Henare Tau: Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Henare Tau: Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:656;Page:5329] 
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 Te mea tuatahi tenei mihi ki Te Rangatira o te Whare nei a Lockwood Smith me tana kaha me tana mita o to tatou reo i roto i te Wiki o te Reo Maori. Ka huri au ki te mihi nui atu ki a koutou nga morehu o nga aitua. No reira tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. 
[ 
The first part of this acknowledgment is to the Speaker of this House the Hon Lockwood Smith for his ability to use and pronounce our language faultlessly in Maori Language Week. I turn now to extend a huge greeting to you the survivors of misfortunes. So greetings to you greetings to you and greetings to you all 
.] 
It is a pleasure an honour and a privilege to stand in the House today after so many years. First of all I congratulate the team. The team is very big both on the Government’s side and also on the hau kainga side. I suppose this is an opportunity for people to speak in platitudes about the hard work and how good we are feeling. I suppose that is good in one way. I do not want to go off the beaten track a wee bit like I normally do; I want to take the opportunity to remind the nation that until we get to a place where every settlement has been done we cannot truly be on the road to being a unified nation. I mean that sincerely to both sides. 
When one looks at the history as far back as 1839—170 years ago—coincidentally to September 1839 it is a date that rings throughout the nation because that is really the start of what I would suggest were some clandestine operations by the then colonial Government that were intended to diddle iwi Maori out of what was rightfully theirs. When we get to today and as my colleague said reflect on the hard work of the select committee the Minister the former Minister and all those members who worked on the deal over those long long periods even before we were here it is incumbent on us to think about what the country can be and not I hope drown ourselves in the platitudes and the good feelings of today. Sure it is a good day for Taranaki Whanui but in my humble opinion it could have been even better. 
My grandfather came to Wellington in the 1920s after taking off with a woman from Wellsford and ended up in Karori. My father was a born and bred Wellingtonian. 
Te Ururoa Flavell 
: Too much information. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: The member says that is too much information. My uncle was in the same class as one of the esteemed gentlemen in the gallery. The affinity that my grandfather had with the local people was such that I feel very very sorry today. I am not filled with joy. I am not filled with happiness. I am actually filled with a lot of sadness that we have come to a point in our history where all we can give is a few buildings a few dollars and an apology. I am not suggesting for one minute that we open the Bank of New Zealand—or the Bank of England or whoever owns it these days—but I suggest that we take the opportunity today with those good feelings to look into the future and say “Our nation is unique.” I believe our nation is the best in the world and it is about time we started recognising the unique difference that we have as opposed to what Australia England America or wherever has. We need to leverage off the good work the uniqueness and the hard work that has been put in by the people in the gallery the people in this House and the people of this nation. 
Taranaki Whanui people were part of the First Echelon contingent of soldiers who crossed our waters back in 1939 which was coincidentally 100 years after this all started. Iwi Maori have paid their dues once twice and three times over. So it is incumbent on us as a nation not only to recognise that contribution but also to use it to our benefit and to the nation’s benefit. By that I mean that we need to leverage off our uniqueness and take it around the world. In times of recession who better than us to lead the way? But I suppose we have to get to the end of the line in terms of Treaty settlements. 
I do not want to speak for too long but I must at this point make some comments about Ngati Tama. I ask members to forgive me if I upset a few people; I am not usually like that.  
Hon Ruth Dyson 
: It’s not about you. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: No it is not about me and thankfully it is not about that member either. While the select committee was involved in its tiny part—and I do mean very tiny in terms of the whole issue—the issue of Ngati Tama came up in terms of whether we should agree with an opt-out clause. The select committee was quite strong in its recommendation that it hoped the opt-out clause in the Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Bill would not be used as a precedent for other settlements. I have to absolutely agree. 
It is all right to start at a point and start negotiating as a team but when we get closer to that final hurdle I do not think it is right for groups to pull out because they are not happy with it. The right time to pull out is at the beginning not at the end. If we are part of the team then it is incumbent on us to see it through. If there are issues they should be sorted out in a manner that is more appropriate than in a select committee. 
My final words are that the Government should never be put in the position of choosing whom to deal with. That is not its job. That responsibility lies with iwi Maori. I put out this warning not only to Maori but also to the Crown: never ever get into the position of thinking that the Crown will be the arbiter of where the issues are and where the raruraru is. That decision is for iwi Maori to make not for the Crown to make. Yes I am a wee bit happy because they do get the deal and from here on it is all up to them. I thank you Mr Deputy Speaker for the opportunity to speak in this debate.  
Me mihi au ki a koutou nga morehu o nga aitua nga morehu o Taranaki Whanui. 
[ 
I must acknowledge you the survivors of misfortunes and Taranaki Whanui 
.]