Marcroft JennyJENNY MARCROFT (NZ First): Kia ora Madam Deputy Speaker. E ngā mana e ngā reo e ngā rau rangatira mā tēnā koutou katoa. Ka nui aku mihi aroha ki a koutou ngā whānau whānui o te iwi o Ngāti Tamaoho tēnā koutou katoa. Ka mihi ahau hoki ki aku hoa kei te tū hoki ki te kōrero mō tēnei kaupapa i roto i te Whare nei. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa. [To all of you from different walks of life and cultures distinguished guests I greet you all. I offer a warm welcome to you affiliates of the extended family of Ngāti Tamaoho greetings. I also acknowledge my colleagues who have stood to speak to this matter before us in this House. Greetings to one and all.]Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker and I am very privileged to be able to stand here on behalf of New Zealand First and speak on the Ngāti Tamaoho Claims Settlement Bill in its second reading. I'd just like to make note of the many connections. I'm from Ngāpuhi in the North. There are many connections with Waikato and Ngāpuhi and I'd like to make note of Reitū and Reipae two Waikato princesses who ventured into the North.Unfortunately we didn't get to meet Ngāti Tamaoho in the Māori Affairs Committee when they made their submission. So I think in that part of the process—for me having been involved in politics for only a short six months—to not have them to meet face to face is a disappointment for me but I am very pleased that we are able to progress their settlement and to now be at the second reading today. It took over four years after the deed was signed until the first reading—now over a year ago—so this second reading really couldn't come quickly enough. So I hope from this point on we are able to progress and reach the final stages of the settlement for Ngāti Tamaoho because they have been waiting far too long.I'd like to acknowledge the former Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations the Hon Christopher Finlayson and the work he has done previously in progressing this settlement. One of the things that he talked about in his first reading speech was reflecting on the history of the relationship between the Crown and the settling iwi Ngāti Tamaoho. It is a long history of gradual but constant land loss and of the conflicts that severely impacted on Ngāti Tamaoho and we should always keep those conflicts and the degradation and that loss well in our minds so that we never return to that space. The Crown also he mentioned hopes to restore its honour and alleviate what can only be described as an acute sense of grievance. Those are just some of the ways that we can enable healing and moving forward.I'd just like to talk a little bit about Ngāti Tamaoho and their rohe that extends—it's quite a large tract of land and very fertile amazing land. We've built much of our city upon it in Tāmaki-makau-rau—the isthmus to south to the Waikato River and to the Whangamarino wetlands. It extends from the west coast to the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames. There are interests also concentrated in the Manukau lowlands Āwhitu Peninsula Papakura the Hunua Ranges Mangatangi and of course Whangamarino.This is an amazing tract of land. It includes land that is rich and fertile. The area around Pukekohe which is really known as New Zealand's food basket—those rich soils are growing much of our food today and unfortunately we see lots of that land now being cut up for housing and that too is a shame. Remuera—some of the most expensive real estate in the country—once was but still really is a Ngāti Tamaoho area.Acknowledging this tribe today this iwi and seeing the submissions that they made—two submissions only—to the Māori Affairs Committee Ngāti Tamaoho Trust Board endorse this bill in its entirety. The trust has carefully reviewed the bill and considers that it gives effect to both the intent and the detail of the deed of settlement. They feel that completion of the claims negotiation process—that is adoption of the bill—will enable them to move beyond this period of history into a more positive context. They state in their submission that any further delay or other problems through the legislative process would undermine what they have been able to achieve. So it is important that we do move swiftly on this to give them completion so that they too can move forward. Noting also the complexity of the overlapping claims in the Tāmaki-makau-rau area and the Defence Force lands and what Auckland Council said in their supporting submission—they sought two minor technical amendments to clause 52 of the bill. The purpose of the amendments are twofold really: to clarify the administrative process the council must follow for the transfer of the Hunua scenic reserve land to four iwi—and we've heard them talked about in Rino Tirikatene's speech today—and to disapply section 59A of the Reserves Act 1977 which currently allows the Minister of the administering body to grant a concession in respect of the Hunua Falls scenic reserve. The land in the falls area will remain a scenic reserve with Auckland Council being the administering body as if under section 28 of the Reserves Act 1977. The bill prescribes that as long as the council remains that administering body the regional parks management plan in force will continue to apply. The transfer of the Hunua Falls property will take effect on the latest of the settlements for the four participating iwi and it's still not clear when that will occur. In summary I'd just like to mention how Ngāti Tamaoho are able to move on and what are the benefits of this settlement for them. One of the negotiators for Ngāti Tamaoho says that it is a chance to share their history and that will be one of the biggest benefits of their settlement. Dennis Kirkwood said about a year ago that they were already making their mark on the landscape. They unveiled a plaque at Patumāhoe near Pukekohe at the site of what was once a very significant village and urupā. He said that was an initiative from the Auckland Council and Auckland Transport and their urging of the city's mana whenua iwi to create signage spelling out the association of the people with that land.I think that's an important way that we can keep our history alive so that all that come to that area are aware of more than just the current situation there. They can see and read about the history as well.He believes that they need more awareness other than just perhaps the odd street sign. Although street signs are important—trying to get the old names back on some of those lands before they are in Auckland's case cut up and then renamed. So in conclusion I would just like to thank all of those members from the Māori Affairs Committee who have worked in this Parliament and the previous Parliament on progressing the Ngāti Tamaoho Claims Settlement Bill through the House. With that I'd just like to say congratulations to the iwi and all the very best. Tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.