Horomia Parekura: Rongowhakaata Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Horomia Parekura: Rongowhakaata Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 26 July 2012. Volume:682;Page:4028. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rawhiti) 
:  
I a koutou o te hau kainga e whai kaha atu i konei i te wahi o te Whare Miere e mihi kau ana ki a koutou nga tupakeke. E tautoko atu nga whakaaro i puta a-waha a Tariana me ratou ma ki nga koroua nga kuia pera i a Heni te wahine kaha ki te mahi toi pena i a Darcy mo tana mahi i roto i te Tari Maori me tera a Pita e mahi ana i tona mahi i konei i nga tari i a ratou me koe e Stan ko koe ke te mea e ora ana. E mihi kau ana ki a koe. Tena koe mo tena e Rehia koutou katoa e Willie nga mea pakeke e mihi kau ana tena koutou. E te papa Noel ahakoa kare au i timata atu ki te mihi i nga manuhiri e mihi kau ana ki a koutou. E tuku mihi ki wenei ki te whanaunga a Willie a matua Stan a Meka a Jodie Wyllie mo to ratou whakatoi kia oti atu te mahi nei. Me koutou katoa e mahi atu nga mahi e rere atu te taea whakahuri ki te rangi oti nei. 
He tino rangi pai atu tenei. E kite atu tatou o te Whare Miere e manaaki atu kia oti pai. No reira. tena koutou. Mo ratou e rere atu. nga hunga pera i a Addie a Huia e tangi hoki te ngakau. Engari mo koutou e ora ana ko tenei ano to kaha o Rongowhakaata e tae atu i konei. Mohio atu tatou mo nga korero o te mahi o nga hoia. I rongo koutou nga tupuna nga pakopako o nga pu pera atu te mahinga atu. No reira e tautokotia atu nga korero o te tuahine me tatou katoa i konei. 
[ 
To those from home who made a great effort to get here to the place of the Beehive to you the elders I welcome you. I endorse the sentiments expressed by Tariana and others to the elderly men and womenfolk like Heni that great artist; Darcy his work in the Maori department and Pita for his work among departments here. You too Stan the one still alive I congratulate you. I acknowledge you for your contribution Rehia all of you Willie the experienced ones I applaud you all well done. I acknowledge you Noel the father figure. Even though I did not begin the tributes to the visitors I extend a welcome to you collectively. I welcome these ones as well: Willie the relative uncle Stan Meka Jodie Wyllie for being cheeky so that this matter would be done and dusted—in fact all of you who set about to complete your tasks to turn things round to get to this day.  
This is indeed a wonderful day. We of the Beehive will make sure that it is completed well. So I commend you. As for those who have passed away like Addie and Huia I mourn for them too. As for you the living your efforts to get here Rongowhakaata is greatly admired. We know what the militia did we know the stories. You the elders heard the musket fire and the havoc it created. So I endorse the sentiments expressed by the sister colleague and all of us here. 
]  
I want to mention Maever and Peter Moeau and the part of this claim relating to Nga Uri o Te Kooti Rikirangi. Certainly Te Kooti’s deeds and the reasoning behind them are things that are etched in history. That he was a trader of some knowledge and was into commerce is something that is very interesting. That he was put asunder for whatever reason it is indeed great that we are here today to put all that to rest. He travelled away. He was imprisoned. Certainly the Ringatu Hahi still survives today and I want to mihi to them and to the uri. 
Before I start I want to say that it is a great day and before I forget mihi to the Ministers—Minister Turia and co. and especially Mr Finlayson. I always thought Mr Cullen was the better of the Ministers but I think Mr Finlayson might end up being not too bad actually. I want to recognise his ability because he knows I am going to set to on him about some of these things in here. But I do want to mention him and the officials as at times they are sorely forgotten. I do want to mention and mihi to him. 
So Te Kooti Rikirangi those things and the preserved art forms in several of the houses around the country stand as a signal and a sign to his following and his uri who are still surviving. The fascinating thing is in my mind being a scholar of Treaty settlements and understanding most of them I would say that there is not one worse than this Treaty settlement in terms of what the Crown did to our people in this country. And I am not saying that because they are sitting in the gallery; it is a fact. It was one of the most dastardly actions ever perpetrated ever set to upon any iwi tribe or whanau in this country. Today that we bring it to rest is something that we should be proud of as politicians. 
Raharuhi Rukupo was a master carver and he certainly left his etched signal. I thought I would start off here Minister with Te Hau ki Turanga just in case I forgot and the bell rang. Thank you for its return. Thank you for making sure that it goes back. I was fascinated to read in the summary here about what would happen and the resources and the support that would go to particularly its relocation. I think that is great—that it is to be resourced. But I recall when the Maori land incorporations were returned a lot of the people jumped at it and accepted it. That house has been down here for a long time so we should consider ensuring that the ongoing costs of running and maintaining it are put in here. I read it very carefully. There is a lot of talk about resourcing the relocation of it but not about the continuation of both preserving it and making sure that these people are able to be paid to look after it to be frank because they have shared it with the nation for a long long time. There are ongoing costs. 
You know this is amazing. These people the Crown set to on them. Te Kooti did some interesting things amongst them and for a people to forgive that takes a lot of gumption. For people to accept that that happened and try to get to a better place amongst themselves not just with the Crown is something that they should be respected for because that is exactly what they have done. The thing about history—sad history and bad history—is if you look back too much all you get is a sore neck. At the moment it is a great day for them to be here. 
Prior to 1865 Rongowhakaata had full control of all their resources. They were in control of them they were running businesses and they were looking after themselves and the early settlers. When war broke out Rongowhakaata adopted a policy of neutrality which is fascinating because some of these people have been branded rebels—I am not sure which ones of them but they were branded rebels. They took a neutral stance. It is fascinating that the Crown did not respect that peace that it set to on them not lightly harder than over in Taranaki—it blasted them. It certainly shows that the Crown enacted military force to take a position—both lands and resources—and to disenfranchise them not just from what they had of their own but also to set up the empire’s flag to flutter over the top of them and suggest that they are not needed. Well they have stood the test of time. They are here today. They have a whakapapa and as I debated last week when somebody said that the Crown is returning their mana Rongowhakaata never lost their mana like any of these iwi—never ever ever. The two scholars over there who were waxing lyrical about that last week need to think again. They never lost their mana. That it was impinged on and it was wounded here and there does not mean to say they lost it. Their tino rangatiratanga has certainly stood the test of time. 
As Minister Turia said the Crown’s attack on Waerenga a Hika which included a lot of women and children was abhorrent to say the least. It was one of the worst war situations in this country. And the ongoing looting by the military forces after that is something that we need to remember and get rid of. It is a bit like a movie Rongowhakaata’s history because some of them got sent to the Chathams with no trial conducted in the courts. They were sent there and locked up. It shows their tenacity because they escaped after 2 years. If you have ever been to the Chatham Islands like I have on an aeroplane I do not know how the hang they escaped. But they must have been pretty smart people to escape and they escaped. Then other things happened. The summary executions at Ngatapa by the Crown forces in January 1869 were the worst in my mind. That people were lined up against the cliffs. That they were torn apart by some overzealous young punk who had come from the empire is something that we need to remember. 
So they have been a very brave people and it is a great day for them to be here to see the end of it and that Stan Pardoe is still living for they chew his back every now and again like we do most people in those positions. Stan is still here out of the four original applicants. A lot of these people did this for nothing. That is why the Minister is serious about the whare. 
There is another matter Minister and I just want to read from the Crown’s acknowledgment in subclause (17)(b) in clause 7: “the pollution of Turanga waterways by Gisborne’s sewerage system and industrial waste has had a severe effect on Rongowhakaata including the loss of many traditional sources of kai moana;” and blah-blah-blah. On top of that it has got about the forestry and the erosion and that. Well Minister the sewage is still there. It is getting worse actually. I suggested in the second reading that it is not too late to stump up and that is something that should be put right. I would encourage you to know it a bit harder Minister because it is a continued raupatu—that raw sewage pouring out. There is a local authority there. I hope Meng Foon is watching this. We have got a Chinese mayor who can speak Maori. Kite atu te paru e tuku ana i te takutai moana [ 
You will see raw sewage released on to the foreshore 
] 
 
 dare I mention it. 
I reira ke te pirau o te tangata e haere tonu atu. [ 
You will see human waste floating away there. 
] 
As I round up can I encourage you Minister to consider that on the way through. Kia ora tatou.