Roche Denise: Nga Wai o Maniapoto (Waipa River) Bill — Third Reading 
Roche Denise: Nga Wai o Maniapoto (Waipa River) Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:678;Page:1486] 
DENISE ROCHE (Green) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Speaker. It is my privilege to rise to speak on behalf of the Green Party to support the passing of this bill the Nga Wai o Maniapoto (Waipa River) Bill. E nga iwi o Maniapoto tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. 
[ 
To the people of Maniapoto greetings to you greetings to you and greetings to you all. 
] 
In Te Ao Maori when a person is asked where they come from the question is: “Ko wai koe?”—“Where is your water?”. It is more than just a question; it is an indication of your identity and so for me it is a real privilege to stand here today to honour the passing of this bill. I am a daughter of Raukawa. Ko Wharepuhunga toku maunga. Ko Waikato toku awa. Ko Tainui toku waka. Ko Raukawa toku iwi. Ko Ngati Huri toku hapu. So I also want to acknowledge my links with Ngati Maniapoto our whanaunga and our links through our rivers—through the Waikato and through the Waipa.  
I want to acknowledge the deep feelings and the loss that Ngati Maniapoto have suffered as a result of the wrongs that have been done to them by the Crown. I pay tribute to all those who have worked on both sides—on the Crown’s side and on the side of Ngati Maniapoto—to redress that. I pay tribute to all those who have persevered and who have pursued justice and restitution and I acknowledge today the passing of this bill as going in some part towards addressing that.  
In reading the background to this bill I have gained a small understanding of some of the longstanding issues that have occurred. I acknowledge the struggle that Ngati Maniapoto have had to maintain and to regain their role of kaitiakitanga over their awa—their river—the beautiful Waipa. Maniapoto have spoken of the degradation of the river from the run-off from farms and sewage and of degradation through development.  
I remember the Waipa River as a beautiful river. I have gathered watercress on its banks I have gone eeling there and I have swum in it because as a child I used to spend most of my summers around Whatawhata and Ngaruawahia. And of course I have swum in our river too—in the Waikato—as a child. But those days have long gone. In parts the Waipa is a very degraded river. It is almost impossible in some parts to swim in it today. So I am heartened by this bill and I am heartened by the fact that Maniapoto have been returned to their role as kaitiaki and that they will be able to work in a co-governance and co-management relationship with the Crown and with councils to clean and nurture the Waipa and return her to health.  
I am aware from the raupatu settlement for Waikato Tainui and Raukawa which established the co-management relationship for the Waikato and the clean-up there that the arrangement that Maniapoto are entering into will not be without its challenges. I applaud their generosity for entering into this arrangement. The co-management model will not stop the call that others will have on this river. It will not stop the competing claims and it has been alluded to I think by several other speakers: the wish for economic development and how you balance that with environmental benefits as well. This does cause tension so I think it is a very brave thing and a very generous thing for Maniapoto to enter into this.  
The Green Party stands on a charter that recognises te Tiriti as the founding document in this land of Aotearoa and one of our core principles is around honouring and protecting the environment. Another is a firm dedication to fairness and to peace and justice and this bill fits with those founding principles. So I give thanks that the Crown has moved to restore some of the rights of this tangata whenua to exercise tino rangatiratanga over their traditional resources. However we in the Greens also acknowledge that this bill will never be a final and full restitution of the wrongs that have been done. Maniapoto have made huge sacrifices to accept this arrangement and I acknowledge that. We do not accept that these settlements are full and final settlements. In a generation to come these issues may be revisited especially if the health of the Waipa River is not addressed in this generation. So these settlements may never be settled. They are a deal that exists at the moment but we acknowledge that this is a massive step forward.  
The Greens will be voting to support this bill of course not just because we have a policy around cleaning up our environment and cleaning up our rivers but also because this is a bill that is full of hope. The Greens wish Ngati Maniapoto every success in the role that they take on to re-establish their rightful place as the guardians of the Waipa River. No reira tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa.