SpeechJO HAYES (National): Tēnā koe koro mā e kui mā rau rangatira mā tēnā koutou. E te whānau o te poropiti o Rua Kēnana kei te mihi mahana ki a koutou. Nau mai haere mai i tēnei Whare i te rā whakahirahira.[Greetings elders and distinguished guests greetings. To the family of the prophet Rua Kēnana warm greetings to you all. Welcome welcome to this House on this important day.]I stand humbled again to speak on such an emotional bill Te Pire kia Unuhia te Hara kai Runga i a Rua Kēnana / Rua Kēnana Pardon Bill on the first reading. This morning I was privileged to be part of the rōpū pāremata for the plaque as we see under the doorway and I too as the Minister Nanaia Mahuta has laid out was privileged to listen to a number of speeches today.But the one that I do want to make mention of is the one of a previous lecturer of mine and an uri of Tūhoe Professor Taiarahia Black. His speech around the waiata of Rua Kēnana when Rua Kēnana was imprisoned brought a lot of—it was almost like it was real for me. I could see it all happening in my mind's eye. Those words around Kāore te whakamā i ahau ki te taura whiu kau" ["The void of shame to use a cow lasso"] when Rua Kēnana—when the colonial Crown went in and arrested him wrapping around a cowhide lasso to bring him down "I kitea e au he karauna kīngi" ["Pervading my sight is the symbol of the King"] where he could see the badge of the King coming through "Ka ū ki Maungapōhatu" ["Ascending Maunga Pōhatu"].As Professor Black went on to say so eloquently—I could never do it as eloquently as him where he talked about the time when Rua Kēnana's hands were locked in handcuffs: "Mekameka i aku ringa ka pai e te iwi ka rite ngā karaipiture" ["My hands are chained. It does not matter my people for the scriptures have spoken"] where he was saying "Even though my hands have been handcuffed" he will take the role and the people will take the role of the scriptures. This was a man who did nothing. He did absolutely nothing wrong and yet he had to pay a price a price that the whānau of Rua Kēnana sit in this House today—as they listen to us speak about and apologise on behalf of the history of this country for the wrong that was beset upon this man upon this poropiti.They're only the first four lines of this waiata. It goes on into the treatment of the people of his whānau and of his wahine from the Crown invaders—the disgusting things that these people had to endure during their time while their leader was sitting in Mt Eden Prison. For many times I stand in this House on a number of Māori bills and it does—I listened to Minister Nanaia Mahuta with the tears coming down her face. I know the pain I can feel the pain that many of the whānau that have sat in that gallery—I have felt your pain. If this is just one little thing that I can help to address and soothe that pain then I am humbled to be able to do that. So we are here today over a hundred years later with this acknowledgment and with this apology for the horrific history that started so long ago and carried on right through. National worked with the Māori Party with the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell—I acknowledge you Te Ururoa—in starting this whole process and this Government the Labour-led coalition Government has carried this bill through to today and I am humbled. I am humbled again. As I said it's a very emotional time as I stand here but I just want to say that my day today started in a humble way at 5.30 a.m. with a solemn and respectful start and today—right now—my day at this point in the Parliament ends with an honouring of a tupuna of Maungapōhatu. There is so much that Minister Nanaia Mahuta relayed in this House around atrocities and the treatment of the poropiti Rua Kēnana. On this side of the House we cry with you and we mourn with you. Therefore without any further ado I commend this bill to the House. Tēnā koe."