through old land claims transacted on the North Shore and west Auckland and at Mahurangi. This loss intensified when the Crown allowed the pre-emptive waiver claims from 1844 to 1846 in contravention of the Crown’s sole right of pre-emption and responsibility of protection under the Treaty of Waitangi. In a further contravention of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi these transactions were legitimised by the Crown through an extremely cursory investigation in contravention of its own policies and regulations. Most importantly Te Kawerau ā Maki were not involved in the transactions or in the Crown-sponsored process which legitimised them. They had no opportunity to challenge the Crown grants made or to obtain any compensation for their loss. These actions from the Crown from 1840 to 1848 resulted in the alienation of some 30000 acres of land within the claim area alone where Te Kawerau ā Maki held or shared important ancestral interests and rights. A similar amount of land was also alienated as a result of the same process in West Auckland the heartland of Te Kawerau ā Maki iwi and also within Mahurangi area. By 1848 Te Kawerau ā Maki had lost control of all their ancestral kāinga mahinga kai and wāhi tapu around the shores of the upper Waitematā Harbour which was an integral part of their ancestral home. This massive alienation confirmed through the Crown aggregation of the surplus land subject to the pre-emptive waiver claims and was intensified as a result of the Crown purchases that followed from 1848.”The evidence then goes on through the decades and outlines the result—the consequences—of that alienation. Then we get to 1918: “Sadly Te Kawerau ā Maki kāinga Waitakere Muriwai and Kōpironui were severely impacted by the 1918 influenza epidemic and the tribe’s numbers fell again. By this time much of the west coast land that Te Kawerau ā Maki and Ngāti Te Kahupara shared an ancestral interest in had become engulfed by sand.” Basically the south head of the Kaipara Harbour is a big sandbank that has built up over millions of years and was settled on. “In 1920 the Waitematā County Council and the Crown moved to compulsorily acquire these lands for sand dune reclamation purposes. This included most of the inalienable Kōpironui reserve land that remained in Te Kawerau ā Maki ownership. As a result of these acquisitions the Te Kawerau ā Maki kāinga at Kōpironui became inaccessible. Thus by 1920 just 80 years after the arrival of the Crown and European settlement Te Kawerau ā Maki had lost the practical ability to occupy their only remaining kāinga. Several families now settled at Pūkaki and Ōrākei while others were scattered throughout the Auckland region meeting only for lifecycle events in private homes or on non-Kawerau marae.”The evidence is substantial about the effects of the Crown’s actions on Te Kawerau ā Maki. This bill goes a small way to redeeming some of the actions of the Crown. I support the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and I have to acknowledge his work in settling a number of Treaty claims. Again I would just like to acknowledge Te Kawerau ā Maki for being here to see and hear this first reading. Kia ora.Nuk Korako: Ko te hau mua—Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Sorry to interrupt the member. When someone is seeking the call they should stand and call “Mr Speaker” and wait for their name to be called. Can we just start that again please?NUK KORAKO (National):E Te Mana Whakawā Tuarua ā tēnā koe. Ko te hau mua ko te hau muri ko te hau tamawāhine ko te hau tamatāne e tū mai rā te tokatoka a Tānenuiāraki e tūturu mautia whakamaua ka tina tina haumi e hui e taiki e! Ā tēnā rā koutou ngā pou waikākā o tō tātou matua tīpuna kā mea nui ki te mihi atu ki tō tātou Matua Nui i Te Raki ko Ia te tīmataka me te whakaoti o kā mea katoa. Ā nō reira ka mihi au ki Te Kaihōmai o kā mea pai katoa. Ka maumahara mātou ki a rātou kā aituā kua wehe ki te taha wairua. Ā nō reira e koutou rā o ia marae o ia iwi o ia waka e haere i ruka ki te ara o te whānui a Tāne ko tua o te ārai haere e haere e haere atu rā! E haere atu rā e hoa e Eru Thompson. E Eru e haere atu rā ki te pā o te whakawairua e takoto mai takoto mai takoto mai! E takoto i rangimārie i runga i tō waka. E hoe atu tō waka ko tua o te ārai haere haere e haere atu rā e Eru e kā rakatira o Te Kawerau ā Maki Ngāti Te Ata Ngāti Māhanga Ngāti Pūkenga o Tainui waka. Ā nō reira e hoa e moe mai moe mai moe mai! Ā tēnei te mihi e huri noa i Te Whare maire nei ka mihi ki kā mema katoa. Ko Tūtehounuku Korako ahau ko Kaiwhakahaere o Te Komiti Whiriwhiri Take Māori. Ko Aoraki Mauka e tū mai ake kei uta. E maringi mai i Te Awa o Waitaki rāua ko Waimakariri ki Te Tai o Mahanui. Ko Te Whare Mahanui hoki rāua o Te Whare o Wheke kei te rāpaki o te raki whakaputa e tū ana hei anō tēnā tātou katoa.[Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker. Hail the winds of the north south east and westand the inland rock mass of the great heavenly Father standing firm yonder. Stand resolute eternally gather join and unite! So acknowledgments to you esoteric pillars of our Father in heaven but more important blessings to our great Father in heaven as all things good begin and end with Him. I therefore pay homage to the Provider of all things good. We recollect the dead who have departed to the spiritual realm and so I say to all of you from every courtyard tribe and canoe go forth upon the expansive pathway of Man to beyond the veil; depart journey on farewell! Go forth indeed friend Eru Thompson. Travel on indeed to the spiritual home lying there Eru; sleep slumber and rest there! Sleep peacefully there upon your canoe. Paddle your canoe beyond the veil depart journey on farewell Eru and esteemed ones of Te Kawerau ā Maki Ngāti Te Ata Ngāti Māhanga and Ngāti Pukenga of Tainui canoe. So sleep my friend slumber and rest. I greet you all members throughout this House. I am Tūtehounuku Korako chairman of the Māori Affairs Committee. Mount Aoraki stands inland over there and the rivers of Waitaki and Waimakariri flow from it into the sea of Mahanui. The House of Mahanui as well as that of Wheke stand to the north. My appreciation once again to us all.]I want to acknowledge the previous speakers. E mihi atu ki a koutou e Te Rōpū Reipa e ngā mihi. [I acknowledge you the Labour Party. Well done.] Also to our Māori Party whanauka—ngā mihi. I also want to reiterate and support the tautoko the korero around this incredible journey of Te Kawerau ā Maki. Ki ahau ko Kai Tahu. I have been there we have done this journey and I know what you have gone through and what you are going through.I also want to acknowledge because we have talked here and remembered your rangatira Eru Thompson. Can I just tell you that 4 years ago I worked with Eru and he was an inspiration. We took a garden called Te Pūtake a permanent Māori garden to north-eastern France. Together we worked—Eru along with the company that he worked for New Zealand Forests Ltd along with Jean Joe and Matt Tānui as well. We took a taonga from the north—a swamp kauri that was over 100000 years old. Together with a piece of pounamu from the Arahura River we set them in that garden in north-eastern France where they remain and will always remain. To me that is significant because that is the journey of two—the pounamu and the kauri. Together you go on that journey remembering the journey of Kāi Tahu as well—so kia ora.I do not want to repeat this fascinating journey to date which these noble people have embarked on and continue to embark on. What I would like to do is acknowledge the work of where this waka will go shortly after the first reading. Today is my first speech in the House as the chairman of the Māori Affairs Committee. I want to remind us all of the origins of this institution and the tikaka that it has established. I am also reminded of the very able and honourable chairs and members who have served on this very unique select committee throughout its history. Today I also want to mihi to my members on the 51st Parliament Māori Affairs Committee: our kaiwhakahaere Te Ururoa Flavell the Hon Nanaia Mahuta Rino Tirikatene the honourable Metiria Turei Pita Paraone the Hon Chester Borrows Marama Fox and Jo Hayes. I say to you kā tikaka nō tātou Te Iwi Māori—our rights belong to the Māori people.We are reminded that the Native Affairs Committee was founded in 1872 to consider the many petitions received from Māori. From the outset all four Māori members of Parliament sat on the select committee. Much of what was considered was to do with Māori land. As Māori whenua required ratification in the House many times most recommendations with significant implications were not successful. Still many of the minor decisions were passed and it was the one parliamentary institution that kept some faith in Māori MPs. Often they were jeered at and ridiculed and they were also often unable to keep up with the complex debates in English. It was not until the years immediately post - World War II that the term “native” was replaced by “Māori” and the select committee became known as the Māori Affairs Committee as did the Government department.Of course it has considered some of the nation’s watershed bills over the 140 years including land inquiries and commission reports the Tohunga Suppression Act the introduction of Māori committees and more recently the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act all of the Treaty legislation the Māori Language Act and the introduction of the Māori Television Service (Te Aratuku Whakaata Irirangi Māori) Act 2003 to name a few.A feature of the committee has been a general cross-party collegiality. I say that word again—collegiality. That is based on shared Māori values and aspirations. During my tenure as chairman I want to continue to preside over the open debate and discussion in a non-partisan fashion in order that this can continue to be characteristic of the Māori Affairs Committee particularly personally. So kia ora to Te Kawerau ā Maki. E piki mai kake mai hōmai te wairua. E mauria mai he whakaako ki te kaupapa nunui. Nō reira e koutou rā tēnā koutou tēnā koutou e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa kia ora.[Climb up come aboard and give forth the spirit to me. Bring forth a teaching for this great policy and so accolades and congratulations to you all. Thank you.]DENISE ROCHE (Green):Tēnā koe Mr Deputy Speaker. Tēnā koe e te Whare. Rau rangatira mā tēnei te mihi ki a koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te rā. Tēnā koutou ngā rangatira ngā tangata o Te Kawerau ā Maki. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. I rise to speak to support Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill which is before the House. Firstly let me acknowledge all those who have been involved in the negotiations and settlement process of the bill before us today. I recognise that this bill is the culmination of hours and hours and hours of work. To the people of Te Kawerau ā Maki I pay tribute to them and to their kaumātua and kuia who have passed who have been involved in these claims over many many years and have brought these claims to the House today. I also want to pay tribute and acknowledge Eru Thompson who has joined his ancestors along the way.I acknowledge the deep feelings and loss that these iwi have suffered as a result of the wrongs that have been done to them by the Crown. I pay tribute to all those who have persisted in bringing this bill to the House in their quest for justice. They have done that over many generations. The Greens stand on a charter that recognises Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of this land of Aotearoa. One of our core principles is honouring and protecting the environment and another is a firm dedication to fairness to peace and to justice. This bill fits within our founding principles.Firstly when I look at this settlement bill I want to acknowledge the generosity of Te Kawerau ā Maki. The synopsis of the settlement deed that was written by the Office of Treaty Settlements says: “The Crown acknowledges that for too long it failed to appropriately respond to Te Kawerau ā Maki’s claims for redress and justice.” The apology that is in the settlement deed and in the bill itself records “the Crown’s profound regret for its breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles which resulted in the alienation of much of Te Kawerau ā Maki’s land by 1856. The Crown also expresses sorrow for its subsequent failure to protect lands which were reserved for Te Kawerau ā Maki. Through the apology and settlement the Crown seeks to atone for its wrongs and lift the burden of grievance for Te Kawerau ā Maki so the process of healing can begin.”When I read the full acknowledged history it is apparent that time after time going right back to just after the Treaty was signed the rangatira of Te Kawerau ā Maki have attempted to utilise the legal processes that the Crown developed to protect and retain their interests but inevitably the power of the Crown has been stacked against them. This includes allowing the private sale of their lands without their involvement and ignoring their shared customary ownership of large sections of land.An example of that is the Crown’s purchase in 1841 of the 110000-acre area called Mahurangi and Ōmaha. In this documented case the Crown dealt with other iwi on this purchase rather than Te Kawerau ā Maki and it was not really until about 1866 that their interests were recognised by the Native Land Court for their rights within the Mahurangi reserves and in 1873 for their rights at Mangatawhiri and Tāwharanui. Another example is the Crown’s land purchases between 1848 and 1865 in the west Auckland and south Kaipara areas. Again from the settlement deed it says: “There is no evidence the Crown obtained Te Kawerau ā Maki agreement in any of the 1848 negotiations for purchases of land in West Auckland and the Upper Waitematā Harbour area. No reserves were retained in association with these transactions. The land alienated included kāinga then occupied by Te Kawerau a Maki at Nihotupu … and Waikūmete … [and] significant historic places such as Te Kotuitanga at the Whau Portage and wāhi tapu at Pukeatua Muri ō Hikurangi and Tītīrangi.” and it goes on and on and on.I am grateful that the settlement deed is there as a historical record. There is no doubt that Te Kawerau ā Maki were deliberately and systematically alienated from their lands. It documents example after example of dodgy dealings by the Crown that Te Kawerau ā Maki have had to bear the consequences of. These include things like land areas being vastly underestimated like the Hikurangi block which was purchased by the Crown in 1853. That was estimated to be 12000 acres and was later found to be 54141 acres. There are other examples like the Crown’s purchasing prices being low and the losses of around 100000 acres in their heartland of west Auckland which were bought by the Crown for about £950 which works out to be about 2 shillings an acre. There are other examples like the Crown never keeping its side of the deal to ensure that there would be benefits for Te Kawerau ā Maki with access to schools medical care and ongoing gratuities as a result of these land purchases. Those are only some of the examples.I guess the swindles—that is I guess what we have to call them—were compounded by the inability for Te Kawerau ā Maki to get justice over the last 150 years or more. Te Kawerau ā Maki were not consulted about the creation of the Native Land Court. They were not represented in Parliament during the creation of the Native Lands Acts in 1862 and 1865. Their overlapping interests with other iwi were not recognised in Native Land Court cases time and time again. There was also the vesting of lands in individuals by the Native Land Court so breaking down the collective ownership of land which of course made it easier for iwi to be alienated from that whenua. In the 1920s land was appropriated by the Crown through the Public Works Act and then of course through private sales as well as the Government Acts that continued right through until the mid-1900s.The impact on the generations of Te Kawerau ā Maki has been severe. The alienation from their land means that they have suffered. The settlement records the socio-economic impacts and outlines basically the history of their diaspora. It goes into some detail about how that occurred in area after area place after place throughout their marvellous rohe.When I look at the losses I am astounded at the generosity of Te Kawerau ā Maki. There is no way on earth that this settlement will ever compensate them. That is acknowledged in the apology in the bill and in the deed of settlement. The bill does include the Crown’s apology and we do not underestimate that as well. The settlement itself offers the apology the cultural redress and the financial and commercial redress but when you look at it essentially it is only nine sites being vested in the iwi totalling 31 hectares. The financial redress of $6.5 million and $300000 for establishing a living marae for these iwi is a really big start in their future healing and economic development.But although we acknowledge the journey that it has taken to get this bill to this House we do as Greens have to state for the record that we never believe that these Treaty bills are full and final settlements. We cannot acknowledge that they are because they are not full settlements and they are not final because we do not know now how the impact of those historical grievances from before 1992 will impact on future generations. When you consider that this Government bailed out South Canterbury Finance and paid it far far more than this iwi have received in their settlement then you see that there is still unfairness occurring. Having said that we agree that this is a time to celebrate the settlement and future progress towards healing for these iwi so we commend this bill to the House. We look forward to hearing more about the issues during the select committee process and we will be supporting the bill. Tēnā koutou katoa.PITA PARAONE (NZ First):Ā tēnā koe Mr Deputy Speaker. Ngā mihi hoki ki a koe nā te mea i tae atu koe ki te taumata i Te W’are me koutou ō hoa arā ko David Carter Lindsay Tisch ā me tō tātou hoa a Trevor Mallard. Nā reira ngā mihi hoki ki a koe nā te mea ko tēnei te wā tuatahi i muri mai i taku ngarotanga i roto i ngā koraha o Ngāti Hine. Ka hoki mai i muri mai i ngā tau e ono. Nā reira tēnā koe tēnā koe tēnā hoki tātou o Te W’are.Nā reira e Te Kai’hakawā ka hoki au ki te kaupapa o Te W’are i tēnei wā ko te mea tuatahi hoki atu ki a koutou ngā uri arā ko Te Kawerau ā Maki nau mai haere mai. Pīkautia mai ngā mate kei waenganui i a koutou ā kei te tūhonohono ngā mate kei waenganui i a mātou o Te W’are nei. Nā reira e tika ana kei te tautoko ngā mihi i mihingia e waku tuākana ki tēnā o ngā rangatira a Eru. Kua tae kē te wā ka hoki atu koe kei te hoki ki a Ia ki te kāinga tūturu mō tātou mō te tangata. Tēnā pea e tika ana i tīmata i a ia tana hīkoitanga i mua i te urunga mai o tēnei pire kei waenganui i a tātou i te rā nei. Tēnā pea ko te ’hakaaro ko a ia te utu. He tohu rangatira tēnā! Nā reira haere e Eru haere haere! E kore e mimiti te puna kōrero mōu! I rongo i a mātou ō mahi rangatira kia kawe atu tēnei pire ki mua i a tātou i te rā nei. Nā reira e Eru haere haere hoki atu!Waihotia ngā kōrero mā koutou te hunga wairua kua hoki mai ki a tātou te hunga ora nā reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou ā kia ora mai anō tātou. Ā ko tēnei te tū mō Te Rōpū Aotearoa Tuatahi ki te ‘hakatakoto ō mātou whakaaro mō te pire nei arā Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill. Nō reira koutou ngā uri i heke mai o ngā tūpuna arā Tawhiakiterangi e mōhiotia e tātou ko Te Kawerau ā Maki ko Mana ko Te Au o Te Whenua ko Kōwhatu ki Te Uru ā me Tuiau. Te āhuatanga o tēnei pire kia ‘hakatikatika ngā mahi hē ngā mahi kikino o Te Karauna ki a koutou.[Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker and congratulations to you too because you have reached the pinnacle in the House with your colleagues David Carter Lindsay Tisch and our friend Trevor Mallard. Therefore acknowledgments to you also as this is the first time back since my disappearance into the barren lands of Ngāti Hine. I am back after 6 years. So greetings and accolades to you and to us all as well of the House.Therefore I go back to the matter before the House at this point in timeand I go back to youfirst the descendants in other words you Te Kawerau ā Maki welcome welcome. Bring forth the deaths that are in your midst and allow them to link up with the deaths among us here in Parliament House. Therefore it is appropriate that I endorse the tributes accorded by my elder colleagues to that esteemedelder Eru. The time has arrived for you to return to Him to the real home for the people. Perhaps it is fitting that he began his journey before this bill came into our midst to day. There is that thought that he might just be the sacrifice. That indeed is seen to be sign of greatness! So farewell Eru depart goodbye! The pool of stories about will never run dry.We heard of your fine work in getting this bill before us today. Therefore Eru farewell depart take your leave from us return!I leave my tributes about you the deceased there and return to us the livingso congratulations and well done to you collectively. My appreciation to us once again. I stand on behalf of New Zealand First to present our views on this bill the Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill. Therefore to you the descendants of Tawhiakiterangiknown by us as Te Kawerau ā Maki Mana Te Au o Te Whenua Kōwhatu ki Te Uru and Te Tuiau thisbill is about the Crown rectifying its wrongful doings and actions against you.]I rise to take a call on behalf of New Zealand First in this the first reading of Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill. Since I was last in this House I have had the opportunity to witness a number of such bills enacted which have contributed to bringing this whole process of settlement of claims to the Waitangi Tribunal towards some finality for both iwi and our nation. This bill is part of that process. However many of those iwi who have settled to date have among their membership a number who still refuse to accept that the terms of settlement have been fair. Previous speakers so far have made references to that unfairness. I am not suggesting that this is the case in this circumstance. Certainly you have confirmed this by your comment in regard to the level of support from the iwi of Te Kawerau ā Maki of this bill.We will be supporting this bill being referred to the Māori Affairs Committee to allow for submissions from affected persons supportive or otherwise. As I understand it as with most other settlement bills this bill will settle all historical claims—in this case from Te Kawerau ā Maki—resulting from acts and omissions by the Crown prior to 21 September 1992. The package that forms this settlement includes an agreed historical account Crown acknowledgment and apology cultural redress financial redress and commercial redress. I note that this bill has come to this House as a result of direct negotiations. A proposal was made to them in 2009 that they should take this course. We in New Zealand First do not deny any claimant group to opt for direct negotiations particularly in terms of reaching a speedy settlement. However we do wonder how much is lost in terms of detailing the extent of the acts and omissions of the Crown and their impact on the respective iwi.When looking at the historical background to this claim one is somewhat surprised that the Crown had very little contact with Te Kawerau ā Maki immediately post - signing of the Treaty. Prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi land transactions between other iwi and Europeans saw the alienation of lands belonging to Te Kawerau ā Maki. Further no evidence was found after being investigated by the Land Claims Commission of the time that Te Kawerau ā Maki rangatira were ever involved in this alienation of what was their lands. Their interests were never considered yet settlers were granted certain lands and any surplus of land was retained by the Crown. The purchase of the Mahurangi and Ōmaha lands in 1841 by the Crown included Te Kawerau ā Maki interests and yet they were not consulted. Their customary rights were never investigated nor was adequate compensation provided when Te Kawerau ā Maki’s interests became known. One can only imagine if that sort of activity were to take place in this day and age. Anyway why was this? Perhaps it might have become known if this claim had gone to a hearing rather than into direct negotiation.As I continue to read the historical background to this claim it is quite plain that the Crown abdicated its responsibilities to the iwi. Nowhere was this exemplified more than in the 1844-55 period when the Crown waived its right of pre-emption which allowed for private individuals to negotiate with Māori and failed to apply the regulations it had established to protect Māori in these circumstances. The next decade was no better for this iwi as the Crown undertook a programme of acquisition that saw much of their land interests alienated from them. Between 1920 and 1951 the iwi lost their remaining interests in Kopironui and Puketapu blocks to the Crown by way of compulsory purchase under the Public Works Act. To say that this iwi was left virtually landless would be an understatement. In reality the only title they hold is to the inaccessible title and another area.Part of this settlement includes payment of $300000 towards a marae. Can I suggest to this House that in this day and age $300000 would probably meet the cost of one toilet. I really believe that this is some insult—not denying the intention of the Crown—to provide only this level of payment. However we support this bill going to the select committee and hopefully the people of Te Kawerau ā Maki will take that opportunity. Nā reira e tātou mā huri noa ki tēnei o tātou W’are tēnā koutou tēnā koutou kia ora mai anō tātou.[Therefore to every one of us throughout this House my congratulations salutations and thanks once again.]The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): The Hon David Cunliffe—5 minutes.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Labour—New Lynn):Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa rangatira mā ngā whaea ngā mana o Te Kawerau ā Maki. Mihi mai karanga mai aroha mai. Ngā mate ngā whare ngā mana whenua tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. Te pō ka awatea whiti ao whiti ao whitiwhiti ao. Rātau ki a rātau tātau ki a tātau.[Greetings to you all leaders aunties and mandated ones of Te Kawerau ā Maki greetings. We accept your acknowledgments calls and fond greetings. We pay a tribute to the deaths and salute the meeting houses and mandated ones; accolades salutations and commendations to you all. Night gives way to daylight then the sun rises to beckon in the dawn and then a very very enlightened world. Allow the dead to remain among the dead while we the living get on with the business that affect us.]We remember today those who have gone before and we recognise the spirits of those who join us in this House. It is a tragedy that Te Kawerau and all of us have lost Eru Thompson in just the last few days and we feel his presence hanging here in this House as his dream of the settlement of this claim is now realised.I wish to acknowledge others who have worked so hard for this settlement: Te Wārena Taua Hāriata Ewe Rewi Spraggon. I want to acknowledge Sir Bob Harvey and Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse. I want to acknowledge my west Auckland Labour colleagues: Phil Twyford who will shortly speak; his predecessor Chris Carter MP for Te Atatū; Lynne Pillay MP for Waitakere; Carmel Sepuloni; and of course the Rt Hon Jonathan Hunt. Through our Labour whānui we mihi to you we recognise you we celebrate your mana whenua today through this albeit modest but entirely appropriate and historic settlement of redress and an apology by the Crown for its acts and omissions that have contributed to the situation of Te Kawerau today.Te Kawerau ā Maki is dear to our hearts but it is an iwi that has no marae—not even its own urupā in which to bury its dead. West Auckland Te Hēnga the Waitakeres are resonant of the history of this iwi—the caves at Karekare where its people sheltered from the raiding parties of the north. Those hills bear testimony to the spirits of Te Kawerau. For all of what has been done wrong—the selling of land without consultation the individualisation of collective title dispossession the alienation the ignorance of the Crown and the wilful neglect of mana whenua over the years—let us feel the pain of the iwi for this loss in acknowledging the depths of the Crown’s apology for it.The Crown is making redress by way of cultural recognition by way of the nine sites transferred—as is appropriate—to Te Kawerau and by way of financial redress principally through 86 percent of the Riverhead Forest being vested in a $6.5 million transfer and various other sites. It is important in that it gives an asset that will produce a rental and thus provide some self-sufficiency. The financial contribution to the marae is modest as other speakers have said and we will stand alongside Te Kawerau and mihi to them as they establish their home marae. I look forward to the day when we can join them in celebration to enter it.This is a historic day. Te Kawerau ā Maki is a much-loved part of the Waitakere community. I commend the Crown for its apology today and I commend and celebrate this Aotearoa New Zealand where we lead the world in providing albeit belated cultural redress and the restoration of a mana relationship between the Crown and ultimately all iwi.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): I call Phil Twyford—5 minutes.PHIL TWYFORD (Labour—Te Atatū):Ka tangi te tītī ka tangi te kākā ka tangi hoki ahau tīhei mauri ora! Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui-a-Tāne te kaumātua nō te iwi o Te Kawerau ā Maki arā ko Matua Eru Thompson. Moe mai rā e te rangatira hoki atu koe ki ō mātua tīpuna moe mai rā moe mai rā![The sooty shearwater cries the parrot cries and I cry too. Behold the breath of life! Uncle Eru Thompson the elder of the tribe of Te Kawerau ā Maki alas the podocarpus of the Great Forest of Tāne Mahuta has fallen indeed. Oh revered one slumber there return to your forebears as well sleep and rest there.]I want to add my voice to the contributions of colleagues already made in this debate as to the condolences of this House to Te Kawerau ā Maki for the loss of Eru Thompson. As the member of Parliament for Te Atatū in west Auckland it has been my pleasure to get to know Mr Thompson a little bit. The iwi’s settlement was of course important to him and today it is with some sadness that we debate this first reading of the Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill with his loss so fresh in our minds.Labour supports this bill as we do the broad Treaty of Waitangi reconciliation of historical breaches by the Crown to Māori. It is great to see the Te Kawerau ā Maki settlement arrive at this point today. I want to acknowledge the commitment the hard work and the leadership from both the iwi and the Crown that went into achieving this agreement. Te Kawerau ā Maki’s experience of colonisation and land loss is not the biggest financially or geographically it is not the most dramatic or even the most colourful such story in our country’s modern history yet it is as poignant as any. This iwi whose customary interests stretch from the Tāmaki isthmus through west Auckland to the upper Waitematā into the North Shore and up to the Kaipara and Mahurangi were through the Crown’s actions and sins of omission rendered landless to the extent that today they are left without even a marae or an urupā on their own land.It goes without saying that this state of affairs has had devastating consequences for the well-being of Te Kawerau ā Maki. I want to quote from the deed of settlement the Crown’s acknowledgment of the impact this experience has had on Te Kawerau ā Maki: “The Crown’s failure to ensure that Te Kawerau ā Maki were left with sufficient land for their present and future needs was a breach of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles. This hindered the social economic and cultural development of Te Kawerau ā Maki as a tribe and undermined the ability of Te Kawerau ā Maki to protect and manage their taonga and their wāhi tapu and to maintain spiritual connections to their lands. The Crown further acknowledges that this has severely impacted on the well-being of Te Kawerau ā Maki today.”Colleagues have touched on the history of land alienation. In 1841 the Crown investigated pre-Treaty purchases but failed to properly consider Te Kawerau ā Maki’s interests. It granted settlers certain lands according to the historical record and retained a surplus for itself—for the Crown—of 22000 acres. Shortly afterwards the Crown purchased an extensive area called Mahurangi and Ōmaha without consulting Te Kawerau ā Maki. It failed to set aside reserves and failed to provide compensation and this pattern was repeated throughout the 19th century. In the 20th century the Crown acquired the remaining remnants of Te Kawerau ā Maki interests through compulsory purchase under the Public Works Act. So it is great to see in this settlement package both cultural redress and commercial and financial redress.I want to finish by noting the inclusion in the cultural redress provisions of the original Te Kawerau ā Maki names that will become official geographic names of some of the natural features in west Auckland like Te Wai-o-Pareira - Henderson Creek which runs through my electorate. It is not the most important part of the package but it is still an important daily reminder of Te Kawerau ā Maki’s mana whenua and as guardians of our place. Thank you.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): I call Louisa Wall—5 minutes.LOUISA WALL (Labour—Manurewa):Kia ora Mr Assistant Speaker. E ngā mana e ngā reo rau rangatira mā ngā uri o Te Kawerau ā Maki tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. Ngā mihi aroha ki te whānau o te rangatira o Te Kawerau ā Maki ko Eru Thompson. Moe mai moe mai moe mai e te rangatira.[To the authorities voices leaders of a hundred fold and descendants of Te Kawerau ā Maki greetings acknowledgments and accolades to you all and loving tributes to the family of the leader of Te Kawerau ā Maki. Rest Eru Thompson slumber and sleep on.]I want to acknowledge all the previous speakers. I think we have sufficiently canvassed the history of Te Kawerau ā Maki’s claim and I do want to take some liberty and talk about matua Eru Thompson whom I have known in my role as the member of Parliament for Manurewa but also as a member of the Counties Manukau District Health Board. I want to acknowledge Eru’s leadership as a cultural adviser as a kaumātua and as I believe a taonga not only of the west but of the south in brokering relationships between Waitakere City Council the Manurewa local board the Manurewa Marae and a lot of tauiwi organisations. I want to mihi to Eru because I believe he has provided the guidance to ensure that the status of Māori as tangata whenua as mana whenua has been represented in such forums as citizenship ceremonies blessings for Manurewa netball courts and in many different forums. So I grieve like a lot of the whānau who are here today and I mihi to you because I know you will be heading home after this to Makaurau Marae where Eru will lie in state until his burial on Saturday. I will be there representing our Labour whānau.So I want to acknowledge everybody who has spoken today because I think there is a lot of aroha in the House today. I also want to acknowledge the history of this claim. Wai 470 was lodged in July 1994 by Hāriata Ewe and Te Wārena Taua on behalf of Te Kawerau ā Maki. Days like today happen because of the resilience because of the persistence and because of the fortitude of our ancestors of our rangatira who on behalf of our hapū and iwi go through processes that eventuate in pieces of legislation that will rightfully acknowledge Te Kawerau ā Maki as one of the mana whenua in Tāmaki-maukau-rau. It is interesting to look at how we came to this place within the context of the Tāmaki Makaurau settlement process which without Te Kawerau ā Maki who were joined by Ngāti Te Ata Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Marutūahu Te Taou and the Hauraki Māori Trust board would have allowed for Ngāti Whātua and the Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei claim to be the only mana whenua of Tāmaki-makau-rau. So I mihi to Te Kawerau ā Maki for fighting always for their right to be recognised as an iwi across Tāmaki-makau-rau.I also want to mihi to the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations because I think when he entered this portfolio the Tāmaki Makaurau settlement was in a place where I think we were stuck but what has happened through the process is the recognition of Tāmaki-makau-rau’s full history and the mana whenua of all our iwi across Tāmaki-makau-rau. I want to mihi to Nuk Korako who is the new chair of the Māori Affairs Committee. I have served on the Māori Affairs Committee and I have to say it is a privilege to sit on the Māori Affairs Committee.The process that we are involved in is about our truth and reconciliation it is about acknowledging the history and it is also about acknowledging I believe the incredible generosity of our iwi to enable us as a country to get to this point in time. There will be discussions at the select committee about the quantum because when we look at the land that was taken and the loss of our language and culture this settlement is only a fraction of the compensation I believe that our hapū and iwi deserve. Nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.JOANNE HAYES (National):E koro mā e kui mā e rau rangatira mā o Te Kawerau ā Maki tēnā koutou. [Acknowledgments to you the elderly men and womenfolk and leaders of Te Kawerau ā Maki.]I want to stand here and pay my respects to Eru Thompson the rangatira of Te Kawerau ā Maki. As previous speakers have said and have voiced it so eloquently he was one who worked hard to advance Te Kawerau ā Maki’s settlement claims process.I am pleased to stand to take the last call to support the traverse of this bill through the House beginning with this first reading. I acknowledge that although the Crown can never fully compensate Te Kawerau ā Maki for the wrongs of the past this settlement enables Te Kawerau ā Maki to focus on developing a strong future culturally and economically.As previous speakers have said Te Kawerau ā Maki descends from the youngest son of the ancestor Maki named Tāwhiākiterangi who took the name Te Kawerau ā Maki. Te Kawerau ā Maki hold customary interests in the regions of Tāmaki or Auckland; Hikurangi or west Auckland; the Waitakere Ranges; lands in the upper Waitematā Harbour; the North Shore; the Mahurangi coast; and south Kaipara.I look forward to the select committee hearing to hearing the submissions on this bill and to returning it to the House at a later stage. Before I close I want to acknowledge the hard work of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations the Hon Chris Finlayson and members of the Māori Affairs Committee whom I know will continue to work hard collegially to get this bill to its final stages. In closing I commend Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill to the House.Bill read a first time.Bill referred to the Māori Affairs Committee.WaiataTe Hiku Claims Settlement BillFirst ReadingHon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations):I move That the Te Hiku Claims Settlement Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider the bill. To my friends from Te Hiku o Te Ika—the tail of the fish—welcome to this House. It is a real pleasure to welcome you at Parliament today in repayment of the manaakitanga that you have extended to me over many years in my visits to your rohe. Your journey to settlement has of course been much longer than that and I have really been honoured to play a part in these final stages.Can I begin by acknowledging the new member of Parliament for Te Tai Tokerau Kelvin Davis. I thank him very much for being here today notwithstanding the family bereavement that he has suffered and on behalf of the Government I extend our sympathy to his wife.Can I also acknowledge in the gallery today ambassador Shane Jones. It is great to see him back here. I want to acknowledge the great help that he provided to me over a number of years in the north. I do not think we would have got to this stage without a few quiet chats with “His Excellency” the ambassador from time to time. So it is great to see him back here.As we embark together on the next phase of the relationship between Te Hiku iwi and the Crown I certainly hope that our guests feel welcome here today. When your ancestors and the Crown signed the Treaty in Kaitāia in April 1840 Panakāreao famously stated that the shadow of the land could go to the Queen with the substance remaining with Māori. As we know by the following year he was very concerned that the Crown would have the substance of the land and so sadly it came to pass.Te Hiku leaders however have always been vigilant in monitoring the Treaty relationship and in taking action when required. They have a long history of petitioning challenging and protesting against injustice. The abiding image that we all have is that of Dame Whina Cooper leading the land march from Te Hāpua. It is something all New Zealanders are familiar with. It signifies a turning point in our history. So I want to acknowledge the work of her eldest son Joseph (Hohepa) Cooper that generous and kind rangatira who has worked to guide Te Rarawa though negotiations over the last 14 years.Every step of this journey has been made possible by the work of those who came before us. I have made the following statement to Te Hiku iwi in the past but I want to it say again today so that it is written into the parliamentary record that we are together in this House continuing on a pathway to justice that was first laid by Matiu Rata one of the many great leaders who have hailed from the far north. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal and next year it will be 40 years since that tribunal was established. This contribution to the Treaty settlement framework is still so very important today. Mr Rata spent many years in this House working on behalf of all Māori and as an advocate for the people of Te Hiku o Te Ika. It is really a great honour to stand in this House today and acknowledge his work for his nation. His legacy lives on in the spirit of chieftainship that remains very strong in this most northerly part of our land.Negotiating a settlement makes the Crown recognise the harms inflicted on the people of Te Hiku and the hurt that has been carried over many generations. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that the people of Te Hiku have endured some truly hard times as a result of the Crown’s breaches of the Treaty. The collective actions and omissions of the Crown left all Te Hiku iwi with insufficient land for their needs undermined their economy and frayed the social fabric of the far north. This caused many to leave their rohe and left those who stayed with too few opportunities. It impacted on the ability of Te Hiku whanau hapū and iwi to pass on language tikanga and mātauranga to younger generations.As we enter into the final stage of settling their grievances I want again to acknowledge the injustices of the large-scale loss of the best and most productive lands; the Crown’s surplus land policy; the impact of land laws in the 19th and 20th centuries which diminished tribal authority; and the resultant hardship that permeated through this area of our country. I want also to acknowledge each and every member of Te Aupouri Te Rarawa Ngāti Kuri and NgāiTakoto—past present and future. The Crown’s breaches have affected and will affect all members of the iwi of Te Hiku. This has been a journey towards redressing those wrongs. It has been a journey towards the meaningful recognition by the Crown of the mana of Te Aupouri the mana of Te Rarawa the mana of NgāiTakoto and that of Ngāti Kuri.Today with the reading of the settlement legislation we take the first stage in the final part of the journey. We walk on this path together in acknowledgment of our shared history and we move forward together toward our shared future. This bill will give legislative effect to the agreements that have been breached between the Crown and Te Aupouri Te Rarawa NgāiTakoto and Ngāti Kuri.I want to take some time today to acknowledge those who have been instrumental in those four settlements. I look to those who led the iwi negotiating teams over the last 14 years and I apologise if I inadvertently omit the names of some who should be mentioned. But I particularly want to mention the late Matiu Īhaka George Wītana Winiata Brown Raymond Subritzky Gloria Herbert Haami Piripi Paul White Rangitane Marsden and Harry Burkhardt. Thank you very much for the huge contribution you have made. You only have to mention those names to see that the future of the north is in very very good hands. They have been ably supported by many many others during this time. Acting as the interface between the Crown table and the people is no easy task. Negotiating these settlements has really been a test of leadership of resilience and of endurance. We here in this House know the importance of representing constituents and my colleagues and I have been very impressed by the way these great leaders have always had the interests of their people at the forefront of their strategy.The package will be examined in great detail by the Māori Affairs Committee. It is so important that I mention some of the cultural redress—for example the leaping place of spirits Te Rerenga Wairua will be returned to Māori ownership an event that is hugely significant. The important connection Te Hiku have with Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe as a place of custom spirituality and sustenance is recognised in this settlement and I am really excited to see the establishment of a unique and meaningful governance arrangement for that most important part of New Zealand.There is a lot more that I could say because this is a piece of legislation that brings together four settlements. Ngāti Kahu are not ignored; their day I hope will come but in the meantime adequate safeguards are provided for them. It is so good to have the representatives of these great iwi here today; I acknowledge them.Can I conclude by acknowledging Pat Snedden for his great work over many years as my negotiator. He did a fine job. I am sure he will be watching this debate today with great interest and we send him our best wishes. I particularly want to acknowledge the Office of Treaty Settlements staff. I never normally mention individuals but it would be remiss of me were I not to mention Maureen Hickey who has been working on this for so many years and is utterly and completely dedicated to the task at hand.With those comments as I say it is almost an injustice to say so little about such an important settlement. I commend the bill to the House.KELVIN DAVIS (Labour—Te Tai Tokerau):Ko Ngāti Kuri Te Aupouri kia kotahi mai tātou katoa mai i Te Rarawa. Ngāi Takoto Ngāti Kahu kia kaha mai rā. Āwhinatia e tātou ngā uri o Muriwhenua kia whiwhi ai i ngā taonga nei o ngā tūpuna. Mr Speaker ko ēnā ngā rārangi kupu o tētahi waiata e pā ana ki tērā wāhanga o te motu arā ko Te Hiku. E tika ana kia mahuetia aua kupu i te mea e akiaki ana i ngā iwi kia kaha ai kia whakakotahi ai kia whiwhi ai i ngā uri i ngā taonga o ngā tūpuna. Nā reira ka mihi ake ahau ki a koutou i tae ki raro i te tuanui o tēnei Whare ki te whakarongo ki tēnei te pānuitanga tuatahi o tēnei pire mō Te Hiku. Nā reira tēnā koutou ōku tuākana ōku tēina tuāhine mā tēnā koutou.[Let us from Te Rarawa be united Ngāti Kuri and Te Aupouri. Work hard to ensure this too Ngāi Takoto and Ngāti Kahu. We must help our kin of Muriwhenua to receive these ancestral possessions for them. Those are some lines from that song pertaining to that part of the country in other words Te Hiku. It is appropriate that those words are retained because they urge the tribes to be strong and to remain united to ensure that descendants receive possessions from their ancestors. So I pay a tribute to you collectively who have arrived here under the roof of this House to listen to this the first reading of this bill about Te Hiku and so my accolades to you collectively my elder and younger siblings and sisters. Well done.]I started off with the words of a song that is in fact sung at most schools up in the Te Hiku area. It urges the five tribes to be strong and to be unified so that they may reap the treasures and the benefits of their ancestors. I think it is just an appropriate way to begin the speeches for the Te Hiku claims. The five iwi up in Te Hiku have a rich intertwined culture history and whakapapa. Much of that history is still alive and we live it every day up there. I have to state for the record that I am not from Te Rarawa NgāiTakoto Ngāti Kahu Te Aupouri or Ngāti Kurī. I am from Ngāpuhi. It is just a signal that we have shared whakapapa because I descend from Tōhe.Tōhe was our tupuna who lived up in Kapowairua. The story has it that he and his servant Ariki marched down Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe or Ninety Mile Beach as he went in search of Rāninikura his girl in his older years. His iwi implored him not to go because he was so old that they did not think he would make it back. He said to them: “Mehemea ka mate ahau kapohia taku wairua.” [Should I die grab up my spirit.]—“If I should die then grab my spirit as it passes by.” Hence the name Kapowairua—Spirits Bay. So he walked down Ninety Mile Beach and got to Ahipara and named it Whārō because “whārō” means to measure with your arms. He asked his servant to measure how far the tide had gone down. He carried on swam the Hokianga Harbour got to a place called Baylys Beach which is called Rīpiro and there he actually passed away. One of the stories of the naming of my hapū of Ngāti Manu is because there as he was dead lying on the beach seabirds ate his eyes. So that is my connection to Te Hiku through whakapapa. As I say many parts of the country might not realise how we are still immersed in our history and our whakapapa and it is not something separate that happened a long time ago.One of the stories that we tell up there is of a warrior from Te Aupouri. His name was Te Houtāewa. Apparently he was 7-foot tall broad had the longest stride on him and if you listen to Te Aupouri he had a good sidestep and a fend. One of the things that he liked to do was to antagonise Te Rarawa down at the southern end of the beach. Apparently he could run the length of the beach in between the tides. He used to run down there and pinch a couple of kits of kūmara put them under his arms and run back antagonising teasing and tormenting his pursuers. They could never catch him. I remember Shane Jones telling me that he believed that he was created in Te Houtāewa’s image. Earlier this morning we listened to Te Kawerau ā Maki and my colleague Peeni Henare said that the kūmara has got a lot to answer for in terms of creating tension between tribes but also in terms of soothing the peace as well.Anyway roll on 200 years and one day there I am in the capital of Te Aupouri a place called Te Kao in the changing rooms of the rugby club wearing the colours of Te Rarawa about to go and do battle against Te Aupouri our traditional foe. Our captain at the time a young fellow—everyone knows him; Gibbon Harrison—is there extolling us to rise to great heights and to get out there and basically lay our bodies on the line for Te Rarawa against the old foe Te Aupouri. He got himself so worked up and he said: “Let’s get out there and let’s teach them not to steal our kūmara!”. Well we went out there and we got soundly thrashed. That is an example of how the deeds of our ancestors are not something separate. They are not something that happened years ago. Our ancestors still walk with us and we still carry them with us.I was at the signing up in Ngātaki earlier some months back now where the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations the Hon Chris Finlayson acknowledged the misdeeds of the Crown and gave an apology and it was quite lengthy. It was an extensive apology. It was actually very emotional listening to the extent of what was done not just to Ngāti Kurī. Well at that stage it was Ngāti Kurī  but what happened to Ngāti Kurī was the alienation the disempowerment and the disenfranchising that occurred to all the iwi up there. I am glad to see that we are here now acknowledging it and trying to make reparations and move forward.There are five iwi up there but really the main acknowledgments go to four. I was contacted by the negotiators from Ngāti Kahu. They asked me to read some stuff out on their behalf. I said to them look the process is that we will do the first reading and then we have got the select committee consideration. That is when people can come forward and lay out their views as to why they disagree or agree with the whole process. They said: “Yes we know the process; we just don’t have any faith in it.” and they asked whether I would please read out just for the record some of their objections. I have two documents that I will table after. Bear the indulgence because this is a time for celebration but I just have to acknowledge that Ngāti Kahu are not quite so happy.They ask that Part 14 be removed from the bill. Part 14 refers to the Ngāti Kahu Accumulated Rentals Trust. They want it removed from the Te Hiku Claims Settlement Bill before it goes to its first reading. I received this on 18 July. That was not possible so here I am now making this request on their behalf. They want to leave the Ngāti Kahu accumulated rentals from the Aupōuri State Forest Crown forest licensed lands and the Crown Forestry Rental Trust. They spell out in some detail the prejudices they believe they have suffered. Like I say I will not read it out now; I will table it for the record. They also object vehemently to the bill vesting some 12000 hectares of land exclusively in other iwi. Whether you agree or disagree I was requested by them just to state their objections for the record.I am somebody who likes to see these claims settled so that we can move on be positive and ensure better outcomes for our people. Therefore with that I just acknowledge again everybody here. I would also like to thank the Minister for allowing his officials to brief me. I agree with what he says about Maureen Hickey. I tried to throw some curly questions at her; she had the answer for every one. So I just acknowledge Maureen. E ōku whanaunga i takahia mai i Te Tuarā o Te Ika mai i Te Hiku tae noa ki konei ki Te Upoko huri rauna i Te Whare tēnā koutou katoa.[To all my relatives throughout the House who traversed the Back of the Fish from the Tail until you eventually arrived here at the Head I doff my hat to you.]MARAMA FOX (Co-Leader—Māori Party):Ā tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. Ō tātou mate tuatini e takoto mai ai i runga i ō tātou marae maha papa kāinga i roto i ō tātou whare kua ūhia rātou ki ngā taumata kōrero e tika ana hei poroporoaki i a rātou ā otirā ki a koe e te parata Kelvin me tō whanau e tika me mihi atu ki a koe. Ā anō nā kai te kāinga ētahi e takoto mai rā i runga i ō rātou marae. Nā reira e tika me poroporoaki ki a rātau katoa. Nā reira me kī pēnei tukua rātau kia okioki i runga i tō rātou moenga roa. Tēnā rā koutou mā kua wehe ki tua o te ārai. Haere ki ngā ringa mahana o Te Atua. Haere atu rā ki te kāinga ō tātou katoa. Anō nā ko tātou te hunga ora te hunga tūtuki i ō rātou nā wawata. Tēnā tātou katoa.[Thank youMr Speaker.To our manydeceased lying there upon ournumerous courtyards settlements andin ourhomes eloquent and appropriate farewell tributes have been accorded to them and indeed to you fellow colleague Kelvin Davis and your family. It is apt that you are acknowledged. And of coursethere are some at home lying in state on their courtyards. Therefore it is proper that all of them are paid a farewell tribute. Allow them all to sleep their long sleep. Farewell to you who have gone beyond the divide. Go forth to the warmth of the Lord’s arms and to the home for us all. And here we are once again the living the ones to fulfil their aspirations. Acknowledgments to us all.]I have to admit that as I have sat here today I have felt a little emotional about the things I have been listening to. I have to admit that it feels a little strange and a little foreign. I stand here as a young—young I will say that one more time—new member of the House. I am facing you but our people are behind me. I want to acknowledge you—kia ora rā. Kia ora rā koutou e noho kai muri nei kai te tiro atu ki mua kia kite koutou i ngā pouaka whakaata rā. [Thank you as well those of you sitting behind me looking at those television sets ahead there.]I have felt a little emotional as these things have been read because I acknowledge that although this process has taken some 30 years to arrive at this point how many of our ancestors have lost their lives throughout the tribulation that has been impacted upon them?I want to pay tribute to those who began the journey here and those who have gone before us those who started with the vision to begin this long process and who now live in the memory and the presence of their children who represent them here today. Tēnā koutou.This day is my first in the House to fully feel the impact of the Treaty injustices from this side of the ledger as a representative of Parliament. I am no longer looking on. All of us in this Chamber are now implicated in the harsh realities of the Treaty impacts that endure in the hearts and minds of our people. I need look no further than the first pages of the bill to see that tragic reality articulated in the text of the apology. I am going to read this—i roto i Te Reo Māori koa:“Te whakapāha a Te Karauna ki ngā uri o Ngāti Kuri ki ngā mātua tūpuna ki a koutou kei konei i tēnei rā ki ērā kāore anō kia whānau mai. Koia tēnei ko te whakapāha a Te Karauna. E whakatakoto here kore ana Te Karauna i tōna whakapāha mō ōna hapa mō tōna hē ki te kore ōna i āta whakamana whakarangatira hoki i a Ngāti Kuri. He āhuatanga mātāpono kore tēnei waihoki ka noho a Ngāti Kuri anō he kanohi kitea kore i roto i ngā kōrero i ngā whakapapa o te ahurea i Te Hiku o Te Ika.”[The apology by the Crown to the descendants of Ngāti Kuri the ancestors those of you present here today and those not yet born. This indeed is the Crown’s apology. It sets out unreservedly the Crowns apology for its wrongdoings failures and lack of recognition and respect towards Ngāti Kuri. This aspect was not principled and furthermore Ngāti Kuri was without representation in the discussions about the cultural heritage of the far north.]What does it do to the hearts of a people and the hopes of a people to be rendered invisible? How does a people cope with the cruelty of being unable to act as tangata kaitiaki over your own taonga to be prevented from taking up your responsibility and your rights of kaitiakitanga over your wāhi tapu? How do an iwi reconcile the conundrum of being tangata whenua without whenua of coming from the very land that has been stripped away by the confounding effects of successive flawed land legislation?These were acts of legislation stealth that robbed Ngāti Kuri of their rights to their traditional tikanga and rangatiratanga having the effect of leaving them marginalised on their ancestral land. It is soul-destroying. It hits at the very heart of our nationhood to know that one partner to the Treaty the Crown acted in a way to the other the iwi that caused them to suffer the loss of tribal authority of social cohesion of traditional knowledge and left them unable to develop economically.Today this bill starts off a new journey but a journey that nevertheless must be grounded in the knowledge that Ngāti Kuri suffered significant population losses and that the people were found floundering in poverty poor housing and deep distress over successive generations as a direct result of Crown action. Te Aupouri Ngāti Kahu Ngāti Kuri Te Rarawa and NgāiTakoto will never forget. We in this House must never forget. We will be able to move forward together only if together we confront the atrocities of our past. In Māori legend this land forms the tail of the fish that Māui hauled up from the great depths of the ocean. Elders from Muriwhenua sometimes say that although the head of the fish is here in Wellington it can go only where the tail will allow.I have been thinking about the wisdom of the philosopher Isaac Newton: “If I have seen further than others it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” In this cause there are many giants: Dame Whina Cooper—whose korowai worn in the Land March is on loan to us here in Parliament and lies just down the hall in a glass case—Matiu Rata Dame Mira Szaszy Merimeri Penfold and too many others to mention whose efforts have for ever etched their names in our collective memory. This moment is dedicated to all those who watch over us in spirit who inspire and encourage us to seek further to be bold and courageous for their mokopuna.This bill gives effect to the covenants that have been reached between the Crown Ngāti Kuri Te Aupōuri Ngāti Takoto and Te Rarawa. There are specifics pertinent to each iwi. These recognise the soul-crushing misfortune set upon them at the hands of the Crown. Other speakers have taken us through that trail of torture. We have heard about the corrupt intent of the Crown and private purchasing that alienated Ngāti Kuri from over 70 percent of their ancestral land by 1880. We acknowledge the injury caused to Te Aupouri as a direct result of the 1840 Taylor transaction taking 60000 acres of land through forced seizure.We think of the harsh impact for generations of NgāiTakoto finding themselves a virtually landless people having lost all interest in approximately 155000 acres of ancestral land. For Te Rarawa the crime of the Crown forced upon Marāea Te Awaroa Heke—arrested jailed and never compensated for merely protecting the boundaries around her own hapū lands. The kuia died before the court took the action it should have. To add insult to injury the block was further subdivided taken by the Crown as an esplanade for public use. I want to return to the actual text in this bill: “Mā roto atu i tēnei whakaaturanga e whai ana Te Karauna i te huarahi hei whakatika i ōna hē kua whakaae nei a ia ki aua hē otirā e taea ai i nāianei te whai i te huarahi o te whakatau hoahoa o te whakakotahi anō.”[Through this notification the Crown will have a process to follow to rectify its failings which it has accepted and will indeed make it possible now to settle totally and amicably.]In this House today with the enduring impact of the settlement to come the Crown seeks to begin the process of reconciliation. The Crown hopes that by recognising the impact and the injury of injustice we can begin a renewed and enduring relationship an invigorated relationship based on mutual dignity and respect.As a nation we must look eyes wide upon the knowledge that the spiritual relationships of the people of Te Hiku with their ancestral maunga takiwā and awa have been adversely affected. Te Hiku our utmost respect is accorded to you and your leadership; to your whānau so willingly so generously so bravely in the process of settlement. Respect is accorded to your whānau your negotiators and your people for incredible tenacity endurance and courage to get to this stage.Nō reira ōku pou ōku rahi koutou e hui mai nei i roto i tēnei Whare koutou ōku hoa o te takiwā rā tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātau katoa.[Therefore to you my pillars and greatness who have gathered here in this House and to my colleagues on that side I acknowledge commend and salute you and us all.]KELVIN DAVIS (Labour—Te Tai Tokerau):I seek leave to table two letters from Te Rūnanga-a-Iwi O Ngāti Kahu outlining their concerns with the bill.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is no objection.Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.PEENI HENARE (Labour—Tāmaki Makaurau):Tēnā koe. Reo Māori e kara. “Ruia ruia tahia tahia kia hemo ake te kākoa koa! Kia herea mai i te kawau korokī kia tātaki mai i roto i te pūkoro koro whaikoro! Te kuaka he kuaka mārangaranga! Tahi manu i tau atu ki te tāhuna tau atu tau atu tau atu!”. Tihewā mauri ora e te Whare! Kāti ko Māmaru te waka ko Parata te tangata o runga. Ka moe a Parata i a Kahutianui ka puta ko Ngāti Kahu i whakataukītia: “Ko Maunga Taniwha te maunga ko Tokerau te moana ko Māmaru te waka ko Parata te tangata.” Ko Kurahaupō te waka ko Pōhurihanga te tangata. Ka moe a Tūwhakatere i a Tūterangiātohia o Ngāti Kurī rāua ko Tūpōia o Ngāti Kahu ka puta a Ngāi Takoto. I whakataukītia: “He iti pīoke tere ki waho o Rangaunu he au tōna.”Ko Māmari rāua ko Ngātokimatawhaorua ngā waka ā ko Nukutawhiti rāua ko Ruanui ngā tāngata o runga. Ka moe a Tarutaru i te ngātātara e puta mai ana i tana rua i a Ruapounamu ka puta ko Te Rarawa kai whare e! Ko Māmari te Waka ko Ruanui te tangata nāna ko ana mokopuna a Whēru rāua ko Te Ikanui ē ko Te Aupōuri ē! Ko tōna whakataukī: “Ko Te Atua ki te rangi ko Te Aupōuri ki te whenua.” Ko Kurahaupō te waka ko Pōhurihanga te tangata. Ka moe a Pōhurihanga i a Maieke ka puta ko Ngāti Kurī ē! Mai i Te Tīheru o Mātaatua tae noa ki Kapo Wairua ko Ngāti Kurī Matakakā Ngāti Kurī Matamomoe mai i a Muriwhenua tamāhine a Pōhurihanga rāua ko Maieke ka puta ko ngā uri kei ngā iwi e rima o Te Hiku o Te Ika tēnā koutou katoa.I mua mai i taku kuhunga mai ki Te Whare nei ko aku pāpā ko Hone Harawira rāua ko te Hōnore Shane Jones ngā uri o ēnei iwi e kōrerotia nei ki roto i tēnei pire. Tae mai ki tēnei wā ko au anake te mema o tēnei Whare e whakapapa atu ana ki te katoa o ēnei iwi. Ka puritia e au i aku whakapapa mō te pānuitanga tuatoru o te pire nei. Ki reira au hora ai i taku pānga ki ngā tūpuna nā rātau nei ngā ingoa kei runga i tēnei pire. I tukuna ko mātou koutou e whakatau ki roto i tēnei Whare e ōku rangatira e ōku tini whanaunga. Ahakoa kua wātea mai te nuinga o ngā tūru kei roto i tēnei Whare ka tukuna atu te reo aroha te reo mihi ki a koutou nā ko tō koutou mokopuna tēnei e mihi atu nei tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātau katoa.[Thank you. I will speak in the Māori language. “Scatter scatter sweep on sweep on let us not be plundered by our foe and be plundered! The rope has stretched out and fastened to the cormorant’s throat from the sheath let us rejoice! Moving along move along let us rejoice! Godwits rise up here there and fly off. One lands on the beach and others follow!”. Behold the breath of life! Mamari is the canoe Parata is the commander. Parata married Kahutianui and begat Ngāti Kahu uttered in the proverb: “Maunga Taniwha is the mountain Tokerau is the sea Māmari is the canoe and Parata is the captain.” Kurahaupō is the canoe and Pōhurihanga is the commander. Tūwhakatere married Tūterangiātohia of Ngāti Kurī and Tūpōia of Ngāti Kahu and begat Ngāi Takoto giving rise to the aphorism “A swift small shark off Rangaunu great is its wake.”Māmari and Ngātokimatawhaorua are the canoes Nukutawhiti and Ruanui are the commanders on board. Tarutaru married the fish emerging from its caveRuapounamuand begat Te Rarawa consumer of houses indeed! Māmari is the canoe Ruanui is the man and from him came his grandchildren Whēru and Te Ikanuiand behold Te Aupōuri was begat! Its proverbis:“As God is toheavenso is Te Aupōuri to land.” Kurahaupō is the canoe Pōhurihanga is the man. Pōhurihanga married Maiekeand behold Ngāti Kurī was begat indeed! From The Bailer ofMātaatua as far asSpirits Bay are Ngāti Kurī Matakakā Ngāti Kurī Matamomoeandfrom Muriwhenua daughter of Pōhurihanga and Maieke came the descendants from the five tribes of Te Hiku o Te Ika so acknowledgments to you all.Before I came into this House my uncles Hone Harawira andthe HonShane Jones were the relatives of these tribes referred to in this bill. However I am the only member of this House at this point in time who can recite a genealogy to all of these tribes. I will hold back my genealogical connections until the third reading of this bill. I will make my connections public then to the ancestors whose names appear in this bill. We were given the privilege to formally welcome you my esteemed elders and myriad of relations and despite the vast number of empty seats in this House a loving and welcoming voice is extended to you collectively. Although many of the seats of the House are vacant I extend my sincerest regards and acknowledgments to you all and I address you as one of your own grandchildren. I salute you all collectively greetings to you and salutations to us all. There then it is I your grandchild extending this official welcome to you so welcome and salutations to you collectively and to us all.]Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. It is with great trepidation that I stand to address this House and this bill today for I stand in front of my people from the far north. I know full well that should I falter when I return home it will be a swift kick up the bum. I want to acknowledge them today. I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the many who have already been mentioned this morning.I want to start by taking our minds back to the Muriwhenua claim. I acknowledge the battleground that is the claims process. In our history we acknowledge the warriors of the past. My tuakana Kelvin has spoken of Te Houtāewa. We acknowledge the great deeds of Māori warriors in our history. Sadly however the greatest battle of my generation—and certainly of the generation before me and the generation before that—has been that of the battle of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. I want to acknowledge Matiu Rata. I want to acknowledge Rima Edwards McCully Matiu Jeb Brown Te Rima Pētera Sana Murray Glass Murray Simon Snowden Mere Patrisovich and Musa Erstich. These great tupuna of mine—indeed of ours—paved the way forward for Muriwhenua. Indeed although the clothes might be different on the body in our discussion of the bill on the Table today they certainly paved that pathway for us all here.My tuakana Kelvin Davis spoke of the rich history of the many tribes of Te Hiku o Te Ika. He spoke of our tupuna Tōhe and his daughter Rāninikura. The reason for these stories is so that the names of those places are not lost to future generations. As I discussed this morning in the Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill it shows the mana whenua of the tribes of the north and their domain.I want to look now to the settlement process and of course to the bill in front us today and the cultural redress afforded by this bill to the people of Te Hiku o Te Ika. I want to reiterate and indeed echo my words this morning about tino rangatiratanga. Tino rangatiratanga is prescribed to us by our ancestors who put their sacred marks on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Tino rangatiratanga as prescribed in Te Tiriti o Waitangi is not co-management. Tino rangatiratanga as prescribed in Te Tiriti o Waitangi is not mackintosh coats put over a Māori taonga. I use the term “maketō” or “mackintosh” because it is that of a Pākehā nature and is not a korowai. It is tino rangatiratanga that the people of Te Hiku are looking towards. May this bill be a step in the right direction for the people of Te Hiku o Te Ika—tēnā koe.I want to speak very briefly about the commercial redress for it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge that the commercial redress as it is set out in this bill in its first reading does not meet but a fraction of the injustices suffered by the people of Te Hiku o Te Ika. I want to put that on the record so that it can be a stake in the ground when future iwi and generations look towards settlement for themselves—so that they look towards a brighter more prosperous future moving on from the small fractions and piecemeal offerings that are being offered to our people today.I want to look towards the future and in typical Māori fashion I want to look towards the future by acknowledging the past. A young man by the name of Luke Tipene was murdered recently. Today his body is to be returned to his people and put back into his whenua of Te Rarawa and Ahipara. I want to acknowledge that young man for it was with him in mind that our ancestors fought hard for the rights of Te Hiku o Te Ika. I am saddened that he will not be able to take part today and indeed enjoy the fruits of the labours of our ancestors as described in the many reports and history relating to Te Hiku o Te Ika.I want to conclude by touching on some of the proverbs that we hold dear in Te Hiku o Te Ika as a cautionary tale to my many whanaunga from the far north. He rāngai maomao ka taka ki tua o Nukutaurua e kore a muri e hokia—a shoal of maomao that shall pass the bluff of Nukutaurua shall never return. This has been used to lament the loss of ancestors and loved ones. However in this context I wish to put this to my people of Te Hiku o Te Ika who on their journey should not forget to look to the past for inspiration. Do not forget to look to the teachings the genealogy and the lessons left to us by our ancestors.Finally I want to acknowledge the many people in the House today who speak passionately on this bill in its first reading. Can I assure my whanaunga from Te Hiku o Te Ika that you will continue to hear my voice and indeed the voices of Mr Kelvin Davis and others in this House pertaining to this bill. Kāti mā tēnei wā. [That is enough for now.] It is true what my whaea the member of this House Marama Fox mentioned about the tail and the head of the fish and how the tail indeed dictates the direction the fish may travel. Today the tail is indeed wagging the head. Tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.NUK KORAKO (National):Tū a Te Kahukura tūtū Te Heihei! Tū a Te Kahukura tūtū Te Ruki! Te Kahukura uta Te Kahukura tai! Te Heihei Kahukura mai Te Heihei Kahukura atu! E tū mai rā koe e te tihi o Kahukura e! E mai e mai e mai e te tipua? Mai e mai e mai e te tawhito? E haere mai i a koe i a Whakahōtunuku i a Whakahōturaki? Ko tōu manawa ko tōku manawa! Ko Tāne tā i hea? E tūturu mau kia whakamaua ka tina haumi e hui e tāiki e! Ā tēnā rā koutou pou waitaka o tō tātau Matua Tīpuna. Ā tēnā koutou o ngā iwi o Te Hiku ko Ngāti Kuri NgāiTakoto Te Rarawa Te Aupouri. Nau mai me ngā wawata me tauiwi kia whai hua kia whai tika. Ā nō reira e piki mai kake mai hōmai te wairua. Nō reira e mihi e mihi e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa.[Arise Kahukura standfast Te Heihei. Arise Te Kahukura standfast Te Ruki! Te Kahukura inland Te Kahukura shorewards! Te Heihei Kahukura here Te Heihei Kahukura there! Rise up before me you the summit of Kahukura behold! Where are you from the demon and the ancient? Are you from Whakahōtunuku or Whakahōturaki? Your heart is my heart! Where is Tāne’s one from? Hold fast to it secure it draw together and affirm! Acknowledgments to you particularly our Lord’s creators and you the tribes of Te Hiku Ngāti Kuri Ngāi Takoto Te Rarawa and Te Aupouri. Welcome with the aspirations and non-Māori so that it bears fruit and it is proper. So come aboard mount up and give us the spirit. I therefore commend acknowledge and salute you all.]I rise to support the first reading of the Te Hiku Claims Settlement Bill. I want to highlight some of the important things that this bill actually includes. First of all the hallmark of this bill is the fact that the legislation will see one of the largest returns of land to Māori ownership. The place we call the tail of the fish is steeped in historical cultural and spiritual significance. It is the spiritual link to the ancestral home of Hawaiki. It is the land walked by Kupe. The settlement legislation provides for some unique and special arrangements that recognise the importance of these lands. The karakia timataka that I did the prayer—ko Tūtehounuku Korako ahau. Ko Auraki Mauka Ko Waitaki te awa. Ko Kai Ngāi Tahu Kāti Māmoe Waitaha ngā iwi. [I am Tūtehounuku Kōrako. Auraki is the mountain Waitaki is the river Ngāi Tahu Kāti Mamoe and Waitaha are the tribes.]In quoting that second part of where the spirits depart from—where I live in the Port Hills of Rāpaki o Te Rakiwhakaputa there is a mountain there called Te Tihi o Kahukura. On that mountain is where we farewell our spirits because from there they head north to Te Rerenga Wairua. That karakia is “Yonder the Rainbow”.Yonder the rainbow brightly gleamsYonder the rainbow vaporous gleamsThe rainbow is ashore the rainbow at seaI want to acknowledge today the whānau and the iwi for your tenacity and for your hope and dreams. They are coming to fruition. My iwi Kāi Tahu have been on that journey. It is a journey where you have fair wind and foul wind but as long as you keep your head on the horizon and looking towards it the waka will come to the landing. This will surely happen to you. The important connection Te Hiku iwi have with Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē as a place of customs spirituality and sustenance is recognised in this settlement just like the wāhi tapu in Te Wai Pounamu so I salute you. Te Hiku will have increased decision-making powers over conservation lands under the korowai for enhanced conservation. That to me is about tino rakatirataka.Finally alongside the significant cultural sites it is actually about the key commercial assets. As we as an iwi have found once the redress has happened you will have the opportunity to be able to exercise your economic benefits within your own lands. Nō reira if I could finally congratulate the Office of Treaty Settlements on the work that it has done on this claim. Also I want to acknowledge our colleagues te Roopu Reipa and New Zealand First—kia ora Pita—for the collegial work that we all do for the sake of Māori. This is a true reflection today. I commend this bill to the House.Nō reira e Te Hiku ka mihi e mihi e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa. Kia ora.[Therefore I commend acknowledge and salute you all Te Hiku. Thank you.]DAVID CLENDON (Green):Ā tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Kei te mihi nui ki a koutou ngā manuhiri ki tēnei Whare i te rā nei tēnā koutou katoa. Ki te mana o ngā iwi o Te Hiku o Te Ika ngā kaitiaki o Muriwhenua tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.[Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. I extend a huge acknowledgment to you collectively the visitors to this House today greetings to you all. To the power of the tribes of Te Hiku and the guardians of Muriwhenua accolades and congratulations to you collectively and thank you to us all.]I am pleased to take a call on behalf of the Greens to lend our support to this important bill to this very substantial bill. Running to some 700 or so pages its sheer bulk and heft reflect the importance of the agreements of the undertakings that are contained within it.On Sunday afternoon I was fortunate to be at quite a large celebration of the birthday of a local identity in the Kaitāia area. He lives on a hilltop just a couple of kilometres out of Ahipara. From his home we were looking north and somewhat to the west along Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe seeing in the distance the landscapes the headland at Houhora and of course further north to Te Rerenga Wairua. Clearly I have connections to the north and long may they continue but I think no one could stand and look at that landscape and not be moved by the power of that landscape by the beauty of that landscape and by the significance of that landscape. It would be an unfortunate human being indeed who could look at that view and not think it was something very special something unique and something very precious. Clearly it is most precious of all to the people in whose care it has been for a very long time and whose care it will continue to be in. This bill does advance the possibility and the opportunity for the mana of that land for the kaitiakitanga of that land and for the ongoing care and sustenance of that land to be returned home to the hands of those who hold it most dear.We have heard a number of times already references to the very well-known ngā whakatauāki referencing the fact that the head of the fish is here in Wellington and the tail is in the far north. One can wonder of course at the collective wisdom that has been contained in the head specifically in this institution over many decades given that it has taken so long for a settlement to be advanced that will be found at least satisfactory to the people of the far north. The first appeals based on the relationship in Te Tiriti date back to the late 19th century within a few decades of the signing of the Treaty—over 100 years of toil of effort to bring the situation to a level of fruition to advance another step in this House today. As others have done we must acknowledge the ongoing commitment the work and the absolute belief of those people past and present who have worked so hard to bring this bill to the House to bring the settlement the agreement to the stage it has reached. Of course we all look forward to having this resolved swiftly in order that the redress can be made real and that the financial and cultural redress will be satisfied.The point is that the tail of the fish must be moving in order for the whole creature to move forward. For a very long time there has not been a great deal of energy in the far north. It has been a depressed region—some would say a repressed region—and these settlements are part of restoring the energy to that place because without it this country will not prosper and there is a long history of that. The energy in this case will be represented in part by the financial redress which in total is to the effect of some $100 million—a small amount in terms of what was taken what was lost but at least it is a basis to allow the innovative the hard-working and the creative people of the far north to build their own future on to create their own future for themselves and for the following generations which is after all what these bills are about.Reading through the bill it is substantial. I appeal to people who may have no particular interest in this specific settlement but who are New Zealanders—be they Māori Pākehā tauiwi or whatever they may be—to even read just the summary of the apologies. It is important that people read and understand why these settlements are necessary and important. Much of that is contained in the apology. I expect very few people will read the whole 700 pages but simply to engage with some of the history and the Crown’s apology does reflect the significance of these moments of these settlements. The Crown’s mana was seriously diminished in its failure to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi. People often believe that yes Māori were alienated from their land lost their language and their tikanga was disrespected but at no point was the loss of mana to Māori to the extent that it was to the Crown. The failure to respect and honour the articles of Te Tiriti did diminish the honour of the Crown. Indeed it is to restore that mana as much as anything that these settlements are necessary and important.The Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations mentioned the importance of leadership and I must acknowledge as others have Minister Finlayson who has displayed significant leadership in this and other settlements. I think I am right in saying that he has overseen more settlements than any other Minister and that is to his credit. I must also acknowledge the obvious sincerity that he brings to his concern to see these settlements advanced.But leaders of course are nothing without followers. It is the challenge of leadership in the north as elsewhere to maintain the integrity of the community of whānau hapū and iwi as the steps towards a better future are made. We do have that leadership in the north—there is no question of that—both in our mātua and in some of our younger leaders coming through. It is in their hands that the future will lie but it is important that these bills are acknowledged and accepted and that the communities feel part of the settlement or else they will not succeed as much as they might. That is the ongoing work both of the leadership within the iwi and hapū and of us particularly those MPs from the north who have a responsibility to participate in some of that as well. Certainly as a Green MP in the north I am entirely committed to seeing the success of these settlements.It is only through individuals and collectives—the Government local government communities generally iwi hapū—and through a combined acceptance that these are good settlements they are necessary settlements and that they will succeed to the extent that is possible. We need long-term sustainable outcomes. Māoridom does not think in terms of years but in terms of generations and in these settlements we need to be thinking in similar terms. The horizon is not 3 years or 6 years or a decade; it is multiple generations into the future and that should guide our decision making and our actions at this point and from this point forward to ensure that we acknowledge the past heal the hurt that was done and give Māoridom a base to determine its own future. That is the essence of rangatiratanga—self-determination—and it cannot be done in a vacuum. As the lands are returned as the financial redress is made as the cultural redress is determined we can look forward to a future that we can collectively be proud of. Kia ora.PITA PARAONE (NZ First):Ā tēnā koe tēnā anō tātou Te Whare. Ē aku rangatira aku whanaunga karanga maha o Te Tai Tokerau e kī nei tēnā pito arā ko Muriwhenua ēngari i raro o te kaupapa o te pire nei Te Hiku nā reira nau mai haere mai. Kei te tū ake ki te tautoko i ngā mihi i mihingia e waku tuākana ki te whakatau i a koutou ki Te Whare nei kia kite atu i a koutou i te urunga mai o tā koutou pire i whakapāha Te Karauna ki wana mahi ki wā tātou mātua tūpuna nā reira nau mai haere mai.[Thank you and greetings once again to us the House. To my chiefs and my relatives of many callings of Northland which that end say is Muriwhenua but under the policy of this bill is Te Hiku I welcome you so welcome. I rise to endorse the tributes my seniors accorded you when they welcomed you to this House and to acknowledge your presence here at the arrival of your bill whereby the Crown apologises for its action against our ancestral grandparents. So welcome welcome.]It is a pleasure to be able to stand in this House at this time as part of the introduction and the first reading of the Te Hiku Claims Settlement Bill. In so doing I recognise all the iwi of Te Hiku. Can I say that when I came into this world I came at a time when we were as children reminded that there were five iwi of Te Tai Tokerau. But it would seem to me that what we should have been told is that there are five iwi of Muriwhenua and today this bill recognises that. Can I say that it is part of this whole claims process that the recognition of the five iwi in Te Hiku known to some of us as Muriwhenua has come to fruition and is recognised by the Crown in this legislation.In so doing I stand with some sadness because I am old enough to remember some members of Muriwhenua who were responsible and who were recognised as leaders of their time and have since passed on and as part of that leadership we had the Te Aupōuri Māori Trust Board. And when I talk about the Te Aupōuri Māori Trust Board I am mindful of Jack King Walter Te Pania Ricki Ētana Mānuera including George Wītana Haki Campbell Rima Edwards Matiu Wiki; all who have passed on; all who are descended from or related to those who gave their lives in defence of this country. It is appropriate that we have the grandson of a child of Muriwhenua who returned leading the Māori Battalion back to these shores. At this stage I want to recognise the sole surviving member of A Company. Nā reira e Hare ahakoa horekau koe kei waenganui i a tātou i te rā nei e noho tonu koe ki te wā kāinga. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a koe mō tō kaha. [Therefore despite your absence amongst us here today Hare you remain at home. I salute you for your stamina.]I make mention of Mr Charlie Pētera the sole surviving member of A Company of the 28th Māori Battalion. I see in the bill that there is reference to Te Rerenga Wairua and we have heard today from various speakers of the significance of that area to Māori. It is where the spirits depart this world. I know that Mr Pētera would like to see the establishment or the erection of a memorial to the 28th Māori Battalion soldiers who gave their lives in defence of our country. I am hoping that as a consequence of this bill and the co-management—and not tino rangatiratanga as my tuakana said but the co-management—that consideration and approval be given to that notion.We have talked about leadership and I have to acknowledge those who have been responsible for bringing this bill to this House at this time. I know from my experience that that has not been an easy and simple journey. I can recall my father telling me when I was elected as chairman of that great iwi in the north Ngāti Hine—when I became chairman of the rūnanga he said: “Boy never forget to look behind you from time to time because if there’s no one behind you then you’ve got to ask yourself who you are leading.” For those who have brought this bill to this House at this stage whether or not you carry on the task of leading your people is something that your people will determine. But I acknowledge the endeavour—the sacrifice—that you have made to bring this bill to this stage.A feature of all these settlements is the lack of recognition by the Crown of the iwi of the time and their entitlement to protection under the Treaty of Waitangi. This bill goes a long way towards addressing a lot of the issues confronting the people of Te Hiku. I am mindful of Rima Edwards who some years ago had applied to the Government to have the name of Ninety Mile Beach revert to its original name Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe and that was declined. Yet throughout this bill that name has been recognised and so I am mindful of the work that Rima did in this area.I am also a little bit saddened that my whanaunga both Hone Harawira and Shane Jones are not in the House to be able to talk to this bill. I know that without any doubt both were very passionate about seeing this bill come to fruition. And although they would have been approached by those who do not support the bill in the way that it has been presented at least they knew that they had representation in this House.I do not want to go through the historical account but the fact that the history has been recognised and is now within this bill means that it will go on record and provide for generations to come a record of the efforts that their ancestors have made to rectify what has always been rightfully theirs.At this time I am mindful of the Rev. Kīngi Īhaka and the waiata “Toro Mai Tō Ringa” the extension of your hand. Without any doubt the people of Te Hiku have done that to the Crown. They have extended that arm knowing full well that this settlement will go nowhere near to fulfilling their entitlement. I think that like all other iwi who come to this House seeking a settlement the people of Te Hiku know that they are not able to get their full entitlement but having said that I commend this bill to the House. New Zealand First will certainly be supporting its referral to the Māori Affairs Committee. I hope that those who feel that they have not had their concerns heard will take the opportunity of exercising their rights through the select committee process to bring their concerns to the House.Nā reira e tātau mā koinā nō ngā kōrero mō tēnei tēnā koutou tēnā koutou kia ora mai anō tātou.[There you are my collective those are the sentiments about this so acknowledgments and congratulations to you collectively and my appreciation to us all once again.]ADRIAN RURAWHE (Labour—Te Tai Hauāuru):Ā tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Otirā tēnei ahau e tuku mi’i atu ki a koutou ngā iwi o Te Hiku o Te Ika ki a Ngāti Kuri NgāiTakoto Te Rarawa Te Aupouri. Anei ahau he uri o Ngāpuhi o Ngāti Kahu anō hoki e tuku mihi atu ki a koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou. Otirā e mi’i atu a au ki a koutou ngā kaikōrero katoa e tuku atu ō koutou kōrero kei rō Te Whare nei.[Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker but at the same time I acknowledge you collectivelythe tribes of the Tail of the Fish Ngāti Kuri NgāiTakoto Te Rarawa and Te Aupouri. Here I am a relative of Ngāpuhi and of Ngāti Kahu as well extending a greeting to you collectively. Acknowledgments accolades and salutations. Indeed I acknowledge you all the speakers.]I just want to start off by first acknowledging all of the iwi in the House today who were involved in this bill. I want to echo the words of the previous speaker matua Pita Paraone about the extension of the hand in this case. I remember that when I was part of my iwi Ngāti Apa’s claim the then Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Mark Burton said these words: “Every iwi that settles their claim performs an act of generosity to New Zealand.” In support of what the member Pita Paraone has just said I would like to repeat those words and apply them to the iwi involved in this bill—ngā iwi o Te Hiku.Today I also think it is important to recognise the considerable effort that has gone into this major bill which involves many parts. I understand that it is one of the biggest bills to ever come to the House. I think that acknowledgement of the Crown and of all the iwi negotiators for bringing this settlement together needs to be made and I do that today. I also acknowledge all of us who have whakapapa from Tai Tokerau. So far I am the fifth speaker in this debate of around 10 speeches with whakapapa from Tai Tokerau and maybe there is one more coming; I am not sure. If so then the majority of the speakers today have been from Tai Tokerau.I think that is something to be celebrated because one of the frustrating things about sitting in the gallery and I have been there when a settlement bill has gone through the House is that you do not get to reply. I know that quite often there will be some people sitting in the gallery who would love to reply—notwithstanding the former member the Hon Shane Jones I am sure. From this bill—which will be split into five different bills I understand—each one of the iwi will have their own settlement bill and then their own settlement legislation.I want to turn my attention to two features of this bill—namely the cultural redress and the collective redress elements. The collective redress elements surely must have taken a lot of discussion for four iwi. I know what it is like to get one iwi to agree on something at home in my hapū and iwi but this gets four iwi to agree on collective redress elements such as the Crown forestry licensed land and the arrangements that are in this bill which will set out quite clearly the arrangements for its future management and the benefits derived from that Crown forest land.Also I want to mention—and it has been mentioned before as well—the arrangements for Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe Board. Each of the iwi will participate on that board along with local authorities with 50 percent representation from iwi and 50 percent representation from local bodies but with decision making having a requirement of a 70 percent agreement. That to me tells me that the people who have negotiated this settlement are determined that there will be a very clear decision-making process and that consensus—for want of a better word—would probably be best to describe the overall function of that board at a 70 percent majority.I also want to mention te korowai and the collective arrangements around that part of the bill as well. It will also require cooperation from all of the participants for that to work. So I congratulate the iwi of Te Hiku on their determination to use that part of this bill and this agreement for the future benefit of their people. That is also the case for the social development and well-being accord which in a similar vein is part of that collective of working together in unity. So I want to acknowledge that as well.There are always fish-hooks as I like to call them in such legislation. I just want to record that with regard to the relationship agreements within the bill where the Crown says that it will have a taumata rangatira hui each year between the iwi and the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations there is an “or” and I get worried when there is an “or” in these arrangements—“or” the ministries themselves. I think it is really important to have it recorded that those meetings with Ministers—with the decision makers—are at the highest level because my experience tells me that when officials and not Ministers sometimes turn up to the meetings they are not the decision makers. So I would encourage the Government to make sure that it is indeed the Ministers who turn up to those meetings.There is a host of cultural redress items including—and I counted—81 properties to be transferred to Ngāti Kuri Te Aupouri NgāiTakoto and Te Rarawa. Some of these properties are shared but I think—along with such things as statutory acknowledgments protocols fisheries advisory committees geographic place name changes and a host of other mechanisms—that it does mean that that cultural reconnection can be a real thing for the iwi involved. Although I have whakapapa from the north I have spent my entire life in Te Tau Hauāuru with my mother’s people. I was happy to have a story relayed to me by one of my colleagues Kelvin Davis about Murimotu Island which both Ngāti Kuri and Te Aupouri have interests in. I was told the story of Tūmatahina a great warrior and chief who found himself along with his people under siege on Murimotu Island. He asked his people to weave a long flax rope which they then used to guide themselves to the mainland with each one of them stepping in the footsteps of the person ahead of them hiding the fact that all of them had left the island. Through this action Tūmatahina saved the lives of his people.That story is about the tenacity of a great leader. It is about survival it is about unity of purpose and it is about protecting the future. I think that in a modern sense this bill and the work completed by ngā iwi o Te Hiku o Te Ika highlights the iwi’s tenacity their unity of purpose and their desire to protect the future for their mokopuna.Nō reira e Te Mana Whaka’aere o Te Whare nei tēnā koe otirā e tuku mi’i atu anō ki a koutou ngā iwi o Te Hiku o Te Ika tēnā koutou tēnā koutou.[Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker of this House and my acknowledgments indeed to you the tribes of the Tail of the Fish. Thank you collectively and congratulations.]I commend this bill to the House.JOANNE HAYES (National):Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. I am pleased to stand to take a very short call on the first reading of the Te Hiku Claims Settlement Bill. Ngā whānau me ngā hapū ngā iwi o Te Hiku nau mai haere mai i tēnei rā te rā whakahirahira mō ngā iwi o Te Aupouri NgāiTakoto Te Rarawa me Ngāti Kuri.[Welcome to the families subtribes and tribes of Te Hiku today a wonderful one at that for the tribes of Te Aupouri Ngāi Takoto Te Rarawa and Ngāti Kuri. Welcome.]Today is the start of a great celebration the light at the end of the tunnel that each of the iwi has travelled. It is one that began with many of your tūpuna and will conclude with your mokopuna now and into the future. This legislation will see the return of one of the largest blocks of land to Māori ownership as one of my colleagues outlined before: the spiritual link to our ancestral home of Hawaiki Te Rerenga Wairua and Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe or Ninety Mile Beach and many other places of cultural significance. I could go on and on but I will stop for now and speak a little bit more at the later stages. So for now I am pleased to commend this bill to the House. Kia ora.Bill read a first time.Bill referred to the Māori Affairs Committee.WaiataHawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee BillFirst ReadingHon TE URUROA FLAVELL (Minister for Māori Development)on behalf of theMinister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations: Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Kia ora koe mō te whakatika i tērā kōrero ā tēnā koe tēnā tātau katoa.[Thank you for correcting that statement and greetings to you and to us all.]I move That the Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider this bill.I recognise that other iwi are in the House this morning some moving on. Ko ētahi kai te puta i Te Whare ko ētahi i tae mai i mua i tēnei o ngā pānuitanga tuatahi. Hoi anō ko tāku he mihi kau atu ki a tātau ngā mema Pāremata Māori e puta nei ka mihi rā ki a tātau te tikanga ia ko tēnei te wā tuatahi kua noho pēnei tātau i roto i tēnei Whare. Ka mihi ki ngā iwi kei roto i Te Whare Pāremata i tēnei ata. Tēnā koutou kai aku rangatira haere mai rā ki roto i Te Whare Pāremata. Ka mutu kai te mōhio tonu au kua ea te wāhi o ētahi o ngā pire i te tau kua hipa otirā i mua i tēnei rā ka mihi rā ki tērā āhuatanga me te mōhio anō hoki i tēnei rā ko Tainui tērā e tangi nei mō tā rātau tangata a Eru Tāmihana. Ko ia tērā kua riro ki tua o te pae o maumahara. Nō reira ko tāku he tāpiri atu i ngā mihi katoa ki ngā mate huhua o te wā. Koutou ki te pō haere koutou e moe okioki mai rā. Tātau te hunga ora tēnā koutou kia ora tātau katoa.[Some are leaving the House and some got here before the first reading of this bill. Therefore my part is merely to acknowledge those of us members leaving the Chamber. It is appropriate that I should do this because according to procedure this is the first time we have met in this manner in this House. I acknowledge the presence of the tribes in the House of Parliament this morning and furthermore I am fully cognisant of the fact that parts of some bills have been fulfilled last year before today but mindful at the same time that Tainui is presently mourning the loss of their man Eru Tamihana. He is the one who has traversed beyond the horizon of remembrance. So I add my condolences to all of those to the many deaths of the moment. You the deaths depart sleep and rest there in the void and to you the living I acknowledge you all. Congratulations to us all.]I just want to join with other speakers this morning who have acknowledged those who have passed on. I recognise that some of the tribal members in our gallery bring with them those who have passed on and I recognise this morning Eru Thompson who passed away—nō roto i Tainui waka [from within the canoe of Tainui]—as well as the many others. So we think about them.I want to extend a warm welcome to the representatives of the Hawke’s Bay and of course the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council which is involved in this bill and who have joined together today. I understand that the interim chief executive of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and the chair of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council are also in the House today. I welcome them along with obviously others who are in the House. I also extend a warm welcome to Fran Wilde—tēnā koe—who was the chief Crown negotiator for the Ngāti Pāhauwera negotiations where this bill had its origins. She is also in the House today.This bill is the outcome of a lot of hard work and cooperation amongst all of the parties involved. It represents a positive approach for the future engagement between the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and iwi in the Hawke’s Bay region. It is a constructive relationship which has taken time and dedication and a lot of work was put into making a real difference. Can I acknowledge the commitment and dedication of all of you who have come to the House today in advancing the bill to this particular phase.When I was at St Stephen’s School—when I was highly academic and highly sporting and in the kapa haka team—one of the songs we always used to sing was one by Canon Wī Huata of Ngāti Kahungunu. This song is always sung in Ngāti Kahungunu land. He was an Anglican minister and a military chaplain. I did not realise this but he wrote a song whilst he was with his family at Lake Tūtira north of Napier. The song—and I am sure even you have heard of it Mr Assistant Speaker—is “Tūtira mai ngā iwi”. I would ask you to sing a few verses but it will be all right—I will let you off. It goes something like this:Tūtira mai ngā iwiTātou tātou eTūtira mai ngā iwiTātou tātou eOh that is enough—that is enough. It might be matatini. I think that is a good song for today because it basically epitomises this bill with iwi working alongside local councils and ending up in Parliament to actually adjust how we do things and the relationship between all parties. If you did not know “Tūtira mai ngā iwi” means “Bring everybody together; line everybody together—all of us together.” So I think today it is a pretty appropriate occasion to sing that song. If you were to ask me to carry on Mr Assistant Speaker I would have but you did not so I will not.This bill is a modern-day application of those lyrics as I say with the council the iwi and the community lining up and coming together. The origins of this bill take us back to July 2010. At that time I am told Cabinet agreed to establish by legislation a planning committee of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. The Ngāti Pāhauwera deed of settlement committed the Crown to establishing a committee comprising equal numbers of council members and representatives of iwi to have input into natural resources planning processes that affect the region.Originally the legislation was to establish the Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee by Supplementary Order Paper to a Treaty settlement bill. However there was no suitable settlement legislation to which such an amendment could be applied. As a result this stand-alone Government bill has been drafted to establish the committee. The bill is necessary to ensure that post-settlement governance entities and Crown-mandated entities are entitled to appoint representatives. It is about recognising authority and sanctioning the iwi mandate. The bill also ensures that the committee cannot be disestablished unilaterally by the council despite the provision of schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2002.In practical terms the committee has been in operation as I understand it for over a year and each group has nominated and appointed its own representative to the committee. For this reason the bill provides for appointer rights to be extended to those iwi with Crown-recognised mandated entities as well as post-settlement governance entities. This gives legislative effect to the practical arrangements already in place. You would say that it is highly sensible and that it makes a nice change to see legislation taking account of the practical realities of the everyday context.The purpose of the committee to be established by this bill is to oversee the development and review of the regional policy statement and the regional plans for the Hawke’s Bay region which will be prepared in accordance with the Resource Management Act 1991. The broader intention behind all of this is to improve engagement between the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and iwi in relation to resource management matters. This is obviously going to be a contentious issue in the foreseeable future.The planning committee is an excellent example of tangata whenua and local government working together. The planning committee includes representatives of Hawke’s Bay Regional Council; Ngāti Pāhauwera; Maungaharuru-Tangitū who are also here; Mana Ahuriri Inc.; Ngāti Hineuru Iwi Inc.; Ngāti Ruapani; Te Tira Whakaemi o Te Wairoa; and Ngāti Tūwharetoa—which is a pretty big spread of iwi. Ngāi Tūhoe and He Toa Takitini also have the option to join.By introducing this bill in the House today we give effect to the commitment made by the Government in the Ngāti Pāhauwera deed of settlement. The bill goes one step further and represents the agreements recorded in the Maungaharuru-Tangitū hapū deed of settlement to work with iwi hapū and the council in order to agree on the detail of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee in order to introduce this legislation.This form of Treaty settlement redress is consistent with the Government’s overarching position on natural resource management and the settlement of historic Treaty settlement claims. So I believe that the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and local iwi are leading the way in the management of natural resources. I commend the vision and leadership of tangata whenua and this council in establishing the planning committee. I consider that the bill should proceed without delay to the Māori Affairs Committee and I commend this bill to the House. Tēnā tātou.MEKA WHAITIRI (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti):Ā tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Te Whare e tū nei ā tēnā koutou. Paritū ki runga Tūrakirae ki raro ngā roherohenga o tōku iwi Ngāti Kahungunu. Kahungunu ki uta Kahungunu ki tai Kahungunu ararau te hononga māreikura o Kahungunu Kahungunu Ringa-hora te mana o ōku whenua e mihi atu nei tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa.[Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker and acknowledgments to you the House before me collectively. The tribal boundaries of my Ngāti Kahungunu people extend to Paritū above and to Tūrakirae below. Kahungunu extends inland and shoreward. It is transient and of noble connections. Kahungunu begat of Ringa-hora is I prestige of my lands extending this greeting to you all so accolades salutations and congratulations.]It is my privilege to join in support of the first reading of this bill. Can I first acknowledge ōku rau rangatira o te hau kāinga kua tae mai haere mai nau mai piki mai ki tō tātau Whare. He mihi maioha he mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa. [Welcome to you my leaders of a hundred fold from back home. Welcome and ascend our House. It is with affection and warmth that I welcome you all.] I have to be on my best behaviour because I have got some kaumātua sitting up in the gallery and I do welcome them sincerely here to the first reading of this important bill. Like the previous speaker the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell I want to ensure that this bill goes through speedily to the select committee. I too want to stand in support of something that makes absolute sense where our people from home can assert their mana whenua and their tino rangatiratanga status particularly when it comes to local government. So I do want to acknowledge my wholehearted support for this bill.Can I pause just a wee bit to acknowledge the mihi that has gone out this morning for those who have lost dear ones. I too want to acknowledge the passing of Eru Thompson. I actually interviewed Eru for a job in Tainui many many years ago so I do have fond memories of him. I farewell him in his journey and my mihi goes to his whānau as well.Looking up in the gallery at my people from home I see my Uncle Bevan and I think of my Auntie Noreen Taylor. I want to acknowledge you uncle for being here and I particularly want to acknowledge the passing of Auntie Noreen who was a stellar person not only on our marae in Pātiki but for all the work she did in Kahungunu on behalf of our people. E mihi kau ana ki a koe ki a koutou katoa. [A prolonged acknowledgment is extended to you all.]I like other speakers are going to say on this bill want to ensure that the legislation that we are reading in the House today and at the select committee in time is fit for purpose and is future proof. When I look at the bill I particularly want to draw people’s attention to the preamble recitals (2) and (3). For the benefit of the people in the House recital (2) states: “In the Deed of Settlement dated 17 December 2010 between the Crown and Ngāti Pāhauwera the Crown committed to establish a committee comprised of an equal number of Council members and representatives of Treaty settlement claimant groups whose role would relate to natural resource planning processes that affect the region and include drafting and recommending to the Council plan and policy changes affecting natural resources in the region:”. When you turn your attention to the preamble recital (3) it then goes on to say: “The Deed of Settlement dated 25 May 2013 between the Crown and the Maungaharuru-Tangitū Hapū records that the trustees of the Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust the Council and other Hawke’s Bay iwi and hapū have agreed interim terms of reference for the committee that were adopted by the Council on 14 December 2011:”.When I read those two recitals I understand that the purpose of this bill is that tangata whenua mana whenua can exercise their rights at the table with the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. When I read these two particular recitals one—recital (2)—is of a very technical component. It talks about having an in-depth knowledge of the Resource Management Act and the technicalities that come through planning. That is what I get when I read recital (2). When I read recital (3) we look at all the Treaty settlement payment groups plus other Hawke’s Bay iwi. I know that the previous speaker acknowledged the make-up of the tangata whenua members of the regional planning committee. We have one member appointed from Maungaharuru-Tangitū. We have one member from Ngāti Pāhauwera. We have one member from Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua. I would like to think that Kahungunu was large enough to take over Tūhoe but we are not quite there yet. We have one member from the Ngati Tuwharetoa Hapu Forum Trust. We have one member from Mana Ahuri Inc. which is the hapū of Napier. We have one member appointed by Ngāti Hineuru which is on the Napier-Taupō road. We have one member appointed from Te Tira Whakaemi o Te Wairoa hōpūpū hōngenengene mā te tangirau. We have two members appointed from He Toa Takitini which is the Heretaunga to Tamatea—Hastings down to Central Hawke’s Bay—region. Of course what we are also seeking in terms of membership is one appointed by the appointer for Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana.I am more than happy that these listed members make up the Treaty settlement groups over which the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has jurisdiction but I cannot help but feel that there is a responsibility to have memberships that represent a completely iwi-wide perspective to ensure that that is not lost in the scheme of what we are passing in front of us. I will declare a conflict of interest being a former chief executive of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc. I am still a bit mystified as to what has gone on around the involvement at the table in terms of this meeting. I am sure it will come out in the select committee consideration. But my earlier points that I made in referencing those two recitals were around membership and capability.What I want to share with the House is a report that I have received from the environment and natural resources unit of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc. The breadth and cover of a two-person unit in terms of both the resourcing matters back in the Kahungunu rohe—like I said from Paritū down to Turakirae—the expertise and I guess knowledge of dealing at both a Resource Management Act level and from an iwi-wide perspective are lost in terms of the membership grouping that we are passing through the House in this bill. I guess what I am putting out there—and it will come up like I said through the select committee consideration—is the possibility of including the iwi-wide perspective in this arrangement to ensure that things like freshwater issues like marine protection and like developing capacity in terms of scientists at the local level are not lost.I want to be very clear for my whānau sitting in the gallery. This is not to say that the members whom we enlisted cannot do the job. The contribution I am making is to support this piece of legislation through capacity and through membership that can also put a wide-view lens on what are going to be really critical issues currently facing our people back home in Kahungunu Hawke’s Bay when it comes to fresh water when it comes to oil drilling and when it comes to marine farming and aquafarming. We need to be able to bring all our skills and capabilities to the fore. It is my pleasure to stand and support this bill prefaced on the fact that we need to employ all available skills and expertise to ensure that this bill is future proof fit for purpose and successful. Nō reira I commend this bill to the House.NUK KORAKO (National):Kia ora. E mihi atu ki a koutou katoa e ngā manuhiri a tuaraki ki a koe. Tēnā koutou katoa o ngā tuākana o Koukunu Mātakirau. E mihi tēnei nā raro i te puke tapu e kīia nei ko Te Poho o Tamatea Tuaraka o Te Wai Pounamu ngā mihi. E mihi atu ki a koe o Ngāi Pāhauwera. E mihi o te uri o Kahu o Te Raki ēnā mauka o Tāwhirirangi o te awa o Mōhaka ngā mihi.[Thank you. I acknowledge you all visitors from afar and you in particular. I salute you all elder siblings of Koukunu Mātakirau from beneath the sacred hillock referred to as the Bosom of Tamatea Tuaraka of the South Island greetings. I acknowledge you Ngāi Pāhauwera and relatives of Kahu of Te Raki of those mountains of Tāwhirirangi and of the river Mōhaka greetings.]I have been to your marae. You have a beautiful wharekai that looks like the Roman Colosseum—wonderful. Kia ora Toro. I have also taken a number of your kaumātua when we went across to North Africa Italy Gallipoli with D Company 28th Māori Battalion. Kia ora ngā mihi.Can I also acknowledge this truly incredible bill which really signifies the fact about kotahitanga. This bill the Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee Bill really does incorporate Māori and non-Māori in that whole area of collectiveness. What I want to do here is first of all to commend this bill to the House and also say that this bill is coming towards a journey that I am privileged to receive as the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee. We look forward to receiving this bill and sending it back to the House. Nō reira e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa kia ora.STUART NASH (Labour—Napier):Kia ora koutou Mr Assistant Speaker. It is with great pleasure that I rise to speak in support of this the Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee Bill. But before I do I would just like to acknowledge the distinguished tangata whenua represented on the committee that this bill gives effect to. Kia ora. Welcome. It is also with great pleasure that I find myself working very closely with someone of such quality passion energy and commitment as Meka Whaitiri. Miss Whaitiri and I are dedicated to working closely together on the issues that are important to the people of the East Coast to help find solutions to the problems that many in our communities are facing due to the tough economic times faced by the regions. Although there are a number of issues of absolutely vital importance there is the issue of sustainable economic development—of jobs for our people of creating opportunities for our communities. This paramount consideration is why I feel privileged to speak on this bill because I believe it is just part of the jigsaw that forms the whole puzzle around creating sustainable economic development.First of all in order to give credit where credit is due I stand and applaud the Hon Chris Finlayson and the dedication energy work and commitment that he has brought to this very important task of righting past wrongs. He did of course have extremely big shoes to fill following the Hon Sir Michael Cullen but luckily for New Zealand he also has extremely big feet. So the long march to redressing the injustices that started I believe under Norman Kirk continues unabated today.Even though this bill is called the Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee Bill I do not see it as being about giving effect to a committee but rather ratifying a partnership—a partnership between parties that will come together with a common purpose and that can teach and learn from one another. What I learnt in my role as forestry spokesperson across a whole range of consultation is that when it comes to land Pākehā often talk about ownership. That has more of a short-term focus. Māori speak of stewardship or kaitiakitanga. It is a beautiful word that we really do not have in the English language which is a shame because it embodies in one word the philosophy that I actually believe we should be practising in the 21st century. Although I had heard the word I did not really understand its meaning until I started talking to those for whom it is the only way. No one owns the land or the natural resources but rather people are custodians of the land for future generations. If we are good custodians then the land will be good to us. It will feed us it will provide employment for our families shelter and land to call home for our children and our children’s children. But most important sound stewardship of the land will allow future generations to reap the rewards that respect of any resource continues to provide. This is why I see this committee that this bill ratifies as a partnership. It can be a very important and powerful committee for change.Although it is of vital importance that the committee works well and that it is highly functional it is most important that the views of all those who seek a position upon the board are respected. This legislation sets out the bones for this but it is only words. Success will be defined by actions. There are issues around resource management like the dam like fracking like fish stocks and like water quality for example that this committee should work collaboratively on—come up with solutions but teach each other learn from one another. Only when we work together and marry 21st century legislative requirements with a growing awareness that we are in fact only stewards of this wonderful land will we ever be able to move forward as a nation and as a region. Out of this I see only opportunities coming out of partnership and meaningful collaboration. I see a region where there are plentiful jobs and thriving industries and engaged communities and healthy children and engaged whānau. I see a region where there is a pride that comes from knowing that together we are stronger and we can achieve anything.So my key message really is that for a vision to be realised we must first understand that we all have something important to offer and lessons to learn and teachings to give. This bill is one of the many steps to a future where we all work together to realise the region’s potential for current and future generations. It is a future based on mutual respect and trust based on kaitiakitanga. Thank you very much.JOANNE HAYES (Third Whip—National):I seek leave for this debate on the Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee Bill to continue into the lunch adjournment if necessary.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): To continue beyond the lunch adjournment?Joanne Hayes: Yes beyond.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is no objection.MARAMA FOX (Co-Leader—Māori Party):Ā tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. Tuatahi kei te hiahia au ki te whakatakoto ki te whakapuaki i tētahi o ngā karakia o te kāinga o Ngāti Porou o Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Wairarapa. “Mai i rara rā mai i rara rā mai i rara rā te rangi runga nei mai i rara rā te papa i raro nei mai i rara rā Te Kāhui Ariki Te Kahui Tipua Te Kāhui Tauira. Tuku ana tuku ana tuku ana Te Reo kia rere. Tuku ana te kupu kia taka tuku ana te take kia mau ū e hā ū e hā! Ū e hā nuku ū e hā rangi ū e hā Tāne-nui-ā-Rangi Tāne Whakapiripiri nāna te rangi i runga nei i toko kia tū hāhā kia tū kē ana nuku kia tū kē āna rangi. Ka tangi te hau ka matao ka ao ka awatea tihei mauri ora!” E tika ana kia mihi ki a koutou ōku pou ōku rahi ngā hākui ngā hākoro o te kāinga me kī te kāinga. He hononga tā mātau o Te Wairarapa ko koutou tēnā i tiaki i manaaki i a mātau i rere atu ki Te Māhia ki Nukutaurua i a mātau i rere atu. Nā reira tēnā te hononga o Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairarapa. Koi nei au e tuku mihi atu ki a koutou e haere ā-tinana mai ki te whakarongo ā-taringa kia kite ā-karu kia rongo ā-wairua hoki nā reira tēnei te mihi mahana te mihi matakuikui ki a koutou katoa.[Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. In the first instance I want to commence by reciting one of the incantations from back home from Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Kahungunu to the Wairarapa. “From beyond the heavenly realm above and the earth below from the cluster of aristocracy supernatural and the pre-ordained allow the language unfettered license to flow. Allow the word to roam at large and the matter to be comprehended and fixed firmly. Breathe it repeatedly and extensively Tāne-nui-a-Rangi and Tāne Whakapiripiri the one who propped up the heavenly realm above so that its numberless heavens above it stood resolutely. The wind screams extreme cold takes hold day dawns day light comes and behold the breath of life!” It is fitting that I acknowledge you my support pillars my many my elderly women and menfolk from back home let’s say the real home. We of the Wairarapa have connections with you who looked after and helped us when we left home and travelled that way to Te Māhia then on to Nukutaurua. So the connection of Ngāti Kahungunu to Te Wairarapa was forged that way. This then is the reason why I am extending this welcome to you collectively who came here personally to hear see and experience the spirituality of the occasion. And so I acknowledge you all with a warming and joyful thank you.]I am pleased to be able to stand in support of the first reading of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee Bill. It makes me proud to come from Ikaroa-Rāwhiti when we are in this House today debating the fact that the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and local iwi are leading the way in the management of natural resources.Actually “debate” is the wrong word. In reality the relationship between the regional council and the iwi represents a joint approach to planning in Hawke’s Bay—a weaving-together. Indeed as my colleague the Minister for Māori Development noted so well in his melodic rendition of “Tūtira mai ngā iwi”—because that is how we do it in the Māori Party and I want to mihi to him—it expresses the unity needed and the unity that this bill outlines. I want to mihi to the whānau hapū and iwi of Ngāti Pāhauwera Maungaharuru-Tangitū Inc. Mana Ahuriri Inc. Ngāti Hineuru Iwi Inc. Ngāti Ruapani Te Tira Whakaemi o Te Wairoa Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāi Tūhoe. He Toa Takitini also have the option to join in.The planning committee is a benchmark model of tangata whenua and local government working together—a wonderfully vibrant concept of all parties coming together to focus on what they can do together to create a prosperous economy and a clean and healthy environment now and for future generations.The irony of the timeliness around this bill of course is that while we in the Māori Party are struggling and trying to delay the process of the Resource Management Act because we have been concerned that developments were compromising the integrity of kaitiakitanga here our people are just getting out and boldly taking on those challenges to show us that when we recognise Māori as value added as the local authorities have done here—that is as an asset and not a deficit—then we can boldly work together to realise true ambi-cultural nationhood and protect our taonga together.The Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee Bill provides tangible living proof that tangata whenua are kaitiaki or guardians of the region’s natural resources and have a key role in the way that resources are managed both now and in the future. It shows on paper and in practice that new partnerships are possible between tangata whenua and regional councils. Through the committee iwi will be able to contribute towards planning for the use of natural resources and environmental outcomes through regional plans and regional policy statements.Why is this important? Essentially it shows us that Treaty partnerships can be actioned and honoured through engagement and consultation. But it is also about practical ways of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of planning in the regions.I want to share a comment that came from the report from Toro Waaka co-chair of the regional planning committee. It says: “The integration of tāngata whenua perspectives into the region’s planning and policy has provided tāngata whenua with a vehicle to fulfil their role as Kaitiaki of the region’s resources. The committee is committed to develop plans and policies to provide for current needs as well as promote sustainable environmental outcomes for future generations.”I have to contrast what we have seen in the Hawke’s Bay with some of the public outrage associated with the proposed Auckland Unitary Plan provisions concerning mana whenua. The Māori Party believes that we must always balance any changes associated with lifting economic gains with the responsibilities that come from kaitiakitanga. “Balance” is the operative word. When we know that only 0.33 percent of all resource consents submitted to the Auckland Council triggered the provision to consult mana whenua it provides a sense of perspective about the costs of cultural assessment. We are talking about just 200 out of 6000 resource consents that were required to undertake that consultation and of those 200 only 20 were declined.It is all a matter of perspective. In the Hawke’s Bay the balance is far more genuine in my humble Ikaroa-Rāwhiti opinion. With an equal number of regional councillors and tangata whenua group representatives the planning committee is the co-governance group for the management of natural and physical resources in the Hawke’s Bay. The focus is consistently driven by the need to ensure better planning processes and ultimately better outcomes for Hawke’s Bay.The committee is chaired under a dual chairmanship agreement with the chairman of the regional council and a nominated tangata whenua representative Mr Toro Waaka. The other novel feature of the committee is that decisions are made with at least 80 percent consensus rather than a 50 percent majority with the chair’s casting vote. Members of the committee particularly tangata whenua can therefore undertake long-term planning that spans multiple years.When the Māori Party took its manifesto to the people this year a big focus of our environmental policy was on kaitiakitanga reviving the role of kaitiaki for whanau hapū and iwi. As Māori we have a kaitiaki or guardianship role of our natural resources based on the spiritual and cultural relationship we have always had with the environment. In that respect Māori are the true Greens. Māori therefore have a crucial role in the management of these resources including our rivers mountains and national parks. It is our responsibility and right to protect restore and enhance the environment.What we see here today is in fact a true ambi-cultural nation and a true partnership in action. It shows that we as Māori can be true Treaty partners and work in collaboration with our local governments. When that is recognised across this nation then we will truly go forward. I have no hesitation in supporting this bill for our people and for our country. Tēnā koe.DAVID CLENDON (Green):Ko te mihi o te rā ki a koutou. I am pleased to take a short call on behalf of the Greens on this Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee Bill. It is not an unusual bill but it is one that is not typical in the context of Treaty settlements. As we know of course it establishes a statutory body with equal numbers of tangata whenua and council appointees that will develop review and oversee the regional plans and regional policy statements for that area.We see this in a positive light. It is an expression of something closer to co-governance rather than simply co-management. Tangata whenua will take their rightful place at the position where key decisions are made and where the significant shape and scoping out of what this area this rohe will look like in the future will be decided. That is as it should be and that is entirely appropriate.It is fair to say that in an ideal world this bill would not be necessary. In a former life I was an academic and researcher around resource management planning issues and I know very well that in the late 1980s there was a long and quite deep conversation in New Zealand about land management planning and managing our natural resources. We had something of a muddle of legislation and town and country planning laws. Rivers were managed as if they had no relationship with land and vice versa. It was an entirely unsatisfactory and unhelpful set of rules regulations and indeed institutions that sought to manage land water and the environment generally.Out of that conversation in the 1980s of course evolved the Resource Management Act. Māori were active participants in the conversations and the development of the Resource Management Act. I think there was some sense of celebration that in the Act as it emerged finally in 1991 right up there in section 6 “Matters of national importance” it is required that everybody exercising power and functions under the Act should “recognise and provide for” among other things “the relationship of Maori and their culture and traditions with their ancestral lands water sites waahi tapu and other taonga:”. There is also the “protection of protected customary rights.” This is language we had never before seen in legislation of this nature and it was seen as a significant step forward.Similarly in section 7 persons exercising functions and responsibilities shall have particular regard to “kaitiakitanga:” and to the “intrinsic values of ecosystems:”. Kaitiakitanga of course is a uniquely Māori concept. It is a bundle of rights and responsibilities exercised by mana whenua. Intrinsic value is a Western concept that reflects very clearly the Māori notion that the whenua has an identity of its own in its own right irrespective of any identity we might place on it.Section 8 of the Act of course requires people to “take into account the principles of” Te Tiriti o Waitangi a somewhat weaker provision but nevertheless one that was rightly celebrated at the time.In a sense it is an unfortunate reflection on how the application and the implementation of the Resource Management Act over the 20 years - plus has wound out that indeed here in 2014 we are obliged to establish a stand-alone statutory body to ensure there is a strong Māori voice in decision making around resource management and around the future of the land the awa and indeed the communities. So I see this as a positive step but in a sense I also regret that we have taken so long. We have had legislation that potentially empowers iwi and hapū to be involved actively and in a very important and significant way in resource management decisions. I think we have collectively failed to maximise that opportunity—that potential—within the Resource Management Act provisions.Nevertheless this is as I say a good piece of legislation. I must reflect on the fact that my colleague Catherine Delahunty has today in fact been engaging and talking with the iwi authority of Ngāti Kahungunu. She is hearing some concerns voiced about the legislation and about the level of engagement with Kahungunu. I would hope that as this bill progresses that will be acknowledged and some of that put right. I am hearing this only second-hand but I am seeing my colleague Marama Fox nodding here—and her insight into Ngāti Kahungunu affairs would be significantly greater than mine—so one hopes that that oversight will be seen to as this bill progresses.On that point as I say I reiterate that the Greens are happy to support this legislation and look forward to ensuring that Māoridom has a rightful place in decision making in the Hawke’s Bay region. Kia ora.PITA PARAONE (NZ First):Ā tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker tēnā anō tātou. Koutou ngā manuhiri ngā kairīwhi o ngā rōpū i ’hakararangitia i roto i te pire nei e tū wāhi poto tēnei ki te tautoko ngā mihi i mihingia e tō tātou Minita mō ngā Take Māori ki a koutou ki te hou mai nei i roto i tēnei Whare. Nā reira tēnā koutou.[Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker and greetings to us once again. Acknowledgments to you the visitors and to those of you filling in for your parties and lauded in this bill. This is but a short call to endorse the tributes accorded by our Minister of Māori Development to you who came into this House. So greetings to you collectively.]I stand on behalf of New Zealand First to first of all indicate our support for this bill going to the Māori Affairs Committee. In doing so we certainly support the intent of it. The fact that this planning committee has already been in existence for a wee while now does beg the question as to why we should have legislation. It also begs the question why there is a clause in the bill that says that the committee once this bill is passed is to meet. The question that arises for me is what the position of those decisions made by the committee leading up to the introduction of this bill is. I have no doubt that during the select committee process that question will be answered.I think that the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and the respective groups that are listed in the bill should be commended for the approach they have taken to addressing these issues within their rohe. It does raise another question for us in New Zealand First if you consider the signals that the Government is making the intent in respect of the Resource Management Act. I just wonder whether or not the intended changes to that piece of legislation may mean that we are setting up a committee that probably could become toothless so to speak in that the very concerns that two parties particularly may have—tangata whenua and the regional council—may be removed from the original Resource Management Act. Again the select committee process is an opportunity for us to hear not only from officials but from the regional council and those iwi groups that are listed in this bill.The fact is though that this is part of a Treaty settlement and I think the Government needs to be congratulated on accepting this process. I just want to say to our relations in Ngāti Kahungunu that we from Te Tai Tokerau—and there are a number of us in this House—feel obliged that we should support our relatives albeit that they left us some centuries ago left us bereft and today we are still settling our Treaty claims while you progress. Tēnā pea tukuna mai he aroha ki a mātou o Te Tai Tokerau kia hoki mai ki te kāinga. Kia ahatia? Kia ahatia? Ko te mea nui kua tau kē tēnei pire. Nā koutou e hiahia ana kia kite atu i te ’hakamana o tēnei pire hei ture. Nā reira ki ā mātou i roto o Aotearoa Tuatahi e tū kaha ana ki te tautoko i tā koutou hiahia.[Perhaps you might consider cutting us of Northland a bit of slack by saying come home to do what to achieve what? The important thing is that this bill has been settled. You wanted this bill enacted. Therefore to us of New Zealand First we strongly endorse your wish.]Again this is just a short call. I commend this bill to the House.RINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga):Ā e Te Mana Whakawā tēnā koe. E aku rangatira ngā manuhiri tuārangi nō Te Tai Rāwhiti kua hara mai nei i roto tēnei Whare Pāremata tēnā koutou tēnā koutou. Nau mai haere mai ki Te Ana o ngā Raiona e takatū nei. E rau rangatira mā huri rauna i tēnei Whare tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.[Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. To you my leaders and visitors from the East Coast who have arrived here in Parliament House greetings and acknowledgments to you collectively. Welcome draw closer to the lion’s den waiting here in readiness and accolades acknowledgments collectively to you my leaders of a hundredfold throughout this House and to us all.]I am delighted to speak in the first reading of this bill and also to round off the contributions from the Labour Party today. We wholeheartedly support this bill. Like all of these extended sittings these are historic sessions in Parliament and I do acknowledge our iwi from Te Tai Tokerau who have been here today for their first readings.I am reminded as we consider this bill of the great Minister of Māori Affairs in the third Labour Government the Hon Matiu Rata who initiated through the passage of Te Tiriti o Waitangi Act back in the mid-1970s this modern era of Treaty settlements that we are part of today. I do acknowledge him and especially because of his iwi Te Hiku o Te Ika who are here today to have the first reading of their bill. It is a very historic occasion.As I turn to this bill I am making only a short contribution but can I firstly acknowledge all of the rōpū who are part of the committee that will be formally constituted through the passage of this legislation. I acknowledge my whanaunga from Ngāti Pāhauwera and I see Toro Waaka up there who through the passage of the Pāhauwera settlements basically initiated the formation of this committee. That was also affirmed by Maungaharuru-Tangitū and I see Tānia and Bevan there as well—representatives from that.We are in the 51st Parliament now but highlights for me in the 50th Parliament were definitely the passage of so many pieces of settlement legislation and I do acknowledge the Minister and all the work that we do as members of the Māori Affairs Committee. During the 50th Parliament we saw the passage of the settlements of Ngāti Pāhauwera Maungaharuru-Tangitū and also the Te Urewera-Tūhoe settlement as well. They are all represented as members of this committee.This bill is about increasing Māori—hapū—involvement in natural resource decision-making. As I acknowledged through the instigation of the Treaty of Waitangi settlements in this modern era we are seeing a whole lot of unique configurations of joint management advisory committees—all sorts of different joint decision-making bodies in the local government space. I do commend that. I have got a very big electorate but if I look to the south we have got Ngāi Tahu and our regional groupings which we have for instance down in Murihiku or in the Canterbury region where they work very closely with the local authorities of those regions. I also acknowledge the Greater Wellington Regional Council which had its own self-initiated bespoke committee that was created Te Upoko Taiao—and I do acknowledge the Hon Fran Wilde who is in the House here today. I know that might not be in accordance with the Standing Orders but I do acknowledge the Hon Fran Wilde for her work with the Greater Wellington Regional Council.We are seeing the proliferation—and it is a wonderful thing—of these joint management bodies right around Aotearoa. From the north to the south east to the west local authorities are working with mana whenua with hapū and with iwi on resource management decision-making processes and long may it continue. Long may it continue. I guess our Māori aspirations as we have mentioned throughout our kōrero today are for tino rangatiratanga. We want an equal say. We do want an equal say. We want that partnership in natural resource management and we do want to influence the way that decisions are reached. These committees that are created such as the committee under this bill are a way and a means for our being able to express that partnership that kaitiakitanga those aspirations that we have. But this is given meaningful effect—meaningful effect—through this legislation.I do want to acknowledge the points made by my whanaunga nō te nōta Mr Paraone. I think he did raise some interesting points around the validity of decision making given that the committee has been operating for I guess over a year now and I am sure that those matters can be easily sorted out with us at the select committee level.I do also note the contributions from our fine member for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti Meka Whaitiri regarding the exclusion of the Ngāti Kahungunu iwi incorporated body. Given that this bill does encompass the Hawke’s Bay regional planning and the regional council which not only takes into account the land but takes into account water and the coastal and marine environment and given that Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc. is a mandated iwi authority for the purposes of fisheries matters in terms of the fisheries settlement—and I know that they have had applications that they have made for marine farming out on the coast there—there should be consideration given to their inclusion in this bill perhaps to make sure. Although I know that Ngāti Kahungunu is completely represented as well through the representation of all the hapū that together make up the wonderful iwi of Ngāti Kahungunu. So there are issues that we will consider at the select committee. I am looking forward to working with my other whanaunga Nuk Korako from Te Wai Pounamu Ngāi Tahu whānui and other members on those particular matters.Just to conclude my contribution today I did enjoy the contribution from the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell with his melodic utterance of the beautiful waiata from another whanaunga of mine from Ngāti Pāhauwera Canon Wī Huata who penned that wonderful tune. What a wonderful kaumātua he was. I do have fond memories as a little boy going up to Mōhaka and seeing him in full flight.For the record and just to complete my contribution the words of that waiata “Tūtira mai ngā iwi” are very very apt for our kōrero our deliberation on these bills this morning. But what I wanted to do is just for the record of Hansard correct a really common faux pas. There is an extra word that has been brought into one of the lines of “Tūtira mai ngā iwi”. For the life of me—it should not be there. It is “kia tapatahi”. The last few lines go: “Kia tapatahi Kia kotahi rā Tātou tātou e”. When I grew up we added a “ko” in there: “Kia ko tapatahi.” That “ko” should not be there and I have that on direct authority from the Huata whānau. So for the record of Hansard and for the benefit of Aotearoa for those people tuning in I want to ask that we remove that little “ko” that crept into that line.Louisa Wall: Sing the line Rino.RINO TIRIKATENE: OK I will have to call on my tuahine here to join me. Let us do the whole lot and then we will round it off:Tūtira mai ngā iwiTātou tātou eTūtira mai ngā iwiTātou tātou eWhaia te māramatangaMe te arohaE ngā iwiKia tapatahiKia kotahi rāTātou tātou eKia ora Mr Assistant Speaker. Tēnā koutou katoa.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): I am going to call the Hon Craig Foss and see whether he can match that.Hon CRAIG FOSS (Minister for Small Business):Ha ha! I have just learnt that it is very obvious the Huata connection there—not only in size and stature but with the voice. So there you go. It is so obvious now as I look across the House.Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. Can I please acknowledge not only the wonderful passionate driven professional people from Hawke’s Bay in the gallery here today representing various iwi but also our regional council. I notice the seating arrangements up there in the gallery are very significant. I do not know whether you are meant to be wrapped around as you are but I see it as quite significant.Can I also acknowledge a great friend and a fine man who I am sure is here with us in spirit but would love to be here physically with us and that is the Hon Parekura Horomia who was from Ikaroa-Rāwhiti and had been engaged right from the start in all of these discussions. The bit we always loved in discussions on these type of Treaty-related legislation—particularly we as the National Party—was when Parekura would get up and give us a good clap and show his true colours in support of the things that we are doing. But jokes aside I acknowledge the Hon Parekura Horomia who I know would love to actually be here.Hawke’s Bay continues to lead the way across New Zealand once again—Ranfurly Shield country. For the record: Ranfurly Shield country continues to lead the way—Hawke’s Bay. These are such exciting times for not only our country but particularly across all of Hawke’s Bay and particularly those Kahungunu areas.Can I just acknowledge the origins of this particular bill. I recall having discussions with the Hon Chris Finlayson and Fran Wilde 3 years or so ago or maybe 4 years ago about how to find ways through some of the challenges in Hawke’s Bay. There were some quite tense discussions—robust discussions I think we call them these days—but the right outcome was had. To the surprise of many I think where we have landed today it was you know not a big deal—no marches—but simply the right landing pad was found and the right people were involved. There were good solutions. Courage was shown by all parties involved to legitimise what should have been happening and what was starting to happen anyway. Ms Wilde and my colleague the Hon Chris Finlayson were just working to find ways through to where we are today and that has to be acknowledged I would suggest. The collaborative model that we have found—the cooperative consultative cohesive model that we have found—is an absolute credit to everyone who has been involved in this bill’s finding its way to where it is now. In the processes and the other various deed settlement processes leading up to it we should acknowledge all of those who were involved. Many are not here and many are no longer here but all of them shared the same drive and passion just to simply do the right thing.It is a very very exciting time for Hawke’s Bay as I have said. We have many Treaty settlements. They are long overdue I am sure but they are coming to fruition now. Some have been finalised and many are very close. It is such an exciting time for Hawke’s Bay. I acknowledge the courage and the professionalism of the many who are involved in starting to address some of the new challenges we will have as to what will happen in and around settlements be they to do with governance or be they to do with various assets and things like that within the region of Hawke’s Bay. It is such an exciting place. Did I mention we have the Ranfurly Shield? I think I will mention it just to get it on the record again.There are lessons to be learnt for the rest of New Zealand here today as to how we have got to this point. Yes I acknowledge that the bill will of course have to go through a select committee but there are many lessons to be learnt and I could bravely suggest again that in this process the radicals were ignored and good people got on with the job of finding a solution through quite tortuous areas. And throughout this process remember we had quite a few issues in and around water at a central government level and more and more at a local government level across Hawke’s Bay but again I just cannot say enough about the group that has got together and achieved this bill here today. So I guess where we have arrived so far and where we hopefully will continue simply would not have been possible whatsoever without the mana the courage the integrity the professionalism the bravery the openness and the honesty of many people here in the gallery today many others who have passed before them and many who are back home watching and listening to this. Of course I include in that our Hawke’s Bay Regional Council—both the councillors and the executive—for finding a very courageous way through that will set the path for the rest of New Zealand. Thank you.Bill read a first time.Bill referred to the Māori Affairs Committee.WaiataThe House adjourned at 12.50 p.m. (Wednesday)