Lees-Galloway Iain: Rangitāne o Manawatu Claims Settlement Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLees-Galloway Iain: Rangitāne o Manawatu Claims Settlement Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 15 March 2016. Volume:712;Page:9778. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour—Palmerston North): Tini whetū ki Te Rangi Rangitāne ki Te Whenua tīhei mauri ora![Myriad of stars up in the sky Rangitāne upon the land; behold the breath of life.]It is an enormous privilege to be able to participate in this first reading debate on the Rangitāne o Manawatu Claims Settlement Bill. When we gathered in the sunshine on the “Manawatū Riveria” as my friend Wīremu Te Aweawe would say in November last year it was my first opportunity to witness a Treaty settlement signing and it was my first opportunity to see the coming together and the joining of cultures around this idea that we have to move forward together we have to acknowledge our history we need to come to some agreement and that we need to move on together. The feeling of warmth and the feeling of togetherness on that day was something that I will never forget. It was truly a privilege to be there and to be able to witness it as it is a privilege to be able to participate in this debate today.This as other speakers have said is just one step along the journey—and my goodness; it has been a long long journey. The Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations outlined and my friend Adrian Rurawhe outlined the history of the settlement claim the history of alienation of the people of Rangitāne from the land of Rangitāne and the Minister touched lightly on some of the challenges that have presented themselves through the negotiation process.You have come through all of those and you have reached this point which is just another one of the steps along the way—but an important milestone because this is the point at which we all get to share the journey with you. I think it is a privilege for us to be able to share that journey with you in its very final stages—the stages that are most public perhaps and the stages that finally reach the point where you get the acknowledgment that you deserve and you get the redress; not that you deserve but that you are prepared to accept from the Crown. We all acknowledge the fact that the redress that this bill affords is nothing like what Rangitāne o Manawatu actually deserves for what has gone on in the past. But it is a recognition from both sides that settlement is important and moving forward together is important.I want to acknowledge as others have some of the key players some of the people who have really been the driving force. Many have passed but many are with us still: Danielle Harris Maurice Takarangi and Matua Tokatū Moana who have been the driving forces at the negotiating table particularly Danielle. Thank you for picking up where your mum left off and for continuing on this process which is a process that is so important not just to Rangitāne but to the whole Palmerston North and Manawatū community. It is going to be an exciting time when this is all done and you are able to look forward to your future. Your future and Palmerston North’s future and the Manawatū future are shared and you are going to be incredibly important participants in that future just as you are incredibly important participants in our community right now. So I want to congratulate you on all the work so far. I want to welcome you here today on this important milestone and I want to say that we all in this Parliament look forward to sharing the journey with you from here on in and we look forward to the future and everything that you will continue to contribute to our community in Manawatū.With those few words I want to say that I also commend this bill to the House. I look forward to the select committee process I encourage you to participate strongly with the select committee process and we all look forward to coming back here for the final stages of this bill when we get to celebrate this settlement properly.