Ryall Tony: Ngati Awa Claims Settlement Bill — First Reading 
Ryall Tony: Ngati Awa Claims Settlement Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:619;Page:15178] 
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay Of Plenty) 
: 
 I welcome to Parliament the people of Ngati Awa and I acknowledge Professor Mead and Hohepa Mason from the trust board—who I thought would have been in Whakatane today campaigning in the regional council elections. I suspect that John Hohapata has probably knocked on several hundred doors this afternoon so I am sure Mr Mason will be returning with some speed today. I also want to acknowledge the women of Ngati Awa—the first in this country to prove that women can do anything. 
In speaking today on this bill I observe that it has taken a very long time for this settlement to come before Parliament. I also acknowledge that it is important that these negotiations eventually proceeded with some pace because it is vitally important that these things can be achieved without all the money going to the lawyers. There is a huge amount of money being spent in the central North Island as I speak. I know that the people of that area are concerned about the huge amount of money being tied up in that process. But it is important that this matter proceed with speed because the people in the Eastern Bay of Plenty need the money—especially under this Labour Government—to advance and prosper. 
I want to draw the attention of the House to a number of matters: firstly there is a drafting error in the bill which Ministers will need to fix; and secondly I want to note some of the ways that the Government is handling overlapping claims. Recently I pulled out of my files a couple of maps to do with the claims that have been settled in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. I have here a map that relates to the Ngati Awa settlement that indicates the area of interest of Ngati Awa and I have a second map that shows the area of interest of the Ngati Tuwharetoa and one fits inside the other. 
Mita Ririnui 
: What is your point? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: My point is where is the explanation of what is going on there. [ 
Interruption 
] Well I am asking the member who apparently negotiated all this stuff. The Ngati Tuwharetoa the people of Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau have a settlement of $10.5 million cash and the people of Ngati Awa have $42 million cash. It seems one lot has a much better deal than the other. I was brought up in Kawerau. I went to school with a number of the Adlam children. I have to say that when we were at school I am sure we were always told that Kawerau was part of the area of Ngati Awa. I am positive of that. Now we find there is a settlement for Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau which is interesting and I am sure there will be some discussions in the select committee to explain how one area of interest fits into the other area of interest but the first area of interest gets a lot more. We look forward to the member who apparently negotiated all of this explaining to Parliament how that will be dealt with— 
Mita Ririnui 
: What are the key principles of negotiations? To get as much as one can when one can. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: And whose side was the Minister on? 
Mita Ririnui 
: Both sides. 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: That sounds like him does it not—always on both sides of the argument. It is vitally important that this settlement proceed with pace. I think the Government will have to explain how it is dealing with these overlapping claims because one is a lot more generous than the other. I will be interested to hear about the history of Tuwharetoa and why it is so distinct from Ngati Awa because no doubt that will take ages to explain. 
I draw to the attention of the House that there is a new area in the Eastern Bay of Plenty called the Ohope Holiday Beach Park. We are actually providing that there be some Ohope Holiday Beach Park land. There is no such thing as the Ohope Holiday Beach Park. There is an Ohope Beach Holiday Park but there is not an Ohope Holiday Beach Park which is written in this bill. So the Minister negotiated the deal but he did not check the spelling; what does Mita Ririnui do with himself all day? I am sure the select committee will pick up on that. 
I think it is right that the Government has moved to negotiate this deal in the way that it is proceeding to get some action on it. I acknowledge those who have negotiated and the tremendous amount of work and effort they have done. I look forward to the Government explaining why the group that fits inside this other group is being acknowledged much more generously than the other.