SpeechHARETE HIPANGO (National): Tēnei taku karanga ki te pānuitanga tuarua o tēnei pire. [This is my call on the second reading of this bill.] This is my call to make an address to the House and importantly ka nui te mihi ki ngā manuhiri [I acknowledge the guests]. Haere mai nau mai rā i tēnei Whare Ngāti Maniapoto ngā uri o Ngāti Maniapoto. [Welcome to this House Ngāti Maniapoto the descendants of Ngāti Maniapoto.]In taking this call at second reading I stand as a member of the National Party. Importantly I stand as uri of W'anganui and always carry that as we know being descendants of the rohe of the tribal peoples that we come from. In speaking to the Maniapoto Claims Settlement Bill this is the second reading. To explain to members of the public listening and gathered the second reading is when we bring the bill back to the House after there's been scrutiny at the select committee level and colleagues have addressed the House explaining some of that engagement and kōrero that occurred. Before I move further to address the components of the bill I acknowledge the Hon Andrew Little as Minister for Treaty settlements his predecessor the Hon Christopher Finlayson and importantly the Hon Nanaia Mahuta for the fact that you have led and picked up the mantle from generations before to carry that through amongst the other leaders and representatives gathered in the Whare today. In so far as addressing what the second reading of the bill is and picking up on the addresses that have been made by Minister Little and also by the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee Tāmati Coffey I do sit on the Māori Affairs Committee alongside my colleague Joseph Mooney. But regrettably because I was called to participate in other matters I didn't hear all of the submissions although I have read them. There is a difference though—reading as opposed to being present and listening—because of the heartfelt settlement that goes with that level of engagement kanohi ki te kanohi. So I've picked up on that from listening to the kōrero of my colleagues but also as much as I possibly could from reading the documents and from the small part that I did have of the engagement in listening to some of the commentary. So it has been traversed the chronology of the passage of where this bill has arrived at today. The history is encapsulated in the bill. The bill is comprised of seven parts 233 clauses and six schedules. Encapsulated within the bill importantly is the factual historical account and I always encourage New Zealanders who are listening in to these debates about the importance of what the factual correct account is because what many of us have been exposed to through our education system and the learning of my generation before is the inaccuracy of that. So these bills put the record straight. The Māori Affairs Committee has provided a report back to the House and that report is indicating what amendments are proposed after consideration of and listening to the submissions—the evidence importantly from the people most affected and afflicted—and then also listening to the advice of the officials from Te Arawhiti. It's detailed in the report and I'd hoped that the people of Ngāti Maniapoto—and it's been addressed in the House today also that there have been some disputes around the positioning of mandates and authorities and as to whose account takes precedence and priority. In the Māori Affairs Committee when we receive the bill and we listen to the accounts by way of evidence we do take that to heart. We factor that in and I am often cognisant that by the time we receive this information so much has gone on before that it is somewhat perplexing as to what we are able to do. It's also important that any of the tensions the conflicts the challenges—the raruraru—that has been canvassed further before the select committee—it's preferable that those matters are resolved amongst the people who come to us and the history has been accounted by way of various disputes that have been put to the Waitangi Tribunal and the rulings that have been made accordingly. So we've heard some of the raruraru and the associated mamae and feelings and tensions in relation to the story from Rereahu and Ngāti Te Ihinga-a-rangi. That has been taken into account but—importantly—so has the date of settlement and the journey that has been traversed through that period of time to arrive at that point. So the report that the select committee has presented back to the House is indicating proposed amendments and those proposed amendments in particular happen to refer to my people. In relation to Te Awa Tupua—the W'anganui River—and the land subject to that in terms of the course and the flow of Te Awa Tupua—W'anganui River—through Ngāti Maniapoto lands. So one of the amendments that has been proposed—two of the amendments clauses 21 and 22—is just indicating that ownership of certain Crown-owned parts of the bed of the W'anganui River including its tributaries be transferred to Te Awa Tupua which is the recognised legal personification of the river and the representatives of that—two are appointed our Te Pou Tupua who are the human face in the representation and as is often the case we whakapapa to many who were involved in the course of history and the course and flow of the stories that go with this. So the two Te Pou Tupua of W'anganui are my cousins and in fact my aunties—cousins intergenerational. We are of similar age: Keria Ponga and Turama Hawira. Prior to Keria's appointment it was Dame Tariana Turia—whanaunga. So what I'm stressing is the importance of the relationships the interconnectivity and the fact that we feel and we acknowledge the importance of that. So the two Te Pou Tupua—Keria and Turama—will assume the landowner functions on behalf of Te Awa Tupua and uri of W'anganui. They are landowner functions for the beds of these tributaries of where the river courses through the lands of Ngāti Maniapoto. When I saw that provision within the bill I was somewhat concerned to ensure that Te Arawhiti—our officials—had engaged to explain what that means and the onus and the burden of responsibility that comes with these positions. We've been advised that that has been appropriately addressed and the responsibility will be carried by Te Pou Tupua—importantly—of the relationship and association with Ngāti Maniapoto.There's so much to cover in the course of these debates in such a short time. That's the benefit of this being shared with other colleagues who will stand to address the House. The bill is detailed thoroughly and when we have the privilege to speak at the third reading many of us will address significant portions of that. I have a tendency to always come back to the acknowledgment of the Crown and the apology in terms of the history the imposition of the wrong and the injustices that have occurred there. I'm just going to share too with Ngāti Maniapoto that before I stood to take my call my phone buzzed and of course we don't take phone calls in the House. I flicked it open to see that it was a phone number from Ōtorohanga so I'm sensing that it was somebody from your people your regions trying to make contact with me and I will attend to that at another time. Also as I stand I'm adorned here with a piece of jewellery and just to share this is a piece of jewellery designed and created by Tania Tupu who is based in Raglan. What is inscribed or positioned on it is a heitiki with a heavy Crown weighted on its head. I share that because as Māori when we stand in this House now in our role and capacity as Crown agents we feel the burden and the weight that goes with this responsibility and I acknowledge the Hon Nanaia Mahuta—Minister—the weight and the burden that we carry of generations before and the privilege that we have to stand today. But it is I as a Crown agent who acknowledges Ngāti Maniapoto in endorsing and commending the bill to the House. Kia ora Madam Speaker.