Little Andrew; Rurawhe AdrianThird ReadingHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): Thank you Mr Speaker. I present a legislative statement on the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill. SPEAKER: That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and it can be found on the Parliament website.Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I move That the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time. E ngā mana e ngā rē rau ieriki-ieriki mā. Tena kotou tena kotou tena kotou katoa. [Exalted figures and voices of authority and multitudes of leaders. Acknowledgments to every one of you.]I begin by acknowledging the people of Moriori today. E te imi Moriori tena kotou. [To the Moriori people you are acknowledged.]I'd especially like to extend my welcome to the Moriori representatives who have travelled to Parliament today some from Rēkohu and some from other parts of New Zealand who are watching this final reading of their bill by live stream. So we welcome them here we feel them and we know they are here. This is their day and it is a very special day. Today marks the final stage in the progression of Moriori's Treaty settlement bill. One hundred and fifty-nine years ago Moriori karāpuna—their tūpuna—petitioned Governor George Grey remembering the trauma of the 1835 settlement of Rēkohu by Ngāti Mutunga and seeking the Crown's protection. This day is the culmination of the struggle for truth and justice that began then. It's testament to the years of hard work by Moriori and dedication towards negotiating a deed of settlement and a long-awaited day of celebration at the end of this legislative period that has lasted nearly two years because of the delays caused by the COVID outbreak. I well remember being on Rēkohu at Kōpinga Marae towards the end of February 2020 and it was just when the world was waking up to the existence of COVID-19. The passage of this legislation has been affected by that nasty virus but we are here today with this bill in its third reading even though COVID is still around. The fact that Moriori could not be physically present in the House to see this as so many other iwi are when their bills are going through is another sacrifice that they have had to make in a long line of sacrifices in order to achieve settlement in order to achieve that long fought for justice that they have been struggling for. I thank Moriori for their fortitude and their patience in reaching this significant milestone. It's now time for the Crown to make redress to Moriori for its breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and I'm pleased to be here to support the enactment of their bill. I remember and pay tribute to Moriori karāpuna on this occasion for the grievances they have suffered and the legacy of peace which serves as a cornerstone for the identity of Moriori to the present day. I also pay tribute to those who initiated this Treaty settlement process who cannot be here today to celebrate this milestone. Moe mai moe mai moe mai rā e ngā ieriki-ieriki. [Sleep sleep sleep peacefully great leaders who have passed on.]I acknowledge and thank Moriori chief negotiator Māui Solomon for his life's work advocating for justice for te imi Moriori and for his able leadership through this settlement process. In 1984 as the newly elected chair of the Hokotehi Moriori Trust Māui made a promise to his karāpuna to tell their story. With the enactment of this bill that promise comes to life. I also acknowledge the wider Moriori negotiation team Tom Lanauze Paul Solomon and Grace LeGros and claims manager Susan Thorpe for their efforts in bringing about this settlement. On the Crown side I acknowledge the Hon Dame Fran Wilde for her able leadership as chief Crown negotiator. I thank my ministerial colleagues for their work and support particularly the former Minister of Conservation the Hon Eugenie Sage. Thank you also to the officials who worked tirelessly to pull the redress together. I acknowledge the Chatham Islands Council for their support as well as the Chatham and Pitt Island communities. The Moriori Claims Settlement Bill gives effect to the deed of settlement between Moriori and the Crown which we signed on 14 February 2020 and it settles all the historical Te Tiriti o Waitangi claims of Moriori. The bill like the deed of settlement acknowledges the Crown's historical breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It also goes some way in providing Moriori with a cultural and economic base to support future revitalisation. The historical claims of Moriori are significant. When the Crown annexed the Chatham Islands in 1842 it extended protections under Te Tiriti o Waitangi to Moriori. At that time Moriori were living in a state of enslavement with severely depleted numbers on Rēkohu as a result of settlement there by two iwi whose traditional rohe was Taranaki. The Crown was aware that Moriori had been subjugated and that many had died at the hands of their captors. Moriori karāpuna pleaded for the protection owed to them but for many years the Crown failed to act to end Moriori subjugation. As a result even more karāpuna suffered greatly and died in oppressive conditions including some who died of an illness known to Moriori as kongenge a deep despair of the spirit. In the period that followed the Crown's continued acts and omissions eroded what little autonomy Moriori had causing them to lose their connection to their language and culture and to suffer severe social and economic deprivation. In the late 1860s the Crown did not consult Moriori karāpuna when promoting the native land laws nor did it devise a just solution for Moriori regarding land on the Chatham Islands following the Native Land Court's determination of land title in 1870. As a result Moriori were left virtually landless their tribal structures were undermined and Moriori were severed from their land their wahi t'chap or wahi tapu and their responsibilities as guardians and hosts. Over a period of many years the Crown through the Colonial Museum collected removed and traded kōimi t'chakat or Moriori human remains from Rēkohu. This was but one example of the cultural degradation faced by Moriori.By the beginning of the 20th century ta rē Moriori had been lost as a living language due to the Crown's failure to protect it. The Crown also contributed to the wrongful stigmatisation of Moriori as a racially inferior people who became extinct—a myth which caused great suffering and hardship particularly to generations of children of Moriori descent. No settlement package can ever fully compensate Moriori for the magnitude of loss they have suffered across generations. It's a testament to their extraordinary grace and their dedication to Nunuku's covenant of peace that they have chosen to accept the current package and move towards a period of reconciliation with the Crown. I thank Moriori. I thank them for their generosity of spirit and I am hopeful for what the shared future holds. The Moriori Claims Settlement Bill seeks to give effect to the Moriori settlement package as outlined in the legislative statement. Today is a day for looking back and looking back at the origins of the Moriori-Crown relationship; for acknowledging the past in order to fully recognise the significance of the journey since. It's heartening to see the wider effects of Moriori coming to the fore in the public space we have brought. I acknowledge the renaissance of ta rē Moriori and the significant efforts of imi to revitalise their language. In addition to the work being undertaken outside the House the interest of members of the House in engaging with ta rē Moriori with the support of imi particularly during the select committee process has been truly heartening. It has given me great joy in seeing ta rē Moriori being spoken in the House through this legislative process and entering formal parliamentary written records. This is an example of what the renewed relationship between Moriori and the Crown could hold. It is this spirit I'm hopeful will continue to grow with the enactment of this bill. I commend this bill to the House. Nō reira tena kotou tena kotou me rongo kotou. [Therefore acknowledgments to every one of you and may peace be upon you.]DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ko te pātai ka whakaaetia te mōtini [To begin the debate on this bill] I call Joseph Mooney.