Jones Shane: Ngati Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Jones Shane: Ngati Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:669;Page:16038] 
Hon SHANE JONES (Labour) 
: 
 I te tuatahi me whakahaere wenei korero oku ki roto i to tatou reo Maori. E te iwi koutou nga uri a Apa-hapai-taketake kua tatu mai ki Te Upoko o te Ika tena koutou katoa. Penei me ta taku whanaunga a Hone Harawira e korero nei nga maramara a Kurahaupo he Kurahaupo i roto i to koutou rohe he Kurahaupo ano hoki i roto i toku rohe. No te putanga mai o Kurahaupo katahi ka pakarukaruhia ki Rangitahuahua. Na ka whakatikangia ka whakaterengia tonutia ki waenga tonu i a matou ki Muriwhenua ka kitea ko nga rakau e pua ana. Ko te hanga o wena rakau i te takutai he kura he whero. Katahi ka tangotangohia nga huruhuru tapu i utaina ki runga i to taua waka mai i te motu a Enua Kura i roto i Te Moana Nui a Kiwa katahi ka piua ki nga kare o te wai. No te putanga tatanga unga mai ki uta katahi ka kitea ko nga rakau he kura he whero e pohiri mai ana ki o tatou tupuna kia tae mai ki Aotearoa. Na me pena rawa te korero mo o tatou nei taketake e hoki ana ki te ao kohatu noa atu. Na reira tena koutou katoa. 
[ 
I will make these contributions of mine in the Maori language 
 
 from the outset 
. 
 To the people and descendants of Apa-hapai-taketake who have arrived here in Wellington greetings to you all 
. As 
 my relative Hone Harawira said oh chips of Kurahaupo there is a Kurahaupo 
 
 as well 
 
 in our area. 
When the Kurahaupo appeared it got damaged at Rangitahuahua. When it was repaired it sailed directly into our midst in the  
f 
ar  
n 
orth and saw the trees in flower 
.  
Those trees on the beach were red and glowing 
.  
The sacred red feathers from the island of Enua Kura in the Pacific 
 
 which adorned our canoe 
 
 were then removed and tossed on the waves of the tide. When the Kurahaupo appeared drifted closer to shore 
 
 and beached they saw the red and glowing trees welcoming our ancestors to Aotearoa. Now 
 
 that 
 i 
s the sort of talk that explain 
s 
 our origins 
 
 which go all the way back to the  
S 
tone  
Age. T 
herefore 
 
 greetings to you all. 
] 
I stand with my colleagues and welcome members of Ngati Apa here today. I observe that they give as their historical roots descent from Apa-hapai-taketake and also find great strength and meaning in their proverbs and sayings. I repeat what I observed recently: there is a Ngati Apa in the South Island as well and there is a Ngati Apa whose name is etched in the pages of history. It was they who took the original claim as to whether residual rights belong to Maori in the seabed and foreshore. Small though their numerical strength may be large is the shadow on the activities of politicians that the name of their tribe casts. Perhaps that is why they have inherited the saying “Apa-wetewete tapiki i te takiritanga o te ata” [ 
Apa 
— 
remover of the hold on the dawn 
] as referred to by Minister Turia. 
This claim is a further step along what is proving to be a protracted process. However the current Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and colleagues in the Maori Party are advancing the issue of Maori claims towards its inevitable historical conclusion. But every claim that is settled requires a new cluster of skills and I acknowledge the younger people who have also arrived here. We as Maori must not be like that Japanese soldier from World War II. When he was discovered in the jungles of the Philippines 25 or 35 years later it was a matter of ignorance for him that World War II had stopped. It is important that we do not repeat the errors of that lost soldier: fighting wars and fighting battles that the world has moved on from. 
These settlements as we address them and pass them into law require a new level of engagement and a new set of skills because once the capital is restored to the iwi each generation needs to grow it and to ensure that it contributes to the overall development of the country. It is only by avoiding the trap of Maori believing that they can be an island unto themselves that we will ensure that the legacy grows. 
It is a solemn day in a sense because many of the people whom we knew of are no longer here. This group of Maori this tribe of Ngati Apa have as Minister Turia has said a proud heritage. They are the people amongst other things who have produced the kuia matakite Mere Rikiriki who laid her mana upon the prophet Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana. Indeed there was some discussion if my history serves me correctly that another promising young man Rangi Mawhete may actually inherit her mantle. He ended up in the Legislative Council in this House and played a key role marrying the vision of the Maori of Ngati Apa and other Kurahaupo waka associated with the Ratana Church with that of the Labour Party. That was his contribution not only to his own people from Ngati Apa and Rangitane but to the affairs of this House. 
I mention their names because they are so easily forgotten and the names of such powerful figures in our Maori history who have influenced our overall New Zealand history must not be obscured on a day like this. 
When we go forward with these settlements it is pleasing to see that the names of the areas are slowly being restored. I did some background research and learnt that the name of Marton came from the name of where James Cook originally came from. That came as an utter surprise to me and I was in fits of laughter. Recently I was in the township of Marton visiting a daughter who goes to school up there and I heard some of the local Maori telling me that the original name of the place was Tutaenui. I am yet to ascertain whether that is actually correct. But when I hear Simon Power testing my patience in the future I will explain to him in another speech that Tutaenui is an appropriate appellation if that is the quality of his contribution. 
We should ensure that days like this are a chance for us as proxies for ordinary New Zealand men and women to say that we are prepared to embrace these small but important episodes. It is easy as I have said in earlier speeches to say that this settlement is giving too much away or that it is not enough. But I repeat that unless we can capture and sustain legitimacy through taking people with us and ensuring that these settlements cause the ordinary New Zealand taxpayer to by and large believe that they are making a better country for our children and grandchildren no runanga and no Parliament through fiat can command how we as New Zealanders think about each other. It is almost a matter of faith and goodwill. 
I am confident that underneath the settlement—when we take away all the ebb and flow of anger hurt and dealings with the bureaucracy and indifferent Ministers etc.—there remains the bedrock feelings of willingness to compromise and willingness to join together and create something bigger than our own sense of entitlement or our own sense of anger. That is the deeper thing that I hope all of us as parliamentarians with whatever tribe that comes here pass on to our children. 
Settlements are only a stepping stone. If we want to address the deficit in investment and the deficit in jobs and to encourage firms we need to ensure that we plumb the depths and not only make a commitment to turn these settlements into flourishing enterprises but also to ensure that the people who are entitled to benefit from the fruits actually do so. 
One thing I am not entirely comfortable with is to hear a number of our relations say that this settlement has nothing to do with the iwi that it is an article 3 or an article 1. These are iwi settlements and “iwi” means people. Wherever an iwi finds its people it ought not only to engage with them but also to ensure that the resources associated with this settlement and the ongoing high-quality relationship hopefully with the Crown are dedicated to improving the prospects of the people. As that famous Maori proverb says “Pluck forth the tender shoot of the flax bush you will hear the bellbird cry. What does it say? It says the greatest gift of all is humanity humanity humanity. Hutia te rito o te harakeke kei hea te komako e ko? Mau e ui mai ki a au he aha te mea pai? Maku e ki atu he tangata he tangata he tangata”. 
Today is an opportunity for us to celebrate with Ngati Apa and encourage them to take this settlement to the next stage but at all times let us remember that it is people whom we need to bring with us as we advance the Maori agenda and the Treaty settlement agenda. Kia ora tatou katoa. 
Bill read a third time. 
Karanga whakatau; waiata