Finlayson Christopher: Ngāti Hauā Claims Settlement Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFinlayson Christopher: Ngāti Hauā Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 09 December 2014. Volume:702;Page:1298. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations):I move That the Ngāti Hauā Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time. I want to welcome the Tumuaki the people of Ngāti Hauā and their supporters to this great occasion the third reading of their bill. Nau mai haere mai ki tēnei Whare o tātou. I greet those watching and listening elsewhere and of course I want to acknowledge the people of Ngāti Hauā who have since passed on and cannot be here today to mark this achievement: moe mai rā.Today is a very important day in the history of Ngāti Hauā and this country as we settle this great iwi’s remaining non-raupatu historical claims. The settlement represents the culmination of six generations of work beginning with the rangatira Wīremu Tamihana Tarapīpipi Te Waharoa and continuing today with the actions of Ānaru Thompson the Tumuaki of Ngāti Hauā. The Crown recognises the long and heavy burden this iwi has shouldered in pursuing justice for the wrongs of the Crown so I congratulate them on their decision to settle their claims against the Crown and it is my hope that the settlement heralds the beginning of a new relationship between the Crown and Ngāti Hauā based on the principles of the Treaty.We have arrived at this milestone because of the strong leadership and the commitment of Ānaru Thompson of Lance Rāpana and the other trustees of the Ngāti Hauā Iwi Trust as well as Mr Willie Te Aho who worked on the settlement for Ngāti Hauā. Ngāti Hauā approached the Crown in 2012 with a settlement proposal that demonstrated their vision and their pragmatism and I still remember that day in Bill English’s office where they said they wanted to get settlement in 7 months. It was a Tui advert kind of moment. They walked out and we said: “Yeah right!”. Well a deed of settlement was signed just 7 months later because they were utterly committed to the task.This settlement is special not just because it is the fastest Treaty settlement; it is special because it has all the hallmarks of what the Treaty partners were aiming for in signing the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. It is a partnership that is courageous it is pragmatic it is future-focused with strong leadership and it is able to harness its collective strength to work for the mutual benefit of two peoples who do want to do something extraordinary regardless of what people may hear in this Chamber from time to time. This settlement set a new standard in the resolution of Treaty claims. I want to thank my parliamentary colleagues past and present who have worked on this settlement: the Deputy Prime Minister the Hon Kate Wilkinson the Hon Louise Upston the Hon Nanaia Mahuta and—without bringing you into the debate Mr Assistant Speaker Tisch—you and the Hon Nick Smith. I want to thank the Matamata-Piako District Council the Waipā District Council and the Waikato Regional Council for their contributions to this settlement. I also want to acknowledge the various agencies of Government involved in the negotiations who fully embraced what we were trying to achieve. I do not need to remind you Mr Assistant Speaker that Ngāti Hauā is an eastern Waikato iwi represented in these negotiations by the Ngāti Hauā Iwi Trust.The people of Ngāti Hauā descend from their ancestor Hauā and they affiliate to the Tainui waka. Their customary rohe spans from Te Aroha and Te Rapa in the north moving south to Te Weraiti and to Maungatautari. The deed of settlement is the final settlement of all historical Treaty claims of Ngāti Hauā resulting from acts or omissions by the Crown prior to 21 September 1992. The raupatu claims of Ngāti Hauā were settled through the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims Settlement Act of 1995 and the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Act. The settlement addresses the non-raupatu historical claims of Ngāti Hauā not settled by earlier settlements. The Crown recognised the mandate of the trust in December 2012 and as I said the agreement in principle was signed on 19 February 2013. The bill gives effect to the undertakings by the Crown in the deed signed by the parties on 24 May 2013. The settlement provides financial commercial and cultural redress. The settlement also acknowledges where Crown acts and omissions have breached the Treaty and its principles including the operation and impact of the native land laws on Ngāti Hauā the Crown’s purchase of Ngāti Hauā land in disregard of the collective decision of the owners not to sell and the cumulative effect of the Crown’s actions and omissions leaving Ngāti Hauā with insufficient land for their present and their future needs.The settlement acknowledges paramount chief Wīremu Tamihana’s historical fight for justice in the wake of the Waikato war and raupatu. On several occasions he petitioned Parliament detailing the injustice of the war to seek recognition for the harm done to his people and to find a pragmatic way to move forward. In his third and final petition Tamihana referred to his great darkness and sorrow of heart and stated that he had travelled to Wellington in the hope that the great weight upon him might be lifted. Following his death his second son carried on his fight for justice. The role of tumuaki is a historic role and it is a hereditary role. It encompasses significant political and spiritual functions for Ngāti Hauā and the Kingitanga and it is pivotal to the Ngāti Hauā identity. Wīremu Tamihana and successive tumuaki sought a pragmatic way forward on behalf of their people so I am honoured to stand in this House and work with other members to make amends for the past and to move forward into the future.The deed of settlement envisages a new mutually mana-enhancing relationship between the tumuaki and the Crown. In setting out to achieve a new relationship the settlement provides unique redress that includes meetings with the Crown the tumuaki and Ngāti Hauā to occur on an annual basis. A special feature of the settlement is a relationship agreement between Ngāti Hauā the Department of Internal Affairs and Te Papa in respect of the restoration and protection of Te Kauhanganui o Mahuta. This is a whare taonga and it is a monument at that beautiful Rukumoana Marae dedicated to the establishment of the Māori Parliament and it holds a very impressive collection of taonga.The loss Ngāti Hauā suffered can never be fully compensated for by the Crown and much of what was lost simply cannot be returned. However the people of Ngāti Hauā have graciously agreed to accept the redress contained in the deed of settlement and in so doing I acknowledge their generosity towards this land. I certainly do look forward to a strong relationship in the future. That is one of the reasons why this Government has established a Post Settlement Commitments Unit to ensure that the Crown keeps its promises—not just tomorrow but in the years to come. I can say this: the National Party and the Labour Party understand the importance of this because they have experience in Government and down through the generations successive Governments of whatever hue have done their best to address these issues. I think of names like Ngata Hanan Rata Horomia—whose book by a good National Party person was launched last night—Graham Bolger and Cullen. These are people who regardless of political affiliation have done their best to address these issues. There are those who can simply snipe on the sidelines because that is all they have to offer. They may be very pleased with their moral superiority but actually they contribute nothing; they never do.Tomorrow we hold the Waikato-Waipā River iwi fora and both sides in the language of the diplomats are going to have a full and frank discussion. I will be meeting with Maniapoto Waikato-Tainui Raukawa and other iwi and we will be addressing issues arising out of their settlements over the river and other matters. It will not be quite frankly a “Kumbaya” love-in. There will be some pretty straight talking. But that is as it should be—straight talking on both sides because both sides want this to work. It is all very well to come down here and snipe and exhibit one’s great moral superiority. But that means nothing. The proof of the pudding is in this kind of meeting as both parties understand it. I commend the bill to the House.