Davis Kelvin: Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Bill — Second Reading 
Davis Kelvin: Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:655;Page:4962] 
KELVIN DAVIS (Labour) 
: 
 A te mea tuatahi maku he mihi kau atu ki a koutou o Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika na koutou i tatu mai ki raro i te tuanui o tenei Whare e whakarongo ana ki a matou e whakawhitiwhiti korero ana mo tenei kaupapa tino ataahua e pa ana ki a koutou. Na reira tenei te mihi ki a koutou. Tenei hoki te mihi ki o koutou awaawa o koutou maunga o koutou whenua o koutou rawa katoa kua murua i a koutou. Kore e warewaretia hoki o koutou tupuna na ratou tenei kaupapa i pikaungia a tae noa ki tenei wa. Na reira tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. 
[ 
The first thing for me is to acknowledge you of Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika who have arrived here beneath the roof of this House and are listening to our exchanges over this extremely attractive matter that relates to you. And so I greet you as well as your valleys mountains lands and resources that were taken from you. Your ancestors cannot be forgotten. They carried this matter from the outset and it has continued to this day. Greetings greetings and greetings to you all. 
] 
I begin my address in the debate on the Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Bill by reading from the deed of settlement and it is the acknowledgments apologies and statement of forgiveness that I would like to refer to. I will not read it all but I will go into the part that says: “For too long our history has been a troublesome burden. It is now time to set the record straight.” Kei te tautoko ahau i wena whakaaro. [ 
I endorse those thoughts. 
] “We acknowledge and forgive the Crown for its breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles. We acknowledge and forgive the Crown for its failure to protect our interests in the acquisition and administration of our lands. We acknowledge and forgive the Crown for its actions which caused hurt and prejudice for Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika. We acknowledge and accept the Crown’s profound regret for the significant impact on our social economic cultural and spiritual well being.” 
I would like to say to Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika thank you. Forgiveness is the start of healing and from healing we then move on to hope. My hope and hopefully their hope as well is that the Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Bill is the beginning of the future for Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika. For too long they have had to wait for this moment like many other iwi around the motu. For too long and at too many times this has happened over and over again to Maori through the confiscation of lands resources and mana. 
Let me say as a member of the Maori Affairs Committee that it was a privilege and an honour to participate in the deliberations. As a new member of Parliament it was the first opportunity I had to listen and to hear. It was a privilege to hear the submissions to the select committee to hear and experience the pain that had been caused. To some extent as a member of Parliament I feel a sense of responsibility for what has occurred. In another sense I feel a sense of responsibility for finding the solutions. I believe this bill is a solution and that it will help not only the people involved but also when similar settlements are reached all of us as Maori to move ahead. 
I acknowledge those members of Parliament from the previous Government who began this process. I acknowledge Dr Cullen my colleagues Parekura Horomia and Mita Ririnui and others who have contributed to our reaching this point as well as the current Government which has stated some urgency in terms of settling our claims. It is really important not just in this instance but to us as Maori to make sure that these settlements occur quickly so that we as Maori can move on and assume our rightful place as leaders and that we can use these settlements to progress ourselves as people. 
I also acknowledge the select committee led by Tau Henare as well as Paul Quinn Hekia Parata Hone Harawira Parekura Mita and myself for the deliberations. It was not easy discussing everything. I also acknowledge members from the Office of Treaty Settlements in particular Darren and Margot. I recall the to-ing and fro-ing around the Pipitea Marae issue. They would come to us and we would believe that the issue was almost resolved then they would have to go back and it was forward and back. In the end we have come to a resolution and I acknowledge both Margot and Darren—I see them there in the gallery—for the hard work commitment and dedication that they put into the job. 
The opt-out clause has been touched on by a number of previous speakers and I too share some of those concerns. It was put there because not all members of the iwi could come to an agreement in terms of how to go forward. There is an opt-out clause for them so that if they can form a single entity and achieve a mandate recognised by the Crown they can move forward on their own. It saddens me that this process to an extent is dividing people rather than bringing people together but I also understand and acknowledge that people—iwi whanau hapu—who feel their needs are not being met or addressed have the right to form an entity of their own and move ahead. 
We noted in our report that “The opt-out clause in the Deed is an unhappy exception to the Crown’s practice of dealing with large natural groupings.” and also that “We wish to note that the Crown should not be called upon to adjudicate differences within an iwi grouping.” I agree with that. It is not the Crown’s role to tell Maori whom they should affiliate to. That is an issue that iwi themselves need to hui and wananga about. We went on to say “We consider the provision of an opt-out clause to be inappropriate as a model for any future settlements. We consider that these are matters for iwi to resolve. We do not recommend the use of opt-out clauses in the future.” 
I do not wish to draw out this debate. I believe that we need to settle these issues as quickly as possible be it with Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika or in any other settlements that need to occur. But I think it is appropriate once again to acknowledge the pain and hurt over the years for what has occurred. As I said earlier I believe that as members of Parliament we need to take some responsibility for what has gone on in the past but also as members of Parliament we are in a position to right those wrongs. In my time as a member I genuinely and sincerely hope that I will be able to help other iwi to settle their claims against the Crown. 
Na reira ka nui wenei maku mo tenei wa. He mihi whakamutunga ki a koutou kei runga ake ra Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika huri noa tena koutou tena koutou tena tatou katoa. 
[ 
So what I have stated for now is enough. In closing I congratulate you Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika seated above. Greetings to you greetings to you and greetings to us all throughout. 
]