Little AndrewHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): Thank you Madam Chair. I thank the member who's just resumed his seat Matt King for his contributions. I want to talk about Vote Treaty Negotiations in particular. I will come to the vexed issue of Ngāpuhi later in my comments except to say that when I assumed the mantle of this ministry portfolio the Crown had withdrawn from Ngāpuhi; they had done so the previous June. When I became the Minister in October 2017 the Crown had had little to do with Ngāpuhi for many many months. So I understand that members' frustration. He's a local member from the rohe up there and he will know the frustrations that everybody is feeling about that particular issue.But I do want to say how proud I feel to be in this role and the contact that I have and the work that I get to do—the mahi I do with so many iwi up and down the country and how very satisfying and pleasing it is to see—certainly at this end of the whole process—the number of iwi many of whom have been trying for years to get to the point where they can engage with the Crown and get towards agreement over redress. So just in the last couple of months we've had important milestones with Te Whānau-ā-Apanui in the Bay of Plenty one of the other more deprived areas in the motu and they're making very good progress there. During the recess I managed to sign the agreement in principle with the Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiation Trust that deals with the land issues around the Whanganui and lower Whanganui reaches and that has been an issue that goes back to the late 1990s and early 2000s since the parties have been negotiating and certainly under the leadership of Ken Mair I think they've got to a very good point.This week we will have the first reading of the Ngāti Hinerangi legislation from their settlement. We signed their deed earlier this year in May. Also during the recess I had an engagement with Ngāti Rangitihi also with Tūhourangi although they've settled but their issues—they have a very ambitious project with some conservation land that they want to have weaved into their settlement. There's some incredibly creative visionary thinking coming out from iwi around the country and their aspirations and ambitions for their people and for Aotearoa as a whole that we need to embrace as part of this process. I also engaged with Ngāti Whātua so they're now dealing with the remainder of their claims particularly around Kaipara Harbour where they have a very ambitious project about cleaning up the Kaipara so that species that they haven't seen there for a long long time can regenerate and respawn and that harbour can be returned to the vibrant place that it used to be.Ngāti Maru in Taranaki: the last of the Taranaki iwi are close to coming to their next milestone which is initialling their deed of settlement. Waikato-Tainui: we're dealing with their remaining claims. They're in the process of concluding their mandate process so they're ready to go as well. So all these things are happening. Mōkai Pātea are trying to get their mandate up. Maniapoto are dealing with the challenges in the Waitangi Tribunal for them—so a lot of work going on. When it comes to the tribunal of course Whakatōhea they had their findings from the tribunal at the end of last year. We're working with the various parts of Whakatōhea to see if we can make progress where we can make progress and deal with some of the outstanding issues by some of the hapū that need to be recognised and respected and dealt with.Hauraki: the poor old Pare Hauraki waiting for years to draw their claims to a conclusion—just awaiting now a tribunal decision following the challenges from Tauranga Moana. Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa: they have got close. We are now dealing with some issues in the Waitangi Tribunal with them but some positive and constructive progress being made.Mana Ahuriri—my heart goes out to Mana Ahuriri. Four years they've been waiting and they've got a signed deed of settlement. Four years they've had their deed of settlement and we haven't gotten to the point of introducing the legislation. I'm confident that the tribunal will report soon and we'll be able to progress their claims. Then of course we come to the mighty mighty Ngā Puhi—the people of the north. I'm very confident that with the continued engagement that we've got and that I'm having we will get to the point where we will get to engage in some negotiations. But we do have to respect all parts of the Ngā Puhi hapū including Ngāti Hine—they're about to go off and do their thing. But I've been very clear with Ngā Puhi that there are a number of issues that are common to all hapū of Ngā Puhi so that it does not make sense for the Crown to negotiate bit by bit piece by piece. There will have to be a negotiation of common issues across all Ngā Puhi. I'm very pleased with the progress being made and this House can be too.