Horomia Parekura: Ngati Awa Claims Settlement Bill — Second Reading 
Horomia Parekura: Ngati Awa Claims Settlement Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:423;Page:18546] 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Minister of Maori Affairs) 
: 
 E tika ake ano ki te mihi ake ano i a koutou i konei ki te tautoko i muri a te pire nei. 
[ 
It is apt indeed that I acknowledge those of you once again who are here to support this bill 
.] 
I am privileged to stand here in support of this bill. I certainly enjoy the speeches delivered by National’s Maori spokesperson because half of them are always cock-eyed. This bill is certainly about bringing to an end a long haul. That member only parroted and repeated what he said last night. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I am right! 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: He is right—in parts of his speech he is right—but the process has been transparent. The people driving it have lauded it through their rohe. They have put it in newspapers. They have been open about it. Nobody has complained about their being here today. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Two-thirds say it is not good. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: How many? Well well well. I remember that member’s party when the Tainui case was settled. What were the numbers then? They got 30 percent and 70 percent of the 30 percent voted—fewer than in this case. The member was a Tory then and he is a Tory now. Let me remind him that people in glass houses should not throw stones. [ 
Interruption 
] There is a member who was involved in that settlement and was very close to one of its great drivers in creating it. 
Why do people pontificate about partnership not being real? The Treaty of Waitangi was the document that started the journey of this country. People like my colleague over there pahupahu—espouse at length about nationhood—but they do not believe in it. They would rather scratch the itch especially up in Orewa and make people believe that all Maoris need to be kept in the dungeons of doom and gloom. Let me tell the House that this bill is critical. [ 
Interruption 
] No not in this booming economy. I can tell the House that 95 percent of the people who belong to this hapu who can work are working at the moment. This Government made that possible. [ 
Interruption 
] That is dead right. I know it is the truth and the member knows it is the truth. 
[ 
from Toi and the time of Captain Cook 
] 
I will translate for my Maori spokesperson friend opposite: they try to take a snapshot of the time before Captain Cook arrived here and try to make out that it is relevant in contemporary times. That is what that member is doing. He is saying that Maori should not move forward that the treaty should not be recognised and that partnerships towards nationhood should not be recognised. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I haven’t said that. 
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA 
: That is not what Georgina te Heuheu told me and I really believe it. The purpose of this claims settlement bill is to give effect to the deed in which the Crown and Ngati Awa agreed to a final settlement. I trust them. I trust the Maoris and I trust the Crown in this deal because that is true partnership. Saying that poor old Maori are getting something for nothing again is a lot of rot and that member knows it. The notion that these people support out there—that Maori cannot do it or should not do it or should not get people registered to agree with them— is an abysmal performance in this House. [ 
Interruption 
] I know that the member from Rangitikei understands progress because he is starting to improve himself and impress people by wearing suits like Winston Peters’. There may be another thing going on there! 
Talking about percentages and numbers I heard the prattle over there from ACT who are polling at 1.6 percent—a lot less support than Ngati Awa have got here—and are allowed to sit in the House and abuse Maoris and accuse Maoris. They should not talk to me about percentages. These people have put a lot of effort into this. This bill needs to go through. The issue is that—[ 
Interruption 
] That party has voted for the bill and I am really thankful for that. Good manners forward thinking and trying to emulate in this contemporary time the good faith with which those great people signed the treaty is something that this debate should be about—not all the other rot that I heard before. 
I thank members for their support. Kia ora.