Whaitiri MekaMEKA WHAITIRI (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti): Tēnā koutou e ngā mema o Te Whare nei ā tēnā tātou katoa. He uri ahau o Tūranga-nui-ā-Kiwa o Te Tai Rāwhiti nō Rongowhakaata Ngāi Tamanuhiri Te Aitanga-ā-Māhaki Ngāti Porou me te iwi o Ngāti Kahungunu. E tū e mihi ana ki a koutou katoa Ngāti Hineuru whenua Ngāti Hineuru mana Ngāti Hineuru tangata tēnei te mihi maioha ki a koutou. Tēnei te mihi maioha i runga i te kaupapa whakahirahira; āe kua tae mai te wā kia hōnoretia te korōria o Te Atua nō reira ōku rau rangatira e kui mā e koro mā nau mai nau mai hara mai. [Acknowledgments to you members of this House and to us all. I am a descendant of Tūranga-nui-ā-Kiwa of the East Coast and of Rongowhakaata Ngāi Tamamanihiri Te Aitanga-ā-Māhaki Ngāti Porou and Kahungunu. I rise and acknowledge you all the land and the mandated one of Ngāti Hineuru and you the people of Ngāti Hineuru an affectionate welcome to you collectively. I acknowledge you affectionately upon the matter of significance; and yes the moment has arrived to honour and glorify God and therefore my esteemed ones of a hundredfold and the elderly men and women welcome draw hither and welcome.]I was honoured to speak in the first reading of this bill the second reading of this bill and today in the third and final reading of the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill. It is a day of remembrance particularly in respect of those who are no longer with us. I want to make special note of Whetu Tipiwai. Whetu Tipiwai was a renowned kaumātua amongst his own people. He was also a renowned kaumātua for the Māori All Blacks. He was also an unofficial chauffeur driver for my predecessor the Hon Parekura Horomia. There were many times that we would see Whetu and Pare turn up at huis at home and when they got out of the car we would say: What's wrong with this picture? Shouldn't you be driving Whetu?". But in all sincerity I remember people like Whetu. It is also a day of reflection when we think: could we have done better? It is also a day of celebration at last as we see the third reading of this bill—the legislative path is coming to its end. It is also a day of realisation that the work is only just beginning.I may just to set again—and I know previous speakers have mentioned it. I do want to draw and make some references to the historical account in this bill because it does give in a succinct way what the people of Ngāti Hineuru experienced. In the mid - 19th century the tīpuna of Hineuru lived and cultivated in the Waipunga and Mōhaka river valleys and at Tarawera Waiparatī and other kāinga in the mountainous inland region between Hawke's Bay and Taupō Moana. In November 1851 the Crown purchased the Ahuriri Block of approximately 265000 acres from another iwi without including Hineuru in the negotiations. The Crown also forgot to reserve any land for Hineuru.By the mid-1860s some Hineuru had converted to Pai Mārire. Pānapa the Pai Mārire leader among Hineuru established a Pai Mārire settlement at Waiparatī. In 1866 Pānapa and Hineuru rangatira Te Rangi Hīroa wrote to the Crown that they would come with a party to coastal Hawke's Bay in response to a Crown invitation to meet. The Crown viewed this party as a threat to the region's security. In October 1866 after the expiry of an ultimatum calling for their surrender Crown forces attacked a group of people including Hineuru camped at Ōmarunui. On the same day Crown forces also intercepted and surrounded and then subsequently attacked another group led by Te Rangi Hīroa near Pētane. About 35 Māori including Te Rangi Hīroa and other Hineuru individuals were killed in the two attacks. Crown forces subsequently pursued Hineuru and other Māori who had escaped the attacks into the Hineuru rohe and plundered kāinga at Waiparatī and in the surrounding area.By the end of 1866 Hineuru had abandoned nearly all of their kāinga and cultivations due to the conflict with the Crown. Thirty-four Hineuru individuals were among the 86 prisoners of the Crown captured at Ōmarunui and in the conflict near Pētane. Most were transported to the Chatham Islands and detained without trial in harsh conditions for almost 2 years.That brief historical account does not give the richness of what these people suffered but I am glad that it is recorded in their settlement bill. It is a passage that I encourage not only future generations of Ngāti Hineuru to remember but all people of the Hawke's Bay and Taupō area. Every Government department and every local government that have anything to do with the people of Ngāti Hineuru should have that at the forefront of their own plans.The land loss in that summary is absolutely clear. The loss of land and the loss of lives through the two battles are clear. And clearly in terms of those who were imprisoned on the Chatham Islands without trial that shows the severity of the breaches of the Treaty: land loss loss of life—severity of breaches. The settlement today can in no way compensate for the losses suffered at the hands of these people but it is a small recognition for this House particularly to acknowledge those breaches and to offer up a deal—like my colleague from the Greens has mentioned—through this settlement to acknowledge that you have much work to do ahead. And I join with all members to acknowledge that.In terms of the day of realisation I am encouraged to hear the planning—and I noticed this in the second reading of this bill—that has gone on to date in preparing you for the post-settlement entity period. There are the six pou that were talked about by previous speakers and in previous readings. The fact is that you Hineuru are one of the smartest people for qualifications which I would say may be second to Rongowhakaata's I acknowledge. This says to me that your settlements will be in good hands. It is not for me to advise you on how best to use that. All I can offer is ensure that your people are at the centre of what you do. Always remember that it is these young ones whose histories and journeys are only just starting. So as we celebrate when we leave this House that we have got over this milestone there has been some planning already to date and there will be planning yet to come.Like many members in this House I get to travel around not only my electorate of Ikaroa-Rāwhiti but throughout the country and we get to see some quite innovative Māori enterprises that are going on out there. I am always biased when we are running enterprises—I want our people to be at the heart of not only running those enterprises but actually benefiting from them. And so as we stand and celebrate the passage of this bill I too want to acknowledge the work of the Minister your negotiators the work of the officials and colleagues on the Māori Affairs Committee.I was at the hearings that we had in Napier. Whenever I remember Hineuru I will remember seeing my dad walk into the back. Right next door to where the hearings were is the hot pools in Napier and that was where my mum and dad would always go. So they came over and had a nohi. So standing and supporting this bill I remember people like that who have supported it. Just in my last few minutes—as I said in the first and second reading and I feel I need to say in this third reading—there is land alienation and as we pass this legislation acknowledgment of your own alienation from land. We have to remind ourselves in this House that when we pass legislation that involves Māori land Māori have to be at the forefront of those changes.And we have the Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill right in front of this House. Submissions close on 14 July. I have been running workshops throughout my electorate—Flo I did not see you at Hastings but hopefully you will put a submission in. It closes on 14 July. Please whānau have your say on the future of our whenua. I commend this bill to the House."