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 third time. Ki a koutou o Ngāti Rereahu, hoki anō rā ki a Raukawa, Maniapoto, Tūwharetoa, ngā mihi ki a koutou i tēnei Wiki o Te Reo Māori. Ka hoki w’akamuri ngā w’akaaro ki tērā pāpā a Charlie Wehi kua hinga i ngā tau kua hipa. Ko ia te kaikerēme tuata’i mō te poraka nei. I tukunga rātou te w’ānau o ngā kerēme ki a Piripi Crown, i te wā o tōna matenga. Nā reira, e te matua, Charlie, kua ea, kua tutuki te mahi, moe mai rā. Huri noa ki a koutou o Maraeroa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[To you of Ngāti Rereahu, and back also to you Raukawa, Maniapoto, and Tūwharetoa, acknowledgments to you in this Māori Language Week. My thoughts go back to that elder, Charlie Wehi, who died some years ago. He was the original claimant for this block. When he died, the family of the claims took them to Piripi Crown. So I say, the work has been completed, it has been done, elder Charlie, you can rest there peacefully. And turning to you all, Maraeroa, salutations, acknowledgments, and congratulations.]

We are honoured to welcome to the House the descendants of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks: Ngāti Rereahu, Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and other iwi and hapū. Today is a significant day, an opportunity to set the record straight, to acknowledge harms incurred, to put words to an all too familiar legacy of loss and dispossession.

This story starts in the midst of the volcanic plateau to the south-east of Te Kūiti. The Maraeroa A and B Blocks are a subdivision of the Taupō-nui-a-Tia West Block, which was part of Te Rohe Pōtae district. Maraeroa is the location of significant wāhi tapu. Within the Maraeroa Block rests the eponymous ancestor Rereahu, protected in the village of Ngā Herenga. The land is also rich in resources, regarded as a kono kai from which a wide range of food could be harvested for all the iwi of the surrounding districts. Into this lush location came the Native Land Court, and therein lies the history of grave injustice and dispossession.

The combined operation of the Native Land Court and Crown purchasing breached the Treaty of Waitangi and was inconsistent with its principles. The Crown failed to ensure the owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks benefited from the sale of native timber on their lands. Survey discrepancies reduced the owners’ ability to even manage their own land. Over successive years the people lost access to their wāhi tapu, ngā wāhi kohinga kai, their cultural resources, and materials for construction, such as raupō for building w’are. In all, their cultural connection to their ancestral lands was undermined, the lands more susceptible to partition, fragmentation, and alienation.

Today we face this history and we start a new chapter. These bills mark the beginning of a new relationship with the descendants of the original owners of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks. A new era began in September 2008. Draft terms of negotiation were signed with Te Maru o Rereahu Trust, and the Crown commenced exploratory work with Ngāti Rereahu interests in the blocks. The parties reached an agreed offer in July 2010, and then initialled a deed of settlement in December of the same year. The Crown signed the deed of settlement with the descendants of the original owners on 12 March 2011 at Pā Harakeke.

As part of the process of healing and resolution, the settlement bill formalises the Crown’s apology, wherein the Crown profoundly regrets and unreservedly apologises to the descendants of the original owners. There is acknowledgment that the Crown and private parties benefited from the milling of the indigenous forests and that the milling of their forests removed the habitat of indigenous species. We learn in no uncertain terms that failure to protect the collective tribal structures had a prejudicial effect on the owners.

The settlement bill includes the vesting of six sites of cultural and historical significance, $50,000 to purchase land of cultural significance, a high-level partnership agreement with the Department of Conservation over lands within Maraeroa A and B Blocks, an overlay classification over Pureora o Kahu, 12 statutory acknowledgments over culturally significant sites on Crown land, two official geographic name changes, a financial settlement of $1.8 million, the option to purchase part of Pureora North Crown forest licensed land and receive the associated accumulated rentals from the Crown Forestry Rental Trust, and the right of first refusal over certain Crown properties.

It is always impossible in describing such measures to really understand the impact of these initiatives in helping to shape out a new story for the descendants who will inherit this legislation. The two bills together, the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill, provide a road map for future prosperity and well-being of their people. It has been a long and complex journey since 1884, when the Crown monopoly over purchasing altered the course of history by the sweep of a pen. I want to mihi to the trustees of Te Maru o Rereahu Trust, who gave their time, energy, and determination negotiating this settlement on behalf of all the descendants of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks. It is especially important to acknowledge Piripi Crown, Brian Stanley, and Glen Katu for their skilful leadership in guiding the negotiations.

The legislation has been shepherded through the process due to the efforts of a highly diligent and enthusiastic Minister, the Hon Chris Finlayson, a constructive chair, an efficient Māori Affairs Committee, and the united commitment of this House to move these bills through in an expeditious way.

Finally, I want to refer to the words of Nōpera Panakāreao, who at the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 said: “The shadow of the land goes to Queen Victoria, but the substance remains to us.” Less than a year later he was to say: “The substance of the land goes to the Europeans, and the shadow only will be our portion.” Today we hope that the cycle comes full circle and the substance returns to its rightful owners. I commend these bills to the House.

Tino mihi atu ki a koe mō tō kōrero i roto i te Whare nei i roto i tō tātou Reo i te mea, ko tēnei anō Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, e mihi kau ana ki a koe. I a koutou, e tautokotia atu te tīmata o te whakaotinga nei ā tō tātou tuahine a Tariana mō koutou e pā kaha atu i konei, Piripi me Glen koutou katoa, tēnā koutou. E mōhio atu tātou e roaroa hoki atu te tae i te wā nei; e mōhio atu koutou ki ngā taumaha, ngā piki, ngā heke ēngari, e kaha atu koutou hei taetae atu i te rangi nei. He tino rangi nei mō koutou, ōrite atu koutou ki tō nōhanga, he rōroa atu mai i te wā o te Whare Mīere nei ēngari, e mihi kau ana, tēnā koutou. Tēnā koutou mō tō kaha, mō tō manaaki i a rātou ngā uri i tīmata atu i te āhua o te whenua nei, a Tūwharetoa, a Maniapoto, a koutou o Rereahu, me rātou o Raukawa, e mihi kau ana ki a rātou katoa ngā rangatira o tērā wā, me koutou katoa o tēnei wā. Tēnā koutou mō tō kaha rawa i te tae atu ki konei, hei rongo ki te otinga nei.

E tika atu i runga i te tū nei, e mihi kau ana ki te Minita a Chris Finlayson, mō tōna kaha i te tae atu i konei. I a rātou ngā Kaimahi pērā i a koutou e Hone, tēnā koutou. Tērā anō te mea i roto i te kōrero mō te Whare nei, “E waihotia atu tātou, rātou.” E mihi kau ana ki ōku hoa mahi o ngā tau o muri rā, a Michael Cullen mā, e whai atu ki te take nei. E whakaaro atu i te rangi e tae atu tātou i te tūwheratia o te whare mō te tūruhi i tō rātou wāhi, e tīmata atu tātou te hainatanga o te haerenga o te kerēme nei. Nō reira, e mihi kau ana ki a koutou, ki a rātou, tēnā tātou, i a rātou e kore i konei, ngā tūpakeke e whai atu i tēnei tino take, e mihi kau ana ki ngā rere haere, tēnā tātou.

[I really congratulate you on how you use our language in this House, as this indeed is Māori Language Week. Well done. As far as you others are concerned, I endorse the start of this settlement process by our sister colleague Tariana for you, and how you persevered to get it here, Phillip, Glen, all of you. We know that the journey to arrive at this point in time has been a really lengthy one, but despite the burdens, the ups and downs, you worked hard to get here today. It is a great day for you. Like your long wait back home, it seemed even longer waiting for this Beehive, but I salute you—greetings. Thank you for your strength and the respect of those, the descendants who began these land matters of Tūwharetoa, Maniapoto, and you of Rereahu and Raukawa; I acknowledge the leaders of those times and you all of these times. I commend you for being so resolute to get here to hear this settlement.

It is apt while I am on my feet to acknowledge the honourable Minister Christopher Finlayson, and his efforts, and those staff like you, Hone—thank you. There is a message in a quote about this House that goes like this “Leave it well alone to us and them.” I acknowledge former work colleagues of the past like Sir Michael Cullen, who addressed this issue. I recall the occasion when we were at the opening of a tourist centre in their area, where we initiated the signing of the commencement of this claim. So I acknowledge you, them, us all, and those who have passed away; greetings to us all.]

The people of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks comprise hapū affiliating to Ngāti Rereahu, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Raukawa. So it is interesting in that sense that this settlement is certainly about the uri of those original owners, and that they were dispossessed through actions of the Crown is something that is etched in our history. That the Crown saw fit to purchase under duress and unnecessary pressure where the people wanted to lease lightly is something that we are putting right today. Maraeroa in its own right has significant wāhi tapu—there are significant wāhi tapu there—that the people certainly have preserved, not just in their hearts and minds but in practice over the years. And now to have the free run of those and that everybody else understands that it is their area is something that we need to celebrate.

The area was shared with many iwi who were able to come and go, fetching food and other relevant supplies to help their survival. It is a wonder that these four iwi come together, and I think it is a common collective that other iwi and other organisations in this country should recognise, because clearly at times it is not easy. I know that in the common Pākehā world it is not easy bringing the Churches together, even though they pray to one God, so it is great that iwi as great as Rereahu, Tūwharetoa, Raukawa, and Maniapoto have seen fit to come together to help this bill progress.

Tariana mentioned those efforts by Brian Stanley and Phillip Crown—and I really want to mihi to Phillip, who has put a lot of effort into this over the years. He has certainly shown what rangatiratanga is about. He has certainly shown what leadership is about. But I also want to recognise Glen Katu for his sterling support and awhi—genuine awhi—to make sure that this settlement got here. So in the sense of that, it is important that with pride and fondness, you know, I do recall signing the terms of negotiation at the opening of their tourist centre. It is quite a fascinating place, Maraeroa. Like where I live, it is out in the sticks, but it is a great paradise in that they have kept up with being a modern iwi in the sense of the corporate affairs they have. The businesses that they have are a good example to the rest of the country, but they see fit to not just talk the talk about the new generation but practise that, and that they have an environmentally friendly tourist centre is something to be recognised and again celebrated. And it has been a long time coming to today. It certainly has not been without their effort and that of officials and the Crown.

Unlike other settlements, this settlement is for the descendants of the original owners of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks. That is one group of the seven that were split up and partitioned, as I recall. To keep that connection not just through the cultural sense but through the bloodline sense, the whakapapa sense, is something that is certainly stirring. Whakapapa and cultural connection to what the old people have left behind generally gets put asunder by either dastardly deeds or people over-modernising and forgetting what really has given them the right to put their mantle down and stand tall as those people of that area. This in itself for me is one of the interesting settlements of these times, because it is generated out of the effort of a whole lot of iwi, but it is also something that is consistent with maintaining—and not just re-recognising, but ensuring—that people know who the descendants are, and who the uri are of those people, and they need to be commended for that.

The Government recognises that through the native land laws and the operation of the Native Land Court the Government failed to adequately provide for the original owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks, and there is a raft of stories in relation to what went on in Maraeroa A and B Blocks. The settlement bill also records an apology to the descendants of the original owners of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks for historical acts of omission by the Crown, including native land laws and, again, the operation of the Native Land Court, which led to the alienation of the Maraeroa lands. I think that those who understand the practice of alienation and the journey through history know that it is something that is very hard to turn round and to take back to rightfully recognise what was wrongly done. I think that the effort by the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the officials, and everybody in this House, in trying to ensure our part as members of Parliament is put right is something to be very proud of.

I offer congratulations to Te Maru o Rereahu Trust and trustees, who represented the descendants of the original owners. But it is also important to recognise the transfer of a number of sites of significance to the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation, and there are a host of them. Tariana Turia went through them, and other speakers will go through them.

I do want to reiterate that this is a very, very substantial settlement in the sense of what it is, more so than the quantum. I always like to suggest to the Minister that the quantum is a bit on the low side. He could make an effort, and he could do that today, and, even at this late notice, step it up a bit—he might feel generous when he gets up to speak. But it certainly is about the practice, the design of it, and putting something terribly wrong right.

Apart from that, it shows the cohesion, the effort, and the persistence of these people who have been here to represent their people to get there through the long haul. They have come in few numbers today, but there are plenty of them up there in the gallery. I remember going there and watching these kids sitting in the trees looking down at us, wondering where the hell we came from. But it is something they need to be commended for, and I certainly am proud to be one of the members of Parliament here today to see the end of it, and to thank them for their effort and, again, thank the Minister and the officials. Kia ora tātou.

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e rau rangatira mā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. I am very pleased to take a call to speak in these third readings of what are known in Parliament as cognate bills. The debate brings together a bill that is promoted by Mrs Turia as the local MP, the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill, and also the bill that gives effect to the settlement, the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill, and I am very grateful to Mrs Turia for her help during the parliamentary work that has been going on during the last couple of months.

I too stand to welcome the representatives who have come here today: the people of Ngāti Rereahu, Maniapoto, Raukawa, Tūwharetoa, and the other iwi and hapū whose ancestors make up the original owners of these blocks. I welcome you. I know that some of you have travelled a long distance to listen to the third readings of both these bills, which, as I have said, are being taken together. Today is very important for the descendants of the original owners of the blocks and the Crown, because there have been, as previous speakers have said, serious Treaty grievances. They are being addressed through this legislation, and that is going to pave the way for a very positive future. I too acknowledge all those who have worked so very, very hard to bring us to this time: the leadership, who have provided that necessary inspiration; the negotiators, who have worked for their people; and the descendants of the original owners.

I also want to acknowledge my fellow members of Parliament for their work. As Mr Horomia said, that started under the previous administration when he and Dr Michael Cullen—Sir Michael, it is now—were very involved in the terms of negotiation. After the change of Government in 2008 we continued that work. But these Treaty settlement bills are necessarily bipartisan work. Yes, one administration pushes it along, but we rely very heavily on the support of the other big party in Parliament, which understands that these are not mere deals; they are something more profound and more sacred than that. They are essential to the life of our country—undoing the burdens of the past so that we can move on together.

These blocks, as Mrs Turia said, are situated on a volcanic plateau to the east of Te Kūiti, and both she and Mr Horomia have very carefully and comprehensively set out the detail of the grievances and the redress. I do not think I need to repeat that material, lest it be thought I am reading my speech—a charge that is sometimes quite inaccurately and unfairly levelled at members of Parliament of all parties. Sometimes people take offence at that particular charge, but so often one then has to move on and demonstrate by one’s words that one is not actually reading a speech, at all.

We are allocated 10 minutes, but I do not think we need to fill the House with 10 minutes of our wisdom; sometimes a short, pithy, and focused address is what is required. But I do want to acknowledge the support of all members of Parliament. The Māori Affairs Committee is a very important select committee in this place, run under the chairmanship of the resourceful and the indomitable Mr Henare. He grabs hold of these bills when they go to the select committee and he and his colleagues deal with them very efficiently indeed.

The only other point I wanted to make is to pick up on what I think Louisa Wall said last week, which was that these are important occasions for Parliament. I cannot see it from here, but I would be surprised if anyone from the press gallery was here today. I think it is a great dishonour—oh no, it was Brendan Horan, I think, who said it was a great disappointment—because today we are dealing, through extended hours and then this afternoon, with the third readings of four settlement bills. I think they were described in the newspaper last week as small settlement bills. Well, I actually think that term is rather offensive, because all bills are important, all Treaty grievances are unique—to use that term as it should be used—and all are very important to the future of our country. The quantum in this matter may be relatively small—and Mr Horomia always does that trick of standing up and saying in the third reading speech, from the comfort of Opposition: “Oh, you could increase the quantum.”; it is a little ruse he and I have—but, none the less, these are very important matters. They are important to the country, and they ought to be publicised a lot more than they are.

So that is, I think, enough from me. As I have demonstrated, I am not reading my speech. I am very happy—very happy—to welcome the good folk of Waikato here today. I thank them for their perseverance and their hard work. This is a great day for you, and I very much look forward to a positive relationship between the Crown and the incorporation in the years to come.

That often is regarded as some kind of formulaic statement, but it is not. It is very important, and somehow we have got a lot of work to do on it, to make sure that the undertakings that are given in settlement bills are carried through in the years that follow. I think one of the big problems is that the Crown does not always possess the institutional memory that it should. It signs up these deeds of settlement in good faith, thanks people for their efforts, promises a good future, and then, as officials change and time moves on, it tends to forget. Well, it cannot forget, and institutionally I think we have got something to work on to make sure that in the years to come the undertakings that are given in these bills are, in fact, honoured.

Tēnā koe, tēnā koutou. Tēnei e tāpiri atu aku mihi ki ērā i ruia mai i mua i te aroaro o te Pāremata ki a koutou, Ngāti Rereahu, Maniapoto, ā koutou hononga ki Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Raukawa, ka nui te mihi atu ki a koutou. Tēnei te hōnore kia tū i mua i a koutou i tēnei wā ki te tuku i ā mātou tautoko mō ngā wawata i roto i te pire nei. Ki a rātou i huri ki tua o te ārai, ki tērā o ngā kaumātua a Charlie, ka nui ngā mihi ki a ia me rātou katoa e moemoe rā i tēnei wā. E whea ngā tau kua hipa kia tae atu ki tēnei rangi ki te tutuki ēnei o ngā kaupapa. E hari koa ana te ngākau ki tērā.

[Thank you, and greetings to you collectively. I add my acknowledgments to those ones cast by others before Parliament to you, Ngāti Rereahu and Manaiapoto, and your connections to Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Raukawa, a huge tribute to you. I am honoured to stand before you at this time to give our support in regard to the aspirations in this bill. To those who have passed on and to that one of the elders, Charlie, a huge tribute to him, and to all of the others resting there at this point in time. Many, many years have passed by before reaching this day whereby one of these matters is concluded. I am very happy about that.]

It gives me great pleasure to be able to join those speeches that have already been given in the House today to support the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill. My only regret is that this was not done when I was the local member, but I am pleased that Minister Turia has been able to ensure that in her time this particular agreement has been reached.

I have no fear for the opportunities that lie ahead of Ngāti Rereahu, the descendants of the owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks, and what they will be able to create from this particular opportunity. I too am not going to go through the history of the legislation, except to comment briefly that as these lands abut the Pureora, a hotly contested space between Tūwharetoa, Raukawa, Rereahu, and Maniapoto, I think the far-reaching ambition of a settlement like this is what the economic opportunity could hold for, certainly, the descendants who will benefit from this legislation. Economic development in this particular part of the country is no new thing. I am ambitious for the aspirations of the descendants of this settlement to see that from small things great things will grow.

Minister Turia and Parekura Horomia pointed to the Pā Harekeke development, but really the context of that development was in the space of their tourism potential. If you get people to come to New Zealand, albeit they go to Auckland, we all know they go to Waitomo; if they could travel through the beautiful Pureora on their way to Taupō or Rotorua, we are all winners—and on the way back through Maungatautari, may I add. But this is the broader regional tourism strategy that could be leveraged off a settlement like this with some of the developments that are currently happening in this particular area.

Also under the banner of Maraeroa, they have been no stranger to forging new opportunities and being a bit brave and taking risks in the space of new developments. I am pointing specifically to the ginseng initiative and looking for export markets in places such as China. There will be a lot of leverage off this particular settlement. When is enough ever enough, one might say, on the matter of Treaty settlements? I would say from a historical perspective probably no Treaty settlement has addressed fully the level of historical hurt that has been caused, but I am under no cloud of a doubt that the opportunities going forward look bright.

This Maraeroa A and B Blocks Settlement Bill is being heard co-jointly with the incorporation bill, which is a private bill. The unique thing about that is that specific claimants are identified as beneficiaries of the agreements that have been reached here today now. Again, I would add that in the day and age of comprehensive settlements, what Maraeroa have been able to achieve for their direct descendants is, I think, something of an ambition for many areas whose people themselves feel pulled and constrained by having to come together under a larger collective and comprehensive settlement. Where it is possible, I think the go-forward learning opportunity—and certainly, Minister Finlayson, you have set the foundation for that—if it can be reached, where direct descendants can be compensated for a particular grievance, is a model that we should aspire to try to achieve, if the very purpose is to ensure that the direct benefits go to those descendants.

Within the context of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks there will be other comprehensive aspects to settlements around them that no doubt they will be involved with, but I want to say that the particular agreements with, say, for example, the Department of Conservation are to be supported. One of the names mentioned in this House often on this legislation is recognition of Piripi Crown, who recently received a Queen’s honour. We were very proud as a people to be able to support that honour, because he has made a huge contribution not only in the preservation of local knowledge and history and iwi knowledge and history in the wider Maniapoto area, but also in his tenacity to ensure that those values associated with the Department of Conservation estate can be shared with every New Zealander who has the good fortune to pass through the Maniapoto region. He has added so much richness to our tribal knowledge and our historical knowledge of those Department of Conservation estates. I am only too pleased to see that that can continue.

Minister Finlayson, you made the comment that it is your great desire to see that the institutional learning and knowledge of Treaty settlements can be carried forward. I too have the same expectation, because I think when we consider what happens beyond Treaty settlements, it is that institutional knowledge that will make a difference. The devil of the detail is all in the eating and in the implementation. What we do see many times throughout this Treaty settlement process, in the post-settlement phase, is a little bit of a lag time, because people change in the Government sector, and then iwi have to retell their stories and try to develop new relationships. It is my sincere hope, certainly from this side of the House, that we can work on strengthening our collective response to improving the ability for iwi to go forward. I can see the scenario that where you have Treaty settlement tribes who are looking forward to the future, because they have settled the historical grievances of the past, they are able to leverage from their Treaty settlements in a way that the Government says: “Well, look, you’re a Treaty settlement tribe.”, and if they have got a submission that goes to the Ministry of Science and Innovation or to the Ministry of Education, they have a place of priority, because they have already gone down the path of resolving their historical grievances, and they want to focus on the future for the benefit of their people.

Certainly, in regard to Maraeroa A and B Blocks, as I say, I have no hesitation about what the future holds here, as long as the leverage of their relationship can be realised through some very strong, innovative projects in the space of tourism, in the space of innovation, and in the space of developing new export markets for economic potential.

With that brief contribution, I would like to commend the Government for giving this matter urgency and priority. To the local member, Tariana Turia, thank you. Your commitment to Maniapoto and the wider Maniapoto region is acknowledged. To the Māori Affairs Committee, to the advisers, and to the Office of Treaty Settlements officials, who labour long and hard on behalf of the Crown—and who, I am sure, enjoy many Panadols after each session that they have on the various Treaty settlements they work on—I want to commend you for your work on these two bills. Kia ora.

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Ko te mihi nui o te ata ki a koutou. On behalf of the Greens, we add our greetings to, and our acknowledgment of, the representatives who are in the House today of Ngāti Rereahu, Maniapoto, Tūwharetoa, Raukawa, me ngā hapū katoa o Te Rohe Pōtae. We acknowledge the very long and difficult journey that has hit a milestone today. We acknowledge those who have done a great deal of work in the past but, sadly, are not here to see the fruits of that effort, and we acknowledge the current leadership of those people, who today are seeing some recompense, some return of their mana, and some acknowledgment of the very difficult time that has gone on.

As well as offering some recompense to the individual cases, to ngā hapū, and to ngā whānau, settlement bills also create a very important and powerful historical record of this country’s history. Within the text of each of these bills are the stories, the histories, the explanations, the knowledge. They make a huge contribution potentially to the general knowledge and understanding of all New Zealanders of the need to resolve the inevitable issues that have emerged from our history—our very rich and interesting history but one that has, nevertheless, left grievances in its wake. By combining that collective knowledge and experience and making it accessible to people in this way, the legislation does provide a very powerful mechanism for increasing understanding and acceptance of the need to go through these sometimes difficult processes.

I recently found myself in one of those conversations that, unfortunately, I am sure we have all experienced, with a person who insisted that “this whole Treaty business”, as he liked to call it, should simply be put aside because: “It’s all just something that happened in the past. Let’s just get over it and get on with the business of the day.” The encouraging thing is that one finds oneself having that conversation less often. I think there is much more general acceptance that only by going through these sometimes painful processes will we get genuine resolution of past grievances and create the opportunity, create the platform, for both Māori and non-Māori to advance and to aspire to a future that we can all share and thrive within.

I am always reminded of the wisdom, I think—albeit, he acknowledged, wisdom in hindsight—of David Williams, who some years after his own term on the Waitangi Tribunal proposed that perhaps we had jumped too quickly into the settlement process, and that perhaps we ought first to have gone through something like a truth and reconciliation process to get buy-in, to use that phrase, to the necessity of working through these settlement processes on the individual bases, on the individual claims. We did not do that, of course, but I do think there is some sense in that when, as well as dealing with individual claims and processes, I think we all need to advocate very strongly for the contemporary importance in the 21st century of resolving historical grievances and creating those opportunities that are so richly deserved by people who have suffered over many generations from the unfortunate actions of the past generations.

These cognate bills, these two bills being taken together—the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill—are of particular interest. This is my first experience of a bill that creates this legal entity, this incorporation, which will effectively be the manager or the overseer of the outcome of this legislation. I think that principle of an incorporation captures quite nicely the approach of Māori historically, because we know that the resources—the very rich resources—in the area under discussion in this legislation were shared amongst the hapū who have been named and described. It captures the notion that resources could be shared, could be collectively enjoyed and benefited from. I think the notion of an incorporation does something to turn back the practice of the Crown, particularly in the mid-19th century, that sought to divide and rule, to divide, to assign individual title to these blocks, rather than allow the collective mechanism, the negotiated mechanism, to advance as it had done for a very long time. It is a nice step back to a principle and to a practice that did work for Māori for a very long time—the notion of sharing resources and collective benefit from that sharing.

The point has been made that these settlements, as well as healing the past and as well as restoring mana to those whose mana has been trampled, create an economic platform for development. The point was quite rightly made by Mr Horomia that it is unfortunate there seems to be a distinct lack of media interest in some of this. The very positive exception to that, of course, is Māori Television, and I look forward with real interest to a forthcoming series about economic development within Māoridom—some good-news stories about Māori converting settlement money and other resources into building an economic future for themselves and for their people. I know that one of the episodes in that series will specifically refer to the ginseng project—the Maraeroa C Incorporation initiated process. It is an innovative project. It is one that will give an income, a high-end income, to the people in a particular area. I think we need to celebrate those successes and look forward to these settlements, the material return—the money and the land that is involved in these settlements—being converted into a much better and richer future for Māori. If Māori do well, we know very well that the rest of Aotearoa will do as well, also.

So with those few words I simply would reiterate our regard for the work that has been done and the long toil of the hapū concerned. Also, I have to acknowledge Mrs Turia for her specific work in this and her commitment to this kaupapa, this particular legislation. We look forward to a much brighter future as an outcome of this and other settlements. Kia ora koutou.

E ngā reo, e ngā mana, e ngā hau e whā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. I would like to say that I am very privileged to be able to stand here today and speak on these settlement bills for the Maraeroa A and B Blocks, the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill.

Can I say as a new member of the Māori Affairs Committee that it is a good, hard-working committee that seeks to bring the best solution to these settlement claims. Even last week, when the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations came in, there was very strong support and recognition for his work right across the committee. So I would like to acknowledge the tremendous work that the Hon Christopher Finlayson has been doing in these last number of years seeking to bring durable redress to settle not just claims but hearts. I think that is important to note. I noted his words that these settlements lift burdens. It is not just the burden of grievance but the burden of irresponsibility of the Crown in the past to have seen some of these things take place.

I believe that today, as we go through these third readings, it is a wonderful thing, a celebration, to see those burdens lifted and to see the redress, and the acknowledgment, and the return of mana, and the return of culturally significant wāhi tapu areas, and also to see commercial redress come to the people of this particular area in the central North Island, which I have driven through I would think probably three or four times over the last 3 or 4 months, and certainly it is a beautiful part of our nation.

I think that what we see in the settlement process is not just the redress of the past, which is incredibly important. I would like to acknowledge the tīpuna who suffered that loss in the first instance, and also those who, through the years, lived in memory of that loss, those who are not here today, cannot be here today. You here now carry their hearts with you, and today you can have that sense of celebration and settlement in your heart as well that things have progressed as they ought to have progressed.

As to what this does, I believe, in terms of our nation, we are a small nation, but we can be a great nation, no matter how small or large we may be. That is going to be based upon the partnership of people. That is going to be based upon respect and acknowledgment—acknowledging that people have their place, and it is their place—as we are more united, with all the differences that make this an intriguing place, Aotearoa New Zealand. As we acknowledge one another with respect, and give due place, and enable people to stand and have economic independence, I believe that we will go from strength to strength. Many of the things that we are redressing have caused weakness, not only weakness for hapū and iwi but also weakness through the fabric of our nation. So it is with great gladness today that I stand in support of what is happening here.

I acknowledge the work of the Minister and also the work of the Māori Affairs Committee. I also acknowledge the work of the negotiators, both for hapū and iwi and for the Crown. I trust and hope that today will be a great day of satisfaction for all. Kia ora.

Before I start I would like to reiterate some of the words of my colleagues about the press. Here we are, this is Māori Language Week, and they cannot get off their backsides and be in that gallery. Yet this afternoon, at 2 o’clock, they will be there, clinging on to the slightest thing they can find. They will be judging parliamentarians’ literacy skills, and you will see it in the headlines tomorrow. And yet here we are today, a landmark day in New Zealand’s history, where stories are rich—some stories today are going to be devastating stories. They are our history, and the history of New Zealand, but are these foreign-paid journalists here? No.

💬 Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman: This is a really bad idea.

A really bad idea? I do not care what they print about me. I am telling you how it is. They should be here. They had warning. This is an important day.

All over New Zealand and, indeed, in parts of the world people are actually live-streaming this broadcast and watching. For those people, I think it is important that the stories are told, so stories can be heard and understanding given.

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, tēn ā tātou, 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 and parrot calls, and I call, as well, behold the sneeze of life. To the tribes, languages, authorities, and kinship groups, greetings, salutations, and acknowledgments to you all. To the many leaders of a hundredfold, I acknowledge you on the call of the day, greetings, greetings, and greetings to us all.]

I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to support the third readings of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill. This is one of the longest court disputes in our country’s history, starting in the 1800s.

Three brothers spent around 50 years fighting for thousands of acres of native forest land, some of it confiscated by the Government under the guise of unpaid surveying fees, and in some cases dubiously bought. As records indicate from different deeds of sale in the 1890s, some of the sellers were as young as 1 year old. That sounds ridiculous, does it not? But it is all well documented, and, sadly, many of these happenings are merely a microcosm of what happened all over New Zealand. The three brothers were Wehi Te Ringitanga, Tāroa Te Ringitanga, and Tūtaki Te Ringitanga. With today’s agreement to settle and an unequivocal apology from the Crown, these three tupuna can now finally rest in peace.

The land in question is special, for many reasons. Aside from being fertile forestry land—I would add that during the 1960s the Pureroa and Maraeroa Blocks were the largest supplier of native timber in the world—it is also the place where Rereahu died. Rereahu was the father of Maniapoto and his older brother Matakore, and also the uncle of Kārewa, and therefore we have the hapū Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Matakore, and Ngāti Kārewa.

As far as settlements go, there is real generosity of spirit shown by the claimants in settling for 2,500 acres, with 500 hectares of that being gifted back to the Crown for a wildlife corridor between two forestry blocks, and much of the other land there under certain conservation covenants. The financial redress amounts to just over $2 million, with an extra $40,000 set aside for the buy-back of 2 hectares, being the actual area where Rereahu died, which, unbelievably, sadly, and for all intents and purposes, is now owned by the Chinese owners of the Crafar farms. However, with the apology a shift of consciousness is granted, and affected descendants can now move into a consciousness of self-responsibility and self-determination.

This settlement is, and has been, an extremely complicated journey, and New Zealand First congratulates the generosity of spirit of the claimants in settling so that people can truly move forward, Māori and Pākehā together.

I would also take this moment to acknowledge two of Ngāti Maniapoto’s giant tōtara—their kaumātua. The first is Piripi Crown, one of the negotiators and a caretaker of immense knowledge not only for Tainui but for all Māori. I would also give Piripi’s apology for not being here today. He would if he could, but he is bravely battling cancer. He is doing OK, but he is just not well enough to be here today. I know that he is at home and watching us on parliamentary TV right now.

The other kaumātua for special acknowledgment is former Labour MP and Minister Koro Wētere. Koro will probably be embarrassed by this acknowledgment, because, apart from being cursed with extreme good looks, he is extremely modest. I want it known that New Zealand owes Koro a debt of gratitude, as he was the driving force behind the 1985 change in legislation that allowed Treaty settlement claims—historical grievances—as far back as 1840 to be heard. Prior to that change, one could claim back only to 1975. So thanks to Koro historical grievances can truly be heard, shared, and accounted for, as well as important history acknowledged, and greater understanding—between Māori and whānau, hapū, and iwi, and Pākehā—granted.

Koro cannot be here today as well, and I offer his apology, as he is over in Perth, Western Australia. But he assures me he is not one of those young people who has gone and is not going to return. On behalf of Piripi Crown and Koro Wētere, and in the spirit of today’s kaupapa, I will now deliver their waiata.

Tēnā koutou, e whānau mā,

Kua tae mai nei i tēnei rā.

Nō reira rā, e hoa mā,

Kia ora rā, koutou katoa.

Kua rongo hoki ahau,

Kua rongo hoki ahau,

Kua rongo hoki ahau, kei te haere mai koutou.

Nō reirā rā, e whānau mā,

Kia ora rā, koutou katoa.

[Greetings to the family

Who have arrived here today.

And so therefore, friends,

Acknowledgments to you all.

I have heard,

I have heard,

And I have heard, that you are coming.

And so therefore, family,

Acknowledgments, to you all.]

Nā reira, Rereahu te iwi, Miringa-te-Kakara te marae. Maraeroa te aro o te hapū, hoki mai kua iti ngā whenua. Tēnā koutou katoa.

[So Rereahu is the tribe, and Miringa-te-Kakara is the marae. I say unto the subtribe, pay attention to Maraeroa—very few lands are coming back. Acknowledgments to you all.]

Te mea tuatahi, he mihi pōuri au ki te teina o taku hungarei i hinga atu inanahi rā. Nō reira, e Mere, hoki atu ki te kāinga. I te tāima nei i haere ia ki tana ūkaipō, ki tana whānau, nō reira, haere atu rā, haere atu rā, haere atu rā.

Ā, koutou mā, ngā mihi nunui ki a koutou i haere mai nei i runga i te kaupapa o te rā nei. Nō reira, ka nui te mihi, ka nui te ora ki a koutou katoa. Ki ōku tuākana, Parekura, tēnā koe mō tō kaha, mō tō tautoko i tēnei kaupapa i roto i tēnei Whare, nō reira, he mihi nui ki a koe me ō hoa. Ki ōku hoa nei i roto i te Rōpū Nāhinara kei runga i te Komiti Māori, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou i ō koutou manaakitanga i ngā manuhiri i mua i te komiti nei. Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa.

[First of all, I have sad tidings about my mother-in-law’s younger sister, who passed away yesterday. So return home, Mary. At this point in time she is on the way to her birthplace, to her family, so farewell, farewell, farewell.

A huge acknowledgment to you collectively who came here because of today’s bill. So I admire and feel much benevolence to you all. To my senior colleagues—Parekura, I acknowledge your strength and support in this matter in this House, so big ups to you and your fellow colleagues. Also to my fellow members of the National Party on the Māori Affairs Committee, I acknowledge the part you have played in looking after visitors who come before that committee. So thank you all.]

Vincent Van Gogh once said: “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” I reserve that quote from Vincent Van Gogh for our Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, who, I must say, has been rather dynamic in bringing together the Treaty settlements since we got into the position of being in Government in 2008. So I hope he continues on in his vein of wanting to bring together settlements for the nation, so that the nation moves on to its next stage—as I mentioned in the House last week—in its fantastic tapestry of stories.

I will not speak for that long on the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill or the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill. Suffice it to say that what we have here is a convergence of mana, a convergence of Tūwharetoa, Rereahu, Raukawa, and Maniapoto. It is similar, and I liken it, to looking at a map of America. Down the bottom part of the map of America is the convergence of four states; it is called Four Corners. The Navajo and the Hopi people live in and around the Four Corners. It is, I think, from memory, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. This is what I liken this settlement to today: it is a convergence of mana, a convergence of iwi wanting to get on, wanting to move from one stage to the next.

I am heartened to hear the words from my colleague and friend the Hon Nanaia Mahuta, who talks about the fact that one of the issues that we could see coming out of this settlement is the burgeoning tourism opportunities that people have. But I do have a message for one of the parties in this House: step aside from being too intrusive in terms of the Resource Management Act and let these people just get on with it. I will not mention the party, because they have their kaupapa, and it is their kaupapa. But, like I said, suffice it to say they should have a little bit of faith in the people who are wanting to establish businesses and establish ventures that will eventually help the others.

The last thing I want to say is that it is quite unusual to see two bills together like this. One is about the post-settlement governance arrangements, and one is about the settlement itself. I am also mindful of the comments of the Hon Parekura Horomia, where he said that it is not much, and maybe there should be more. I think every member of Parliament in this House realises that it should be more. It seems when we are doing Treaty settlements that there has always been an economic crisis, because we are the ones who have to accept the lower amount. Hoi anō, kāore tērā e hōhā au ki taku Minita. [I will not bother my Minister with that.]

This is a fine day, this is a good day, and we should revel in the fact that we have reached this stage. It is not the end of the story, by any means, but it is certainly part of the story that if you were to turn the page tomorrow, it would be the start of a new chapter. A, hoi anō, kāore au i hiahia ki te whakahōhā i a koutou; nō reira, ka mihi ki a koutou katoa, ngā mōrehu o ngā aituā. Koutou mā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai tātou katoa.

[So I do not want to bother you lot with that, so my acknowledgments to you all, the survivors of the tragedies. So, salutations, acknowledgments, and congratulations to you, and to us all.]

Tēnā koe, Mr. Speaker. E ngā mana, e ngā reo, rau rangatira mā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Ko wai au? Ko Tongariro te maunga, ko Taupō te moana, ko Waikato te awa, ko Ngāti Tūwharetoa me Waikato ngā iwi. Ngā mihi, ngā mihi, ngā mihi ki ngā whānau me ngā hapū o Ngāti Rereahu, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Raukawa me ngā whānau o te Rohe Pōtae, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Thank you Mr. Speaker. To the authorities, languages and the many leaders of a hundredfold, greetings, greetings and greetings to you all. Who am I? Tongariro is the mountain, Taupō is the lake, Waikato is the river, Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Waikato are the tribes. Acknowledgments, greetings and salutations to families and subtribes of Ngāti Rereahu, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Raukawa and King Country. Greetings to you all.]

It is my pleasure to be a member of the Māori Affairs Committee. I represent the electorate of Manurewa, and I also sit on that committee with my colleagues the Hon Parekura Horomia and Rino Tirikatene. I want to acknowledge our chair, the Hon Tau Henare, and also the two Ministers who are overseeing these two bills, the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill and the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Incorporation Bill, the Hon Chris Finlayson and the Hon Tariana Turia. I am really privileged to be on the Māori Affairs Committee.

It is a privilege to be part of this Treaty settlement and redress process. It is a process that I think affirms tangata whenua identity, that affirms mana whenua identity, and that affirms the status of our hapū and our iwi in our country as the first Sovereign. I want to acknowledge that status and the acknowledgment of that status through that process. It is a status that needs to be acknowledged by everybody. We are not just another racial group in Aotearoa, we are not just another ethnic group, and I think that this process consolidates that for all of us.

I want to take the opportunity to talk about some of the wāhi tapu sites that will be returned in this settlement process. The reason I want to highlight the return of these wāhi tapu sites is because of how precious this whenua is for the whānau of Maraeroa. We have the return of Ngā Herenga, Koromiko, Kōtukunui, Pikiariki, Whareana, and Pureora o Kahu. There is also an acknowledgment of the historical and traditional sites of Ngā Herenga Pā site, Ngā Turi o Hinetu, Te Punawai a Waipapa, and Ōpaku.

What I want to say is that this Treaty settlement process actually started in 1891. It did not start post-1985, when the Crown established the process. Actually it started right back in 1891 when the lands were taken. I want to acknowledge what Brendan said about the three brothers and the fight for justice that the whānau of Maraeroa have gone through, like every other iwi group in our country. It was not some other group who confiscated these lands, who perpetrated these inequalities; it was the Crown. So I want to acknowledge, really, the generosity of spirit that Brendan talked about, and the ethic of generosity in the settlement of all Treaty settlements, because what we do know is that iwi and hapū get a fraction of what they are entitled to. It is just a fraction, but with that fraction I know that it will multiply.

So I share my colleague the Hon Nanaia Mahuta’s position that the whānau will now have an asset base, and it is for us to do with that asset base as we want to. If we look at the history, I will use Nanaia’s tribe of Tainui. They got their settlement. It was $170 million, and now that asset base is more than $650 million. So what we do know is that Māori are definitely going to be part of the future fabric and economic drivers of the New Zealand economy.

I want to acknowledge also the ethic of forgiveness that these Treaty settlements actually provide our country with. It is that forgiveness about what has occurred in the past: the fact that lands were taken, they were taken under duress, and they were taken because surveyors did not survey the lands properly. But basically they were taken to give to other people to build an asset base whereby they and their families have been able to enjoy a quality of life that unfortunately some of our whānau have not. So I celebrate the opportunity of our whānau to have this asset base, and to actually realise what tino rangatiratanga means. For a lot of us, you cannot have tino rangatiratanga if you do not have a whenua to stand on, if you do not have a base, a capital base, to be able to build a future for whānau.

So I just want to thank the whānau of Maraeroa for this settlement. I will acknowledge the Crown’s contribution to it, but a lot of the people involved in the Crown’s part of the equation are paid employees. The whānau are not paid. The whānau have come down here of their own volition. We have not given you any money to be here, and you are here because this really provides a starting point for you to get on and contribute positively, as you already are doing, to our country. So I want to acknowledge the opportunity that this settlement provides.

But I also want to highlight the post-Treaty relationship that all iwi need to start forging with the Crown. That post-Treaty settlement is about our taking our rightful place around some decision-making spaces in our country, whether it be on the conservation board, whether it be a formal part of resource management processes—whatever they might be. The post-Treaty phase for whānau, hapū, and iwi is about our being around that decision-making table. So I acknowledge all whānau who are here today.

I just want to reiterate again that it is a privilege for me to sit on the Māori Affairs Committee. It has been a pleasure for us to be involved in this bill and the further bills that we will hear today, and I commend the bills to the House. Thank you.

Tēnā koe e te Kaiwhakawā. Tēnā koe e te Whare. Rau rangatira mā tēnei te mihi ki a koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te rā. Tēnā koutou ngā iwi rangatira o Ngāti Rereahu, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa, me Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. E te Minita, ka pai, ka pai te mahi. Nō reira e te Whare tēnā koutou.

[Greetings, Mr Speaker, and the House. I acknowledge you, the many leaders in respect of the matter of the day. Salutations to the chiefly tribes of Ngāti Rereahu, Ngati Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa, and Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Greetings and acknowledgments to you all. It is a task well done, Minister. So congratulations to you, the House.]

I am proud as a member of the Māori Affairs Committee to stand in this final reading of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks settlement legislation. I think these third readings are a really special occasion for the House and for every parliamentarian, but, more important, for those of you who travel to witness this very special occasion. So I welcome you here and I thank you for being part of this very special day. This settlement is, of course, in the volcanic plateau to the east of Te Kūiti, which is, of course, very strongly connected to my heart as the member of Parliament for Taupō.

I just want to reflect on some of the comments that my colleagues have made and, in particular, just talk about the benefits that these sorts of Treaty settlements bring, because I do not think it is something that we reflect on often enough. I am particularly proud of this Government’s record in bringing Treaty settlements to a conclusion, for a number of reasons. I do want to acknowledge Ministers Finlayson and Turia for working at the pace that they do to bring these to their conclusion, so that we can have days like today. If I look at the wider Waikato region and the absolute powerhouse that Tainui have become, it really provides me with such excitement about what is possible for our wider region with these sorts of settlements.

I look back at an experience I had recently, which was attending a tourism meeting in the small town of Mangakino. I heard about some of the tourism opportunities that have sprung up around that area that highlight the beauty of the Pureora Forest. The thing that really impressed me was the fact that they are able, with this business opportunity, to share the stories—to share your stories—with others, and to have it as a completely experiential visit. It is completely in partnership with the environment. I think that there are so many opportunities. They weave in the stories of your culture and the stories of that place, and share them with others. I think it is really fantastic that that is one of many businesses that are popping up around Pureora.

For the wider Taupō electorate, as Nanaia Mahuta talked about as well, there is an area there that is somewhat undiscovered—not, of course, for the iwi, but for many others. If we look at, in the northern area, the mighty Maungatautari, we are finally seeing that there are stories being shared there. If we look at the development of the Waikato River trail, there are areas of beauty that are finally being opened up, and that benefits all of us. It is also no surprise, as we talk about the volcanic plateau, the level of energy that is there. I am sure that, as my colleague Tau Henare says, the convergence of iwi and the convergence of mana brings great energy to the district.

I do also want to bring back into the House the comment that was made by Brendan Horan. I agree that the stories of days like today, the stories about the conclusion of your journey, are not shared widely enough. As fantastic storytellers, that is the one regret I have—that the stories of occasions like today are not known widely enough. I have looked at media reports in this area to see what local reporting there has been of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks, and I have found nothing. That saddens me, because it means that the wider community does not have sufficient understanding of your history, of your journey, and of this story. I do think it is important that we are able to share the stories, to share the stories of the past and the conflict, but, more important, to share the stories of the resolution. That is the story that will take us forward: the story of the resolution, of the conclusion that has been reached on the Maraeroa A and B Blocks for Rereahu, for Maniapoto, for Raukawa, and for Tūwharetoa, for your descendants, for those who will benefit not just for today but for tomorrow. So that is one plea that I do have: that we collectively make sure that the stories of these settlements are shared.

It has been interesting because you have demonstrated your ability to resolve differences, and I think the other thing that is not shared enough is that these are occasions where every political party in the House votes unanimously. It does not happen that often. But the ability of us to work together as a House to make progress in these Treaty settlements, to make days like today possible, is because of a high level of cooperation among all the political parties in the House, and the management skills of the select committee chair, Tau Henare. I do have to say, though—I do not want you under any illusion—the Māori Affairs Committee does not always work smoothly. We do not always agree. We do have some rather robust discussions and debate, which I am sure you would agree is necessary from time to time. As my colleague has just piped up behind me, he said that sometimes it is not just across the select committee; it is within political parties as well.

I am very proud to be here with you today, to share in your story, and to help your word get out in the success and the resolution of the Maraeroa A and B Blocks settlement claim. Congratulations. This is a day that we shall remember and celebrate, where iwi come together, where the community comes together, and, I believe, the country should come together. Nō reira, tēnā koutou.

Tēnā koe. Tēnā koutou e te manuhiri tūārangi, nau mai, haere mai ki te Pāremata e takatū nei, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Thank you. Greetings to you, the visitors from afar, welcome, welcome to Parliament in readiness here, salutations and greetings to you all.]

It gives me great pleasure to speak at the final reading of these two bills for the Maraeroa A and B Blocks. May I acknowledge the claimants with us today, those descendants of eponymous ancestors of different but related iwi. This is the uniqueness of this claim. The claimants are related by whakapapa to common ancestors who roamed between Taupō-nui-a-Tia, Kāwhia, and Maungatautari long before the Treaty was signed in 1840.

These illustrious tūpuna go back hundreds of years, before Captain Hobson had even heard of Kororāreka, the Bay of Islands, and Waitangi. They go back to a time of the extended whānau of Raukawa and his sons and grandsons, and the relationships they had with the lakeside people of Tūwharetoa, who were the descendants of Tia of the Te Arawa canoe, and Raukawa being of the Tainui waka. And while there was the decision to allow a claim that for all intents and purposes pre-dates the Treaty, the reality is that this type of historical kōrero of whakapapa and whanaungatanga is common throughout all Aotearoa. Indeed, there is no Māori history without whakapapa.

The descendants of the original owners of Maraeroa A and B Blocks acknowledge the special nature of this settlement, and they acknowledge the leadership of Te Maru o Rereahu. The descendants also have interests in other claims via their separate iwi, such as Raukawa, Maniapoto, Tainui waka, among others.

May I make mention of a particular area of interest for me in this whole affair—that is, the Maraeroa settlements—and that is the work of the Crown surveyors, discrepancies in surveys, and the survey cost. It is a real mamae that has really hurt these descendants, these whānau. As Mr Young mentioned, it goes to the heart of irresponsibility of the Crown in the past.

In 1866, surveys for the blocks were incomplete and sketch plans only were available. The absence of proper surveys caused discrepancies. Consequently, there was alienation of land and therefore alienation of the owners’ mana. It seems to me that the work of Stephen Percy Smith, Surveyor-General, who went on to become an ethnologist and recorded a lot of Māori history, needs to be called into question. For want of not following a ridge line to its conclusion or a creek to its source, these claimants have been alienated from thousands of acres—4,200 to be exact. I am not calling into disrepute his honesty in what he recorded, but how he recorded it. The Crown’s mistakes have led to people being given mana by being named on ownership lists, only for another inquiry to take that mana away by the removal of those names; back and forward it went, on and off the list—not satisfactory at all. I will make mention of the survey costs and how they became a burden for most of the owners. The only way out from such a burdensome debt was to alienate their land, an outcome all too inevitable and seemingly underhanded.

I mentioned in my second reading speech the role of whakapapa and how the hapū that settled the boundaries between iwi were generally takawaenga families that joined one iwi to another. This is true of all takiwā and rohe throughout the motu, and the uri of this bill are no different. But I make the point that this case is for all Māoridom, because to understand, again, and acknowledge whakapapa is to understand and acknowledge Māori history.

I would like to echo and support—tautoko—the comments that have been made by colleagues around the House, in terms of this settlement and the significance of it, of this historic occasion. I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora tātou.

It is my pleasure to take a call on this settlement bill, the Maraeroa A and B Blocks Claims Settlement Bill, today. Today is about righting the wrongs of the past. I would like to acknowledge the presence of the iwi and hapū groups here today. You may be small in numbers but you are mighty in every other way. I would also like to acknowledge those who came on the journey—this very long journey that you have been on—and who are no longer with us today, and all the work they have done to ensure that we are here today for the third reading of this settlement bill. I would like to acknowledge your graciousness in allowing the Crown to apologise and remedy the past. I would also like to acknowledge the Maraeroa A and B Trust and also the chair, Phillip Ngāwhira Crown, for all the leadership you have shown. Sometimes we as members of Parliament sit back and look at the true leadership you have shown, and the hardship you have gone through to get here today.

This deed of settlement was signed on 12 March 2011. It has got to this House pretty swiftly for this type of settlement bill. I would like to acknowledge Minister Finlayson and Minister Turia for the work they have put into this bill, but also the Māori Affairs Committee, under the leadership of Tau Henare. He has always said of every bill that comes to our committee on Treaty settlements that it must move swiftly through the select committee and that it needs to come into the House very quickly because iwi have waited long enough to have their day in this House.

This is about remedying the wrongs of when the Native Land Court was operational and when the Crown purchased the majority of blocks and the iwi received no benefits from the redistribution of their lands and forests. This deprived iwi in many, many ways: spiritually, of their land, and it deprived future generations of culture, of heritage, and of tradition. But today, right here, right now, is about focusing on the future. It is about developing and investing in the social, economic, and cultural aspects of the redress package. It is about the future generations to come. This redress package includes historical acknowledgment, vesting sites of cultural and historical significance, a partnership with the Department of Conservation over public conservation lands, a financial settlement of $1.8 million, and redress over Crown properties, including licensed forest land. But, most important to me, it records the apology from the Crown for past wrongs.

This is a settlement that is future focused. It is a settlement that is going to move iwi forward and move future generations forward with prosperity, with spirit, with tradition, and with culture. Today will be part of history. We hear from the other speakers how important it is that we tell our stories of the history and what has gone before, where we are now, and what there is for the future. With my other colleagues, I find it disappointing that the media do not show an interest in this, because they do record our future, they do record our past, and they do record the present, and they are not here doing that today. I think they have let New Zealanders down.

These Treaty settlement bills, to me, are two pillars between iwi and the Crown. They are pillars with which we can move forward. On the Māori Affairs Committee we are very focused on these bills getting here very quickly. We have many Treaty settlement bills in front of the select committee and they are very important. We focus and prioritise all our work around iwi and those bills. We travel around New Zealand when we are doing these bills in the select committee so we hear everybody’s voice in relation to these settlements. That is very unique for a select committee to do.

I wish you well for your future, I wish the next generations the very best, and I cannot wait to hear the stories coming out from this settlement and what iwi have done with that. Thank you very much.

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

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

Waiata

As has been customary when we are progressing settlement bills, there is another group who wish to enter the gallery. If I can ask the whānau who have been here for these particular bills to exit the gallery, to allow the whānau for the next bill to come in. There will be a delay in proceedings while that does happen.

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It is important that the whānau up there know that they are also welcome to stay.

💬 Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: That is true. I thank the member for his point of order. I was not aware that the whānau for the second bill were already seated. They are welcome to stay if they wish to. I am not requesting that anybody leave, so if I have inadvertently given that message I do apologise. Whānau are welcome and there is plenty of room. There is plenty of room around the sides. Given that explanation and that I am now aware that the whānau from the second bill are present, I will call Government order of the day No. 3.