Bennett David: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — Second Reading 
Bennett David: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:662;Page:10268] 
DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East) 
: 
 I rise in this House to congratulate most of the speakers who have spoken earlier on the words they have said about this legislation its impact and what they see as the future of the Waikato region. I pay tribute to Lady Mahuta and especially to Nanaia for the very strong advocacy that Lady Mahuta made towards getting a solution; to Tuku Morgan who was here earlier; to members of the negotiating team whom we have seen in the building today; and to Brian Roche who did a great job in negotiating this settlement. 
First of all I acknowledge the previous Labour Government for presenting the first stage of this settlement. We were fortunate to be on the Waikato River at the time when Dr Cullen did that settlement. Basically that settlement was the impetus for what we see in this legislation now. The goodwill of Tainui shone through in the way that they and other iwi were willing to renegotiate the settlement in order to find a more practical and enduring solution that would actually achieve the goals the settlement sought to achieve. The goodwill that Tainui showed through the last year or so in that negotiation is something that New Zealanders and Waikato people should take a lot of inspiration from because it shows the intent of the parties to work together for the best interests of the river and the region. 
We also need to take into account the fact that it is not just Tainui involved in this settlement. Other iwi—Maniapoto Tuwharetoa Te Arawa and Raukawa—will also have a very big interest in the solution proposed in this Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill as will the Waikato Regional Council—Environment Waikato—and all the other councils in the area that were also part of this process. 
This has the credibility of the Waikato people. It is a democratic process. Those councils have supported these negotiations and they support this result. I like to see this not as a settlement but as an agreement for how we go forward. This shows a new way in which we can deliver a solution for the issues that our region faces. I say that as a Waikato dairy farmer who understands that we need a new approach and that we can work in one body to achieve one result for one river. That is the future of our region. 
Going by the comments of some members in this House those members may not understand the development of the cultural aspect of the Waikato region the importance that Tainui plays as an economic power base for our region and the importance of people in that region being able to work together for common solutions. There has been a maturity in that region which this legislation sets some benchmarks for and the region through that maturity will be able to deliver the results. I think we need to give credit to the people of Tainui and the people of the Waikato region for coming together and being part of this enduring settlement. 
We look forward to the results this legislation will have for river quality. It will have some effects. Some step-up in attitudes and approaches will be needed to achieve those effects but that is life. That will happen anyway and this is the way to do it. I have full faith in this legislation and in the people involved. 
I would also like to congratulate the flexibility of the negotiators in coming to this arrangement. We have some challenges going forward in making that vision a reality and I think that setting up the first governance board so that we have the right people on it will be a crucial aspect of that. We then have to make sure that there is public awareness and acceptance of this settlement and agreement. It is up to all parties to be part of that process and to encourage people to take on board the opportunity that this legislation gives us to provide that enduring solution. 
In the end I believe that we have here a result where it is possible for all the people of the Waikato to achieve the very serious and strategic goal for our region of increasing the water quality and also the environmental aspects of our region. I thank all those political parties that have supported this legislation—especially Labour which started the negotiations—Minister Chris Finlayson and the Maori Affairs Committee who have taken it to the next level in order to provide that solution; and I would like to thank Tainui and all the other iwi for the way in which they have approached the negotiations in an inspirational way that I believe shows that we have a strong future and that we can work together as a region to achieve our goals. Thank you.