Korako Nuk: Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKorako Nuk: Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 04 November 2014. Volume:694;Page:569. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]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.]