Fitzsimons Jeanette: Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Fitzsimons Jeanette: Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:650;Page:19140] 
JEANETTE FITZSIMONS (Co-Leader—Green) 
: 
 The Green Party will vote for the third reading of the Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill. I acknowledge the tipuna who initiated this claim all the leadership that has carried it through and all those who are here today to celebrate its final conclusion. 
I cannot claim any whakapapa to Te Roroa as some others in the House here today can but I have stood under the great Tane Mahuta and marvelled with awe at its age and at the long sequence of history that it has observed over some 2000 years. A few years ago I planted on my farm in Coromandel a direct descendant of Tane Mahuta. When a friend of mine was standing underneath Tane Mahuta a seed floated down into her hair. She took it home potted it up and gave me the resulting seedling so in a very small way I feel I have a small connection with the whenua of Te Roroa. 
This is quite a small settlement and the Green Party has had serious concerns about the miserly quantum. At the second reading we said that land that had been stolen was not being returned. We described how the primary purpose of the 1992 Waitangi Tribunal claim by Te Roroa and the subsequent settlement was to remedy the Crown’s failure to set aside Kaharau Te Taraire Manuwhetai and Whangaiariki from the lands that were purchased in 1875 and 1876. The iwi were consistent in their understanding that those areas were to be set aside from any sales at that time. But the Crown rejected that and would accept only that if there were “any old graves on the block a few acres surrounding them could perhaps be reserved under the provisions of The Land Act without causing any inconvenience.” and that title would remain in the hands of the Crown. Indeed the Kaharau block with its very long history of dispute was not to be returned to iwi. The Greens refused to support the progression of the bill until the Government had made further progress on this issue because the Government simply did not consider that the return of those properties was of sufficient importance to increase the quantum. 
We have not achieved an absolute return of that land yet but the Government has been forced to take further action to better enable its return. In addition we have made the Government take action on the return of the koiwi that remained in the hands of strangers rather than the whanau. Although this is not perfect we accept the progress that the Government has made. Further work is being done on the question of returning Bob’s Block along with the return of the koiwi. We understand that the Government is to provide an ex gratia payment of $6 million to facilitate the purchase of deferred selection properties. Progress in the usual glacial way for Treaty settlements has been made. 
It is not the Green Party practice to oppose settlements. Although we are deeply opposed to the settlement process and believe that the Government and its agencies take advantage of the vulnerability urgency and poverty of iwi in the negotiations we do not believe we have a mandate to tell iwi and hapu that their work in battling these barriers is not worthy of our respect. We will support the iwi—those who have worked day and night to make some gains for their hapu. We know that this settlement will exacerbate a number of Treaty breaches and that there are those in Te Roroa who still have some legitimate serious concerns. But some progress has been made and we do not believe for a minute that these claims will be full and final because of the poor Government process. We know there is urgent need to access these traditional and commercial resources for the benefit of the whole iwi. 
We wish Te Roroa the best of luck with their settlement a strong and prosperous future for their mokopuna and congratulations on getting to this point today.