Chadwick Steve: Whanganui Iwi (Whanganui (Kaitoke) Prison and Northern Part of Whanganui Forest) On-account Settlement Bill — In Committee 
Chadwick Steve: Whanganui Iwi (Whanganui (Kaitoke) Prison and Northern Part of Whanganui Forest) On-account Settlement Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:670;Page:16929] 
Hon STEVE CHADWICK (Labour) 
: 
 I feel moved to take a call in this debate today. The desire to take a call really arose from the response of the junior National whip when we were beginning serious debate on a bill that is the end of a long journey. I found it insulting and insensitive to hear the National Party whip tell us to hurry up as we were just debating the preamble. I say to that member that this is not just the preamble. She and other National Party members felt bored about the process of bringing the Whanganui Iwi (Whanganui (Kaitoke) Prison and Northern Part of Whanganui Forest) On-account Settlement bill to the Committee today. We certainly heard about the long wait. I think this is the sort of debate that the junior whip would have precluded today by trying to railroad this bill through the Committee today. 
We have heard some wonderful erudite submissions today on this bill both on the preamble and now on Part 1. My colleague talked about Whanganui and the long wait. Sure they have waited. I tell Mrs Goodhew that my whakapapa in my family goes back to the Whanganui River. We feel insulted by that party opposite although I would exclude from that statement the Minister in the chair the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations who has learnt about the sensitivity and time it takes to get Treaty settlements to the table. The Treaty of Waitangi is now 171 years old. We had the Treaty of Waitangi Act in 1975 and then we got to the deed of settlement and the Deed of On-Account Settlement of Historical Claims of Whanganui Iwi in relation to the Whanganui Kaitoke Prison and Part of the Whanganui Forest. That was when things started to move for Whanganui which is reflected in Part 1. That was 2¾ years ago. We then moved on to the deed of settlement. The Minister in the chair has endeavoured to pick up the pace and rate of the settlement process. That will be appreciated by both Ngati Apa and the Whanganui iwi. 
A very important component of Part 1 is that it states: “Whanganui Iwi historical claims means every claim …”. That is great. We are getting to the difficult end of Treaty settlements. There is quite a complex cluster of issues around forestry and Ngati Apa’s ultimate ownership of Kaitoke Prison. It is a very good model. 
I want to refer as did my colleague Damien O’Connor to the issue of iwi ownership of facilities like Kaitoke Prison which will result from Part 1. I was the member for Rotorua at the time when we looked for a youth justice site and could not find a site. In fact National members at the time were dying to destroy my career. When I found a location they did not like it. Ultimately I went back and worked with iwi who came up with a new proposal to have the youth justice site on iwi-owned land. That was quite a break in tradition just as Part 1 will be a wonderful opportunity for the people of Ngati Apa to look at prison management and ownership. We are seeing some very interesting things coming from Te Arawa involvement in our Rotorua youth justice site. It is really great to see provisions in this bill starting to address things that were injurious to the people of Whanganui and Ngati Apa through the Public Works Act through the taking of land to build a prison and also through the forestry components that we are addressing in this legislation. 
I congratulate the Minister in the chair. When this is over and we have heard the full debate on every part of the bill I think it would be lovely if the Minister had a little quiet word to the members of his caucus to ask them to show a little bit more sensitivity when bills of settlement are coming before the House and to not rush through the process. It is a very important process. The debates are listened to by hundreds of people on the sound waves. It is offensive if there is an indication that we are wasting time. I am deeply offended by that suggestion. We are debating the bill as the House of Parliament and this is the democratic process. I look forward to continued debate on the bill.