Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill, Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill

on behalf of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations: I move, That the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill be now read a second time. These bills give effect to the Maraeroa A and B Blocks deed of settlement, which was signed on 12 March 2011 at Pā Harakeke.

I want firstly to acknowledge the descendants of the original owners of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks, comprising individuals from Ngāti Rereahu, Maniapoto, Raukawa, Ngāti Tūw’aretoa, and other iwi and hapū groups. The Maraeroa A and B Blocks are located on the volcanic plateau to the east of Te Kūiti. The beneficiaries of the settlement will be the descendants of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks regardless of their iwi affiliation.

It is customary in the stages of Treaty legislation for the House, and for the w’ānau, hapū, and iwi concerned, to consider the sacrifice and the commitment of those who have acted as guardians and champions of the settlement process. I want today to mihi to Phillip Ngawhira Crown, who as chair of Maraeroa A and B Blocks Trust has made such a significant contribution to our collective knowledge of the Rereahu and Maniapoto traditions. Phillip has devoted his life to learning the traditions, history, customs, culture, language, waiata, and genealogy of Rereahu, Maniapoto, and Tainui. Indeed, his publication Rereahu Chronicles was launched here in Parliament in 2009. Phillip has been a valued member of the negotiations team that negotiated the deed of settlement, and I want to acknowledge his extensive traditional and cultural knowledge, which has been called on to confirm the integrity of this claim. I want to also acknowledge Glen Katu, trustee, who has been such a powerhouse of energy in advancing the settlement legislation that we will be debating today.

It should be noted that this settlement is outside of the settlement framework, and does not comprehensively settle all the claims of the claimant groups. However, all claims that relate to the Maraeroa A and B Blocks will be extinguished by settlement.

As with all Treaty legislation, the history that led to this legislation is not a story that we can be proud of as members of Parliament or, indeed, as New Zealanders. The claims of the descendants of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks relate primarily to the operation of native land laws of the 19th century, which led to the alienation of most of Maraeroa A and B. The Crown acknowledges that in 1862 native land legislation was imposed on the owners without consulting them. To add insult to injury, from 1884 to 1908 the Crown had a monopoly over purchasing land from the owners, and by 1908 the Crown had purchased 90 percent of Maraeroa A and B Blocks. The blocks contain very significant indigenous forests. The prices paid by the Crown did not appear to include the value of the indigenous timber that was on the land. Felling of the indigenous forest, in fact, destroyed the habitat of the indigenous flora and fauna.

The alienation of Maraeroa A and B separated the descendants of the original owners from their wāhi tapu and severed their cultural connection to the land. I cannot understand just how significant this dislocation has been. We have many sayings that represent the absolute connection that tangata w’enua—literally, the people of the land—have in our connection with the w’enua, connections so strong that they have spanned multiple generations and endure as one of the foundation principles that w’ānau, hapū, and iwi exercise in the undertaking of their rights and responsibilities as guardians, as tangata tiaki. Manaaki w’enua, manaaki tāngata, haere waka mua—care for the land, care for the people, go forward.

In the case of this legislation the loss of these lands undermined the social and traditional tribal structures of the people of Maraeroa A and B and their ability to exercise customary rights, and deprived them of the ability to access ngā wāhi kohinga kai, cultural resources, and materials. This settlement bill therefore gives effect to the undertakings made by the Crown in the deed of settlement. The redress includes an agreed historical account, Crown acknowledgments and apology, the vesting of sites of cultural and historical significance, a high-level partnership agreement with the Department of Conservation over public conservation lands within the Maraeroa A and B Blocks, a financial settlement of $1.8 million, and redress over Crown properties including licensed forest land.

In the framework we have available to us through the cognate bill process, today we will also consider the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill. The incorporation bill will establish a Māori incorporation to form part of the post-settlement governance that will receive and manage the settlement redress on behalf of the claimant community. It was not possible to establish a Māori incorporation through the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill. Part of the first post-settlement governance arrangements is a Māori incorporation that needed to be established through a private bill in order to comply with the Standing Orders. We are considering the two bills together to progress the incorporation bill at the same time as the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill so that the transfer of settlement assets can take place.

These bills were referred to the Māori Affairs Committee on 8 March 2012. The committee reported back to the House on 14 June 2012, and the committee unanimously supports both bills and has proposed no major amendments. The committee has recommended two technical amendments. One is to clarify the definition of the claimant group by reciting specific Māori Land Court minutes. The other amendment is to remove an unnecessary clause. I wish to thank my parliamentary colleagues on the Māori Affairs Committee for considering these bills in a timely fashion, allowing progress to be achieved.

Finally, I would like to thank the trustees of the Te Maru o Rereahu Trust, who negotiated the settlement on behalf of the descendants of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B. I trust that the agreement reached with the descendants of the original owners, embodied in these bills, will enhance the relationship between the Crown and those descendants into the future. Indeed, this was a promise that was made when the Crown and tangata w’enua entered into their partnership at Waitangi. Legislation such as this helps us to pave the way for a new approach to the Treaty relationship as a relationship of equals. Tēnā tātou katoa.

Kia ora, tēnā tātou. E mihi kau ana i ngā kōrero a Tāriana nā te mea i roto i āku, he rōroa atu te tae o te kerēme nei ki te wāhi nei, hei whakatikatika mā tātou i te mahi raupatu, ngā mahi taumaha o te kāwanatanga e mahi atu ki wēnei, ngā uri o Maraeroa. E taukototia atu te mihimihi ki a Piripi, ki a Glen, ki a rātou mā nā te mea, e pai ana e tae atu tātou ki te rangi nei hei whakatikatika

[Thank you, and greetings to us. I acknowledge the sentiments expressed by Tariana, because there is a feeling within me that this claim has taken a very, very long time to get to this place, and for us to consider how the acts of confiscation and the heavy-handedness by government has impacted on these ones, the descendants of Maraeroa. I endorse the tributes to Piripi, Glen, and others, because it is good that we have reached this day to make amends.]

Together, the two bills that we are discussing today, the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill, give effect to the redress contained in the deed of settlement between the descendants of the original owners of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks and the Crown for the final settlement of historical Treaty of Waitangi claims. The settlement bill records an apology to the descendants of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks for historical acts or omissions of the Crown, including native land laws and the operation of the Native Land Court that led to the alienation of Maraeroa lands, like the harvesting of the indigenous native timber and the benefits not being distributed to the owners so many years ago. I want to join in congratulating Te Maru o Rereahu Trust and the trustees, Piripi, Glen Katu, and all of those people who put a lot of effort into making sure that they got to this stage. It is also appropriate to recognise the contributions of officials and Ministers, present and past, in the sense of the effort to bring this reasonably complicated settlement to this point. Mihi atu ki a koutou katoa.

The settlement bill records the settlement package, which comprises a historical account; an apology; cultural and commercial redress, including the transfer of a number of sites of significance to the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation; and an overlay classification over Pureora o Kahu, which provides for the New Zealand Conservation Authority and the co-management and the authority given to the trustees in relation to the values and protection principles in relation to that area. As we said, the second part of this legislation, in the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill, is something I will discuss later on. The bill “defines the descendants of the original owners of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks as the collective group comprised of individuals who—are descendants of the original owners of the Maraeroa A and B blocks as identified in orders made by the Native Land Court in 1886 and 1891; any whānau, hapū or group to the extent that it is composed of the individuals referred to above.” It is interesting to know that the collective of the iwi of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Raukawa, and others affiliate to Ngāti Rereahu. So it is quite an interesting composition, and those people who belong to those other iwi and have other activities through a period of time have collectively come together and are supportive of the trust managing their affairs.

The claims of the descendants of the original owners relate primarily to the operation of the Native Land Court and Crown purchasing, including the failure to ensure the owners, as I said earlier on, benefited from the distribution. One of the glaring issues was the huge harvesting of the native timbers that were very profitable at that time, and no benefits being given down to those people. There are elements of the settlement package in the bill that are quite interesting. Part 1, of course, sets out the purpose of the Act, but also records and acknowledges the apology given by the Crown. There has been some difficulty in ensuring that that happens, and it is pleasing to see that we have got to that stage now. It also “deals with related issues, including a consequential amendment to the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 and the removal of certain resumptive memorials.” This has taken a lot of discussion in relation to getting that out of the road.

In Part 2 there are statutory acknowledgments over the culturally significant sites, which are very, very important to these people, and, if anything, in the discussions that have been put to the forefront in relation to the collective’s needs. There is also an overlay classification of Pureora o Kahu, which is important to them, and this measure gives them much pride, in the sense of getting it back to where it was before the Crown took ownership and did what it did. The two geographic name changes are very interesting—Mangakōkakotaea Stream and Mangaparuhou Stream have adjustments in their names. The vesting of the six culturally significant sites in fee simple, totalling approximately 1,789 hectares, is appropriate protection of public interest, conservation values, and third-party rights—and they are well known for their environmental aptness as an iwi who have practised that long before it became fashionable, and they need to be recognised for that. The Māori Affairs Committee has recommended that the definition of “settling group” in clause 11 of the bill should be changed to include citations of dates and minute book references for the relevant judgments and orders made by the Native Land Court, so people are reminded through history of why this claim has come about.

The second part that we are discussing today, the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill, is really important. The bill establishes the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation as a Māori incorporation, and applies specific provisions of Part 13 of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 to the incorporation. The provisions applied relate to the constitution and powers of the incorporation and to its internal management. The Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill provides that the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation forms part of this settling group’s post-settlement governance framework, along with the settlement trust. The incorporation will obtain ownership of cultural redress properties, it will receive ownership of the licensed land, it will have unrestricted capacity to dispose of settlement property other than that protected land that is vested in it, and it will have a restricted capacity to dispose of protected land.

The effort that has gone into this, both by present trustees and people who are not here to see in these final days of this bill, has been enormous. It is certainly one of the settlements that we should be excited about as a nation. It certainly tows along a very strong group of people who are kosher in the economic sense, but also not just culturally but certainly forerunners for not only Māori people but all New Zealanders in relation to their beliefs in preserving and working with the environment. The Labour Party supports these bills.

As previous speakers have said, these bills are the result of a tremendous amount of work and dedication. The bills, the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill, give effect to the Maraeroa A and B Blocks deed of settlement that seeks to make right past wrongs, as Mr Horomia has said. The Crown acknowledges that the imposition of 19th century native land laws led to the alienation of the vast majority of those blocks, and undermined the social and traditional tribal structures of the people of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks. The descendants have worked for a number of years to have their claims addressed by the Crown. In September 2008 draft terms of negotiation were signed with Te Maru o Rereahu Trust, and the Crown commenced exploratory work with the interests in those blocks. In July 2009 the Crown agreed to negotiate a block settlement with Te Maru o Rereahu Trust in relation to the Maraeroa A and B Blocks, and agreed that the beneficiaries would be all the descendants of the original owners of the blocks. The parties reached an agreed offer in July 2010, and then initialled the deed of settlement in December of the same year. The Crown and descendants signed a deed of settlement on 12 March 2011, after the deed had been ratified.

Mrs Turia has summarised the settlement redress, so I do not intend to repeat that in detail. All I want to do is refer to the fact that the bills were referred to the Māori Affairs Committee on 8 March, and the committee reported back to the House on 14 June. I want to thank Mr Henare and the committee for considering these bills in their usual timely and competent fashion. As Mr Horomia said, the committee received and considered one submission.

That is really all I want to say at this stage. I will save more extended comments for the third reading, but I do want to conclude with the following to the members of Ngāti Rereahu, to Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Raukawa, and other iwi who are the descendants of the original owners of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks, that I acknowledge those who suffered from the breaches of the Treaty, and who have carried the grievances for so many years. I acknowledge the trustees; their tremendous dedication and determination have been vital in the path toward settlement.

Kia ora, Mr Speaker. It is my pleasure, as a member of the Māori Affairs Committee, to follow one of the two Ministers who have put these bills to the House. It is one of the areas that we do have cross-Parliament support for, and I too want to acknowledge how well the committee is chaired by the Hon Tau Henare, in collaboration with my colleague the Hon Parekura Horomia. But it has been really interesting to come into this term and look at some of the histories of these claims. I do want to take some time just to look at the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill. So if we look at the history of this claim, we see that in 1986 Charlie Wehi filed a claim with the Waitangi Tribunal relating to the blocks and other tracts of land, which was Wai 630. Charlie Wehi passed away, and I want to mihi to Charlie’s whānau and all the whānau who are here because I think a lot of the histories in our Treaty settlements were started by a lot of our tūpuna who are not here anymore. So this is a very special day for the whānau, because it is part of the continuation of that legacy. I want to note that Piripi Crown then became the named claimant, and my colleague the Hon Nanaia Mahuta has just said that he was recently honoured in the Queen’s Honours List for his services to Māori, so I want to acknowledge that.

Following extensive discussion with the Crown in 2008 the Crown agreed to negotiate with the trustees of the settling entity, the Te Maru o Rereahu Trust, and we are where we are today, having a deed of settlement drafted. We have a bill before the House. So this bill is based on a settlement of a land block for named descendants only, and I want to focus on that because it does not relate to the more typical hapū or iwi settlements. This is actually about the descendants of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks, so it is a very special piece of legislation. I want to highlight the support that has been received within that context by the Maniapoto Māori Trust Board, which is supporting the Te Maru o Rereahu Trust. When we look at the whakapapa, it is interesting that Maniapoto lived in the 17th century and his father was Rereahu, who is the descendant of the Maraeroa Block. Nā Raukawa ko Rereahu, so Raukawa begat Rereahu. Nā Rereahu ko Maniapoto. Rereahu begat Maniapoto—mahi ara tau tika mai ki ahau [to eventually work its way down directly to myself].

Here I boast of my noble line. I just wanted to recite some of that whakapapa, and I also wanted to acknowledge that the incorporation will have one share that will be held by the trustees of the Maraeroa A and B Trust, on behalf of the settling group who are the beneficial owners, and that the settling group is defined by reference back to specific Native Land Court orders containing the lists of the original owners of the A and B Blocks.

I want to talk a little bit about those blocks of land. Between 1916 and 1951 the remaining Māori who owned the areas of Maraeroa A and B Blocks were alienated. So today only 7.2 hectares from the Maraeroa A and B Blocks remain in Māori ownership. I think there has been a significant reduction in terms of the total land area that the original owners had, and it was thought to be around 47,000 acres. So when you think today that the return of those lands is going to be only 7.2 hectares, there has been a significant reduction in the original ownership. So I also want to acknowledge that for this settlement there has been a reduction in what the original owners had owned.

I want to thank the House for the opportunity to speak, and I will give my colleagues further opportunity in the third reading. Kia ora.

Tēnā koe. Kei te mihi nui ki a koutou. I am pleased to speak to these two bills, the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill, to acknowledge the importance of both this individual settlement and the arrangements that are made within it, and also to comment on the process that we are in today, which is the progressing in the most prompt manner possible these settlement bills. They are critically important. In many cases, the claimants have waited for a very long time. So the Green members are very pleased to speak in support of both the bills we are discussing today and, indeed, the process, which is allowing them to go through the legislative process as quickly as is appropriate.

I particularly acknowledge the people who are most affected by these particular bills, the settlement bill and the incorporation bill. Ngāti Rereahu, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Raukawa, and ngā iwi katoa and ngā hapū katoa are affected by these settlements today.

The incorporation bill is particularly interesting, as has been noted, to the effect that it creates a body—an umbrella body, if you will—that enables a degree, at least, of decision making, of authority, to be returned to the people who ought to have that authority to make decisions about the ongoing use and the future of the land. It is an interim step, as the Minister for Whānau Ora, Mrs Turia, in introducing this reading, acknowledged, but it is a very positive and useful step towards a final resolution of what are quite complex claims. The incorporation part clearly does reflect the fact that, historically, there was shared use of the resource, of the land in question. Māori, of course, have very different notions of ownership than Western thought has, but have a very clear-cut, sophisticated, and well-understood system of user rights, shared user rights, and access to resources at different times of the year through different seasons for different purposes. The establishment of this incorporation would seem to capture the essence of that cross-hapū and cross-iwi understanding that a resource can be shared and can be administered collectively for the collective good, and that is an entirely appropriate and a very positive outcome of this.

The question of ownership has been very much in the news of late. There is an ongoing process not very far from here, at Waiwhetū Marae, that is seeking to resolve some of the outstanding issues that will continue to, in a sense, bedevil the resolution of settlement processes. But the fact that these conversations are occurring is a positive sign. It is a positive thing. In terms of trying to unpick these notions of ownership, governance, kāwanatanga, and rangatiratanga, it is worth getting back occasionally, I think, to first principles. At one level, the question was raised last week at Waiwhetū Marae whether the English text of the Treaty and the Māori text of Te Tiriti are irreconcilable. The comment was made in response to that question that, in fact, trying to reconcile those two versions of our Tiriti is a bit like trying to reconcile boiling water and ice, which was not a very hopeful position, perhaps. But, nevertheless, for a great deal of the last 150 or more years there have been processes, conversations, arguments, and, on occasion, much more than simply argument, seeking to reconcile what at the front of it may appear to be irreconcilable: to bring together, or, at least, to find a middle road between the rightful claim of iwi and hapū to exercise their chieftainship, their rangatiratanga, while allowing the Crown to govern.

It is fair to say that some of the dispute and some of the ongoing concerns about what constitutes ownership, what constitutes user rights, and what is the nature of the rights that Māori rightfully claim get back to a more fundamental issue—an issue of world view, in fact—and that is the very different cosmology of Western and Māori thought. Clearly, the Western tradition that came to New Zealand in the early 1880s—the late 18th century, in fact—was based on Christian theory, the Christian belief structure, which puts humanity, mankind, as the crown of creation, gives people dominion over all things, and establishes a very hierarchical relationship, with people at the top and all other beings subservient, in a sense. That is very much at odds with Māori cosmology, the Māori belief system, which is much more horizontal and sees people, humanity, in a familial relationship with other species, with other plants, with maunga, with awa, with ngahere, and with everything that lives in them. It is a very, very different cosmology and a fundamentally different belief system. Clearly, a lot of the practical, pragmatic resolutions we are trying to seek must understand and acknowledge that those world views are coming from a profoundly different belief system and base, and that is, clearly, at the heart of some of the difficulty in this. These settlement bills, these deals that are being done, are endeavouring to reconcile the language of a covenant that was signed in 1840, and, equally, endeavouring to reconcile two very different and often conflicting belief systems.

I would argue—in fact, it is my firm belief—that the Māori belief system is one that is based much more in humility than in pride, and I think that that humility comes through in the willingness of iwi and hapū to accept less than they could reasonably expect, to acknowledge that we have moved on, and that full and total restitution of what was lost would, effectively, cripple the economy and would lead to complete social breakdown. The humility and the willingness of iwi and hapū to accommodate the reality of the 21st century, I think, must be acknowledged and, indeed, praised. That willingness to accommodate has been reflected today by the particular hapū and iwi who are most affected by this bill.

Clearly, all of these settlements are aimed at restoring the rightful authority to make decisions about the use of the resources in question, the right to benefit and to distribute benefit from the use of those resources, and, critically, to fulfil the absolute obligation that Māori, as kaitiaki, feel to protect and preserve the resource, not only for the present day but, critically, for the future generation. We inherit these resources from our tūpuna. We have an absolute obligation to pass them on in at least as good a condition as we find them, and preferably in a better state. All of these bills, and specifically the Maraeroa agreements that we are seeking to progress today, are fundamentally about that—preservation of the mana of the people who have absolute authority, or ought to have that authority, to make decisions and to fulfil that obligation as kaitiaki to pass on a better future to the generations coming after us.

That is sufficient for now. Again, I offer our regard to the folk affected by the settlement, our acknowledgment of the work that has been done so far by all sides in this agreement, and our hope and belief that these bills will advance to an appropriate settlement promptly. Kia ora.

Kia ora. It is my honour and privilege to be speaking on these very important claims settlement bills today. I would, firstly, like to acknowledge the two Ministers who have already spoken this morning and thank you for your contribution, especially the Hon Chris Finlayson for the hard work he has put into these settlements so that we are here today for their second reading. I would also like to acknowledge the work of the Māori Affairs Committee, which I am a member of, which is very capably led by the Hon Tau Henare. When these bills first came into the select committee Mr Henare said to us that the most important thing is that these bills move swiftly through our select committee because iwi have waited long enough. And that is why we are here today. It is important that we recognise the need to right the wrongs of the past and to strengthen the move forward with the relationships between iwi and the Crown. I would like to acknowledge those who are no longer with us who have shown commitment and courage on this journey. They are the inspiration—the mana—for future generations and the reason why we are all here today.

Today’s settlement legislation is the chance for iwi and the Crown to join to help guide us, and our children’s paths, to unify cultural heritage and financial prosperity. I would like to offer respect to all iwi who are descendants of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks. I would also like to acknowledge how, historically, the Crown deprived these iwi of control of large quantities of their land for many decades during the 20th century. I hope the ties between us can now be strengthened through the settlement legislation and we can contribute to uphold the cultural richness that you have tied to your land. It has been a long journey for many of the iwi, and not for one moment do we take this for granted.

The Maraeroa A and B Blocks are located south-west of Te Kūiti. This area is of great significance and sacred to many iwi involved. This legislation acknowledges the financial, but more important, the cultural and spiritual, loss that undermined the connection these iwi had to their lands. The settlement is between the Crown and the settling group, persons collectively and individually who descend from one or more of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks, and as identified in either or both relevant orders of the Native Land Court made in 1886 and 1891. Through this legislation iwi of this land will obtain ownership of cultural redress properties, will receive ownership of the licensed land, will have unrestricted capacity to dispose of settlement property that is vested in it, and will have restricted capacity to dispose of protected land.

A commitment between the Crown and the involved iwi is crucial for us to move forward into the future. By working together we will be able to address the conservation issues of the land. It is important through co-governance we facilitate with the iwi, the care and management, access and use, and development and revitalisation of this land. We agree that the past cannot be erased. The Crown acknowledges this and understands the cultural significance this legislation has to the people involved. The settlement will provide an economic base for these iwi and their children to invest in. We not only want to help nurture the land for the iwi, but also to invest in and develop the social, economic, and cultural aspects addressed in the redress package. We intend to continue the traditions of the people of this land and the surrounding community. We want iwi to benefit from the settlement and be reassured in the Crown’s duty to protect what is important to them.

Being involved in the Treaty settlement process has been a humbling experience for me. I am honoured to be part of this important chapter for iwi and Crown and I look forward to speaking in the third reading of this legislation in the near future. Thank you.

Ka tangi te tītī, ka tangi te kākā, ka tangi hoki ahau, tīhei mauri ora. E ngā iwi, e ngā reo, e ngā mana, e ngā mātāwaka, tēnā tātou, ā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. E rau rangatira mā ka mihi ake i runga i te karanga o te rā. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā anō tātou katoa.

[The muttonbird cries, the parrot cries, and I cry as well; behold the breath of life. To the tribes, languages, authorities, and clans, salutations to us collectively, and acknowledgments, greetings, and welcome to us all. To the many leaders, I salute you in regard to the call of the day. Greetings, greetings, and greetings once again to all of us.]

I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to support these second readings of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill. I acknowledge the work of all of those who have strived so hard to get to this point, those who have passed away and those still living, who have persevered and endured and are eager to see the culmination of such collective effort. New Zealand First would like to see this section of the process move through as expeditiously as possible. We support and look forward to the third readings of the settlement bill and the incorporation bill next week. Kia ora.

Te mea tuatahi ki a koutou e aku rangatira, tēnā koutou. Mihi au ki a Tūwharetoa mō tana tangata, tana ariki, nō reira, ka mihi, ka mihi, ka mihi. Tūwharetoa, Rereahu, Maniapoto, Raukawa, rōroa te tāima i tatari ana rātou mō ō rātou taonga, nō reira, kai a koutou e aku rangatira i roto i ērā iwi, i ērā hapū, ā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora.

[First of all, greetings to you, my chiefs. I acknowledge Tūwharetoa in respect of their man and aristocrat. My admiration and respect for him is boundless. You have waited a long time for your possessions, Tūwharetoa, Rereahu, Maniapoto, and Raukawa. They are there with you my lords in other tribes and subtribes. So salutations and acknowledgments to you collectively; thank you.]

Rather than repeat what everybody else has said, I say it is a good time to be Māori. Rather than treat these bills, the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill, like an inquest or a coroner’s report, we should actually be celebrating the great tapestry of stories and songs of Treaty settlements. They are not just about saying: “Sorry. Here’s 10 bucks. Go away.” They are about the great tapestry of stories and songs that this nation has, and they play a huge part in the story of this land. They are not about just settling somebody’s grievance; they are about telling the story of whence we came and where we are going, and all the little bits and pieces, the ins and outs, of the great tapestry that is Aotearoa, that is New Zealand.

I will leave my comments there, other than to say thank you very much to the most capable Hon Chris Finlayson, the Hon Tariana Turia, and my colleagues on the Māori Affairs Committee, who, I must say, are on the busiest committee around.

Tēnā koe e te Kaiwhakamana. Tēnā kōrua e ngā minita me ngā mema o te Whare, tēnā koutou. Ngā uri ō Tākao, a Raukawa, Rereahu, Maniapoto me ngā uri o Tia, te tipuna o Tūwharetoa, kua haramai nei ki roto i tēnei Whare, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Greetings to you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and to you two Ministers and to members of the House, salutations to you collectively. To the descendants of Tākao, namely of the Raukawa, Rereahu, Maniapoto tribes, and those of Tia, the Tūwharetoa ancestor, acknowledgments, salutations, and greetings to you all.]

I am very pleased to rise and speak in the second readings of these two bills, the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill. Like the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee—and my whanaunga—Tau Henare, I do not care to traverse all the details and all the different aspects of the history and elements of the bills and the settlement, so I will keep my remarks quite general. I think those aspects have been adequately covered by my colleagues thus far. My comments are really just in relation to what my colleague Mr Clendon touched on—the notions of ownership, and other general matters in terms of the history, the connection, of our people to our whenua, and the movement of our people, and how those movements and the connections that were made around the motu have brought us to the situation that we are dealing with now with the Maraeroa A and B Blocks.

As a first-time member of this House, I am humbly reminded of the real reason why our people elected their Māori representatives to this House, the Whare Pāremata. The Māori MPs have traditionally been elected, and still are, to represent the many take that have been put forward by aggrieved relatives, and that is the case right across the motu. I acknowledge the mana of the ancestors of the hapū represented here today, whom I mentioned in my mihi at the start. It is easy to forget that Tūwharetoa, Raukawa, Maniapoto, and Rereahu were actual people, who had wives, children, and a following, and they practised their own forms of tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake on their whenua. We refer to ourselves by the name of our tūpuna, like “Oh, he’s a Tūwharetoa.” or “She’s from Raukawa.” I would like to acknowledge those tūpuna who have gone before, those eponymous ancestors, who were just ordinary men, ordinary folk, trying to make the best decisions for themselves and for their kin.

Thank goodness for whakapapa, because if it were not for the work of our oral historians and the early Māori informants and transcribers, much more of Aotearoa would have been alienated by today. Much of today’s cultural redress—and this is where I am getting to the elements of this bill—is due to the Pākehā system of ownership, with fee simple titles and straight lines on maps. Those things are anathema to Māori, but that is the system of land tenure that we have today. They were definitely foreign way back in the 1860s. To Māori, the notion of ownership was the old system of micro-management of the estate, pre-arranged war, pre-arranged marriage, and the inevitable pre-arranged hākari at the end of it. Those concepts sit much better in the Māori mind. You know, the war is not over until both sides say so. That suggests constant dialogue, and that is much more important to Māori than what the Pākehā system of land tenure has done for the history of this country.

For 150 years the descendants of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks were excluded from their ancient rights and practices on their whenua, because the lands and survey department had taken a wrong creek, made a wrong mark, gone down the wrong ridge. Those arbitrary actions, or those careless—

💬 Hon Parekura Horomia: On purpose.

Well, purposely careless actions on a piece of paper. Those moments of carelessness started a 150-year mamae of resentment and grievance. So it is really humbling for me to be able to stand as a Māori member of this House to rectify these actions—or to put in some measure of rectification—through the enactment of these bills and these settlements.

Another aspect of being Māori is whakapapa. I always like, if I am speaking about something, to try to draw on a connection, something that I can relate to. I am very proud of the Ngāti Rārua and Ngāti Tama connection that I have through the Poutini Ngāi Tahu side down there on the West Coast. While there was all the intra-tribal and hapū fighting that was going on up there between Rereahu, Raukawa, and Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Rārua and Ngāti Tama sort of ventured down to Te Upoko o Te Ika, then hopped over and went down into Te Wai Pounamu. Again, it is an example of the movement of people, and the conflicts, but also the marriages, and the peace, and the kaitakawaenga that resulted from a lot of that. So I am proud to make that connection to my smidgen of Rārua and Tama whakapapa, which goes all the way back up to whanaunga of Rereahu, Raukawa, and Maniapoto. We all go back to the Tainui waka. It is great to be able to sort of claim some connection to these people and these bills, and this rectification of their settlement through these bills.

I want to make a final remark. We talk about a lot of these settlements having elements of giving or gifting back lands that were taken, and certain covenants. I want to make sure that Māori are able to exercise full mana motuhake over their lands that are returned to them, if that is their wish. I know there are a lot of covenants and restrictions these days. I am a South Island landless native. We were landless in the south, and we were given wastelands way, way down at the bottom of nowhere, where no one ever ventured, as compensation, as an economic base. So, yes, I am a present-day descendant of the original owners—much like the descendants of the original owners of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks—of those lands, but in practical terms we cannot do anything with those lands, because there are restrictions that are placed all over them. That is one area that I hope to rectify during my tenure in this august House.

That is really all I would like to say. I am keeping my remarks general. But I mihi to the whānau of the original owners of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks. I commend the Te Maru o Rereahu Trust for all the work that those people have put into advancing this settlement. At the end of the day, the descendants of the four iwi involved in today’s settlement legislation can finally lay to rest the grievance of their grandparents. I mihi to them all and I commend these bills to the House.

Tēnā koe e te Mana Whakawā. Tēnā koe e te Whare. I am proud to speak in the second readings of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill. I am the member of Parliament for the Taupō electorate, and my rohe covers some of the area of the individuals from Ngāti Maniapoto, Raukawa, and Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and I also welcome Ngāti Rereahu. I do want to just say briefly, as this is the first time I have spoken in the House since the passing of Timi te Heuheu, I do want to acknowledge the fantastic work he has done not only for Tūwharetoa but also for this country. So I want to put my comments and my acknowledgment of him on the record, and I offer my aroha to his whānau, and to Georgina in particular.

The essence of these second readings is to move quickly, as my colleagues have said, so I will not say anything further here, but I do look forward to speaking further in the third readings. Kia ora.

Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill read a second time.

Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill read a second time.