Paraone PitaPITA PARAONE (NZ First): Ā tēnā anō koe tēnā anō hoki tātou e hui tahi nei i roto i Te Whare. Te mea tuatahi kei te tautoko i ngā mihi i mihingia e taku tuakana a Peeni ki a koutou o Whanganui i haere mai nei ki te mātakitaki mai i te urunga mai te whakaturengia o tā koutou pire e pā ana ki Te Awa o Whanganui. Nā reira nau mai haere mai! Waihotia ngā kōrero mō rātou ahakoa kei te maumahara ana au i a Te Atawhai i te wā e ora ana ko ia tetahi i tōna wā e hiahia ana kia kite mai i te hua i puāwai i te rā nei nō reira tēnā koutou.[And so thank you once again and also to us all gathered here together in the House. The first thing is to endorse the tributes accorded by my senior kin Peeni to you collectively of Whanganui who came here to observe the entry of your bill about the Whanganui River into the ratification process so welcome come hither! Leave the contributions about them aside despite the recollections I have about Te Atawhai when she was alive. She was one who really wanted to see the outcome that blossomed on this day therefore congratulations to you collectively.]Can I say that it is a real pleasure to be part of the debate regarding this particular bill because it is a unique one. It sets out a new framework that encapsulates Māori tikanga and I think that if I can recall correctly my comments during either the first or second reading it seemed that the law was catching up with Māori tikanga and this bill certainly reflects that.My tuakana also made reference to the whakapapa that this bill is all about. It mentions a number of entities all with Māori names and all with specific duties towards the maintenance not only of the health but of the mana of the Whanganui River and I think that that contributes to the uniqueness of this bill.The bill recognises that Te Awa Tupua is an indivisible and living whole and comprises the Whanganui River from the mountains to the sea incorporating all its physical and metaphysical elements and it is declared a legal person with all the rights powers duties and liabilities of a legal person. So therein is the point of difference from all those other earlier attempts as to how we address such an important issue as the maintenance and the health of the river and other elements of our environment. The earlier speaker from the Greens certainly touched on that and I certainly would share those same sentiments.The bill refers to Te Pā Auroa which is the Te Awa Tupua framework and comprises the legal status of Te Awa Tupua and the intrinsic values that represent the essence of Te Awa Tupua. It also refers to Tupua te Kawa—the intrinsic values that represent the essence of Te Awa Tupua and included in these important values is the iconic maxim: Ko au ko te awa; ko te awa ko au. I can recall as a young person when I first heard that saying and I thought just how relevant it was in terms of connecting the person who said that to the river which is essentially a major part in that person's life and that saying certainly reflects that.One of the most unique things of any settlement that has ever come before this House is the distinction and the acceptance of those things Māori. As many of us know within the Māori world everything has a wairua everything has a mauri and everything has a spirit. Bearing those concepts in mind this bill actually recognises those values and I think that is one of the things that makes it so unique and I think it is a real privilege to be part of this process today and see such intrinsic values come into legislation. It also sets up a framework for future legislation. My tuakana Peeni made reference to one of our rivers in the north and we both know that there are several rivers that are very important to us. When we are able to reach that point of settlement we will certainly use this as a blueprint for protecting our own rivers.I think one of the other unique things about it is that it accommodates the partnership. It is not just restricted to iwi Māori. It includes and embraces all those who have a connection with the river who also have a responsibility for its care and maintenance. We talk about the health of our rivers and this settlement bill provides the financial base from which the respective groups particularly Te Awa Tupua can start on this journey of cleaning up and maintaining the health of the river.I do not think there is too much more that I can say other than to acknowledge those from the iwi who have been responsible to have this concept first of all recognised by the Crown and to have it included in this settlement. I just want to mihi to them. Nā reira koutou mā kore mimiti te kōrero mō koutou ēngari taku kōrero whakamutunga haere mai haere haere i runga i te rangimārie o tō tātou Matua Nui-i-Te Rangi tēnā koutou tēnā koutou kia ora mai anō tātou. [Therefore to you collectively a tribute for you will never end but my concluding statement to you collectively is welcome journey on and go forth upon the peacefulness of our Almighty Father in Heaven; congratulations and well done to you collectively and to us once again.]