Fox MaramaMARAMA FOX (Co-Leader—Māori Party): Well I would like to acknowledge those of Ngāti Paoa who are seated in the gallery in this evening specifically Hauāuru Rāwiri kaihautū of Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust. While we have heard a lot about what the Government is supposedly doing and we have heard a lot about what the Opposition members think about this bill—their stance and their summations—let us see what Ngāti Paoa have said about this bill. I am going to quote from Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust chief executive officer Hauāuru Rāwiri and he said that … without this land there would be no Treaty settlement between the Crown and Ngāti Paoa."So there is a lot of talk from people who think they know but this comes from the words of the people themselves: " 'By opposing the legislation Labour is opposing a Treaty Settlement Bill—for the first time in the history of the Treaty settlement process. The Labour Party position seems to be that Ngāti Paoa is being duped by the Government to advance its housing programme. This [surely] is a supremely patronising and condescending attitude that reflects poorly on its proponents.' The Government is proposing to sell 13 hectares of the 48-hectare reserve to Ngāti Paoa and there is a bill before Parliament that would lift its reserve status and allow housing to be built on the land." These are their words not my words not the Opposition's words and not the words of the Green Party members who seem to be sitting on the fence while I heard a lot of reasons why the Green Party would support it get up and support it. This is not about housing specifically; this is Treaty redress. How patronising of this Government and this Opposition to think that they can tell the Treaty partner what to do with their land 70000 acres taken—Peeni Henare: Give the land back. No strings attached!MARAMA FOX: —70000—taken for £100. "Give the land back." is the cry that comes from over here. This is the only land available to be used as redress for Ngāti Paoa. They know it. They have said it. They have accepted it and they have signed the letter that this land will come back to them in redress. It is the same as every other Treaty settlement and we do not hear the decrying calls of the Opposition members when they have to buy back their land. But we have said it; we have said it over and over again: this is the greatest koha to this nation that our people make again and again and again in Treaty settlements. How dare they use the land to do what they think is right to do with it when it was theirs in the first place! How dare they! How patronising—how patronising.Here is one thing I do know: Ngāti Paoa have not been the ones to play political football with their Treaty settlement. They have stayed out of the politics of this debate. This debate has been politicised by this House—by this House. This House has politicised their Treaty settlement.For the people who are going to have their million-dollar views disturbed one of whom rang my office a lovely male migrant who had come here from Ireland—and I said to him: "Surely you understand what this means to have your treaty grievance and your redress of a land coming back to you."Yes unfortunately we have had to purchase our land back—and that makes no sense—but yet we do it in Treaty settlements yet we do it again and again because we are past being people of protest and we want to be people of progress. Ngāti Paoa has shown us the way that they would like to progress their settlement their redress to build affordable homes for their people and the people of Glen Innes. I tell you I have been to just about every single housing development in that city and barely any of them are building affordable homes except for who? Iwi. How dare they build affordable homes for their people! How patronising of this House to dare to stand up and tell them what they should do with their Treaty settlement.Ngāti Paoa has been offered 2 hectares of that reserve land for their marae a place to stand a tūrangawaewae finally after a hundred and whatever years of coming to this point. Why are we rushing this through? With their agreement with their respect and with their wishes. I support this bill."