Wall Louisa: Central North Island Forests Land Collective Settlement Bill — First Reading 
Wall Louisa: Central North Island Forests Land Collective Settlement Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:648;Page:16931] 
LOUISA WALL (Labour) 
:  
Koteropurangatahi o nga maunga 
E tu mai ra ki te whenua e 
Tongariro Ngauruhoe Ruapehu e 
Ko Tauhara me Pihanga arohaina e 
Ko Taupo-nui-a-Tia te kopua tangata 
I te rohe o te Heuheu te matua. 
E nga mana e nga reo rau rangatira ma Te Tumu te ariki nui nga whanau o Te Arawa nga kaumatua nga mihi aroha ki a koutou tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. Ko Ngati Tutemohuta me Ngati Hineuru nga hapu o Ngati Tuwharetoa Te Arawa waka. 
[ 
The young party of the mountains 
Standing in the hinterland 
Tongariro Ngauruhoe Ruapehu 
Tauhara and Pihanga love them 
Lake Taupo-nui-a-Tia is the deep pool of the people 
In the territory of te Heuheu the paramount chief. 
To the authorities languages many leaders Te Tumu paramount chief greetings to you greetings to you and fond greetings to you all. Ngati Tutemohuta and Ngati Hineuru are subtribes of Ngati Tuwharetoa of the canoe of Te Arawa. 
] 
It is my honour to add to the korero of today about the Central North Island Forests Land Collective Settlement Bill. I will begin by acknowledging the parties of the collective: Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa Raukawa Ngati Whare Ngati Manawa Ngati Whakaue Ngai Tuhoe Ngati Tuwharetoa and with the door still open possibly within the next 6 months Ngati Rangitihi who have been given an extension to complete their endorsement process to be added to this settlement legislation. I know that if Matua Henare Pryor has any involvement then this is a mere formality. 
I was born in the 1970s a time when as Maori we were starting to gain national and international media attention via public demonstrations aimed at conveying the message of the need for historical redress given Aotearoa’s history of colonisation. Some have said that the peak of such activism occurred in 1975 when whaea Whina Cooper led 13000 people on a march to Parliament under the slogan “Not one more acre of Maori land”. What impact did this have? Some would say that the developments of the Waitangi Tribunal were directly attributable to this. 
The context of such momentum for change by Maori can be traced back to the Hunn report of the 1960s which recommended that the differential between Maori and Europeans in statute law should be reviewed at intervals and gradually eliminated. The State then merged Maori-targeted social services with general services and in reaction the 1970s saw the mobilisation of Maori. Hapu me iwi began processes of protest as a necessary venting of the anger that was felt at being disrespected and disempowered. This provided the platform for collective redress from the Crown for historical breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. So we had a mechanism to begin the process in the Waitangi Tribunal and to provide the forum for our tribal histories to be recorded. 
It has been only recently that Treaty settlements have become a priority for Governments and that different processes for creating deeds of settlement have been put into practice and I acknowledge Sir Graham Latimer and the Maori Council for their efforts. What has this meant? It has meant simple but very important things such as the Government providing the information so that all parties know the boundaries of the deal that needs to be brokered and leaving the actual allocation up to Maori to decide based on mana whenua status. 
I reiterate the words of Dr Cullen about his deep appreciation of Te Arikinui Tumu te Heuheu who continued the work of his father the late Ta Hepi with his proactive leadership in terms of approaching the Government about the prospect of a collective agreement late last year. The settlement process and the template for future Treaty settlements given the success of today is for the Crown to step back and let iwi initiate and lead allocations of resources and to sort out for themselves issues such as mana whenuatanga. 
I had breakfast this morning with my Uncle Tane and Auntie Pehi and with Uncle Te Kanawa and Auntie Kataraina Pitiroi. I asked them about the process that the iwi have been through to get to where we are today. They talked about korero from hikuwai to matapuna—the tears mamae truths and yes walkouts at marae. But they stressed tikanga Maori as being central to the process of korero the inclusiveness of the process and the trust and relationships that had developed as the korero progressed. 
This settlement signifies that it is time for a change and that change is about Maori taking the lead in processes for the reconciliation of our past experiences and in the Treaty settlement process as a platform for us to move forward together with a common purpose and set of values. As Ta Tumu said in his korero at the signing this will ensure the legacy of wealth and prosperity for our tamariki me mokopuna who have yet to be born. 
I grew up in Waitahanui on the eastern foreshore of Lake Taupo. I attended Waitahanui Primary School and I was in the majority given that I was related to everyone at the kura except the dairy owner’s children and the teachers. I remember a definite them-and-us mentality which was fuelled in the holidays by strangers mostly Pakeha people who had houses in our village. They came in and acted as if they owned not only the lake but also our school the tennis courts and the roads. 
This settlement provides the asset base for iwi of the central North Island to educate our young people the leaders and beneficiaries of the future to not only enjoy the resource but also add value to our forestry resource in order to ensure that we have the independence as a people not only to look after ourselves but also to contribute to this great nation of ours. Days like today make me think not only of my father who passed away during the tangi of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu but also of my uncles Nick Wall Taxi Kapua and Darkie Downs and of Mahlon Nepia whom my father loved and respected and who in addition to being at home and on our lands trust school and marae boards worked within our tribe to advance the needs and aspirations of our people. 
The timing of this settlement is very special for me. I have been in the House for just under 4 months and to have an opportunity to commend this bill to the House is something that seems tika. I thank Dr Cullen for this opportunity and I reiterate what I said last night in the House: it is because of Dr Cullen’s leadership that this process has been so innovative. I note recent iwi leaders’ calls for future Ministers of Finance to also hold the Treaty of Waitangi negotiations portfolio in light of the massive deals brokered under Dr Cullen. 
I acknowledge that this is really just the beginning. There will be many more hui and many more tears mamae walkouts and disagreements both private and public as we move from allocation to utilisation. But this is our journey and the assets we have secured today can serve a purpose by sitting in a bank account accumulating interest until such time as we are clear about the economic development opportunities that the settlement assets afford us. I note as highlighted by Matua Tumu that an economic development plan is next on the agenda as a Crown and iwi initiative. 
To coin a phrase from Barack Obama it is our time—Maori time—and we are not late. All good things happen to those who wait and the future as it has always been is in our hands to create. I wish the whanau safe travels home and I look forward to seeing them ano when this bill is passed. Kia kaha kia toa kia manawanui. No reira tena koutou tena koutou tena tatou katoa. 
Bill read a first time. 
Bill referred to the Maori Affairs Committee 
Sitting suspended from 5.57 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.