Ririnui Mita: Ngati Ruanui Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
Ririnui Mita: Ngati Ruanui Claims Settlement Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:608;Page:5276] 
MITA RIRINUI (NZ Labour—Waiariki) 
: 
 I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Can I suggest that in the interests of time I do my own translation? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Yes you may. 
MITA RIRINUI 
: Kia ora! Otira tena koutou Aotea waka Taranaki tangata te maunga titohea nga karangaranga hapu kei waenganui i a koutou tena koutou nau mai hara mai. Na koutou tonu tenei ra. Ahakoa te iti te rahi o nga korero kua hurihuri haere i roto i tenei Whare na koutou tonu te kaupapa. E tautoko ana i nga mihi o tenei a ta koutou mokopuna. Nana e ki nana i whakamarama i nga taimahatanga i whawhahia ai e koutou mai i nga ra ki muri a tae noa ki tenei wa. Otira o nga korero maroke o nga tangata kare e matatau ana ki a koutou hohonutanga to koutou mamae me ki ra he korero whakaparanga noa iho tera. He whakaparanga noa iho na te mea ko koutou tonu nga mea e marama ana ki a koutou mamae a taimahatanga katoa e nga maemaetanga i uhiatia ai e te Karauna i runga i a koutou matua tupuna i te wa i te pakanga ki roto i a Taranaki. No reira me ki penei ra te korero rirerire pai marire. 
Na ehara tenei i te whakaroroa i te wa e noho ana koutou i roto i tenei Whare. Kahore! Kua tutuki ai i nga korero i ta koutou tangata te maunga i titohea kei toku taha nei a Mahara. Nana i korero a-papa ngakau ki a koutou ana mohiotanga i nga ritenga katoa e pa ana ki a koutou. Kua tu tenei ki te whakatau atu ki te whakaoti atu i tenei wahanga a to koutou hikoi i runga i tenei huarahi tino roa rawa atu. No reira tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. 
[ 
Thank you. Greetings indeed to you Aotea canoe the people of Taranaki the mountain made barren by frequent cultivation and the various subtribes in your midst; greetings to you and welcome welcome welcome. This is very much your day. No matter how much or how little has been said in this House the matter is still yours. I endorse the tributes made by this grand child of yours. He was the one who talked about it who explained the weighty issues that you had to fight way back at the beginning and to the present time. Indeed having listened to the dry talk by those who did not really have any idea about how deeply it affected you and the anguish it caused you let us say that that sort of talk is just pure rubbish pure loose talk because you are the only ones who know how much pain it caused you what the all the burdens were about and the hurt that the Crown inflicted upon your ancestors and forebears during the conflict in Taranaki. Therefore let us say it this way rirerire pai marire 
. 
So I am not standing up to prolong your stay in this House. No indeed! This man beside me this man of your barren mountain Mahara has said it all in his closing address. He gave it to you from the heart. He gave all that he knew from within him every shred of custom that relates to you people. I have got up to acknowledge you and to finish off this part of your walk on this road which has been a really very lengthy one. So greetings to you greetings to you and greetings to us all 
.] 
I thank Mr Speaker for his indulgence. I am wondering what I can possibly say in this discussion that would add to the importance of this occasion. Although I have heard many drawn-out speeches about the history of Taranaki I wonder how much understanding there is of it. The people who experienced the history and the events in Taranaki are sitting in the Chamber tonight listening to the korero and I wonder what their views are. But I was moved by the contribution of the person I call Taranaki’s maunga the member Mahara Okeroa who talked to the people of Taranaki. When we say “korero a whaka ngakau” we say he talked from his heart. 
 I have only one thing to say to the people of Taranaki. This has been a very very long road and a very very drawn-out process and for them a very very painful one and no one knows that better than they do themselves. As this process draws to a close I know that there is not much I can add to it. However I would like to say to them that whilst the road has been long and the challenges have been great there are greater challenges to come. When the people of Taranaki leave here the hope is that they never have to come back. We hope that they will take on the challenges of the days to come. The Taranaki I heard about when I was a child—the greatness of its prophets and people and of the passive resistance movement—will open new roads. I have to say that the people of Taranaki have a legacy that many of us envy. But as I have said they are the people who really know about that. I say bless them all. 
The people of Taranaki should confront the challenges as they come and have no fear because they have a great legacy. I remember the words of Titokowaru; nana i ki ai: “Ahakoa he maunga titohea ka rere nga manu ki reira unu ai e kore e kore e mimiti.” 
[it was he who said: “ 
Even though it is a mountain made barren by frequent cultivation and birds fly there to drink it never dries up 
.”] 
What a great legacy the people of Taranaki have in terms of the passive resistance movement. Many of our tribal leaders around the country have been to Taranaki in the past to experience its spirituality and to look for a way ahead. Many of them returned home to their tribes and to their people much more prepared for their role and much more patient with the processes of that time. 
Ki a koutou katoa koi nei kua oti katoa ra nga ahuatanga e pa ana ki tenei wahanga o to koutou pire. Hoki tonu atu ki o koutou kainga ki nga tini ahuatanga kei waenganui i nga karanga hapu o Taranaki ki te mahi i nga mahi kai mua kai a koutou. No reira me ki ano ra nga manaakitanga o Te Runga Rawa ki a koutou. No reira tena koutou tena koutou kia ora tatou. E tau ana. 
[ 
To all of you it is done. Everything relating to this part of your bill has been completed. Return to your homes to the many things within the subtribes of Taranaki and to tend to those matters that are ahead of you. So I say once more may the Almighty protect you. Greetings to you greetings to you and good health to us all. I end here 
.]