Ngāti Rangiteaorere Claims Settlement Bill, Ngāti Rangiwewehi Claims Settlement Bill, Tapuika Claims Settlement Bill

on behalf of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations: I move, That the Ngāti Rangiteaorere Claims Settlement Bill, the Ngāti Rangiwewehi Claims Settlement Bill, and the Tapuika Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time. Nā reira, Te Arawa waka, Te Arawa iwi, Te Arawa tangata, nau mai, hara mai rā. Hara mai rā ki tā koutou Whare, kia whakaoti ai tēnei kerēme. Tēnei te wā whakamutunga mō tēnei kerēme nā reira, he hōnore māku te tū ki te mihi ki a koutou, me ngā tini mate kua mauria mai e koutou ki rō Whare. Nā reira, rātou kua ngaro atu i a koutou i ēnei wiki, i te mārama nei, haere. Haere, okioki pai ki te Kaihanga, hei whāriki mā tātou nei. Nā reira, koutou ngā mate ki a koutou, ā, ko tātou hoki te hunga ora ki a tātou. Nā reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Therefore, to you the canoe of Te Arawa, the people of Te Arawa, welcome, welcome. Welcome, indeed, to our House to finalise this claim. This is the final stage for this claim, so it is indeed an honour for me to rise and acknowledge you collectively and the very many deaths you have brought with you into the House. Therefore, to those who have passed in these weeks and this month, farewell. Journey on and rest well with the Creator to pave the way for us here. So you the deceased remain there amongst yourselves, as we the living remain here amongst ourselves too. Therefore, acknowledgments and salutations to you all.]

Today we welcome the sons and daughters of the great Te Arawa waka. I do not usually say that in front of Te Ururoa Flavell, but he is not in the House anyway—he has probably gone for a run. I am honoured to welcome the people of Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Rangiteaorere, and Tapuika for the third reading of legislation arising from the omnibus Ngā Punawai o Te Tokotoru Claims Settlement Bill. Iwi eternally bound by whakapapa, for ever bound by history, and, today in this House, finally bound by justice. We remember the tīpuna who a millennia ago set off from the sands of Whenuakura. Today their journey reaches Parliament, as Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Rangiteaorere, and Tapuika once again work together for the future of their people.

Ngā Punawai o Te Tokotoru is a large natural grouping of these three iwi of Te Arawa, whose members are based in and around Te Puke and Rotorua. Although they have negotiated some aspects of their settlements as part of the tokotoru, they have signed separate deeds of settlement. They have shown whanaungatanga on the one hand, as well as rangatiratanga. Tēnā koutou.

The Ngā Punawai o Te Tokotoru omnibus legislation here gives effect to aspects of all three deeds of settlement signed by the Crown between 2012 and 2013 with all three iwi and will settle all outstanding historical Treaty and Waitangi claims for Ngāti Rangiteaorere, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, and Tapuika.

Ko Tiheia te maunga, ko Te Awahou me Kaikaitāhuna ngā awa, ko Tarimano te marae, ko Puhirua me Ōrangikāhui ngā takotoranga o ngā tipuna, ko Rangiwewehi te iwi.

[Tiheia is the mountain, Te Awahou and Kaikaitāhuna are the rivers, Tarimano is the courtyard, and Puhirua and Ōrangikāhui are the resting places of the ancestors. Ngāti Rangiwewehi is the tribe.]

The Crown brought war to Tauranga in 1864, and after Ngāti Rangiwewehi supported their traditional allies, 290,000 acres of land were confiscated. All customary interests in lands returned were compulsorily extinguished. A hundred years later, in 1966—in our lifetime—Ngāti Rangiwewehi’s land loss continued, with the enforced Crown acquisition of whenua at Ngongotahā. A pump station was built over the ancestral Taniwha Springs, which remains to this very day, unless something happened overnight.

The Crown breached the Treaty of Waitangi in its dealings with the descendants of Ngāti Rangiwewehi. Over generations, lands were lost, lives were taken, and the potential of the iwi was eroded. Today we focus on the future.

I acknowledge Ngāti Rangiwewehi’s 2040 strategy and the advancement of Ngāti Rangiwewehi people as Rangiwewehi, which captures the essence of what a Treaty settlement should be: to focus the energies into the future while considering the social, economic, cultural, and spiritual growth and activity that affirms and maintains the mana and the tino rangatiratanga over Ngāti Rangiwewehi resources and the knowledge—mātauranga—of Ngāti Rangiwewehi. Ngāti Rangiwewehi, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou.

He wai kōriporipo nō Waiōhewa ka ū ki Mātaikōtare. Ka koinga te titiro ki ngā uri o Rangiwhakaekea te whakapakari nei i te pupuri i ngā taonga tuku iho o Ngāti Rangiteaorere, ka ora e.

[The glittering waters from Waiōhewa extend to Mātaikōtare, and the glance moves to the descendants of Rangiwhakaeka, who are to strengthen this hold over the resources handed down by Ngāti Rangiteaorere, for their betterment indeed.]

The 1800s saw Ngāti Rangiteaorere drawn into the New Zealand Wars with huge, huge consequences. The Native Land Court’s land policies left the Crown with lands that were flat, fertile, and easily accessible by road. Ngāti Rangiteaorere were left with lands that were fragmented, steep, inaccessible, and uneconomic. Fifty years ago the Tikitere geothermal field, prized by generations of Ngāti Rangiteaorere for its medicinal, spiritual, and economic benefits, was taken by the Crown by the Geothermal Energy Act of 1953—the compulsory takeover of an ancestral wāhi tapu. A whakataukī from Ngāti Rangiteaorere kuia i reira captures the challenge of this new Treaty settlement era. Kāhore i hangaia te kupenga hei hopu ika anake ēngari, i hangaia kia oioi i roto i te nekeneke o te tai. Awesome, Ngāti Rangiteaorere, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou. The net is not fashioned purely to catch fish but also to be flexible, so that it may flow with the tide—awesome. Ngāti Rangiteaorere, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou.

Mai i ngā pae maunga i te toro puke e tūkau mai rā, i te awa e rere mai ana, waiho te whenua ko te takapū o taku tamaiti a Tapuika.

[From the mountain range in the distance, to the hill that stands before me as the river flows towards me, I proclaim the land to be the belly of my son Tapuika.]

This ancient claim defining the boundaries of their homelands was made by the tipuna chief Tia aboard the Te Arawa waka. However, the arrival of the Crown in this rohe soon brought war to Tia’s people, and his ancient claim, along with the promises within the Treaty of Waitangi, were broken. A series of claims made by others to Tapuika ancestral lands culminated in the Crown land alienation policies that were akin to raupatu, punishing Tapuika for taking up arms against the Crown in the 1860s. The land loss was widespread and severe. Tapuika’s loss would lead to the alienation of Tia’s people from their ancestral lands. Deprived of economic, social, spiritual, and cultural autonomy, generations of Tapuika families have suffered incalculable loss.

This settlement sought to address historical grievances, which included the wars in the Bay of Plenty; the Native Land Court; the impact on Tapuika of management, modification, and degradation of the waterways within Te Takapū o Tapuika; Public Works takings; and the loss of Tapuika’s identity. Today Tapuika can move forward in a positive Treaty relationship to rebuild, to restore, and to once again thrive. The Tapuika reo revitalisation strategy is an example of what is already taking place—congratulations.

All these things the peoples of Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Rangiteaorere, and Tapuika have suffered can never be forgotten, and yet these iwi, despite that, wish to settle their grievances with the Crown with mana and with dignity. So they honour us with their incredible generosity. Ahakoa te hītori o te raupatu, kua tae mai koutou. Kua hoki anō, kua hoki anō koutou ki konei, Ngā Puna Wai o Te Toko Toru.

[Despite the history of the confiscation, you, the Three Water Springs, have arrived and returned here repeatedly.]

Ngā Punawai o Te Tokotoru has enabled all three iwi to negotiate collectively with the Crown and also help each other with their individual claims. The spirit of whanaungatanga and rangatiratanga demonstrated by Ngāti Rangiteaorere, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, and Tapuika has enabled the resolution of claims across three tribes. This cooperative approach is already being replicated across Aotearoa, so I thank Ngā Punawai o Te Tokotoru for leading by example. So many of those who have made this day possible are no longer with us, but with this bill’s passing their mana and their mahi kua oti i a rātou [their integrity and the work that they have completed] will for ever be honoured in the laws of this country and in the hearts of you, the descendants.

Today is the day to remember those who have passed on, to resolve grievances with those who are with us today, and to plan for those yet to be born. From the sacred marae of Taputapuātea to the beating hearts of Te Arawa, to the New Zealand House of Representatives, Te Arawa, e tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

Ā, tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. Te Arawa waka, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Rangiteaorere, Tapuika, Ngā Puna Wai o Te Tokotoru, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou. Nau mai, hara mai ki te Whare Paremata e takatū nei. Harikoa ahau ki te tū, ki te kōrero i te wā whakamutunga o tēnei pire. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou. E rau rangatira mā huri rauna i te Whare, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. To the canoe of Te Arawa, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Rangiteaorere, Tapuika, and Ngā Puna Wai o Te Tokotoru, greetings and acknowledgments to you collectively. Welcome, welcome to Parliament House, standing here in readiness. I am pleased to stand and address this closing stage of the bill. Therefore, well done and congratulations. To the leaders of a hundredfold throughout the House, I acknowledge you all.]

It gives me great pleasure to speak to the final reading of the former Ngā Punawai o Te Tokotoru Claims Settlement Bill. Today is a historic day. It is a historic day in the lives of three proud iwi of the Te Arawa confederation. After so many years and so many Governments, the tribes Rangiwewehi, Rangiteaorere, and Tapuika can start to look towards a new future for their people and for their whānau, and it is wonderful to see so many of them who have travelled from afar to be here to celebrate this historic day.

For over 20 years these tribes have been more than patient, and it sort of concerns me that after such a lot of mahi has gone on we get only 10 minutes to devote to three iwi in these speeches. But such are the procedures of Parliament that we have to adhere to. It does not give us much time. Nevertheless, I will do my best to reflect something of the tragic circumstance that befell these three iwi that have led us here today. The three iwi, to use an Office of Treaty Settlements term, are a “large natural grouping”. In Māori terms they are whanaunga—or cuzzies, to use a more colloquial term. Rangiteaorere and Rangiwewehi descend from Tamatekapua, while Tapuika descend from Tia. Both are of the Te Arawa canoe, which came to Aotearoa from the Pacific.

It goes without saying what a terrible impact the New Zealand Wars had upon these three and many other iwi, as shown in various other settlement bills we have put through this House. I like to say in my speeches that to understand the whakapapa is to understand Māori history. That has been a consistent theme that I use throughout. From Polynesia to the Bay of Plenty and inland to Rotorua, the tribes of Rangiwewehi, Rangiteaorere, and Tapuika certainly have had that close relationship. They are part of what is known as the eight beating hearts of Te Arawa, which play such an important part in tribal life.

I will attempt to make mention of at least one grievance of each of these tribes that they have had to carry, bearing in mind, though, that there are hundreds. Firstly, let us acknowledge all three iwi. They were drawn into the Kīngitanga dispute with the Crown. Whether on principle or because of a genealogical relationship, all played a part on all the sides of the wars. Truly it became, for some, whānau against whānau and hapū against hapū. Heoi ano—such were the divisive ways of the Governor and his war machine. It was about divide and conquer. That was the standard modus operandi of the day: take from them what they value most and you will deprive them economically and spiritually.

So that is what the Pākehā did. It took them 25 years to come up with two wars and the Native Lands Act of 1865 to subjugate the natives, and to engineer, as I call it, the greatest legal land-grabbing machine in the history of this country, the Native Land Court. Auē taukiri e! It is at the forefront of every claim that ever came before the tribunal, and it is the tino taniwha in the history of the Treaty of Waitangi and nearly every claim that has been made, and it certainly is with this bill. So much mamae is shared between these three tribes, but such are the travails of interrelated hapū—the taking of the good with the bad.

Let us look at the economic benefits that these tribes have missed out on. Ngāti Rangiwewehi and Rangiteaorere were owners of significant geothermal areas. Who amongst us here does not enjoy the therapeutic and healing waters a waiariki offers? Never mind the cultural benefits the tribes have missed out on; what about all that geothermal capacity? Have these tribes, like all indigenous tribes the world over, not really missed out on sharing the wealth from the natural resources of their own estate?

Whether it is gold or ore or oil or geothermal energy, the tangata whenua always seem to be missing out. As fossil fuels dwindle across the world, new and alternative methods of realising our future energy sources are needed. To my way of thinking, Rangiwewehi and Rangiteaorere have not only had their warm, healing waters taken away from them but also the chance to benefit economically from that geothermal capacity. I know that when it comes to those natural resources, such as minerals and oil and gas, the Crown has first dibs. Crown Minerals has the mana. That is the law, but surely it is time for that law to be rethought, to let the hapū and iwi share in the profits.

The Tapuika iwi have had an interest in the Maketū area since their arrival on the Te Arawa waka many, many years ago. They have had more than their fair share of mamae over land loss and loss of mana. They have had their economic opportunities seriously curtailed. I would like to highlight two points. They suffered the indignity of losing tribal estate and challenging to have that estate returned, only to have the Crown acknowledge the wrongdoing and then try to right that wrong by making the hapū beneficiaries in a block of land they had no cultural connections to. We have come across that in various other settlements, whether it is Mangakino, or we could talk about SILNA in Te Wai Pounamu as well. This appears to have been quite the done thing back in the day, in the 1890s and 1900s. Is there any greater ignominy to Māori than being placed in lands far away that you have no connection to? I also think of the Palmerston North Square for Te Ātiawa, to just highlight another one of those actions that were taken in those days.

There have been many missed economic development opportunities for these iwi, and if anyone needs a reminder of another missed opportunity for Tapuika, one needs only to look at the takutai and the change of tides that it brings over a 24-hour period. Every tide brings in its precious—precious—resource known as sand, the same sand that road makers and builders the country over need to help construct the roads and pathways that lead to our big cities. And yet the only ones making any money off this resource are the big corporate players, who have only to whip over the railway lines and dig up truckloads of ordinary sand and turn it into a multimillion-dollar business. Well, why can a tribe like Tapuika not be a part of that industry? Why should the natural resources from their tribal estates go offshore to make other people rich?

I have tried to use my time allocated to highlight just a few things of these three proud iwi. Ngā Punawai o te Tokotorutapu—not Tokotorutapu; sorry, my Rātana-ness is coming out of me—Ngā Punawai o te Tokotoru. It happens—the wairua. I have highlighted those three examples of missed opportunities, but the great thing is that these settlements provide a new chapter for these iwi. They provide an opportunity for them to actually harness these opportunities now.

I am delighted to be able to speak here and to mihi to all gathered here today. We know that the Crown apologies have been offered and accepted. Cultural and commercial redress has been offered and accepted, as well as financial redress. Now it is time for the descendants of Tamatekapua and Tia and Kahumatamomoe and Rangitihi to finally start a new and exciting voyage, like their ancestors of long ago. All those years ago back in Hawaiki, Te Arawa had little choice but to leave, but now the mana has been given back to Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Rangiteaorere, and Tapuika to decide their own future, and I wish them all the very best. No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai tātou katoa.

To the representatives here today from the three iwi who have travelled from your homes for this occasion, nau mai, haere mai. Today we approach the end of a long road, for a partial agreement was reached between the Crown and Ngāti Rangiteaorere as far back as 1993. In the early 2000s the three iwi took their claims to the Waitangi Tribunal’s central North Island district inquiry. Comprehensive negotiations with Ngāti Rangiwewehi and Tapuika began in 2008. In 2009 Ngāti Rangiteaorere joined the collective, and Ngā Punawai o te Tokotoru was born. All three iwi signed agreements in principle with the Crown here in Parliament in 2011. The Tapuika and Ngāti Rangiwewehi deeds of settlement were signed in December 2012, on a beautiful day at Ngāti Moko Marae near Te Puke. The Ngāti Rangiteaorere deed was signed not long after, in June 2013, 20 years after that first agreement.

These bills, the Ngāti Rangiteaorere Claims Settlement Bill, the Ngāti Rangiwewehi Claims Settlement Bill, and the Tapuika Claims Settlement Bill, have received their previous readings as an omnibus bill. When the omnibus bill was read for a first time in July last year, I acknowledged some of the key individuals from the three iwi who worked with tireless determination to make these settlements happen. Today I want to emphasise the collective achievements that these settlements represent. What I want to do now is speak briefly on each of the three settlements before the House. As the bills are being read in cognate, I must necessarily be succinct in my comments. Mind you, I am always succinct; the problem is for other people in the House to contain themselves! The Tokotoru iwi have been very gracious in accepting that as the election date has put pressure on the agenda of this House, the bills themselves will not each receive a third reading. For this I am very grateful.

Let me first turn to Ngāti Rangiwewehi, an iwi based on the north-western shore of Lake Rotorua, near the mouth of the beautiful Awahou River, with interests stretching out toward the coast at Maketū.

💬 Te Ururoa Flavell: That’s right.

I hear my friend Mr Flavell approving of my geographical assessment, and I am grateful for that. Water is of vital importance to all these iwi. For Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Te Waro Uri—Taniwha Springs—and Te Puna-a-Hangarua—Hamurana Springs—are the dwelling places of the taniwha Pekehauā and Hinerua. The Taniwha Springs actually feed the Awahou River, and that flows through the main settlement of the iwi and is a prized taonga. The claims at the heart of their settlement relate to the Crown’s role in alienating these precious waterways. In the 1890s the native land laws facilitated the Crown’s acquisition of Hamurana Springs. In the 1960s Ngāti Rangiwewehi lost Taniwha Springs through a public works taking. I have been to both those springs, and one can understand the feelings that the iwi have for them.

Other key Ngāti Rangiwewehi claims relate to confiscation, war, and the treatment the Crown meted out to two prominent 19th century tūpuna, the scholar and rangatira Wīremu Maihi Te Rangikāheke and the warrior prophet Kereopa Te Rau. Over the generations the Crown’s breaches of the Treaty compromised the social and the traditional structures of Ngāti Rangiwewehi, the autonomy of the iwi, and the ability of its members to exercise important customary rights and responsibilities. With great sorrow the Crown apologises for its actions and for the impact that these had on so many individuals, whānau, and hapū. The iwi and the Crown negotiated a settlement of these claims that includes, very importantly, the agreed historical account, Crown acknowledgments and the apology, the quantum of $6 million and several commercial properties, a statutory pardon for Kereopa Te Rau, statutory acknowledgments and deeds of recognition over Crown-owned lands across the rohe, and the return of culturally significant sites, including 37 hectares at Hamurana Springs and recognition of the profound importance of this place to Ngāti Rangiwewehi.

Can I say something about Tapuika, an iwi based in and around Te Puke with an interest that runs from slightly to the north of Rotorua to the coast at Maketū. As I have said earlier, water is the thread that links the Tokotoru iwi. The waterway most cherished by Tapuika is, of course, the Kaituna. Its waters are as precious to Tapuika as shimmering greenstone. Little wonder, then, that deeply felt Tapuika claims relate to the degradation and pollution of the Kaituna River in the 20th century. Other major grievances arise from the Tauranga confiscation: the line drawn by the Crown through the rohe in 1875, the ultimate exclusion of Tapuika from title to ancestral coastal lands and sacred sites, and repeated takings by the Crown of burial lands for public works. The Crown profoundly regrets the anguish it has caused for Tapuika and for failing to protect the special relationship that Tapuika has with the Kaituna River and its tributaries.

The settlement of the claims negotiated by Tapuika and the Crown includes the agreed historical account, the acknowledgments and the apology, the quantum of $6 million, 17 commercial redress properties, and rights of first refusal over 11 Crown-owned properties for a period of 171 years. It includes the return of 12 sites of special significance to Tapuika across their rohe totalling approximately 209 hectares, three additional sites jointly with other iwi, and, crucially, a framework for governance of the Kaituna River that recognises the great significance of the river to Tapuika, which will help restore the mana and the mauri of the river for future generations.

Thirdly, I refer to Ngāti Rangiteaorere, an iwi based on the eastern shores of Lake Rotorua near the Tikitere geothermal field. This iwi have successfully held on to, and cared very much for, Rotokawa, one of the tribe’s cherished bodies of water. However, the tribe was not so fortunate when it came to key ancestral lands—again, largely as a result of the Crown’s introduction of native land laws. The individualisation of title resulting from the Crown’s award rendered the lands of Ngāti Rangiteaorere, including the maunga, more susceptible to partition, fragmentation, and alienation. On top of the quantum, the redress negotiated and the settlement include the apology and the account, quite a few statutory acknowledgments, and the return of 321 hectares of Whakapoungākau, reuniting Rangiteaorere with the maunga.

So I want to conclude by expressing thanks to all those in the iwi who negotiated the settlements. I want to acknowledge my wonderful officials from the Office of Treaty Settlements and the chief Crown negotiator for these three iwi, Patsy Reddy, who did a fabulous job. I acknowledge her contribution as chief Crown negotiator to quite a number of settlements and look forward to her continuing work. She thinks she is going to retire; I have other thoughts.

These settlements are three important steps towards a revitalised Treaty relationship and brighter futures for Māori and Pākehā in this country. As I said, it is so very important that the post-settlement unit that is being set up monitors these settlements to make sure the Crown does do its job, not just tomorrow but in the years to come. If the Crown lives up to the promises contained in these deeds of settlement, things will go very well indeed. I commend these bills to the House.

Tēnei e tū ana ki te tuku mihi ki Ngā Puna Wai o Te Tokotoru, koutou Ngāti Rangiteaorere, Ngāti Rangiwewehi me Tapuika. Anei te mihi atu ki a koutou katoa.

[I stand to acknowledge you the Three Water Springs, Ngāti Rangiteaorere, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, and Tapuika. My congratulations to you all.]

It gives me great pleasure to be able to make a small contribution on the third and final reading of these three bills, the Ngāti Rangiteaorere Claims Settlement Bill, the Ngāti Rangiwewehi Claims Settlement Bill, and the Tapuika Claims Settlement Bill. The submission process was informative for the Māori Affairs Committee and gave a sense that we were doing the right thing at somewhat the right time. In 20 days’ time there will be a commemoration event at Pukehinahina, recollecting the Land Wars that took place in the 1860s and the alliances that occurred over that time, and recognising that Māori fought for their lands, the assertion of their identity, and the continuation of their mana motuhake within their own country. It is somewhat serendipitous that we have Treaty settlements occurring during this period. The time is right.

I want to, in my small contribution, recognise the efforts of each of the respective claimant groups and your negotiators for bringing your settlement to fruition and providing an opportunity for the next generation to look forward. Firstly, I will make my contribution with regards to Ngāti Rangiwewehi. It is a testament to the modernisation of aspirations amongst Ngāti Rangiwewehi that people can go to a website and see what is happening. They can see that actually over the last 150 years, you have not been sitting around, doing nothing, and twiddling your thumbs. In fact, if anything, it is indicative that there has been a lot of innovation and creativity and a lot of looking towards yourselves for solutions around some challenges. What the Treaty settlement will do is, I guess, boost effort that has already been taking place. I want to acknowledge that, because often when people come to the House to debate Treaty settlement bills, there is a thought that Treaty settlements are the beginning of something. In fact, it is the beginning of something more, but it does not mean that nothing has happened before, if I can say it like that. I want to acknowledge that for Ngāti Rangiwewehi.

I want to acknowledge and support the comments of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations with regards to the components of your redress, which have restored and repatriated significant taonga to you so that you can look at ways to build your cultural history, your asset base, and also the cultural heritage and natural heritage that exists within your rohe. Not enough can be said about Hamurana Springs, a significant component of your redress, and Taniwha Springs, because they are iconic features of the landscape within your rohe, and it is really important that New Zealanders gain an appreciation of not only the natural beauty of these places in your rohe but the history that goes with them. This is a significant and positive step that all New Zealanders gain from.

I want to also recognise that, yes, there is commercial redress, but it is kind of like a seed. I am absolutely confident that Ngāti Rangiwewehi will grow the seed to its maximum potential and opportunity. Treaty settlements are always a space where the Government, if it changes its frame around how to continue the Treaty relationship, looks for active partnerships with Rangiwewehi when it comes to developments in your own rohe. So that is that.

To Tapuika, again your Treaty settlement provides added impetus to developments that have already taken place, but can I say that when I look through websites—because it is a good sense of how you are engaging with your tribal members to promote information and to secure feedback—I would have to say that the Tapuika website provided a very clear and logical approach to how some of your tribal members from outside the rohe might be wanting to understand what is happening with the iwi and where we are going. In terms of the presentation of your website, it was a pretty cool fulla or “fulless” who developed that website, because it provided a really good snapshot and entry for people wanting to learn more.

My sense of this settlement, especially around the issues, the instruments, and the cultural redress component, is that the Kaituna River, through a co-governance framework, will be a real opportunity for you to engage with local government, importantly, and also with users of your waterway, to ensure the well-being of it and the ongoing sustainability and use of the water resource. Also, your decision making in resource use starts with the Kaituna River, but it does not stop there. So I hope that the co-governance framework will be, I guess, a further peg in the ladder to secure your ongoing advocacy with local government about ongoing resource use of all kinds within your particular rohe.

For Ngāti Rangiteaorere, this is a discrete continuation of a settlement. We had heard quite clearly from the submitters that although the 1993 settlement took place, the geothermal interests were not covered, and that, in part, informs some of the contribution here. We were reminded that there were some aspects of the settlement with relation to the Māori Land Court that you brought to the attention of the select committee, although we could not address them. We recognise that those were some of the challenges that you were facing. Can I say that in so far as Ngāti Rangiteaorere interests are concerned, it seemed to me that as a discrete settlement, it did provide an avenue for others to follow when they are thinking about how to advance within a large natural grouping some very discrete components of settlements that must be recognised by the Crown. So that is a learning that I took forward anyway, when I considered how things were put together by the Minister.

Lastly, can I say that I am under no shadow of a doubt that although there may well have been trials and tribulations in getting to this point, this point is the continuation of a really important chapter for each of the respective groups that are here today, and it pegs a firm stake in the ground for another generation to be able to look beyond those of their ancestors and their tūpuna to carve out a future of opportunity. That is the space that these three iwi, in my mind, have brought in front of Parliament and politicians. That opportunity through innovation and the total sum efforts of just pure determination have been captured within each of the components of these settlements, and I am sure that given further feathers to fly with, they will soar very high. Nō reira, kia koutou katoa. Tēnā koutou katoa.

Tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. Ngā mihi nui ki Te Arawa waka, Ngāti Rangiteaorere, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Tapuika. Nau mai, haere mai, ki te Whare Pāremata, koutou Whare. It is wonderful to see you in all your splendour and to have all your generations present with us today. Before I start talking about the bills—the Ngāti Rangiteaorere Claims Settlement Bill, the Ngāti Rangiwewehi Claims Settlement Bill, and the Tapuika Claims Settlement Bill—I would just like to pay tribute to the descendants of Tamatekapua. I live in Hauraki and have spent many of my years at the foot of Te Moana Hau o Tama-te-Kapua, the sacred mountain. In 1980 a mining company from Canada said that it would turn the mountain into a lake for us, and without Te Arawa, that might have happened. So, thank you, because your rangatira came and they said: “Skin and hair will fly before you touch this maunga.”. And so it was that the mountain could not be touched. We have not forgotten them. We are grateful in Hauraki for that leadership, that rangatiratanga.

These third readings are an extraordinary achievement, and they say much about the extraordinary tenacity of the rangatira of these three iwi. It is also important to acknowledge the Minister of Māori Affairs, the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, and the Māori Affairs Committee and its chair. I cannot do justice to this, let alone in the time available, but I do want to acknowledge that this is an important and great day. The rohe of these three iwi is one of the most beautiful, fertile, and diverse rohe. It is a thermal energy wonderland, and the once-sparkling rivers, pure lakes, and coasts were so beautiful and valuable, hence the colonial enthusiasm for their appropriation, by hook or by crook. Making it right is not a single action through a Treaty settlement process; it is a national project into the future, and it enhances all of us—I am speaking to my own Pākehā whakapapa here, all of us—to engage with it. The work that you have done, the mahi that you have done, is an intergenerational koha, not only to your people but to Aotearoa. So thank you for that.

To Ngāti Rangiteaorere, I do not claim any special knowledge of your rohe, although I have passed through it many times. I have passed Te Ngāe, and I was very interested to read the history. But I would like to highlight the way in which establishing 19th century historical hurts and thefts are not the only challenge to be faced by tangata whenua here. For example, this iwi has had to fight the renaming of their ancestral maunga, Whakapoungākau, in the 2000s. The Waitangi Tribunal in 2007 found that the Crown had breached the Treaty of Waitangi by failing to consult fully with Ngāti Rangiteaorere about this proposal in a timely manner. Why the Greens always say that we resist the term “full and final settlement” is that these situations continue. Whether it is the takutai moana, the attempt to rename an ancestral maunga, or Patricia Grace and her whānau having to fight for their land in 2014, the contemporary breaches and proposed breaches must be brought before the tribunal. The ability to negotiate justice by te Tiriti must never be shut down.

I would like to acknowledge the achievement of Ngāti Rangiteaorere in maintaining through the turbulent years of colonisation many of their taonga, assets, despite the Crown’s best efforts. I particularly want to wish you the very best with your future, your quantum, and your cultural redress in relation to Te Ngāe, Rotokawau, Waiōhewa, Tikitere, and Ōkataina. The taniwha is individual title, and it is collective strength that will restore these assets and these lands. Individual title brought through the Māori Land Court and every other mechanism has been a contamination of rangatiratanga, but we have faith that through this process you are restoring the collective rangatiratanga.

To Ngāti Rangiwewehi, this historical account is, sadly, typical. Irrespective of their previous relationships in the post - Treaty of Waitangi signing period of 1840 to the 1850s, when things went kind of good, the raupatu was extreme against the so-called rebels. Who gets to call whom a rebel in this country is an interesting, ongoing subject for debate. What is rebellion against injustice? Are you a rebel? But 290,000 hectares around Tauranga were confiscated, including land in which Ngāti Rangiwewehi had considerable interests.

Then there is the tragic story of Kereopa Te Rau and how the Crown killed his whānau in Waikato and the subsequent consequences that we have heard about in other bills before this House, including those associated with Mokomoko and Whakatōhea. Also there is the impact on Te Arawa katoa. At Ngongotahā, a place where I spent many holidays in complete ignorance of these things, like so many Pākehā do, Taniwha Springs is a symbol of abuse. The collection of springs central to Ngāti Rangiwewehi’s identity was compulsorily acquired for waterworks in 1966—so we are not talking just about the 19th century; we are talking about the 21st century—by local government because the Crown had refused to make any other water available. Layer upon layer of alienation, and all of us who have drunk the water have no understanding of this and are ignorant to the damage done around Ngongotahā. So I just want to mihi to Ngāti Rangiwewehi for those issues. Though you have obviously done well, there is so much more that we all need to do to understand what you have been through.

Lastly to Tapuika—again, their stories are unique. There may be patterns of similarity but they are all different. I just want to focus on two aspects of this settlement bill in relation to Tapuika. One is to do with the Public Works Act—a wonderful, familiar monster, which involved more theft. The Crown acknowledges that it took land. This is what gets me when I read this stuff. It took the land three times from Tapuika urupā at Kēnana. The urupā was in use at the time and the people did not consent to any of these takings, but this continued. And the urupā, which is still in use today, is now divided in two by a highway and a railway line. We drive through this oblivious to the pain, the mamae. If it was our whānau, we might be thinking again. So I want to acknowledge that the Public Works Act has been another tool alongside, as my colleague has talked about, the Māori Land Court—the engine of colonisation. There is no more abuse that you can do to people than to desecrate their urupā—none.

I would also like to acknowledge the Kaituna River. Last night I was in the House and fought for Tarawera—another awa in the rohe—because it is deeply contaminated, as I am sure you know. But Kaituna has a similar and equally tragic history. When you look at how the river was compared with how the river is—the modification, pollution, and degradation. I found this phrase in the settlement bill very interesting: “the Crown has failed to respect, provide for, and protect the special relationship …”. That is a bit of an understatement. I find it a little bit of an understatement—“failed to”. The Crown has actively facilitated the modification, pollution, and degradation of Kaituna—Kaituna.

I live next to a river in Hauraki that is full of eels. One of them bit me the other day just to remind me of where I was. It was an awesome experience, but that is what every river should be like. That is the Waiwhakaurunga in the Kauaēranga valley. But that is how every awa should be. Those tuna have a right to bite, just as the tangata whenua have the right to collect them for kai. So Kaituna has been desecrated by sewage, by the draining of wetlands, and by the farming practices. It has affected wāhi tapu. It has destroyed kai moana and compromised water supply for these communities. But it is always more than that because people’s whakapapa and identity, as I have been taught by tangata whenua, relates deeply not only to their maunga but to their awa. So if you contaminate awa, you contaminate the people. I believe that we are all contaminated by the pollution we have subjected this country to, but we are not able to claim, and should never claim, the site-specific whakapapa responsibilities that were damaged during this process in the Bay of Plenty, particularly in Kaituna.

To look forward to the future positively, I wish the Kaituna River all the best but also the people who are going to manage the co-governance. As iwi know better than anyone else, co-governance is a huge challenge but it is also an opportunity, just as long as Pākehā are listening as well as exercising well-resourced bureaucratic participation. We are very good at that and it does not always help. However, I am getting the sign to finish my speech, so I would just like to say to you all, thank you for the privilege of speaking about your rohe. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia kaha katoa.

Te Arawa waka, Te Arawa iwi, nau mai. Haere mai ki tōku Whare tautohetohe nō reira, ngā mihi nunui ki a koutou Te Arawa waka, Te Arawa iwi.

[Welcome to you the canoe and tribe of Te Arawa. Welcome to my House of debate; so a massive congratulations to you collectively.]

I will not go over what everybody else has said. In fact, I will talk about something completely different, which is par for the course for me. But I do want to put this into a relationship with the first bill that we spoke about this morning, which was the Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill. Although we fall over ourselves talking about Waitangi and how it is the jewel in the crown, and about what we have to do, history cannot be just about the good parts. History cannot be about how lovely people may have been or may not have been. History is about the warts and all—all the bad stuff as well. History is nothing without a certain amount of heartache. This is why these occasions in New Zealand and in New Zealand’s Parliament are essential for the growth of a nation. It is the fact that we tell those stories about what the past has done to the indigenous people.

I am always thrilled to bits to be a player on the field in this game that we play, because my kids are growing up, my mokos are growing up, and I want them to be proud of New Zealand’s history, and that includes Te Arawa history and other people’s history, as well. But I also want my children and my mokos to know what the journey was like getting there. For us in this House, and particularly for the Māori Affairs Committee—I take my hat off to the select committee because of the way it does its job, because of the speed of our committee. Speed is not necessarily dangerous. Speed is because we want to get to a position whereby we allow Te Arawa to make the decisions, which they rightfully deserve to do. Speed for our select committee is all about making sure that we hurry up and get to the next one. There are so many that they pile up behind each other; it is not that we do not do justice to them.

I think that our committee, out of all of the committees in the House, does justice to every bill, because there is a feeling of what each bill actually means. It is not like passing some sort of rates bill about Tasman, and when that happens, that is it. When we do our work, when we finish our part of our work, we know that it is a continual struggle, and is part of that big story of Te Arawa.

I am mindful that when we pick up the book, the old book, Te Arawa: A History of the Arawa People by Stafford, who knows whether in 50 to 100 years they will write about this process in the updated version of the book. If we can play our part in that history, then I think that we have done a pretty good job.

I do want to mention one thing before I sit down, because we have got only a short time. Who would have thought, even 10 years ago, that a Pākehā Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations from the National Party would stand in this House and talk about things like taniwha? That is the development that a nation goes through. You know, it was not so long ago that people used to—and, in fact, some of them still do—laugh at those sorts of stories. But on the other side of the world they have the Loch Ness monster, which makes millions of dollars out of the tourism budget every year.

This country is growing up, and it is growing up fast. The more babies that we have, the quicker we are going to grow up. We MPs pat ourselves on the back, but I want to congratulate Te Arawa, and Māori in general, on having the foresight, for having the strength to actually go to battle for years and years and years and never ever letting go of the history—never ever letting go of who they are and who the nation is. I personally think that Māori have a great ability to see who the nation is, whether it is 5 years from now or 20 years from now.

The last thing I want to say—and it is very, very heartfelt—is that I have had the opportunity to travel the world and I have got to say that Māori are the best indigenous race on this earth. This is only because—and I am not boosting anybody up—the fight continues and continues and continues. It is the one way that we keep ourselves alive—well, one way our culture keeps itself alive. So I not only thank Parliament, I not only thank the community, but big thanks to Te Arawa. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai tātou katoa.

Tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. Tēnā tātou katoa ngā mema o te Whare nei.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Greetings to us all, members of this House.]

It gives me an absolute privilege and honour to stand in support of the final reading of this significant omnibus bill. First, I need to mihi to Te Arawa waka, Te Arawa tangata, nau mai, nau mai, haere mai. Nau mai, haere mai ki tō tātou Whare i tēnei wā. Harikoa te ngākau ki te kite i a koutou mō tēnei wā nō reira, tēnā koutou ōku rau rangatira. Tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Welcome to you the canoe of Te Arawa and the people of Te Arawa, welcome, welcome to our House at this point in time. The heart is joyful to see you collectively at this moment, so acknowledgments to you collectively, my leaders of a hundredfold. Greetings and congratulations to you all.]

In the time allotted to us it is going to be a challenge to recognise the significant day here today in Te Arawa’s history. I do want to acknowledge the people who have travelled from afar to be here today. I particularly want to acknowledge the rangatahi, the faces who are joining here in the gallery. You are our future and I do want specifically to mihi to you this day. I am going to try to condense my talk, but I want to go on record acknowledging the significant day today, in particular the three iwi who have joined us here. I am going to quickly acknowledge the summary history of each three groups, so bear with me. It will be a bit of speed reading but I do want to do this in seriousness to acknowledge the work that has gone on to bring us here today.

Ngāti Rangiwewehi is a Te Arawa iwi based in the Rotorua area. In referencing their summary of historic background to the claims, it describes the constructive relationship that developed between the Crown and Ngāti Rangiwewehi in the 1840s and 1850s. However, when the Crown brought war to Tauranga in 1864, members of Ngāti Rangiwewehi went to assist their traditional allies. The Crown regarded Māori who fought in the Tauranga battles as rebels and confiscated 290,000 acres of land around Tauranga, including land in which Ngāti Rangiwewehi had customary interests. The Crown retained 50,000 acres and returned the remainder to Māori. However, all customary interests in the returned lands were compulsorily extinguished.

Kereopa Te Rau was a member of Ngāti Rangiwewehi. In 1864, during the Waikato War, his wife and daughter were killed by Crown forces. In the Eastern Bay of Plenty in 1865 a group of Māori killed a missionary who had previously sent the Crown a plan of the pā where Kereopa’s whānau were killed. In 1871 Kereopa was convicted of the murder of the missionary and sentenced to death. The historic account also discusses the impact on Ngāti Rangiwewehi of the land laws introduced in the 1860s, and how in the 1870s Ngāti Rangiwewehi leaders criticised these laws and unsuccessfully called for tribal control of land and resources. In 1880 Ngāti Rangiwewehi were among the Māori signatories to an agreement made with the Crown to establish a township at Rotorua. A committee of local chiefs concluded Ngāti Rangiwewehi had interests in the township block, but the Native Land Court did not award Ngāti Rangiwewehi any interests there. The Crown acquired most of the lands of Ngāti Rangiwewehi prior to 1909. In the 1890s the Crown purchased individualised shares in a block in the core Ngāti Rangiwewehi rohe before the block had been partitioned and the specific holdings of hapū and whānau had been defined.

In 1896 the Crown applied to have its interests in the block defined, and was awarded roughly a third of the block, including the most valuable land in the block and freshwater springs near Hamurana, which are taonga for Ngāti Rangiwewehi. The historical account concludes with a description of the 1966 taking from Ngāti Rangiwewehi of a block near Ngongotahā. This block, which was compulsorily required by a local authority for waterworks purposes, contains springs known collectively as Taniwha Springs, which are central to Ngāti Rangiwewehi traditions and identity as an iwi. I understand a pump station was built over the springs, where it remains today. I would like to mihi to the whānau of Ngāti Rangiwewehi, particularly the kaumatuas and the negotiators, for the mahi that you have done in bringing the bill to this House.

I now want to turn to and acknowledge Ngāti Rangiteaorere. Ngāti Rangiteaorere is a Te Arawa iwi situated on the eastern shores of Lake Rotorua. It is one of the eight beating hearts of Te Arawa—ngā pūmanawa e waru. The summary of historical backgrounds that led to the claims of Ngāti Rangiteaorere describes how Ngāti Rangiteaorere were drawn into the New Zealand Wars from the mid-1860s. Those Ngāti Rangiteaorere who supported the Crown during the wars did so at a considerable cost to themselves. Damned if you do, and damned if you do not, when you fight on the side of the Crown. Ngāti Rangiteaorere held all their lands under customary tenure when the native laws of the 1860s came into force. However, the Native Land Court was not designed to accommodate the complex and fluid customary land usages of Māori as it assigned permanent ownership to a clearly defined area of land. The title determination process also carried significant costs for Ngāti Rangiteaorere.

In 1882 the Native Land Court investigated the ownership of the Whakapoungākau Block and awarded much of it to members of Ngāti Rangiteaorere and neighbouring iwi. In 1990 the Native Land Court awarded the Crown 348 acres from the Ngāti Rangiteaorere subdivisions of Whakapoungākau, in lieu of survey costs. The individualised interests acquired by the Crown were spread across Whakapoungākau subdivisions, but the Crown persuaded Ngāti Rangiteaorere to allow the Crown’s awards to form one contiguous parcel of land. The land awarded to the Crown was flat, fertile, and easily accessible by road. The land that remained with Ngāti Rangiteaorere was fragmented and much of it was steep and inaccessible.

Ngāti Rangiteaorere have always valued the Tikitere geothermal field highly for medicinal, spiritual, and economic purposes. In 1853, without the consent of Ngāti Rangiteaorere, the Crown acquired the sole right to regulate the use of geothermal energy resources when the Geothermal Energy Act 1953 was enacted. Ngāti Rangiteaorere considers that the Crown had no authority to override the mana of Ngāti Rangiteaorere in the Tikitere geothermal field.

In the early 1970s the Crown purchased a land swap to extend the Lake Ōkataina Scenic Reserve. This involved the exchange of land in Whakapoungākau, which Ngāti Rangiteaorere had significant ancestral connections with, for land that they had no such connections with. As a result of this exchange, Ngāti Rangiteaorere were alienated from the Whakapoungākau maunga, one of their most sacred sites. Tēnei te mihi ki ngā whānau whānui o Ngāti Rangiteaorere. [Bell rung] I knew that was going to happen.

To try to do justice to Tapuika, can I please mihi to you and acknowledge the efforts that you have made to bring this Tapuika Claims Settlement Bill to the House and acknowledge that you, along with Ngāti Rangiteaorere and Ngāti Rangiwewehi, have negotiated what I think is not a settlement that we would all agree with but something that would absolutely go towards the future development of you as the people of Tapuika. Like I said in my earlier introduction, it was nice to mihi to our rangatahi that have joined us here today. I would like to leave you with the thoughts of supporting you in your settlements today but also I would like to acknowledge that our futures are in their hands, and it is good that they are here to join us on the significant day of the third and final reading of this legislation. I look forward to the returns from your settlement being put to good use to, firstly, preserve the mana—the prestige that Te Arawa is renowned for—but particularly, with these young rangatahi coming through, to use the opportunities that I know are available to them once this legislation is passed. So, nō reira, e ngā iwi o Te Arawa, tēnei te mihi ki a koutou. I commend this legislation to the House.

Ka tū ake ahau ki te mihi i a koutou katoa te whānau o Te Arawa.

[I rise to acknowledge you all, the family of Te Arawa.]

The purpose of this legislation, arising from the Ngā Punawai o Te Tokotoru Claims Settlement Bill, is to give effect to the deeds of settlement signed by the Crown and Ngā Punawai o Te Tokotoru. There were changes made by the Māori Affairs Committee to Parts 3, 6, and 9 of the omnibus bill in relation to the right of first refusal. We amended clause 292 and clause 293 but the select committee, chaired by the Hon Tau Henare, feels that these amendments only went to strengthen this legislation. So, with that, I commend this legislation to the House.

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. In Te Reo Māori, Mr Deputy Speaker.

💬 Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Sorry?

Reo Māori, Mr Deputy Speaker—Reo Māori. Kia tere. He tono tēnei ki te Whare Pāremata, kia mutu taku kōrero, kia waihohia ake mā Ngāti Rangiwewehi e whakakōpani ā-waiata nei. Kia mutu a Rangiwewehi ka tukuna te rākau waiata, kōrero rānei ki a Rangiteaorere. Ka mutu a Rangiteaorere, ka tukuna ki a Tapuika, hei whakakōpani i te āhuatanga o wā tātau kōrero, ā, hei whakanui i te āhuatanga o tēnei rā. Nō reira, koinei te tono ki te Whare, kia whakaae mai ki tērā tono.

[Māori language, Mr Deputy Speaker—Māori language. Hurry along. I seek leave of this House of Parliament that when my address ends I would leave it for Ngāti Rangiwewehi to close it with a traditional song. When Rangiwewehi finishes that, the rod of opportunity to sing a traditional song or make a traditional speech is passed on to Rangiteaorere. When they are finished, it is passed on to Tapuika to close the circumstances relating to our speeches and to celebrate the circumstances about this day. So this is the nub of this leave being sought, and I seek leave that the House grant it.]

In response to that, my understanding is that permission has been granted for the tangata whenua to respond, and I am not going to restrict how they might want to do that. The normal procedure is that that would occur after the vote is taken. Is the member happy with that? This is just so that we all understand that after the vote is taken there can be the three waiata, and we are happy with that arrangement.

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Ko te mate kē, ko ētahi o ngā waiata o Tapuika, āhua roa nei. Nō reira, ko te tono e pēnei ana, mēnā ka hipa i te kotahi karaka, ko te kōrero me ngā waiata kia haere tonu wā tātau kōrero kia oti katoa i runga i te rangimārie.

[The problem really is that some of Tapuika’s songs are quite long. So if the songs of embellishment or the speech go beyond 1 p.m., leave is being sought to allow this to continue until everything is completed amicably.]

Well, we are breaking new ground, because it is actually not a debate in the House. I think, in the spirit of the settlement, there will be some tolerance. The member should get on with his speech so we do not go over.

Ā, tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker, kia ora koe mō tērā whakatau āu. E mihi atu ana ki a tātau katoa kua tae mai ki te Whare Pāremata i te rā nei, ki aku hoa mema Pāremata e kōrero nei mōku mō Ngāti Rangiwewehi, mōku mō Tapuika, mō te āhuatanga ki Ngāti Rangiteaorere, tēnā koutou katoa. Ko te mate kē nō roto ahau i ēnei iwi. E āhua raruraru ana te ngākau kei kī mai ētahi, e kī, e kī, kei te kōrero te tangata nei mō tōna painga. He iwi hūmārie a Ngāti Rangiwewehi. He iwi kore kōrero mō rātau, mō ō rātau ake painga a Ngāti Rangiwewehi. Nō reira, me whai au i te tauira o ōku mātua, i o ōku tūpuna kia ngāwari te kōrero mō taku iwi.

Hoi anō ko tāku kei taku rahi, koutou kua eke mai ki raro i te kāhui o tērā kōrero, mai i Maketū ki Tongariro; tēnā koutou, haere mai. Ēhara i te mea māku koutou e whakatau ēngari, hara mai ki tōku kāinga tuarua. Hāunga te taha ki Te Awahou, ki Waitetī, ki Ngongotahā, ki Ngāti Rangiwewehi tonu, haere mai ki te kāinga tuarua o Te Ururoa, ā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

I a au e tū nei, poto noa iho taku kōrero i te mea, kua kōrerohia katoatia ngā kōrero. Ko te wāhi ki a au, i a au e tū nei, e, ka hoki ngā mahara ki te hunga kāre i konei i tēnei rangi, nā runga i te āhuatanga o te mea, i te tīmatanga mai o te whakakotahitanga o ngā iwi e toru, i puta te whakaaro o ngā pakeke ō roto o Ngāti Rangiwewehi i tērā wā, kia haere atu a Ngāti Rangiwewehi ki te toro i a Tapuika, a Ngāti Rangiteaorere, nā runga i te āhuatanga o te ara whanaunga.

Ka hoki ngā mahara ki te wā i tae atu ahau, ko Huka tērā, i haere atu ki roto o Tapuika. I whakatakotohia te kōrero, te tono ki tērā o ngā marae a Makahae, kia whakakotahi nei i te āhuatanga o ngā kerēme katoa, kia anga whakamua te kaupapa nei. Nā, nā wai, nā wai, nā wai, anā, koinei te otinga mai i tēnei rangi tonu nei. Ka hoki ngā mahara ki te haerenga ki runga o Rangiteaorere, o Ngāti Rangiteaorere, i pērā rawa te āhuatanga o te tono. Kāre au i te tino mōhio mēnā i reira au i tērā hui ēngari, kua tae atu au ki tērā o ngā marae o Waiōhewa. Nō reira, koinei te tangi o te ngākau mō te hunga kāre i konei i tēnei rā. Me haere mai koutou me ngā mate huhua ō roto o Tapuika. Me haere mai koutou me ngā mate huhua ō roto i a koutou o Ngāti Rangiteaorere. Ēngari me whakahuihui anō rā rātau katoa i tēnei rangi i te mea, kātahi te rangi ātaahua, hāunga te ua i waho rā. Ēngari ko te kaupapa nei, me kī, ko te otinga mai o ngā mahi nui, o ngā mahi roa i ngā tau kua hipa ake.

Ka huri atu rā ki te Minita, e kōrero nei. Ā, ka pai tana mōhio ki ngā kōrero mōku mō Rangiwewehi. E mōhio nei ia mō te taniwha nei o Pekehauā. Ka pai hoki e te Minita, ka nui te mihi ki a koe me te tautoko i ngā mihi a te tangata nei a Tau Hēnare ki a koe, mōu i kaha nei ki te whakatutuki i ngā wawata o ngā iwi katoa o te motu, kia tutuki pai wā rātau kerēme. Ā, i ngā tau kua hipa ake e hoa mā, ko tāku ki te Minita, he kongakonga noa iho tērā ka whakahokia ki roto i ngā ringaringa o ngā iwi ēngari, i tōna mutunga mai ko ngā take ō roto i tēnei Whare Pāremata, he take mā tēnā iwi tēnā e whai atu, mā tēnā iwi e whai atu, ā, mēnā ka tutuki, ka pai. Ki te kore, ā, hoi anō koinei te āhuatanga o tēnei mea o te wānanga.

Nō reira, e hoa mā wā tātau mate. Kua kite atu i te āhuatanga o te hunga kei ngā whakaahua kei a koutou, ka tangi ake, ka tangi ake, ka tangi ake. Ē, me te kī atu ki tōku ake rahi, e aroha atu ana ki te āhuatanga o ā tātau mate i ngā wiki tata kua hipa ake me te parekura nui kua eke mai ki runga i a tātau i te kāinga. Nō reira, kei te kite atu i a Haami, koinā te tangata nāna tēnei kaupapa i āki i tōna tīmatanga mai. Kei te kite atu i a Te Meihana, i whai tonu a ia i ngā tapuwae o Te Haami. Ka kite atu i a Hukarere, ko ia tērā i haere ki ngā huihuinga katoa o te iwi. Nōnātata nei ko Marla. Ko ia tērā e noho nei hei pou mō tō tātau pakeke a Haami. Kei te kite atu i a Ngāti Rangiwewehi ki tai, ā, ko te hononga anō rā ki a Ngāti Rangiwewehi ki uta, tēnā tātau katoa. Nō reira, kāti ake.

Ka nui te mihi ki a tātau katoa otirā, ki te wahine rā poto nei, ki a koe Patsy. Tēnā koe i kaha āki nei i ngā kaupapa kōrero kia eke ki tēnei taumata. Ko te pai o te wahine, ka noho, ka āta whakarongo, ka āta wetewete i ngā take ka mutu, ka puta tētahi whakatau. Nō reira, ki taku mōhio kua rongo au i ngā kōrero i Ngati Moko, kua rongo anō hoki i ngā kōrero ki ngā iwi e toru nei. Ko koe te wahine mō te āta whakakotahi nei i ngā kōrero. Ka nui te mihi ki a koe. Nō reira, kāti ake.

Taku kupu whakamutunga e pēnei ana ki a tātau katoa. Ēhara au i te atua ēngari, he kōrero noa ake. Kua mutu te āhuatanga o te uauatanga ki te eke ki tēnei kaupapa, ki tēnei rangi tonu nei. Ko tāku ko te pātai, he aha āpōpō? He aha ā tahi rā? He aha ā ngā wiki? He aha ā ngā marama kai mua i te aroaro, hei painga mō ngā tamariki, mokopuna. Ko au tērā i te mura o te ahi i ngā tau kua hipa ake. Ēhara i te mea, i tino rata nei au ki ngā kōrero katoa e pā ana ki tō tātau kerēme ēngari, waihotia ake tērā ki roto i ngā ringaringa o te hunga nā rātau tēnei kaupapa i kōkiri. Ko te āwangawanga nui ō roto i te ngākau, ka pēhea āpōpō, ā tahi rā, ā ngā tau kei mua i te aroaro. Āe, kua whiwhi i te pūtea. Āe, kua whiwhi i ētahi whenua ēngari, kāre he take o ērā ki te kore tātau e whakatipu kia kitea mai ai tētahi painga mō ngā tamariki, mokopuna. Nō reira, tēnei te whakatau atu, kia kaha tātau ki te whakariterite i ētahi kaupapa mō ngā tamariki, mokopuna. Ēhara i te mea koinei te mutunga mai, tērā pea he pai kē te kī, koinei te tīmatanga mai. Koinei te tīmatanga mai mō ngā rā kei mua i te aroaro.

Nō reira, e harikoa ana, ā kō ake nei kua hākari tātau ēngari, ka hoki ngā mahara ki ngā hui, ka hoki ngā mahara ki te hunga kua ngaro, ka hoki ngā mahara ki ngā tohe otirā, ka hoki ngā mahara ki ngā whakatau i puta. Kai taku iti, kai taku rahi huri noa i tō tātau Whare, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātau katoa. Kia kaha, kia toa, ā ngā rā kei mua i te aroaro. Ngāti Rangiwewehi kei a tātau te waiata, ka mutu, ka huri haere, kia eke ki te kotahi karaka. Tapuika, kia māmā mai tā koutou waiata.

[Greetings to you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and thank you for that decision of yours. Salutations to us all who have arrived here today at Parliament House, and to my fellow members of Parliament expressing their sentiments about me, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Tapuika, and the circumstances relating to Ngāti Rangiteaorere. I thank you all. The problem really is that I am from within these tribes. The heart is somewhat apprehensive, should some say to me: “Is that right? Well, well, this person here is going on about his benefits.” Ngāti Rangiwewehi is a humble tribe. They do not boast about themselves or about their own benefits. And so, I must follow the example of my elders and ancestors, and speak modestly about my tribe.

So my greetings to you my great ones who have arrived here under the mantle of that aphorism, from Maketū to Tongariro; greetings to you collectively and welcome. It is not really for me to officially welcome you, but I do so to my second home. Apart from the Te Awahou, Waitetī, Ngongotahā side, and Ngāti Rangiwewehi itself, welcome to the second home of Te Ururoa. And so, greetings, salutations, and acknowledgments to you all.

As I stand here before you, I need to stress that my address is to be but a brief one because everything has been addressed. The part for me then, as I am on my feet, is to reflect on those who are not here today. Because of the situation at the beginning, when the three tribes were getting together, it came to the elders at the time within Ngāti Rangiwewehi that it should visit Tapuika and Ngāti Rangiteaorere, because of the kinship ties.

The thoughts go back to the time when Huka and I went and arrived there among Tapuika. The statement, the mandate was made at Makahae—that one of the courtyards there—to combine, because that was the situation with all claims, so that this matter could move forward. Eventually and over a period of time, this is the conclusion on this very day. The thoughts go back to the journey upon Rangiteaorere, upon Ngāti Rangiteaorere. The request was the same. I am not really sure whether I attended that meeting, but I was at Waiōhewa, that one of the courtyards. So this is why the heart laments for those who are not here today. Therefore, come forth with the many deaths from within Tapuika and from Ngāti Rangiteaorere that are upon you. But they must also gather here today because it is indeed a beautiful day, aside from the rain out there. But, as far as this matter is concerned, let us say it is the culmination of important and lengthy work over the past years.

I turn to the Minister who commented. What he knows about me and Rangiwewehi is good. He knows about this supernatural guardian Pekehauā. Well done, Minister. I commend you highly, and I endorse the accolades accorded to you by this man Tau Hēnare, in regard to your efforts to meet the expectations of all tribes of the country, and to ensure their claims are completed well. Fellow colleagues, a few years ago I told the Minister that only a minuscule amount is returned to tribes, but ultimately matters in this House of Parliament are left for each individual iwi to address. If it is achieved, that is good. If not, that is the purpose of a discussion.

Therefore, what about our dead friends? Seeing the photographs you have with you moves one to mourn, weep, and cry. Indeed, to my numerous I am saddened by the circumstances of our deaths in the past weeks, and the great calamities that have come upon us back home. Therefore, I see Haami there, the person who urged this matter along when it began. I can see Hukarere. She was one who went to all tribal gatherings. Recently it was Marla. She remains a pillar for our elder Haami. I can see Ngāti Rangiwewehi, coastal-wise, and their kin Ngāti Rangiwewehi, inland-wise; greetings to us all. So let us leave it at that.

I do have great admiration for us all, and especially that short woman there, you Patsy. Congratulations to you, to the lady who strongly urged that matters be discussed until it reached this level. The good thing about a woman is that she sits, listens, and critically analyses issues, and then makes a decision. To my understanding, that is what I heard at Ngati Moko from these three tribes. You are the woman who carefully brought the stories together as one. I commend you greatly. So enough.

My closing word to us all goes like this. I am not a god but merely bringing it up. The difficult part of getting this matter here has ended. My point is about this question. What about tomorrow? The day after tomorrow? The weeks and months ahead, in terms of benefits for the children and grandchildren? I was intimately involved once years ago. It was not as though I warmed to all the stories about our claims, but I left it in the hands of those who addressed this matter. What about tomorrow, the day after, and the years ahead is the primary concern within. Yes, we have received funding and some land, but those are of no consequence if we do not make them grow, to ensure that benefits accrue for the betterment of our children and grandchildren. So I urge us to work hard to arrange schemes for the children and grandchildren. It is not as though this is the finish; it is better to say that this is perhaps the beginning, the start towards the future.

And so, I am euphoric. Shortly we will feast, but meetings are recalled. Thoughts go back to those who have passed away, to the arguments, and to the decisions that emerged. To my diminutive ones and great ones throughout our House, greetings to you, salutations to you, and congratulations to us all. Be strong and courageous, going forward into the future. Rangiwewehi, we have the traditional song, and after that it will continue on until we get to 1 o’clock. Tapuika, ease up on the length of your traditional song.]

Waiata

Shall I put the vote?

Taihoa, Mr Deputy Speaker. Ngāti Rangiteaorere mēnā he waiata tā koutou, ā, tukuna.

[A moment please, Mr Deputy Speaker. Rangiteaorere, if you have a traditional song, sing it now.]

Waiata

Haka

Mai e te tipua, mai e te tawhito, mai e te kāhui o ngā ariki, mai eee tāwhiwhi ki ngā atua. Ōī, ka takina te mauri, ko te mauri i ahua noa mai ki runga ki ēnei taura, ki runga ki ēnei tauira. Kia tau te mauri ki runga ki ēnei tamatāne, tamawāhine he tukuna nō te whaiorooro a Tānetewaiora. Tēnei te matatau ka eke, whakatū tārewa ki te rangi. Ūhi, wēro, hara mai te toki, haumi e, hui e, taiki e!

[I invoke the inspiration and guidance from the universe and the gods. Therefore, I bestow upon these disciples and young men and women the life-force under the auspices of Tāne, the giver of life. I invoke the inspiration and guidance from the universe and the gods. Therefore, I bestow upon these disciples and young men and women the life-force under the auspices of Tāne, the giver of life. Let them attain the sacred knowledge from the highest heavens. Hold fast, hold strong, and let it be done!]

Bills read a third time.

The House adjourned at 12.57 p.m.