Horomia Parekura: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — In Committee 
Horomia Parekura: Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:662;Page:10465] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rawhiti) 
: 
 I am pleased to be here today in this historic debate on the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill and I commend and support the Minister regarding the way that he wants to get through this bill. I thought it was nigh on time in the Committee stage to mention that I lay claim to supporting and ensuring that this bill got here today in this form. I recognise Michael Cullen and a whole lot of other people who aided in the bill getting here and I commend the Minister. 
Quite clearly in Part 1 the bill gives effect to the settlement of the raupatu claims under the 2009 deed. I think that the Hon Tau Henare spoke as well as I have ever heard him speak the other day in the sense of describing where things have got to. Just in case I forget to do so later I will now mention the Maori Affairs Committee given that we put it all together. The initial settlement was signed between Waikato-Tainui and Michael Cullen in August 2008. The preliminary provisions are quite clear as to the overarching purpose of the settlement. It is a new way and certainly all those parts particularly in relation to establishing the Waikato River Clean-Up Trust hang on the efforts that were put in by Raiha Mahuta to ensure that people got what was theirs by right: to clean the river and to recognise that it could supply them in a swimming capacity and with tuna eels that grow more healthily. It is to be cleaned up. Recognition of the redress to Waikato-Tainui and of the Kingitanga accord is something that I think people will look forward to as they go along. 
I do not think I would be exaggerating if I said this settlement is an international test and that is why I have always believed that Maoridom generally in the sense of sorting things out are way ahead of people in a whole lot of other countries. Certainly this is brought to the test in the sense of the guiding principles of interpretation. There has been a fair bit of tension around the vision and the strategy and those issues were brought forward by people with different world views. We had the sticky Pakeha view and the sticky local view—people who are used to holding power and designating the direction in relation to a settlement like this. The guiding principles are quite clear. It is an agreement that was expressed in the 2009 deed and it has taken a lot of work and goodwill. I want to mention Tainui not only as an iwi but also for being responsible for carrying on Kingitanga for the nation and for the effort that they have put in on all of the issues that they have been tested by. The interpretation of the authorities and of the Waikato River Authority will take into account all the wishes that the Tainui people have been keen on. 
I think that this debate is a great sign from Parliament that all parties—all but one party that dastardly deed maker over there—are drawing together to get through the Committee stage of this bill and come to a more than amicable agreement. The ACT Party is outrageous. It talks about hocus-pocus and that is shameful—it really is. That sort of comment is unfit to be put out on something that is dear to people’s hearts. Everybody including the Minister has put effort into trying to bring us together. I have heard the leader of the ACT Party preach about nationhood but what a lot of garbage that is when he starts to mention hocus-pocus. This is a dream. There are issues that are relevant to Tainui’s inherited rights that were tuku-ed by the tupuna—by their ancestors. Tainui have a right and it should be affirmed by this Parliament. They do not bother to go overseas and do hocus-pocus like that leader in order to get things done there. ACT does that. We have been involved with this development all the way through. The council and local authorities have had challenges but I am very proud to have been part of this discussion.