Harawira Hone: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — In Committee 
Harawira Hone: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:662;Page:10483] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Chairman. Hoi no hei korero tuatahi me mihi au ki a ratau te hunga kua w’eturangitia ratau e whai nei i tenei ture i te wa e ora ana. No reira ratau ki a ratau tatau ano ki a tatau e hui tahi nei i roto i to tatau Whare tena koutou huri rauna kia ora tatau. Kia ora tatau. Tena koe e Tuku kua tae mai nei i roto i a tatau kia rongohia i nga korero a te kiore e whai nei i tona whiore i tenei ra ki taku taha matau. 
Te rongo ano ki nga korero a kia tautoko i te tu rangatira a Waikato-Tainui me to ratau awa. Mai i nohinohi ana kua rongo matau i tera korero “Ko te awa ko au ko au ko te awa.” No reira me mihi au ki a koutou i tata oti nei i tenei hikoi kia w’akatutukitia ai te kaupapa o taua korero. Hari ana kei konei matau katoa nga mea Maori e korero tautoko ana tatau i a tatau i runga i te whakaaro rangatira tera kia whakahokia mai te mana o to tatau taonga ki a tatau ano ra. No reira tena tatau. Tena tatau me tera whakaaro kua korerohia nei e te kiore e korero nei i taku taha mo tenei mea te moni kua tukuna e te Kawanatanga i nga tau kua pahure ake nei. I te mea ka hoki taku mahara ki tetahi atu korero e mea ana mena ko te whenua i riro atu ko te whenua me hoki mai. E tika ana taua korero. Me te mea ano hoki mena e hiahia ana te tangata nei ki tona moni ka pai. Engari whakahokia mai te katoa o taua whenua kua tahae nei i nga tau kua pahure ake. No reira hari ana au kia tu nei i tenei ra ki te tautoko i tenei kaupapa me te mohio ano hoki kei reira tonu wetahi whakaaro kia whakamana tuturu ai i a Waikato-Tainui me tona awa. 
No reira hari ana au i te mea kei konei a Reipa kei konei a Nahinara kei konei te Pati Maori kei konei te Ropu Kakariki e tu kotahi ana ki te whakamana i tenei whakaaro me te mihi ano hoki ki a koe e te tuahine e Nanaia e korerohia ana kei roto i tenei pire wetahi huarahi mo a matau nei whanaunga puta noa i te motu. Tera kia hanga i tetahi ropu ma te iwi ma te Kawanatanga hei tohungia hei kawe i te mana ma tetahi ropu ano hei whakahaere i te taonga. No reira i roto i tenei nga whakaaro pai mo matau ano hoki pea kei roto o Te Tai Tokerau engari i tenei ra he tu poto tenei ki te mihi atu ki a tatau ano ra nga uri o Ueoneone me Reitu raua ko Reipae e nohonoho nei i roto i to tatau Whare. Tena koutou me ta tatau nei awa. Tena tatau kia ora tatau katoa. 
[ 
Greetings to you Mr Chairman. Indeed I acknowledge in the first instance those ones who have passed away and who followed this bill when they were alive. So I say unto them you the dead remain there and we the living the ones assembled here in our House to ourselves greetings throughout. Greetings. Greetings to you Tuku who have arrived here in our midst to hear the squeaks from the mouse on my right-hand side chasing its own tail.  
But you have also heard supporting statements in regard to Waikato-Tainui’s noble stance about their river. From the time I was a toddler I heard the expression “I am the river and the river is me.” So I commend you as this journey draws to a close and the nub of that expression reaches fulfilment. How overjoyed I am that we the Maori ones are all here supporting each other with one noble thing in mind that control over our resources be returned to us. So congratulations to us all. Greetings to us and that thought put forward by the mouse beside me about the money given by the Government in previous years. It brings to mind the expression that if the land is taken then it must be returned. That is correct. If a person covets money that is fine. However return all of the land that was stolen in the past.  
So I am pleased to stand today to endorse this bill in the knowledge that there are other ideas around formalising Waikato-Tainui control over the river. I am glad too that Labour National the Maori Party and the Greens are standing together to endorse this bill. I also acknowledge the member Nanaia who spoke on the bill and about initiatives that our relatives around the country could pick up on: that is to establish a group working for the people whom the Government will appoint to manage the resource. Perhaps there are positive elements for us to adopt in the far north but today I take this short call to acknowledge all of us descendants of Ueoneone Reitu and Reipae seated about this House. Greetings to you and especially our river. Greetings to us and thank you all. 
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