Lotu-Iiga Sam: Ngati Whatua Orakei Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Lotu-Iiga Sam: Ngati Whatua Orakei Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 14 November 2012. Volume:685;Page:6696. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) 
: 
 Ki a koutou e te whanau o Ngati Whatua kua tae mai mo tenei ra whakanui i a tatou nei ra taku mihi aroha nui ki a koutou katoa. Ko tenei e tu ake nei te mema Paremata mo te Maungakiekie engari he hononga ano mai i nga waka i tae mai i Hawaiki. No reira he honore maku ki te mihi atu ki a koutou ki a tatou me te tautoko mo enei whainga. Tena koe Joe. 
[ 
To you the family of Ngati Whatua who have arrived here for this day that will exalt us here then is my welcome of great love to you all. I stand before you not only as a member of Parliament for Maungakiekie but also with connections to the canoes that arrived here from Hawaiki. And so it is indeed an honour for me to extend a welcome to you and to us collectively and to offer support for these objectives. Hello there Joe. 
] 
I want to acknowledge every child every mother every father and every individual who has come down here to celebrate this special day. I also want to acknowledge those back home in Ngati Whatua who could not be here today but equally share the joy that we here in Parliament will celebrate on this momentous occasion. I also acknowledge those who have passed on those who were not able to witness this day. I remember them as we all do and many have been named in this Chamber this morning. Also I want to send a message out to Grant Hawke. We know you are a strong man and our prayers will continue to be with you as you come back. 
It is a privilege that I speak as the member of Parliament for Maungakiekie where many of the people of Ngati Whatua Orakei live where many of them work and where many of them play. Although I am not a member of the Maori Affairs Committee which heard submissions I stand here to support both Ministers Sharples and Finlayson in this Government. It is a Government that is committed to recognising addressing and correcting the wrongs of the past and especially to strengthening the bonds and relationships between the Crown Maori and others like myself who have come lately into the future. 
As I said today is momentous because we move to resolve some of the historical issues that have been addressed here today so that we can move forward as a country in Aotearoa New Zealand—iwi hapu and the Crown. We want to build a bolder a brighter and a better future for our kids and our grandkids. Much of the history of the grievance has already been laid out quite eloquently today and I will not get into that given the time constraints. But the benefits and protection that Ngati Whatua Orakei had anticipated from their initial engagement with the Crown following the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi were not always realised and we know that. Despite promises of a land base for the future almost all their land was lost. 
As a witness to the deed of settlement not only for the Tamaki Collective earlier on this year but also for this particular deed I am proud that it has come to this peaceful and joyous conclusion. This settlement focuses on the cultural the historical and some would say—as my colleague Brendan Horan said—also the spiritual and includes Crown acknowledgments that form the basis for a Crown apology to Ngati Whatua o Orakei. My hope and prayer is that this settlement goes some way to address those grievances of the past. My prayer and my hopes are that the children and the grandchildren of those executing this settlement will prosper and gain from the settlement in a way that their ancestors were not able to do. My hope is that the settlement will enhance the efforts of Ngati Whatua o Orakei to improve education and learning outcomes to promote healthy living and to drive economic and business growth for the benefit of their whanau. My prayer is that they will continue to be the beacon up on that hill that was a place of such conflict and division in the past. As the local MP it is my wish and my petition that a tree also be returned to Maungakiekie as a sign of our peace and of unity and of love. 
He ra whakahirahira tenei kia whakatuwhera i nga ahuatanga o nga whakatipuranga e heke mai kia puawai nga wawata o nga tipuna. 
[ 
This is a magnificent day that will open up opportunities for generations to come so that what the ancestors dreamed of will bear fruit. 
] 
Thank you.