Tirikatene Rino: Raukawa Claims Settlement Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTirikatene Rino: Raukawa Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 12 March 2014. Volume:697;Page:16663. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]RINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga):Ā tēnā koe Mr Deputy Speaker. Ngāti Raukawa tēnā koutou nau mai haere mai ki te Whare Paremata e takatū nei ki te whakatutuki i ngā wawata o rātou mā. Huri noa ki ngā rangatira o te Whare tēnā koutou tēnā koutou ā tēnā tātou katoa.[Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker. To the Raukawa tribe greetings and welcome to you collectively. Welcome to Parliament House standing here in readiness to fulfil the aspirations of those who have long gone. And greetings to you leaders throughout the House salutations and acknowledgments to you collectively and to us all.]I am delighted to be able to speak at this final reading of the Raukawa Claims Settlement Bill I come from the South Island. We are in the process of doing a lot of settlements in the south and my own iwi of Ngāi Tahu were first off the block. I have marvelled really at being able to be part of it within my own iwi but also some 15-plus years on now to see the developments that have taken place as a result of the Treaty settlements. I know that Ngāti Raukawa have a very exciting future ahead of them.In my earlier speeches I have spoken about the historical accounts and the heinous acts that were inflicted upon Ngāti Raukawa. Ngāti Raukawa were drawn into conflicts when going to the aid of their cousins in the Waikato wars and in the Tauranga wars and as a result of that they were largely left landless had all their rights stripped and were really just left with not much at all. In fact in the 1800s and 1900s Ngāti Raukawa were not even acknowledged as an iwi; they were included just as a hapū of Waikato-Tainui. So I am very humbled to be able to stand here today to acknowledge this iwi of Ngāti Raukawa and all of the kaumātua and all of their talented people who have been involved in negotiating and getting this settlement to this final home run stretch. It is a great honour.I look at the quantum amounts of the settlements and I mentioned in my earlier speech the generosity that the negotiators of all iwi have shown. We know that the Treaty pūtea is quite limited but in terms of reparations there really can be no equivalent reparation for the loss and the mamae that have been inflicted upon iwi throughout the motu. We just had a very small amount for one of the iwis from Te Arawa earlier this morning—all three in fact. I contrast that as I do with “Ngāti South Canterbury Finance” and the $1.2 billion—$1200 million—going to that “iwi” down there and its “hapū” of investors although do not tell my Ngāi Tahu whanaunga about that. For “Ngāti South Canterbury Finance” when it comes to down to it there is pūtea there when it needs it.I do acknowledge the graciousness of this iwi Ngāti Raukawa who have accepted this and worked hard to come to this point with their settlement. It does include a lot of complexities. I am from the south so I do not quite know all the arrangements with all of their cousins around their immediate vicinity but I know that they have worked very hard to be able to get to this point and I acknowledge them for that.I mentioned at the start of my speech the contribution that Māori and particularly iwi settlements are making to the Māori economy. I am really looking forward to the contribution that Ngāti Raukawa will make from this settlement to the Māori economy which is entering a golden age as has been expressed by ANZ bank I believe. It is an exciting time. If you do look around the central North Island in particular with all of the agribusiness geothermal generation and all the other work the ability for Māori landowners and for recapitalised iwi groups to harness those opportunities that they have really is exciting. I was with my own folks down south just last week. They have got some very big plans down there in terms of dairy expansion throughout the South Island. It blew my mind in terms of what is happening right across Aotearoa when you look at the Māori economic space. Not enough attention is really paid to it.It really is under the radar but there are some phenomenal organisations out there and I know that Ngāti Raukawa is right in amongst those ranks with the talented people that they have leading their iwi particularly through this settlement. I do acknowledge Vanessa Eparaima. I met Vanessa only briefly when I attended the Māori Affairs Committee but I was just very impressed with the very highly capable crew that they had there and also Chris McKenzie. I know he is gunning for Te Tai Hauāuru but our man Adrian might have another—we will see who has the last word there. But I do acknowledge Chris McKenzie also and his contribution that he has made towards this settlement.There is a lot of history a lot of mamae a lot of sweat and tears and anguish and huis and more huis and I do want to acknowledge those in that process who are not here today to celebrate. I know that there will be many karaua and kuia who have passed on. We also use these occasions to remember them. As we say: “Āpiti hōno tātai hōno rātou te hunga mate ki a rātou tātou te hunga ora ki a tātou.” We bind together and we acknowledge all those who are not here those who have passed on and us here the living.So I really do not have too much to add. I could have read out a whole lot of historical notes but read my speeches from the first and second readings. It is all in there—that taniwha General Cameron. Oh boy he was a bad bugger—he was a bad bugger. Excuse me. But yes we are here to celebrate Ngāti Raukawa and their fantastic achievements in this settlement. I just want to wish them all the very best for a prosperous future and may they add more of that golden glow to the Māori economy. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.