Mahuta Nanaia: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — First Reading 
Mahuta Nanaia: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:650;Page:19166] 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister of Customs) 
: 
Ka matakitaki iho au ki te riu o Waikato 
Ano nei he kapok au ake maku 
Ki te kapu o taku ringa 
Ka whakamiri noa i tona aratau 
E tia nei he tupu kua hou 
Ke hiwa ake ki te tihi o Pirongia 
Ina he toronga whakaruruhau mona 
Ki toku tauawhiritanga 
Ana! Te ngoto o tona ngawha i ona uma kihai i arikarika 
A Maungatautari a Maungakawa 
Oku puke maunga nga taonga tuku iho. 
Hoki ake nei au ki toku awa koiora me ona pikonga 
He kura tangihia o te matamuri 
E whakawhiti atu ai i te kopu mania o Kirikiriroa 
Me ona mara kai te ngawha whakatupu ake o te whenua momona 
Hei kawe ki Ngaruawahia te huinga o te tangata 
Ata te pae haumako hei okiokinga mo taku upoko 
Hei tirohanga atu ma raro i nga huha o Taupiri 
Kei reira ra kei te orokohanganga o te tangata 
Wahia te tungaroa o te whare te whakaputanga mo te Kingi. 
I look down on the valley of Waikato 
As though to hold it in the hollow of my hand 
And caress its beauty 
Like some tender verdant thing 
I reach out from the top of Pirongia 
As though to cover and protect its substance with my own 
See how it bursts through the full bosoms of Maungatautari and Maungakawa 
Hills of my inheritance 
The river of life each curve more beautiful than the last  
Across the smooth belly of Kirikiriroa 
Its gardens bursting with the fullness of good things. 
Towards the meeting place at Ngaruawahia 
There on the fertile mound I would rest my head and look through the thighs of Taupiri 
There at the place of all creation 
Let the King come forth. 
I preface my remarks with a maioha from Tawhiao with his reflections on his absolute reverence for his territory: its lands mountains sacred places and indeed the Waikato River which was then full of abundance. On reflection I am certainly mindful that his reign followed a period of severe trauma with the confiscation of 1.2 million hectares of land. Yet the hope and vision to see the restoration of what was lost became a powerful symbol of unity and purpose for the Kingitanga movement that has endured to this day. 
It is a privilege to be speaking in this House on the first reading of the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill. I pay homage to those who have gone before us who carried the struggle of the raupatu—the unjust and illegal confiscation of Waikato lands and resources—in search of redress. In particular I acknowledge the leadership of Te Atairangikaahu and Te Kotahi Mahuta who like Te Puea before them weathered the brunt of the vision to move the people beyond grievance and towards reconciliation. So too do I acknowledge the former members of the Tainui Maori Trust Board and Nga Marae Topu who lodged the initial Wai 30 claim in 1987. That leadership was put to the test in the public and more private aspects of their lives. Their decisiveness and determination certainly made this path an easier one to follow. There have been ups and downs but just as the proverb says a lot of water has gone under the bridge. Time has played its part. 
We are now moving forward on one of the four recognised outstanding claims linked to the earlier 1995 Waikato Raupatu Claims Settlement Act which I might add was assented to by Queen Elizabeth II in person. In that regard an explicit statement on the river is included in the deed of settlement where the Crown acknowledges that its invasion of the Waikato in 1863 was by land and by the Waikato River which was a double blow to Waikato-Tainui as by the raupatu the Crown assumed authority over both the land and the river. The effect of recognition of this fact is twofold. It reinforces a travesty of our colonial history and it legitimates the purpose and authority of the Kingitanga which has acted as a beacon for the aspirations of “te mana motuhake o te iwi Maori”. It is within this context that the approach taken by the previous and current negotiators can be understood. It gives insight to the significance of the Kiingitanga Accord contained in the bill. 
First there is recognition that the Waikato River is an indivisible entity. Its waters its banks its riverbed its fisheries vegetation and life source are component parts of the whole. That recognition of “mana o te awa” extends from Te Hukahuka near Taupo to Te Puaha o Waikato. That mana is reflected by a korowai that seeks to protect and restore the health and well-being of the river. The aphorism “Ko Waikato te awa ko Te Wherowhero te tangata he piko he taniwha he piko he taniwha” [ 
Waikato is the river Te Wherowhero is the man at every bend a chief 
] holds true to this day and it is expressed in the recognition that all iwi along the reaches of the river have an interest and role to play for the long term. I acknowledge Tuwharetoa Te Arawa the people at Pouakani Raukawa and Maniapoto who alongside the peoples of Waikato have supported this intent and in time hope to see its full fruition. The Guardians of the Waikato River and the vision and strategy deployed by them are key. I hope the Maori Affairs Committee will give some thought to ensuring that the legislative mechanisms are able to achieve consistency across other legislation impinging on the current and future management of the river. 
Second the bill provides for a co-management approach to rekindle the aspirations of Waikato to retain and continue a hands-on relationship in order to clean up the river and its tributaries and to contribute to decision making that impacts on the river. One would hope that the instruments used to strengthen co-management practices will in time see a greater willingness to use existing mechanisms such as sections 33 and 34 of the Resource Management Act. I am mindful that best practice and new technology should aid Waikato to improve the health and well-being of the river. However we should expect further regulatory mechanisms to accelerate that effort and I look forward to the future work of the statutory board. 
The settlement and its legislation will transform New Zealanders’ approach to achieving the goals of sustainability of our waterways alongside Maori. At a practical level back home where it really matters the benefits are intended to be for example greater protection and sustainable management of whitebait and fisheries interests in Te Puaha o Waikato; regeneration and preservation of eel resources in the Waikato catchment; bank stabilisation and flood protection of tributaries and along the Waikato; improved monitoring of water quality the setting of water allocation and ecological flows; support for science and matauranga Maori research to improve land-based practices especially in the agricultural sector; encouragement for marae to become involved in local projects to enhance the health and well-being of the river that will potentially create employment opportunities; and that our young people utilise this action as a learning model to broaden their experience and career choices. These are but some of the practical benefits. 
I expect that the select committee may be tasked with considering issues of mandate. It may also be asked to consider the recognition of interests in the upper catchment that are not captured in this bill or in those of other iwi. I am confident as the local MP of Tainui that the process undertaken to get to this point is robust. The detail of it can be explored at the select committee. As the local MP and the Minister of Local Government I am particularly pleased that both central government and local government are locked into this agreement alongside Waikato-Tainui. Everyone has a part to play. In no way do I underestimate the magnitude of this task. I expect ebbs flows and torrential currents along the way. Our major focus however must be an outcome beyond our generation and for everyone’s benefit. I know that Waikato-Tainui are not going anywhere and that is the extent of their commitment. 
I want to thank Dr Michael Cullen who has shown personal commitment to this and other Treaty settlements to ensure that Maori can walk confidently into the future. I thank both Ministers Horomia and Ririnui for their support and I also thank Maori members across the House for their support. I hope that the bill in both its first and third readings will pass unanimously. 
Finally I recognise the tenacity and conviction of the principal negotiators Raiha Mahuta and Tuku Morgan; and their negotiating team led by Denese Henare Shane Solomon and Donna Flavell; and the kaumatua who have walked with them to achieve this outcome. Like the raupatu settlement the real gains of this river settlement will be realised only in hindsight. A great deal has been achieved and there will be more to do! I am proud that a Labour-led Government is prepared to move into new territory through this settlement. 
Can I end with the words of the late Te Kotahi Mahuta. To put them in context in 1999 when Doug Graham gave a speech “Treaty Negotiations in New Zealand” he made the point that the Government did not accept that Maori had an interest in rivers and lakes akin to ownership. To that the late Te Kotahi Mahuta said: “We are not concerned about ownership of the River but rather its present and future health … Everyone seems to have abdicated responsibility for ensuring the health of the River and thus this is the main thrust of the claim. The sole and principal beneficiary of the claim must be the River. … Our principal objective is to clean up the river from the Huka falls down to Port Waikato so that its health might be restored to enable all people to enjoy the fishing recreational and other activities associated with the Waikato River.” 
No reira kati ra koi nei nga whakaaro mo toku awa koiora. Pai Marire. 
[ 
So enough; these then are thoughts relating to my river that lives. Goodness and peace. 
]