Finlayson Christopher: Nga Wai o Maniapoto (Waipa River) Bill Ngati Porou Claims Settlement Bill Ngati Pahauwera Treaty Claims Settlement Bill 
Finlayson Christopher: Nga Wai o Maniapoto (Waipa River) Bill Ngati Porou Claims Settlement Bill Ngati Pahauwera Treaty Claims Settlement Bill 
[Volume:672;Page:18708] 
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) 
: 
 I rise to speak to three bills that are being addressed in a novel manner this afternoon so that they can be considered by the Maori Affairs Committee as quickly as possible. That great chair of the committee the Hon Tau Henare is a tiger for punishment. He is keen to get on with the job as quickly as he can. 
The first bill is the Nga Wai o Maniapoto (Waipa River) Bill which gives effect to a deed by the Crown and Maniapoto signed at Te Kuiti on 27 September 2010. I acknowledge their representatives who are here this afternoon and thank them for their commitment for their patience and for their hard work. The bill provides for Maniapoto to participate in the co-governance and co-management of the Waipa River and adds the Upper Waipa River to the arrangements put in place last year. 
This river is of deep cultural significance to Maniapoto. For the people of Maniapoto their relationship with the Waipa River gives rise to responsibilities to protect te mana o te wai and to exercise their kaitiakitanga in accordance with their long-established tikanga. The involvement of Maniapoto will be key in addressing environmental concerns and in achieving the long-term health of the river. In the area of the Upper Waipa River in particular the people of Maniapoto have a significant stake in the social economic and environmental well-being of the community by virtue of their numbers and the extent of Maori land - based economic development. 
This bill needs to proceed without delay to ensure that critical steps such as the initial review of the vision and strategy are comprehensive and so that there is a proper legal basis for factoring the Upper Waipa River into these very very important developments. There is a strong sense of shared aspiration among not only iwi but also the community at large to improve the health of the Waipa River and the Waikato River. This bill is the final ingredient to put in place the framework. It is an initiative whose time has come so that generations in the future can enjoy a healthy river that sustains abundant life and prosperous communities. 
I now turn to the Ngati Porou Claims Settlement Bill. I too welcome the Ngati Porou representatives who have joined us today for this historic occasion. Treaty settlements involve commitment and courage. They often involve difficult trade-offs both personally and professionally by those who work on them. I pay tribute to the leadership pragmatism and hard work of the negotiating teams of the iwi who are with us today. It is through the diligent labour of these people that we have reached this point. I acknowledge those who are no longer with us particularly Koro Dewes who in a long and distinguished career helped to lay the foundation for this settlement through his work in establishing Te Runanga o Ngati Porou. I am so sorry that he did not live to see the introduction of this bill but I am heartened that he lived long enough to see this settlement through to its near completion. 
Ngati Porou has travelled a long road to have its claims addressed by the Crown. After many years of preparation formal negotiations began in 2008. The Crown recognised the mandate of Te Runanga o Ngati Porou in April that year. Negotiations with Te Haeata the negotiation subcommittee commenced in July 2008. A non-binding high-level agreement outlining key elements of financial and commercial redress was signed by the Crown and Ngati Porou on 23 October 2008. After a period of robust negotiations a deed of settlement was initialled in October 2010. I pause to acknowledge the work of my chief Crown negotiator Paul Swain an excellent fellow. I am so bipartisan that I can work with anyone. 
During November and December last year Te Runanga o Ngati Porou undertook a ratification process for the deed of settlement and the proposed post-governance entity. Of the registered adult members of Ngati Porou who voted 91 percent voted in favour of accepting the deed of settlement and 92.5 percent voted in favour of accepting the proposed governance arrangements. This is a great day for Ngati Porou and I acknowledge Mr Horomia and his help at the very initial stages of the negotiation. The real grunt work of course was done by me. 
Finally I turn to the Ngati Pahauwera Treaty Claims Settlement Bill. I too welcome Ngati Pahauwera representatives who have joined us today. Many other members of Ngati Pahauwera in the Hawke’s Bay and around New Zealand will be watching this debate today and I acknowledge them. 
Ngati Pahauwera have also travelled a long road to have their claims addressed by the Crown. In 1994 the Maori Land Court made an order appointing eight people to represent this confederation in the prosecution and settlement of Treaty claims against the Crown. The tribunal reported on the historical claims in 1992—the very very important Mohaka River report—and 2004. In May 2008 terms of negotiation were signed for a combined negotiation of Ngati Pahauwera’s historical Treaty of Waitangi claims and of their foreshore and seabed interests. An agreement in principle setting out the broad components of the Crown’s settlement offer was signed on 30 September 2008. Since then the trustees and the Crown have negotiated intensively. I pause here to acknowledge the contribution of my chief Crown negotiator former Labour MP Fran Wilde an excellent person—again proving my bipartisanship. 
A draft deed of settlement to settle the Treaty claims was ready for ratification on 4 November 2010 and on a wonderful day 17 December 2010 in the company of Mr Horomia we signed the deed of settlement at Mohaka. It was a wonderful occasion for all who attended. The deed of settlement signed then is conditional on the passage of this bill. 
I acknowledge all Ngati Pahauwera tupuna and I acknowledge all those who from the beginning have worked for the good of Ngati Pahauwera. The trustees of the development trust and their counsel have negotiated with great resolve and determination and the settlement package they have achieved is a very good one. Throughout this process they have been unfailingly polite and dignified; I have certainly enjoyed working with them. I acknowledge their patience when they were prepared to defer discussion of their foreshore and seabed interests while the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act was being reviewed. 
Settling this claim is an important further step in this country’s progress towards settling all historical Treaty claims. Settling the Ngati Pahauwera Treaty claims will be a first in the Hawke’s Bay region. The passage of this bill begins the last stage in a settlement that seeks to recognise what is important to the people of Ngati Pahauwera and to provide redress for breaches of the Treaty. 
These three settlements are among the many settlements this Government has been progressing towards its aspirational goal of settling all historical Treaty of Waitangi claims by 2014. I thank all parties for their cooperation in enabling these bills to proceed in this manner. I acknowledge—because authorship is important—that the original idea for this process came from the senior Opposition whip Mr Barker and I thank him for his suggestion. That is not to say that these bills will be rushed through the Maori Affairs Committee as some rather unkind people are saying. They will be dealt with individually and they will be dealt with carefully. This is a sensible way of progressing Treaty bills so that people can enjoy the fruits of their labour as soon as possible.