Mooney JosephJOSEPH MOONEY (National—Southland): E ngā mana e ngā reo e ngā iwi e rau rangatira mā tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. E ngā imi e Rēkohu tēnā katoa tēnā koutou.[To those in power to all the voices and to all the chiefly peoples greetings one and all. To the people of Rēkohu greetings to you all.]It's an honour to speak on a bill which will hold a special place in history—finally putting the many wrongs the Moriori have suffered for many generations to right. I acknowledge that it won't fix everything but it is a very significant step. It is also special for me personally as the Moriori bill was the very first time I spoke in this House. Due to the unusual circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic I spoke on this before I made my maiden speech. That was a special moment for me as the story of Moriori is something that has been of special interest to me since I was a child. As a child growing up partially in the Hawke's Bay there was always a close connection between the Hawke's Bay and the Chatham Islands and it was something I was very aware of. Learning about Tommy Solomon and the history of Moriori and their unique history of peace—Nununku's statement on peace which Moriori abided by was something of special significance. So it's very special for me personally as well to be able to be here today. However I note that the pandemic is ongoing and the public health measures currently in place mean that we're unable to be in the House for the second reading. But I certainly hope that when we get to the third reading we'll be able to join together to celebrate this momentous occasion for Moriori. I wish to acknowledge all of those who are watching from afar who are able to tune in today and see this. It was a great privilege for me with the other members of the Māori Affairs Committee to travel to the Chatham Islands following the first reading and to spend time with the imi Moriori to visit and to learn more about tchakat henu—a Moriori phrase meaning tangata whenua—and to spend time with the waina pono the original inhabitants of Rēkohu.In particular it was I think a special moment for all of us to have the hearings at Kōpinga Marae to listen to the people. There were some contests in the terms of the historical accounts and other matters but to have a respectful hearing on those issues and to learn more about the Chatham Islands and to spend time while we stayed on the islands talking to various people with various perspectives. It was very interesting listening to the people there there is some discussion between the interests of Moriori and Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri of the overlapping claims but I note that many on the islands have lineage that goes back to both Moriori Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri and te Pākehā. It was also special for us to spend some time on the islands actually having a look around and learning more about the dendroglyphs the carvings in the bark of karaka or kōpi trees and to spend time in the kōpi forests—those orchards for Moriori which were introduced by Moriori to the Chatham Islands and tended by them as forest which they cultivated in groves.We also spent some time visiting Te Ana a Nunuku known to Moriori as Nunuku's cave. Nunuku was a man of great significance for the people of Moriori. He outlawed fighting amongst inhabitants on the island and is responsible for introducing Kawenata Rongo o Nunuku Whenua the Covenant of Peace of Nunuku Whenua—a significant aspect of tikanga Moriori. I think it impressed all of us looking at the significant limestone etchings at the entrance to that cave and reflecting on the history of the island. Credit to the many people starting with the Moriori who started this process back a number of decades ago. It has gone through a number of changes of Government but there has been a commitment by numerous Governments now to progress this and I'm very pleased to be here today to make my small contribution to this. I want to give credit to Minister Little who spoke before and is helping guide this through its final phases and give credit also to his predecessor Christopher Finlayson who guided the process for a period of time before the change of Government.Moriori's main grievances: the Crown's phase in the enslavement of Moriori; the failure to protect Moriori from becoming virtually landless following the 1870 Native Land Court decision to award less than 3 percent of the land of the Rēkohu to Moriori; failure to protect ta rē Moriori that's the language of Moriori; the role in the collection and trade of kōimi karāpuna Moriori ancestral bones or remains; and the role in promoting myths that stigmatise Moriori as racially inferior people who became extinct. I'm proud to say that we saw there's a real renaissance happening both in the language of ta rē Moriori a renaissance in the pride of the people of Moriori and their history and who they are and who they will be going into the future. And I look forward to seeing this progress further to its third and final reading and to a celebration with the people of Moriori.I'll note just finally that there is more work to be done on the Chatham Islands. There are overlapping interests with the remaining Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri and I look forward hopefully to being part of a further visit to the island to complete that process when the time is right to ensure that there is an integrated—we'll keep that spirit of Chatham Islands or Rēkohu or Wharekauri among the people of the Chatham Islands so they can have a shared prosperous and united future. Thank you Mr Speaker.