Finlayson Christopher: Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill — In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFinlayson Christopher: Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill — In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 08 September 2015. Volume:708;Page:6382. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I move That Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time. First may I welcome the people of Te Kawerau ā Maki who have joined us today for this historic and memorable occasion—nau mai haere mai. Also before I turn to acknowledgments can I welcome some of their friends and colleagues. I see Sir Bob Harvey up there and I acknowledge him. He is one of my favourite lefties I have to say. And Penny Webster it is great to have you here. I also acknowledge Michael Dreaver who was the Crown negotiator at the relevant time.Can I say that the final version of this bill is the outcome of a huge amount of hard work and cooperation between all the parties involved in developing this legislation and it represents a positive approach for the future engagement between Te Kawerau Iwi Settlement Trust the iwi of Tāmaki-makau-rau and the Crown. I want particularly to acknowledge the positive engagement of the iwi and the commitment and dedication of its appointed representatives in particular Te Wārena Taua who is up in the gallery today Ngārama Walker George Taua Hāmuera Taua and Miriama Tamariki. Many many others have contributed to this settlement and as I say in every third reading it is always sad that some of those people have passed away during the course of these negotiations. Of course we acknowledge them as well.Let me say something about Te Kawerau ā Maki and read it into the permanent record of the House. The people of Te Kawerau ā Maki descend from the youngest son of the ancestor Maki named Tāwhiākiterangi who also took the name Te Kawerau ā Maki. Te Kawerau ā Maki hold customary interests in the Tāmaki region particularly through Hikurangi and the Waitakere Ranges—which is why Sir Bob is here no doubt. It can be described as Te Kawerau ā Maki heartland. Its customary interests also extend through lands in the upper Waitematā Harbour the North Shore and into the Mahurangi coast and south Kaipara. This is a very broad rohe through which Te Kawerau ā Maki maintained relationships with many other iwi.In 2008 the Crown recognised the mandate of the tribal authority to represent Te Kawerau ā Maki in negotiations. A year later in June 2009 Sir Douglas Graham delivered a proposal on my behalf to the iwi and hapū of the Kaipara Mahurangi Tāmaki-makau-rau Hauraki and Coromandel regions. He proposed that all groups in the region including Te Kawerau ā Maki enter direct negotiations with the Crown for the settlement of their historical Treaty claims and I acknowledge the tremendous work done for me by Sir Douglas.In February 2010 I signed an agreement in principle with Te Kawerau ā Maki. Our negotiations towards a deed of settlement continued until late 2013. Together we traversed a number of difficult issues but ultimately we resolved them. On 22 February 2014 I attended the signing of the deed of settlement at Māngere. In 18 months the bill has been introduced considered by the Māori Affairs Committee and is now being read for a third time by Parliament. The settlement of this iwi’s historical Treaty grievances has taken some time to reach this stage but I do want to commend the people of Te Kawerau ā Maki for their patience and their determination in reaching a settlement.The financial and commercial redress provided to Te Kawerau ā Maki recognises the losses suffered by them. The iwi will receive $6.5 million plus interest and with this money it will acquire 86 percent of Riverhead Forest Crown-licensed land. The accumulated rentals that come with the forest will provide a cash reserve and will allow other commercial opportunities to be taken up. Te Kawerau ā Maki will have a number of other commercial opportunities available from this settlement including deferred selection property rights as well as rights of first refusal both exclusive and non-exclusive over Crown-owned properties. As I say to people—and Nanaia Mahuta will understand this—it is very important when one is dealing with rights of first refusal to focus on the particular right of first refusal and its terms. I have said that before and I will be saying it again on many many occasions no doubt.Cultural redress provided to Te Kawerau ā Maki includes the vesting of nine culturally significant sites including lands on which Te Kawerau ā Maki can establish a marae and an urupā. The cultural redress package includes an overlay classification over Te Henga Historic Reserve which we dealt with briefly in the Committee stage a few minutes ago 11 statutory acknowledgments and other redress that is culturally significant to the iwi. I certainly want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of Te Kawerau ā Maki Crown officials and third parties in reaching agreement over access rights to Te Hēnga site B. It was if I may say so a class act on the part of the iwi to deal with those matters at the eleventh hour and I personally want to thank them very much.This is an iwi that has lost most of its land through extensive and excessive Crown purchases for three decades after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. What reserves were set aside were never protected and were gradually alienated from tribal control. At the end of this process Te Kawerau ā Maki were rendered landless and this has had—as it always has—a severe impact on the health and well-being of their community. Today Te Kawerau ā Maki is one of the few iwi in Tāmaki that does not have a marae or an urupā on its own land.At the heart of the settlement then is an apology from the Crown for acts and omissions that breached the Treaty and its principles. Not only is this apology an acknowledgment of long-held grievances but also it is the right thing to do. Therefore I hope that this settlement forms the basis of a new relationship between the people of Te Kawerau ā Maki and the Crown based on mutual trust cooperation and respect for the Treaty and its principles. I look forward as Attorney-General with responsibility for post-settlement relationships to working with this iwi and its great leaders to build up a very close relationship in the years to come. I commend the bill to the House.