Little AndrewTE ROHE O RONGOKAKO JOINT REDRESS BILLFirst ReadingHon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations): I present a legislative statement on the Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website.Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I move That the Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill.Tākiri mai ana te ata ki runga o ngākau mārohirohi. Korihi ana te manu kaupapa ka ao ka ao ka awatea. Tihei mauriora.E mihi ana ki a koutou kua tae mai nei runga i te karanga o te kaupapa o te rā tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. E mihi ana ki te hunga mate haere haere haere atu rā. Ki a tātou te hunga ora tēnā tātou. Tēnei au otirā mātou te Kāwanatanga e mihi nei ki te kaupapa o te wā Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua Rangitāne o Wairarapa Rangitāne o Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.[Dawn breaks a new morning and a dauntless heart. The voice of this issue now sings a new dawn leads to the full light of day. I now begin.Greetings to you all who have responded to the call of this issue to be here today. I acknowledge those who have passed. May you rest in peace. And to us who remain welcome one and all. I stand here we the Government stands here acknowledging the issue of the time. Therefore to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa o Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua Rangitāne of Wairarapa Rangitāne of Tāmaki-nui-a Rua greetings to you all greetings greetings one and all.]I'm pleased to be able to speak today at the first reading of Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill. This has been a long journey for these iwi and we were reminded at the powhiri today it's a journey that started in 1990 so we are 32 years on.First I wanted to thank members of Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua Rangitāne o Wairarapa and Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua. I want to acknowledge those representatives who've been able to travel to Parliament today to watch this reading and of course those who are watching remotely. I sincerely appreciate the work commitment and tenacity of Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua Rangitāne o Wairarapa and Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua which has brought us together on this important day. I particularly want to acknowledge those who are no longer with us who carried this important work. Today they are in our thoughts and are with us in spirit.I'd like to start by thanking iwi negotiations teams including for Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua Ron Mark Ian Perry Robin Potangaroa Hayden Hape Haami Te Whaiti and Marama Tuuta. For Rangitāne o Wairarapa and Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua John Sproat Jason Kerehi Mavis Mullins Tipene Chrisp and Richard Jones. Their commitment to finding a shared path to carry these treasures forward for future generations is commendable and I thank them for their work and dedication. I also want to acknowledge the work and support of the Crown negotiation team my ministerial colleagues Government agencies and local councils who have helped build this package.Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill gives effect to certain provisions contained in the deeds of settlement signed between Rangitāne o Wairarapa Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua and the Crown in August 2016 and between Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua and the Crown in October last year. For generations Wairarapa moana has been a jewel in the lives of the people of Wairarapa. The annual hinurangi or flooding historically provided kaimoana enabling iwi to trade far outside of the Wairarapa rohe. However in 1853 as the Crown first began purchasing land around Wairarapa moana disputes arose over the purchases and encroachment of the natural boundaries of the lakes. This resulted in a royal commission of inquiry and in 1896 the lake was gifted to the Crown by iwi as tuku rangatira—a chiefly gift—with the intention of ending the disputes and to hopefully protect the lakes. In return the Crown was to provide iwi with ample reserves in the vicinity of the lakes. However this didn't occur and instead the Crown provided reserves that were several hundred kilometres away in the King Country. The settlements each provide for Crown apology redress which details this history and this bill facilitates the overdue return of the lake to its rightful owners. Throughout the negotiations the Crown has heard how the devastating effects of land loss have caused Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne intergenerational suffering. It's a testament to both iwi that despite all they have endured they have continued to engage in negotiations in good faith and have committed to rebuilding a new partnership with the Crown. I'd like to highlight how this bill offers joint redress over Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamāhanga River catchment to both Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne acknowledging the significance of the taonga for both iwi. The Crown-owned part of the bed of Wairarapa Moana will be vested in Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu as undivided unequal shares as tenants in common. The Wairarapa Moana statutory board will be established to act as a guardian of Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamāhanga River catchment for the benefit of current and future generations. Significantly half of the board will be composed of iwi members. The other half will comprise members appointed by the Department of Conservation Wellington Regional Council and the South Wairarapa District Council—you might say a joint governance process. The Wairarapa statutory board will administer the Wairarapa Moana reserves. A natural resources committee of the board will be established which will provide advice on sustainable management of natural resources in the Ruamāhanga River catchment. The joint redress bill will also vest two other sites jointly in Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu. A property in Mākirikiri to be vested in the name of the tipuna Te Rangiwhakaewa and a joint management board will be established to administer the reserve. A property in Mataikona will be vested in both iwi as tenants in common as undivided half-shares. Further key redress for iwi will be an overlay classification that recognises the traditional cultural spiritual and historical relationships of Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne with the Castlepoint Scenic Reserve. The redress offered in this bill to Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne acknowledges the significance of these sites for both iwi and their special connection as kaitiaki of these lands. I hope that this joint redress provides the foundation for a new relationship as we look together to a better future for Ngāti Kahungunu Rangitāne and the Crown. I'm hopeful that this bill is an opportunity for all of us to move forward towards a true partnership—one that is based on cooperation genuine mutual trust and respect for Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles and a vision to stand together and share the future. I look forward to continuing to take this legislation through the House to provide redress to both iwi. It's my hope that the bill will progress swiftly in the select committee process. I commend this bill to the House. Nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā tātou katoa.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): The question is that the motion be agreed to.