Clendon David: Ngati Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Clendon David: Ngati Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:669;Page:16033] 
DAVID CLENDON (Green) 
: 
 As ever it is a pleasure and a privilege to stand and speak on a bill of settlement. On behalf of the Greens I acknowledge the presence in the gallery today of representatives of Ngati Apa. I also acknowledge their long struggle and the courage and determination that have been shown over many many decades to bring to fruition the Ngati Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill which will be passed in the House today. 
We will of course continue to support this bill as we have supported it throughout its various readings and as indeed we will continue to support bills that restore the recognition of mana recognise kaitiaki status and seek to redress some of the historical and contemporary grievances. The commitment to the fulfilment of the Treaty relationship is embedded in our Green Party constitution as is recognition of Maori as tangata whenua. In that spirit clearly we genuinely take real pleasure in seeing the settlements made over time. 
One of perhaps the secondary benefits of these settlements—clearly the primary benefits are the restoration redress and recognition of mana—not often enough commented upon is the fact that within the bill there is recorded the history of these events the lands the people and the actions that occurred over time. This bill like others contains a narrative of how we came to this place and this position today. These narratives are very accessible and in one way easy to read. For that reason they are of considerable benefit beyond the immediate benefits. 
They are not easy to read in the sense that they record over time the loss of land through illegal actions by the Crown and other agents. They record suffering and hardship over many years and the gradual erosion of the possessions and well-being of people. Nevertheless it is important that these documents are made available. The fact that they are here and accessible is a major benefit as I say. 
I will reference a particular section of this bill that caught my eye which is the reference to the fact that in the 1840s the Crown’s land purchase policy was generally to acquire land at the cheapest possible price in the belief that Maori would reap benefits in addition to the payment made for the land. In this instance it says that Ngati Apa agreed to the transaction at a lower price than their initial request or expectation because they wished to obtain various benefits from the establishment of a European settlement in their vicinity including peace protection and prosperity. Those are very humble aspirations to wish for. They are quite low expectations. They are very reasonable expectations. By fulfilling their part of the Treaty relationship they could reasonably expect a degree of peace some protection from the Crown and indeed a degree of prosperity. Sadly of course history now tells us that none of these expectations were fulfilled and it is to the credit of this Parliament today that we seek to put right at least some of that. 
I guess I make these remarks in the context of having recently sat on a select committee as many of us have and heard people who constantly refer to settlements and other forms of recompense to Maori as if they acknowledge some particular special privilege or unearned benefit for Maoridom rather than simply being quite minimal settlements to pay back and return what was taken and being recompense and redress for the wrongs that were done in the past. 
The notion of so-called special privilege that an uninformed but very vocal minority continues to insist upon is clearly at odds with the reality of all the social statistics that typically put Maori at the high end of all the wrong sorts of statistics. Clearly these settlements can give Maori in their own hands some resources tools and ability to rebuild an economy and the prosperity and well-being that was sought so very many years ago. It is to be hoped that those who choose to criticise these settlements and these bills will take the very small amount of time necessary to sit down with these documents and read these very simple but very powerful narratives that tell the story of why it is necessary that we recognise and make redress in the appropriate time. 
I join with others in acknowledging that this Government—despite its various other shortcomings which we comment upon on occasion—has seen the progress of a number of these settlements. We hope that that progress will continue and that settlements are made in a timely fashion without neglecting the opportunity of course for everyone to have their say and to ensure that we get appropriate settlements that genuinely restore justice. 
On that note I again acknowledge the long battle and the long struggle for Ngati Apa to get to this point and I wish them very well into the future. Kia ora koutou.