Mackey Moana: Ngati Manawa Claims Settlement Bill Ngati Whare Claims Settlement Bill — Third Readings 
Mackey Moana: Ngati Manawa Claims Settlement Bill Ngati Whare Claims Settlement Bill — Third Readings 
[Volume:678;Page:1470] 
MOANA MACKEY (Labour) 
: 
 I am very happy to take a call on the third readings of the Ngati Manawa Claims Settlement Bill and the Ngati Whare Claims Settlement Bill. I want to acknowledge the leadership and the tenacity of the negotiators and the people of Ngati Manawa and Ngati Whare in what has been a long process.  
As other members have done I acknowledge those who have passed on. Treaty settlement legislation is not really done in 5 years; it is done over generations. It is done through the sweat and blood of many many people who have fought long and hard so that we could be standing here in this House today passing this historic legislation. As others have done I specifically want to pay tribute to Bill Bird and the hard work that he put into ensuring that we are here today celebrating the third readings of this legislation. I want to acknowledge the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and the Minister of Maori Affairs from both this Government and the previous Government who carried out the negotiations.  
Treaty settlement legislation really does go to the heart of our nationhood. It is always extremely satisfying to be able to reach the end of a process and in fact the beginning of a new stage of a more mature relationship between the Crown and between the people of Ngati Manawa and Ngati Whare. I want to recognise the generosity of those people in agreeing to the terms of these settlements. One of our former colleagues the Hon Dr Michael Cullen said the generosity in these matters always lies with the iwi not with the Crown and I want to recognise the generosity of the people of Ngati Manawa and Ngati Whare in coming to an agreement today so that this legislation can be passed.  
It is appropriate that the claims of Ngati Manawa and Ngati Whare are brought alongside each other in this legislation. As my colleague Parekura Horomia has said Labour has supported this legislation since 2004 and again I want to acknowledge the generosity of the iwi in agreeing to put aside the negotiations on their Treaty settlement so that the central North Island deal could be done in 2008. It is not a small thing for an iwi to put aside those negotiations and it is very important that it be recognised.  
The claims in relation to Ngati Manawa are primarily around the events of the New Zealand Wars. What is striking is how little New Zealanders in general know about the events of the New Zealand Wars and yet what an incredibly dramatic impact they had on the shaping of our nation in terms of the Crown’s actions and omissions in respect of the operation and the impact of native land laws. Again this is not something that most New Zealanders know anything about and that is something that needs to be rectified because it is something that has shaped our nation and it is something that I believe needs to be more firmly acknowledged across Aotearoa New Zealand.  
The legislation also addresses the actions in respect of the Crown’s land purchasing techniques of land that Ngati Manawa wished to retain and the grievances that come with that and also the 20th century development of land rivers and forests. I will come back to that later but I think that a very very unique and special part of this particular Treaty settlement is the focus on conservation—both on land and on rivers.  
When it comes to Ngati Whare the settlement relates primarily to the Crown’s actions again during the 1860s wars; the impact of the Native Land Court and the subsequent land alienation; the Urewera District Native Reserve Act; Crown corporatisation; the cessation of indigenous forest logging; and the return of Minginui Village. Minginui Village was built by the State Forest Service in 1948 to support native milling and exotic replanting programmes but when it was returned it was not returned with the sufficient resources to ensure that it was able to be maintained at an adequate standard and these are things that are being redressed in this legislation.  
Others have touched on the atrocities and devastating history of the people of Ngati Manawa and Ngati Whare. Hopefully although this legislation can never fully right those wrongs it can start the process of healing. It is an important step in acknowledging the deep deep regret of the Crown for the atrocities committed for the loss of life and for the harm inflicted on the people of Ngati Whare relating to the 1869 attack on Te Harima Pa. It also acknowledges the prejudicial effect on Ngati Manawa of the several wars fought between the Crown and Maori in the Eastern Bay of Plenty from 1865.  
This is truly comprehensive practical and groundbreaking Treaty legislation and I want to particularly congratulate all those who were involved in the negotiations on the strong practical emphasis around protection and regeneration of conservation sites. What this means is that future generations of Ngati Manawa and Ngati Whare—and in fact future generations of all New Zealanders—are going to benefit from what is certainly natural taonga. We thank you for taking such a practical approach to that.  
I particularly want to congratulate the iwi on the creation of the Rangitaiki River Forum. Certainly in the Eastern Bay of Plenty the Rangitaiki and its tributaries are synonymous with the people of Ngati Manawa and Ngati Whare. I have spent a lot of time travelling up and down the Rangitaiki River observing the damage that has been caused particularly by the damming of that river. It is not something that you can see from the road; it is not something that a lot of people are aware of. This is a truly spectacular river—a truly spectacular river. As you travel up it you notice the forests of petrified trees but what you particularly notice is the erosion the damage the significant dropping in the level of the river when the dams on the river are at full bore the impact that that is having on the ecology of the river and the impact that that is having on the vegetation around the river.  
It was of great concern to I think all people of the Eastern Bay of Plenty when TrustPower sought to actually increase its water take on the Rangitaiki River—to double it—and we can imagine what damage that may have caused. Although that did not go through it did show as my colleague Nanaia Mahuta said the importance of having a forum where iwi are not subject to the waxing and waning of elected representatives and to what their personal views might be on some of these issues but where some firm bottom lines can be put in place about the protection of the ecology of the Rangitaiki River and the health of that river because that river is in serious trouble. I congratulate you on so staunchly wanting to protect the Rangitaiki River and its tributaries and I hope that we can see some improvement in the health of that particular river.  
Again touching on the comments from my colleague Nanaia Mahuta around the relationship with the regional council and the relationship with the management of those natural resources we note that there are some significant local government reforms coming along soon. We wonder what that might mean for the Bay of Plenty as a whole particularly as it has a regional authority that has elected Maori seats—which are working very very well—and what any kind of amalgamation might mean for the future of those Maori seats is I think incredibly important. Although that is not a debate for today it is important to put that on the table because that definitely will have an impact on how the regional council manages some of those resources and will have an impact on the ability of iwi to have a say in that. Again that is why this forum is so so important.  
 So I am not going to take much longer but I want to acknowledge the history in relation to the people of Ngati Manawa and Ngati Whare. Again I find it very sad that most people in the Eastern Bay of Plenty do not know the history of the iwi in their own area. You cannot have a full appreciation of the significance of these settlements when you do not know what led up to them you do not know the atrocities that occurred and you do not understand why that redress needs to happen. We need to do better in this regard. That is again another debate for another day but it is important to put it on the table.  
So no Treaty settlement can ever fully right historic wrongs but it does provide a basis for moving forward and it does provide the basis for a more mature relationship with the Crown. I congratulate the people of Ngati Manawa and Ngati Whare. I wish you all the best for the future. Kia ora.