Whaitiri Meka: Te Tau Ihu Claims Settlement Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWhaitiri Meka: Te Tau Ihu Claims Settlement Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 19 February 2014. Volume:696;Page:16149. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MEKA WHAITIRI (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti): E ngā iwi o tēnei kerēme ngā iwi o Te Tau Ihu nau mai nau mai haere mai. Haere mai ki tēnei Whare ki tō Whare ki tō tātou Whare Te Whare Pāremata o Aotearoa. Nō reira ōku rangatira kui mā koro mā kei te mihi kei te mihi kei te mihi.[To the people of this claim Te Tau Ihu welcome welcome welcome. Welcome to this House to your House and ours Parliament House of New Zealand. So to my esteemed chiefs elder women and menfolk I greet acknowledge and salute you.]I join with all members of this House in supporting the second reading of Te Tau Ihu Claims Settlement Bill. Labour believes in building a future for all. Labour believes in having an economy that works for all New Zealanders. Labour believes in having a fair and just society where all live in dignity. Labour believes in having an environment we protect and a nation we can be proud of. In the second reading of this bill I believe that ngā iwi o Te Tau Ihu will be able to build that very future for their own. They will be able to build an economy that works not only for their people but for all New Zealanders. Ngā iwi o Te Tau Ihu will also be able to build a fair and just society where their own people and others will live in dignity and I believe they will build an environment that they will protect. Finally I believe wholeheartedly that ngā iwi o Te Tau Ihu will build a nation that they can be proud of.I stand in consolidation with all members of this House in supporting this important bill Te Tau Ihu Claims Settlement Bill. Can I acknowledge the efforts and role of the negotiators the role of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations the Hon Chris Finlayson and of course the role of the Māori Affairs Committee for its work throughout the select committee process both down in Nelson and also here in Wellington. Obviously in a joined up or large settlement such as this there are a lot of compromises and challenges that go on behind the scenes to get it to this stage so it is with a lot of I guess personal experience having been a mandated negotiator for the Rongowhakaata claim that I know that that is not often an easy challenge to overcome. Often our people are forced in terms of time and of course resources but the way in which I believe that the people of Te Tau Ihu the iwi of Te Tau Ihu have shown the humility the dignity the patience and the perseverance to get us here—I believe that what I see in front of us in the second reading of this bill is an acknowledgment of all those combined efforts and commitments. So again I join in celebrating this bill in its second reading.To the bill itself. Te Tau Ihu Claims Settlement Bill is an omnibus bill. It comprises four components three of which are claims settlement bills that seek to give effect to the deeds of settlement entered into by the Crown with Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō Ngāti Kuia Rangitāne o Wairau Ngāti Kōata Ngāti Rārua Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui and Ngati Toa Rangatira for the final settlement of their historic claims for breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi. The fourth component bill provides Ngati Toa Rangatira with the attribution rights in relation to the very famous haka “Ka Mate! Ka Mate!”. The eight deeds provide for the settlement of all historic claims in the top of the South Island an area referred to as Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka o Māui. The Ngati Toa Rangatira deed also provides for the settling of all of Ngati Toa Rangatira’s historical claims in the North Island. The bill includes only those elements of the redress and the settlement package that require legislative authority. The deeds of settlement set out in full the redress provided for the eight iwi in settlement of all their historical Treaty of Waitangi claims. I could not do justice going to each part of the bill suffice to acknowledge and I would like to take this time to reflect on all the iwi in giving a brief background to them as a way of supporting the second reading.I turn to Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō. Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō has customary interests in Te Tau Ihu or the northern South Island region. Around 700 people registered an affiliation to Ngāti Apa in the 2006 census. The Waitangi Tribunal heard the Te Tau Ihu claims of all iwi with interests in the northern South Island between August 2000 and March 2004 and released preliminary reports in 2007 and a final report in November 2008. On 23 November 2005 the previous Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitanginegotiations and the Minister of Māori Affairs recognised the mandate of the Kurahaupō ki Te Wai Pounamu Trust to represent Ngāti Awa and two other iwi in negotiating a comprehensive historic Treaty settlement. The Crown signed terms of negotiations with the Kurahaupō Trust in June 2006. On 11 February 2009 the Crown and the Kurahaupō Trust co-signed a letter of agreement. So to Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō I say: kei te mihi kei te mihi kei te mihi.We turn to Ngāti Kuia. In terms of a background Ngāti Kuia has customary interests in Te Tau Ihu or the northern South Island region. Around 1600 people registered an affiliation to Ngāti Kuia in the 2006 census. The Waitangi Tribunal heard the Te Tau Ihu claims of all iwi with interests in the northern South Island between August 2000 and March 2004 and released preliminary reports in 2007 and a final report in 2008. I note here that the terms of negotiations were signed with the Kurahaupō Trust in 2006 and on 11 February 2009 the Crown and the Kurahaupō Trust co-signed a letter of agreement.I want to acknowledge Rangitāne o Wairau who hold customary interests in Te Tau Ihu or the northern South Island region. Around 1000 people registered an affiliation to Rangitāne o Wairau in the 2006 census. I knew that if I started going down this track I would run out of time in acknowledging all the iwi. Suffice to say to Ngāti Kōata Ngāti Rārua Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu and Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui: can I again commend you for all the efforts and the mahi that you have displayed in bringing this bill to this House with the support of clearly the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and with the work of the Māori Affairs Committee. I join with all members in this House particularly on this side of the House in commending this bill at its second reading. Nō reira tēnā koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa.