Finlayson Christopher: Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa Claims Settlement Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeFinlayson Christopher: Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa Claims Settlement Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 13 April 2016. Volume:713;Page:10573. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I move That the Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa Claims Settlement Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider the bill.I want to begin by welcoming the representatives of Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa who are in Parliament today to attend this first reading and I want to set out some of the background to this very important deed of settlement. It was 18 December of last year when I signed the deed of settlement on behalf of the Crown with Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa. The deed and this Treaty settlement bill put to rest some very very longstanding grievances of this iwi.Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa are the descendants of Kahukuraariki. They describe their ancestral lands as being between the eastern side of the Mangonui Harbour and the Whangaroa Harbour. I have only been to their rohe a couple of times but it is a truly beautiful part of the country. The road to settlement has been very long and tortuous. It was as far back as 20 September 2001 that the Crown recognised the mandate of Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa Trust Board to negotiate on behalf of the iwi. On 19 October 2004 the Crown and the trust board signed terms of negotiation and on 22 December 2007 the Crown and the trust board signed an agreement in principle for the comprehensive settlement of the historical Treaty claims. Stony Creek assets which comprise approximately 3000 hectares including Stony Creek Station and the Thomson and Clarke Blocks stock and plant are Crown property. They are key features of the settlement package.Since the signing of the 2007 agreement in principle progress on the settlement was stalled because of an occupation of the station by some dissenting members of Ngāti Ōkiwa a hapū of Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa. Between 2007 and 2013 the Crown attempted to resolve the occupation of the station so as to facilitate an outcome that would lead to this settlement. On 7 June 2014 the Crown and Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa signed the 2014 refined Crown offer. On 5 June 2015 the Crown and Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa initialled the deed of settlement and after the initialling of course the iwi took the settlement package back to the wider community for ratification. Hui were held and following a vote 78 percent of those who voted indicated their support for the settlement. The Minister for Māori Development and I agreed that the ratification result demonstrated sufficient support from the claimant community given the very deep and longstanding internal divisions within Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa regarding Stony Creek Station. So it was great to be able to sign the deed of settlement after that very long and as I said tortuous history.The settlement assets will be administered by the Kahukuraariki Trust the post-settlement governance entity that was approved by iwi members. Given the length of time and the hard work that so many people have undertaken to get to this stage it is appropriate to acknowledge the perseverance of the lead negotiator Dr Ella Henry and kaumātua Pita Pāngari and Dave Hēnare. Through our negotiations we had to traverse a number of very hard issues. Ultimately we resolved them thanks to the work of the negotiators and I know that this will be to the benefit and the durability of the settlement. I also want to acknowledge those who have passed away and are not here today. Finally behind the negotiators have been the trustees of the trust board and I particularly acknowledge Dave Manuel and the trustees Roger Kīngi and Manaaki Poto who have really worked so very hard to see the iwi’s grievances addressed.The settlement addresses the historical grievances that the iwi has carried for so long including the Crown’s failure to properly investigate pre-Treaty land transactions its failure to adequately protect reserves set aside for Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa large-scale land purchases that did not take customary interests into account—once again the third time this morning—compulsory takings for public works and a scenic reserve and the impact of the surplus lands policy and the Native Land Court. The Crown’s actions and omissions have had a very severe impact on the well-being of Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa and have left them virtually landless with most iwi members now living outside the rohe. The settlement package includes an historical account the Crown acknowledgments and importantly the Crown apology. It also deals with the issue of Stony Creek Station. The station will be vested in the Kahukuraariki Trust and post-settlement the trust is going to run an open process to ensure that every adult member of Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa has an opportunity to take part in determining the future ownership of the station. This is very important as it empowers the iwi to decide who will ultimately own the land.The Crown will pay the post-settlement governance entity financial redress of $6.2 million in lieu of the Crown’s commitment in the 2007 agreement in principle to maintain the plant and stock of Stony Creek assets in substantially the same condition as they were at the date of the 2007 agreement in principle of which $3 million was paid on account to the post-settlement governance entity after signing the deed of settlement. Secondly there will be interest on the financial redress from 7 July 2014 to the day before settlement date and adjusted for any on-account payments. The settlement also provides for a cultural fund of $300000 for the development and the implementation of an historic reserve management plan for the Kōwhairoa Peninsula property.Cultural redress provided to Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa includes the vesting of 15 culturally significant sites totalling approximately 3400 hectares. The balance of the cultural redress package includes an overlay classification over Whakaangi Scenic Reserve statutory acknowledgments a deed of recognition 11 geographical name changes and other redress that is culturally significant to Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa.So I say on behalf of myself and I am sure on behalf of Dr Cullen who worked very hard to get to the agreement in principle stage how delighted we all are that this bill is having its first reading this morning and will hopefully be with the Māori Affairs Committee. I ask that committee and its excellent chair if it could get the bill back to the House just as quickly as it can. I commend the bill to the House.