Mahuta Nanaia: Ngati Tuwharetoa Raukawa and Te Arawa River Iwi Waikato River Bill — Third Reading 
Mahuta Nanaia: Ngati Tuwharetoa Raukawa and Te Arawa River Iwi Waikato River Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:667;Page:14735] 
Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato) 
: 
 Tenei e mihi ana ki te awa o Waikato e kia nei ko te awa o to tatou nei awa tupuna. Tena e mihi kau ana ki nga iwi i noho hei kaitiaki ki te tahataha o taua taonga. Ngati Tuwharetoa Te Arawa Waka Raukawa tenei ano te mihi atu a Waikato ki a koutou katoa. 
[ 
I acknowledge the river of Waikato which is referred to as being our ancestral river and the people living along the banks of that treasure as its guardians. I of Waikato commend you all once again Ngati Tuwharetoa Te Arawa canoe and Raukawa 
.] 
It is my privilege to be able to speak on this the third and final reading of the Ngati Tuwharetoa Raukawa and Te Arawa River Iwi Waikato River Bill. And it is with great delight indeed; today is another step forward in a historic moment. It is a historic moment that seeks to challenge the past and is ambitious for the future. It is a historic moment that will lead the way in which relationships in this country go forward and in which we manage taonga such as the Waikato River. 
Labour has always supported this particular settlement as it builds on the Waikato River claim. We support this legislation and its intent. We know that the opportunities within the legislation provide real advantages not only for participating iwi but also for the rest of the country. For that it has to be recognised that both the Hon Dr Michael Cullen the former Labour Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and the Hon Chris Finlayson the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations have indeed shown the fortitude needed to determine a new co-governance and co-management model for the future. Both the current and future management of this very important river system as members know is close to my heart. Many people have contributed to progressing this claim for the three iwi groupings and they have been mentioned by the Minister. Some are no longer here some have moved on some are paddling the waka as we speak and others are yet to be born. I acknowledge them all. 
By the time a bill of this sort gets to the House the real hard graft of negotiation has already taken place. There have been endless hui sleepless nights debates between officials lots of disagreements final agreements last-minute negotiations numerous technical and legal reports to sift through and many more hui. No matter on what side of the table one may sit a phenomenal amount of work has been done to get us to this point; we are merely talking about the end point. The bill sits behind deeds of settlements that for the most part detail the substantial matters needing to be recognised in a Treaty settlement. When I flicked back through Raukawa’s deed of settlement for my own piece of mind I saw that their historical record has been captured in ways far better than any member of Parliament could represent in the House. I hope that in the progression of Treaty settlements we may get to a point where the historical record that is captured in the deed of settlement can be somehow recognised in this House in another way. 
Through the debate in the second reading and the Committee stage of the bill I have raised a number of issues. In particular I raised the future treatment of the Waipa River the importance of joint management agreements to achieve practical effect and benefits the importance of an integrated management plan and its implementation and the importance of the role of the Waikato River Authority and the Waikato River Clean-Up Trust. I was delighted to hear the response from the Minister giving absolute assurance on the tenure of a member who has been appointed to the Waikato River Authority not only to ensure continuity first and foremost but also I think to give confidence in the role that that authority has and in appointing members to it who can do the job that they were appointed to do. I am glad that politics will not get in the way of that. I am also delighted to hear the Minister’s further clarification of the way that the Waipa River will be treated. I have said time and time again in this House that we cannot have a clean Waikato River with a dirty Waipa River. It is absolutely fundamental to get the Waipa River right in terms of its ongoing management substantially by looking at how a clean-up fund may be treated and more important by looking at the nature of Maniapoto’s role in achieving an outcome there. 
I think on reflection much of the solution that has been reached for the Waikato River will be drawn on and—I specifically read—is contained in some of the recommendations of the Land and Water Forum report. I am pleased about that because all these iwi—Ngati Tuwharetoa Te Arawa Raukawa Maniapoto and Waikato—will be a part of determining how things can actually be done better. If the recommendations of the Land and Water Forum report are taken on board in a practical way one would look very carefully and maintain momentum on working alongside these iwi to ensure that the implementation of its terms in the deed and legislation could be effective. We know that many more stakeholders other than iwi are needed to achieve a durable outcome. 
Some comment was made in the previous debate about the role of the intensified farming activities of the upper Waikato River catchment. I made the point then and will make the point again that iwi by and large participate in this activity and see themselves as leaders for sustainable farming management practices. We should applaud them for that and for their effort to continue to drive better and higher standards in this place. But they cannot do it alone and neither should they be expected to. So there is a real challenge for the whole of our rethinking of the Primary Sector strategy in relation to how we get the right tension and balance between economic benefit the utilisation of land and the ongoing utilisation of water. Again I point to this type of settlement as a model where we can work out some very practical and critical steps forward and I look forward to the learnings from the settlement. 
By and large I recognise that for some of the iwi participating in this process their comprehensive claim is yet to be determined and dealt with—notably Raukawa Ngati Koroki Kahukura and Maniapoto. I am heartened by the fact that just today the Minister gave an indication of leadership on this front and he can expect my full support. In order to achieve real change for these types of iwi the ability to settle their comprehensive claim will be another spoke in the wheel of progress which will allow them to get on with developing their lands their resources their people their future and the opportunities that they see in going forward. 
There have been many debates in this House where the Government and the Opposition have often not agreed but I say that the future of the country relies on being able to resolve historical Treaty claims fairly in a durable manner and in a manner in which the Government of the day whichever it is maintains its ongoing commitment. I regret that one party rejected giving its support for a settlement like this and I regret that that may well represent a small percentage of our society that will always scratch an itch which urges a scratch when you need it least. However in saying that I am heartened by the fact that debate on this issue has been constructive by and large. The role and work of the Maori Affairs Committee under the leadership of Tau Henare has at times been humorous but always in the best interests of progress. I recognise the manner and work of the officials the clerks of the committee—I have already mentioned the previous Minister Michael Cullen and the current Minister Chris Finlayson—all the Office of Treaty Settlements officials and all the iwi representatives who are here tonight as well as those who are not here but who would have come if they had had the chance. Most important I recognise the kaumatua and the mokopuna of these iwi who indeed have held the vision and who will achieve the aspiration that has been set. I recognise them all and offer my support and Labour’s support for the third reading tonight. Kia ora.