Ririnui Mita: Whakarewarewa and Roto-a-Tamaheke Vesting Bill — First Reading 
Ririnui Mita: Whakarewarewa and Roto-a-Tamaheke Vesting Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:650;Page:19250] 
Hon MITA RIRINUI (Associate Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) 
: 
Otira e Te Arawa tangata Te Arawa waka tu tautoko ano nga mihi ki a koutou haere a-tawhiti mai ra i te wa kainga tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou. Korua tahi o tena o o tatou ropu torangapu Aotearua Tuatahi e Pita korua tahi tautoko i nga mihi mo tera o o tatou rangatira kua huri ki tua o te arai. Otira kia ora tatou. 
[ 
To you indeed the people and canoe of Te Arawa I rise once again to support the accolades accorded to you who come from a distance from home; greetings to you greetings to you and greetings to you. To you two Pita of that political party of ours New Zealand First condolences to that esteemed colleague of ours who has crossed beyond the divide. Greetings to us 
.] 
I stand in support of the Whakarewarewa and Roto-a-Tamaheke Vesting Bill and once again—and I do not want to be left out—I declare a conflict of interest. But is it not interesting that today will become a historic day because of the number of Treaty settlement bills that have been passed through this House in a single day? Although it may seem a very long day for the members in this House it has been an even longer day for the representatives of Te Arawa here in the gallery this evening. About this time last evening they would have been just leaving the warmth of their homes in Rotorua to take this big trip down to Parliament to witness this historic day so for them it has been an even longer day and an even longer journey. 
I have heard a number of people in the House today raise a number of issues that I intend to respond to. An issue was raised around that iconic maunga at the entrance to the Tauranga Harbour Mauao. The question asked why the maunga was transferred back in fee simple title yet the Crown retained the ownership. But that was not the case at all. The people of Tauranga agreed to the return of that maunga but they also agreed that the maunga or the estate should remain as a reserve mo ake tonu atu [ 
forever 
]. 
That requires the application of the Reserves Act. The Crown remains associated with the maunga and the estate because of the Reserves Act but at the same time all costs in maintaining the reserve remain with the Crown’s agent the Tauranga City Council and the public liability in terms of health and safety remains with the Crown. I think that is a pretty good outcome. There are people in this House who said that the Crown transferred back to the iwi of Tauranga the shadow but retained the substance. 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: We didn’t say that. 
Hon MITA RIRINUI 
: It is true even though Georgie says she never said that. I am saying it is true. The Crown transferred back to the iwi of Tauranga only the shadow and why was that? It is because that is all the Crown had. You see the substance we talk about—and it is the same for Whakarewarewa—is the history the culture the association the ancestral connection and the spirit of the estate. That is the substance and that has always remained with us. No one not even the Crown could take that away from us. So when we talk about the transfer of these iconic assets it is important that we get our thinking right. 
I will come back to the bill. Once again we are talking about a similar arrangement. The Hon Tau Henare was in the House earlier and I am disappointed that he has left because he raised a very relevant matter. He asked why this was not included as part of a Treaty settlement. The other question he asked was “Why now?”. I will answer the latter question first. Why not now? What does time have to do with it? He asked why it was not part of a Treaty settlement. Well the fact is that it was. It was part of the Te Puni Kokiri settlement package but through an agreement between the iwi Ngati Wahaio - Tuhourangi and Ngati Whakaue it was agreed that this part of the estate be removed from the settlement package. As Dr Cullen mentioned earlier today the Crown asked Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa to demonstrate some flexibility and that was done but Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa made it clear that their flexibility was as wide as the Crown’s generosity. So here we have it: the removal of this particular estate the Whakarewarewa estate and Te Roto-a-Tamaheke out of the Pumautanga o Te Arawa settlement package to be resolved separately from that particular settlement. That was not inconsistent with the Waitangi Tribunal’s finding that Ngati Whakaue who were not included in the Pumautanga o Te Arawa settlement should be recognised as owners in common with Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao in the valley and this bill achieves that. 
The speakers who stood before me highlighted particular aspects of the bill—in fact in quite significant detail. I felt it important to respond to those queries and criticisms because we do not want people leaving this House tonight with the wrong impression about this whole matter. Mr Henare also asked “Well why?”. My response to him is that it is the right thing to do. There can be a very complicated technical response to a question like that but the answer is quite simple: it is the right thing to do. Because the estate was part of the Pumautanga o Te Arawa settlement package it follows that the Crown’s acquisition of the estate had to have been by raupatu—in other words without the consent of the traditional owners. That is not a new thing. That is not uncommon. That happened around the country and to anyone who says that Te Arawa lost nothing I can say that the record says something completely different. There is not an iwi in Aotearoa that was not affected by the actions of the Crown in terms of the dispossession of their estates. 
The matter of Ngati Wahiao - Tuhourangi and the coupling of the two iwi is something that has been bandied around this House. I do not intend to mention it any more because that is a matter as has been mentioned in this House that Te Arawa as a people will resolve on the marae at home and in their own time. So time is moving; I was told to keep my speech very short by my colleagues here and I believe I have achieved that. Ki a tatou katoa kua huihui nei e te Rangatira a te wa kia ora tatou katoa. 
[ 
To all of us gathered here and to you Mr Deputy Speaker the time will come so greetings to us all 
.] 
Bill read a first time.  
Bill referred to the Maori Affairs Committee.