Whaitiri MekaHon MEKA WHAITIRI (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti): Ko Hikurangi te maungaKo Waiapū te awaKo Te Whānau-a-Te Uruahi o Tinatoka te hapūKo Ngāti Porou te iwi.E tū ana ki te mihi ki ngā iwi o te haukāinga kua tae mai ki te tautoko i te pānui tuarua o tātou pire. Nō reira ōku rau rangatira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa.[Hikurangi is my ancestral mountainWaiapū is my ancestral riverTe Whānau-a-Te Uruahi of Tinatoka is my subtribeNgāti Porou is my tribe.I stand to greet the home people who have come here to support the second reading of our bill. Therefore to my esteemed chiefs greetings greetings thrice greetings to you all.]It is indeed my honour to join with all previous speakers in support of the second reading of this important bill. What I wanted to share is that it is accepted knowledge that prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi many hapū around the motu lived their lives in undisturbed possession of the moana—the rohe moana. In Ngāti Porou as it was in Tai Rāwhiti when the Treaty was signed in 1840 that existence of hapū mana continued for 25 years until about 1865 when the Pai Mārire came into the East Coast and there were disruptions and then of course we had the presence of the Crown. But one thing that I'm delighted to know and to be part of is that the hapū of Ngāti Porou maintained their ahi kā status and so I stand in support of the second reading of this bill and acknowledge that it's the legislation that's catching up with the hapū reality of Ngāti Porou. So I want to acknowledge the agreement that was entered into way back by those original leaders with the Government of the day.It's interesting that in 2004 when the original deed of agreement was reached between ngā hapū o Ngāti Porou and the Crown we hadn't actually even started the land Treaty settlements and it's funny that here we are 18 years later with Ngāti Porou's Treaty settlement legislation being passed and we are only now just getting to this one. So I want to stand in support like I said with all the previous speakers in acknowledging the work that's gone on to bring this bill to the House. I want to acknowledge and join in with others to acknowledge Uncle Api Mahuika. I want to also acknowledge my predecessor the Hon Parekura Horomia who was around in 2004 and I'm sure had a hand in working with Uncle Api in ensuring that the agreement came through. There were obviously acknowledgments for the Hon Chris Finlayson and all the hard-working people of Ngāti Porou who did their bit to bring this bill to where it's at now.What I want to do is really touch on the process because it's really critical particularly for those who submitted in terms of the gestation—the 14 years—from when the original agreement was signed in 2004 and how the reforms of the legislation through the Foreshore and Seabed Act and then we went into the marine and coastal area in 2011. Of course both ngā hapū o Ngāti Porou and the Crown as these legislation changes from this House were happening had to renegotiate so that the deed of agreement fitted with the legislation at the time. In August 2017 both parties signed this new agreement and of course we had our first reading here in this House on 10 May and then it was referred to the Māori Affairs Committee. Can I please acknowledge my colleague the chairman Rino Tirikatene and all members of the Māori Affairs Committee for their thorough investigation of this bill? As others have said not everybody agreed but I am convinced that the concerns that have been raised in this House and the examination that the select committee provided for those concerns have been adequately addressed in this bill.Of course submissions closed on 22 June. We had about 215 submissions and 18 chose to appear in front of the select committee both in Gisborne and in Wellington. The Māori Affairs Committee reported back to the House in August 2018. I also want to put on record that in August 2018 as an arrangement in terms of Ngāti Porou and the Crown's Treaty settlement the obligation is for the Crown to have regular meetings with Ngāti Porou. So in August 2018 at Te Tini o Porou the current Prime Minister the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern met with the Ngāti Porou leadership and amongst other issues that were raised at that hui was the fact that they wanted to see this bill proceed. So I just want to put on record that by our standing in this House and giving its second reading we have heard the pleas from the leadership of Ngāti Porou and I am so glad that we are doing this today. Ideally I wish it were the third reading but we've had a busy legislative year on this side of the House and I know we will get to the third and final reading very shortly in the new year.It is indeed like I said an honour to stand here as the member of Parliament for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti of which Ngāti Porou is a significant iwi within that rohe pōtae but there is one matter that I do want to put on the table particularly around strengthening our hapū capability particularly those ones at home. There is a lot of talk around climate change and I applaud the work that the climate change Minister is doing in this country in terms of our international and national obligations but let me say that the first point of contact with rising sea levels is going to be hapū around the country. And it will be a challenge but it's a challenge that we in this House should all accept around communities particularly these hapū that we're talking about—Ngāti Porou—and all the hapū around the country. The question I have is: how ready are those communities on the coastlines and seasides around our motu? So it's an area that I'm passionate about ensuring that our communities—particularly our hapū up the coast—are prepared for the eventuality of rising sea levels.Of course we all know Ngāti Porou has huge erosion and flooding issues in winter and this bill like I said acknowledges the agreement that the Crown has entered into with ngā hapū of Ngāti Porou oiled by a $15 million contribution. I'm not going to be the one to say where that money goes but I do hope and pray that it will go towards empowering our hapū in the rohe that climate change readiness is one of the priorities that the iwi see but it's also around attracting many of our Ngāti Porou whanaunga who don't live at home to come home. And I'm seeing more and more of our people wanting to come back to the Tai Rāwhiti.So like I said this piece of legislation really is an acknowledgment a reflection of the agreement that was entered into many many years ago. Like I said I want to acknowledge all those who worked on this bill. We are almost there and we're almost at the third reading so that we can ensure that our coastlines that hapū around customary fisheries and really—let's be real when our hapū go and fish they don't catch a fish and say That's a commercial fish." They don't get a piece of pāua and say "Well that's a customary or commercial fish or pāua." It's around empowering our hapū. It's something that we had prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and it should be celebrated in this House because this bill is a tool to enabling hapū mana to return back to the hapū. Nō reira tēnei te mihi ki a koutou e te whanaunga o te hau kāinga tēnā tātou otirā ngā members o Te Whare nei tēnā tātou tēnā tātou tēnā tātou katoa.[So I salute you all and extend greetings once again to my kinsmen from the homelands as well as to the members of this House greetings one and all.]Bill read a second time."