Sharples Pita: Ngati Porou Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Sharples Pita: Ngati Porou Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:678;Page:1528] 
Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES (Minister of Maori Affairs)  
on behalf of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations: Tuatahi kei nga mana kei nga reo kei nga kaumatua nga koroua nga kuia. Ngati Porou whanui kua tatu mai i tenei rangi ki te whakanui i te kaupapa i whakahuihuitia tatau e whakakotahi ai tatau i tenei ra. Na reira nau mai hara mai ra ki te Whare Paremata i tenei ra ataahua te ra i hui tahi tatau ki te whakahonore i nga mahi kua mahia e koutou kia whakaoti te kereme ki tenei wa.  
Tino roa rawa te huarahi kua takahia e koutou kia tae ki tenei wa. Engari i te mutunga ake he timatanga hoki. Kua mutu tena whawhai kua timata inaianei te wa ataahua ki te whakapuawai i nga hiahia i nga moemoea o ratau e mahi ana i te kereme me ratau kua ngaro atu. Na reira kua pa nei ki a au tenei honore kia mihi atu ki a koutou me te korero tuatahi e pa ana ki ta koutou kereme i tenei ra.  
Na reira kare e roa aku mihi ki a koutou i tenei wa. Hoi ano kua tae mai na reira nau mai hara mai ki te Paremata. Ahakoa maku e mihi atu ki a koutou naku tena mahi. E ko etahi o koutou noho ai i konei te nuinga hui ka tu mo ta koutou kereme. Ko etahi o Ngati Porou hoki e mahi ana i konei Ngati Porou ki Tai Rawhiti Ngati Porou ki te Paremata. Kei konei ratau e mahi ana mo tatau te iwi whanui i roto i te Whare Paremata nei. Na reira heoi ano nau mai hara mai ra. 
[ 
Firstly to the powers languages elders menfolk womenfolk and Ngati Porou at large who have gathered here today to celebrate the matter that brought us together as a united front welcome to Parliament on this beautiful day—a day that brought us together to honour the work done by others of you to complete the claim to this point in time.  
The road you have travelled to date has been a long one. But in the end it is really only a beginning. That struggle has ended and the best part which will bring to fruition the aspirations and dreams of those who worked on the claims—those who are alive still and those who have passed away—is only just beginning. Hence this honour to acknowledge you and to introduce your settlement today has been placed upon me.  
My tributes to you will not be too long at this point in time; indeed you have arrived so welcome welcome to Parliament. It is my responsibility to acknowledge you—after all some of you live here and the majority of meetings for your claims take place here. Some of you work here as well while some are back at the coast. So welcome welcome indeed. 
] 
I move  
That the Ngati Porou Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time. 
 To the sons and daughters of Porou Ariki Te Matatara a Whare Te Tuhi Mareikura o Rauru nau mai. From the resting place of the sacred waka  
Nukutaimemeha 
 atop the peaks of Hikurangi to the Waiapu waters at Rangitukia as it surges into Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. The first on earth to see the dawn of a new day—since the dawn of time itself: Ngati Porou mana whenua mana moana mana tangata mana Atua. Ko Hikurangi te maunga ko Waiapu te awa ko Ngati Porou te iwi. 
The area of interest for Ngati Porou is on the East Coast of the North Island. One of Aotearoa’s largest iwi with 72000 members the marae of Porourangi are located around the East Cape from Potikirua in the north to Te Toka-a-Taiau in the south covering 400000 hectares. 
The historical grievances of Ngati Porou relate primarily to the Crown’s failure to honour its Treaty promise to respect Ngati Porou rangatiratanga over their own affairs. Ngati Porou rangatira signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840 and from then on sought to uphold the Treaty as a matter of honour. However Crown actions soon created some disillusionment among Ngati Porou as to the Crown’s commitment to the Treaty. The Crown imposed land tenure reform on Ngati Porou which deprived iwi members of collective control over their land and made it difficult to utilise their land for economic development.  
Although it is not possible to fully compensate Ngati Porou nor any claimant group at all for the loss their people have suffered nevertheless the redress in this bill seeks to recognise the longstanding cultural and spiritual association that Ngati Porou have within the region. It gives effect to the undertakings by the Crown in the deed of settlement by offering reconciliation redress including an agreed historical account Crown acknowledgments and apology cultural redress that vests sites of cultural and historical significance and a number of arrangements designed to facilitate good working relationships between Ngati Porou and the Crown. I am confident that the Ngati Porou Claims Settlement Bill will settle the claims of Ngati Porou in a full and final matter and set the foundation for a productive future relationship with the Crown. The Crown apologises to Ngati Porou for past dealings that breached the Crown’s obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi. These include the detention without trial of some Ngati Porou on the Chatham Islands the Crown’s abuse at times of its monopoly powers to purchase Ngati Porou land and the Crown’s failure in a number of ways to respect Ngati Porou rangatiratanga in the administration of their own land. 
This settlement will see the creation of a strategic partnership arrangement where the Crown and Ngati Porou jointly develop a separate section of the East Coast Bay of Plenty Conservation Management Strategy to be known as  
Nga Whakahaere Takirua mo Nga Paanga Whenua o Ngati Porou. 
 This arrangement will provide Ngati Porou with input into the strategic governance of specified public conservation lands within the Ngati Porou area of interest. Fifteen sites of cultural and historical significance will be vested in Ngati Porou totalling approximately 5898 hectares. These sites are currently administered by the Department of Conservation except for one site Taitai which is 170 hectares and is Crown forest land administered by Land Information New Zealand. 
 The Crown also recognises that Ngati Porou have a proud record of military service overseas in New Zealand’s defence. The New Zealand Defence Force and Ngati Porou seek to affirm their relationship through the naming of officer entry scholarships and higher defence training programmes that are awarded to people of Ngati Porou descent. The naming will be subject to the recipient’s approval. 
As we prepare to settle the Treaty of Waitangi claims of the descendants of Porourangi it is fitting to honour those who are not here in body but who no doubt are here in the hearts and minds of their people and whose spirit lives on in the words of this historic settlement—and it is a historic settlement. We pay tribute to Mate Kaiwai Dr Te Kapunga (Koro) Dewes—KD—Dame Katerina Mataira Dr Paratene Ngata Sir Henare Kohere Ngata Merekaraka Ngarimu Anaru Paenga Hopa Keelan Waho Tibble Wi Kuki Kaa Martin Kingi Jules Ferris Honore Chesley Tame Te Maro and Whaia McClutchie. Me era atu. Na reira koutou okioki tonu mai koutou hei whariki ma matau. Koutou ki a koutou haere. [ 
And others. So rest there as a mat for us. You the dead remain there with the dead; farewell. 
] 
Ngati Porou mana whenua mana moana mana tangata mana atua. Na reira koutou ma he honore maku ki te panui i tenei kaupapa ki a koutou i tenei ra. He kaupapa kua whakatakotoria e koutou i nga tau kua pahure ake. Nga mamae nga tautohetohe era atu mahi kua oti. Kua tau pai i roto i te pepa nei. Na reira nga mihi nui ki a koutou tena koutou tena koutou. 
[ 
Ngati Porou has autonomy over their lands seas people and gods. It is an honour indeed for me to introduce this bill today. It was presented to you some years ago. The pain debates and other related activities are complete now and are well documented in this bill. Therefore huge congratulations to you; well done and good on you. 
] 
I commend this bill to the House.