Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill

I move, That the Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider the bill. This bill amends the Waitangi National Trust Board Act 1932. Its principal purpose is to make changes to the membership of the trust board.

The board is charged with looking after what is probably the most significant historical site in New Zealand—the most important to the nation. It is at this site that James Busby, the British Government’s first official representative, erected the residency that we now call the Treaty House. On the lawn, the Confederation of the United Tribes of Aotearoa first raised its flag in 1834 and signed a declaration of independence the following year. Lieutenant Governor Hobson and Māori representatives met there to sign the Treaty in 1840. In 1940 the centenary commemorations of that signing saw the realisation of Sir Apirana Ngata’s vision of a new whare rūnanga close to the Treaty House. A magnificent ceremonial waka, also completed for the centenary, is housed in the grounds and is still used on Waitangi Day, as we all know. The grounds have been the focus of the nation’s Treaty commemorations for several decades. They have become a destination of interest to large numbers of New Zealanders and international visitors alike, and these numbers, of course, can only continue to grow in the future.

Before I outline the provisions of the bill, it is instructive to recall how the current legislation came into being and how the Treaty House, its grounds, and surrounding land were secured for the nation. The Busby property changed hands several times in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and in 1932 it was about to be sold again. Over the years there had been some Government interest in purchasing part of the property, but no sale had eventuated. In 1932, it is fair to say, the considerable economic challenges resulting from the Great Depression were foremost in the minds of the people.

We can thank Vernon Reed for the role he played in saving the Treaty House. He was a former member of Parliament, and he escorted the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, and Lady Bledisloe on a visit to see the Treaty House. Mr Reed was very keen to see public ownership of the site and had already petitioned the Government to purchase it. The Bledisloes, for their part, knew about the major constitutional events that had taken place at Waitangi and appreciated its historical importance. When they visited the site they were very affected by the sad state of the house. The Bledisloes, there and then, resolved to purchase the property themselves, much to the delight of Mr Reed, who had merely hoped to gain their support in his latest bid for Government ownership of the site. We are very fortunate indeed that the Bledisloes had the foresight to gift not only the Treaty House and its immediate surroundings but a full 506 hectares, the Waitangi estate, in perpetuity to the people of this land.

Lord Bledisloe wanted not just to reclaim a part of New Zealand’s history but also to seek reconciliation to heal past controversies. He said he wanted to foster the sense of nationhood and to link for ever Māori and Pākehā on a common basis for a common good. In a time of high unemployment, he also saw the restoration process as an opportunity to create work. To this end he provided £1,000 for the Waitangi renovation fund to restore the Treaty House and other parts of the grounds. The Government contributed a further £500.

The 1932 Act gave statutory effect to the Waitangi National Trust deed and established the trust board. It vested the estate and the board to be held in trust for the people of New Zealand, as a place of historic interest, recreation, and enjoyment. The composition of the board reflected Lord Bledisloe’s wish to maintain an enduring relationship between tangata whenua and Pākehā in the governance of the site and to ensure ongoing Government involvement in the work. Board members were to include descendents of particular individuals, both Māori and Pākehā, who had been prominent at the time of the signing of the Treaty; a representative of Māori living north of Auckland and a representative of Māori living south of Auckland, as well as representatives of the Bay of Islands and the South Island; and a prominent person with a background in politics, history, archaeology, or natural history. The Government was represented on the board through ex officio rules for the Prime Minister and two Government Ministers. Governors-General were also to be given the option of becoming ex officio members.

Under the deed the board was given powers to manage the estate, including protecting and enhancing its heritage values, engaging in income-generating activity, and making by-laws to regulate conduct within the estate. It is not surprising that participation by the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, and the two Ministers in the board’s decision making has been somewhat limited. Quite apart from the potential conflict between their two roles—constitutional and board member—there is a risk of damage to the Crown’s reputation and to the office of Governor-General if, for example, the trust were to embark on a commercial venture that subsequently failed or took decisions that proved to be controversial.

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage has reviewed the Act. It has identified these issues, which must be attended to. The board needs workable governance arrangements that maintain the original intent of the Act and also reflect contemporary expectations of board members. So what the bill does is create a clearer, formal separation between the Government and the board while ensuring a practical ongoing workable relationship.

New section 4A establishes a new statutory Crown representatives group, comprising the Prime Minister, the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, and the Minister of Māori Affairs, replacing the ex officio roles previously provided for in the Act. This group is intended to be a vehicle for ongoing dialogue between the Government and the board. It may well be convenient and, indeed, symbolically appropriate for their meetings to occur on or around Waitangi Day, when the board and the Crown representatives would be up there at Waitangi.

New section 4B broadens the current membership of the board by providing for parliamentary representation. Two members of Parliament are to be appointed as full members of the board. One will be nominated by the Prime Minister, and the other by the Leader of the Opposition, and this will ensure that a Government and a parliamentary perspective will be represented at the board table. The terms of office of the parliamentary representatives will expire at the end of the parliamentary term in which they are appointed, if they become Government Ministers, or if they cease to be members of this House. Part 2 contains miscellaneous provisions to amend the deed of trust and to provide for transitional arrangements for people serving as representative members of the board when the Act comes into force. These are all very sensible amendments that modernise the trust’s governance. They in no way diminish or negate Lord Bledisloe’s vision for the trust board and its work.

As I noted earlier, the trust board has broad responsibilities that go beyond the maintenance of the buildings on the site. These changes come at an important time as we look forward to the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty in 2015. The board has ambitious plans to improve the visitor experience at Waitangi. This work includes upgrading the existing visitor centre, improving interpretation at the site, and undertaking a major reinterpretation of the Treaty House. The board also plans to encourage visits by schoolchildren and to build a new museum, which is intended to give New Zealanders and overseas visitors the opportunity to learn more about the early history of New Zealand. The board is also intending to promote Waitangi as a visitor attraction to tourists, using an enhanced online presence as a marketing tool.

The Government looks forward to seeing this work progress and to a continuing positive relationship with the board. The board, on its part, has expressed support for the changes contained in the bill and welcomes the prospect of a new working relationship with the Government. I am confident these changes will also be widely supported by other parties in this House. I commend the bill to the House.

Ā, tēnā tātou katoa i roto i tēnei ata, i a tātou e noho nei i roto i te Whare Pāremata, ka whiriwhiri, ka whakaputa kōrero mō tēnei pire e pā ana ki a tātou katoa, ahakoa kiri parauri, ahakoa kiritea, ahakoa nō tēhea pito o te motu tā te mea, ko te papa tēnei i waihangatia ai, i whakaaetia ai, i whakairongia ai, ko te kawenata i tū ai tō tātou motu me tōna kāwanatanga, arā, ko te Tiriti o Waitangi. Nā reira, tēnei ahau te tū i te taha ō ōku hoa ki te tautoko i ngā kōrero kua whakatakotongia ki te kapu o te pepa, ā tōna wā ka whai pakiaka, ka weu ki te mata o te ture. Nā reira, tēnā anō tātou katoa.

[So greetings to us all this morning, as we sit in Parliament House to consider and to talk about this bill that relates to us all, regardless of whether we are brown, fair-skinned, or whichever end of the country we are from, because this is the ground upon which an agreement, the Treaty of Waitangi, was created, agreed, and penned—an agreement that our country and its Government was founded on. And so, I stand alongside my colleagues to endorse the statements written into this bill that will shortly become validated and embedded in law. Therefore, greetings to us all once again.]

I stand to support the amendments outlined by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage. I speak with obvious affection for this part of the country not only because of wanting to embrace our heritage but by dint of coming from that part of Aotearoa. I want to remind the House that in 2006 the then Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, with the support of the then Prime Minister, Helen Clark, explored whether the capital base of the Waitangi National Trust Board could be strengthened by infusion of a Crown grant. I recall being on the Finance and Expenditure Committee, chairing the select committee, and it was John Key who posed the question to the acting Minister on the day—I think it was Minister Judith Tizard. That then led to some unfortunate rhetoric in and around personalities on this trust board and, indeed, from my erstwhile northern parliamentary colleague John Carter.

At that point in time, the fear was that any changes that took the Crown closer to either providing assistance or making other such changes to the Waitangi National Trust Board would weaken or corrupt the original kaupapa laid down by the Governor-General of that time, Lord Bledisloe. I think that the wrong decision was made at that time and that this trust board statute has been well and truly overdue for amendments of this nature. The fact is that this group is responsible for—well, I would say—the pre-eminent site in terms of our nation’s history and constitutional pedigree. The fact is that the Crown to date has not been able to work very closely with this organisation to ensure that it has the direction and, indeed, the resources to fulfil what this generation and future generations will expect of it as our multi-ethnicity grows and we ensure we do not move away from the original kaupapa that led to ordered, settled development in our nation State.

This is a particularly interesting bill because it seeks to blend together some of the leading colonial families, and I am glad that now there will be parliamentarians in a slightly different way, and a connection with the office of the Prime Minister and the office of the Opposition, to ensure that the two streams of thinking—the thinking of whichever the Government of the day is or, indeed, in Parliament and the thinking of the custodians of that site—do not diverge. But it is interesting because the great-grandfather of the current list member Tau Henare was an original member of this trust, as indeed was Korokī, and as indeed was the mokopuna of Te Ruki Kāwiti.

That particular appointee, Te Riri Kāwiti, was established as a custodian here to represent the interests of four families, or four lineages, of the Ngāpuhi people—Pōmare, whose mokopuna is Kelvin Davis; Pōmare, whose indigenous name was Whētoi; Pōmare, who took his name from the Tahitian king of that time. In the rather wanderlust ways of the Ngāpuhi, he had settled upon a kaupapa that he was going to go with several ships to Tahiti. The colonial forces of the time did not think that was a great idea. But Pōmare was also the tupuna who took back to Ngāti Porou their princess, their tapairu, by the name of Rangipaia. It was Pōmare who went with Hongi Hika, as being the first iwi to get the muskets to settle historic scores. But he came to grief in the Waipā River in Tainui country, and he had been warned by the High Chief Pōroa of Hokianga, who had made peace with Tainui, the ancestor Te Kanawa: “Do not make mockery of my peace.” There is a great story to be told by Hēnare Tūwhāngai and Rua Cooper that once they split the belly open of Pōmare, the Tainui managed to get the kernel of corn to grow their gardens. This is not the stuff of stuffy history. This speaks to the red blood, the liveliness, of Māori history as well.

The other ancestor is Tāmati Waka Nene. Tāmati Waka Nene is the son of Tapua. Tapua was the young man who greeted Cook, not far from the Cavalli Islands. The third tupuna mentioned here is Hone Heke. Hone Heke needs no explanation. He decided that the flagpole was a source of irritation and, a bit like his great, great, great mokopuna Hone Harawira, was rebellious to his core. I do not recall Hone Heke having a German connection, though, but that is another matter. [Interruption] A little bit of humour. That is the Ngāpuhi style—Kāwiti, Pōmare, Waka Nene, Hone Heke. That part of New Zealand’s heritage is still embedded in this bill.

The creation of the Waitangi waka is also a story that needs to be properly told, and, hopefully, will be through the restructuring of this bill. I would say to the Minister that, over time, perhaps the passage of some material assistance would be valuable because this trust went through a bad patch prior to the arrival of Sir Don McKinnon. I have to acknowledge Sir Don McKinnon as having done a great job in turning the fortunes of this trust round. It made an unwise decision about a decade ago. One bad executive can create all types of tantrums, so I am so glad to learn that he has remained involved, and indeed it has a fund-raising initiative with Westpac Bank, which has continued to offer its support.

The story of the Ngāpuhi waka Ngātokimatawhaorua, a replica of which lies at Waitangi, was the effort of Te Pūea and the effort of Ngata, supported by Tau Henare’s tupuna, who brought the big logs out of Ngāti Hine. Hone Harawira and I have an uncle who has recently passed away. He was the last surviving man who paddled that canoe when he went home from St Stephen’s School, on holiday—Mr Glass Murray. He told us the story of how they were assembled near Kerikeri, and the Tainui had come forward and were helping them with the drills. But in the great Ngāpuhi tradition, the Hokianga people took offence at this. So they went into the backblocks of Hokianga and built their own waka. That waka too was called Ngātokimatawhaorua-iti and it took place under the leadership of the tohunga of Ngāpuhi of that time, Mr Rei Kauere, aided by Toki Pāngari. That waka has been restored. It has also graced the waters recently at Waitangi.

I only hope that that part of the history is embraced as this trust grows and acts as a custodian for future generations because know this: as the demography and the composition of our population changes, we must fight incessantly to ensure that we do not become untethered from this original narrative outlined in the Treaty, hopefully safeguarded and evolved through good stewardship of this organisation. I feel a lot more confident as a consequence of these statutory changes that the organisation will grow to meet the challenges of the time. Kia ora tātou.

Tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. Tēnā tātou katoa. Waitangi is a place that belongs to all New Zealanders—Pākehā and Māori. Incredibly, those words were spoken 80 years ago by a British Lord who had been born in the same year that British troops invaded Waikato-Tainui. Lord Charles Bathurst Bledisloe, New Zealand’s fourth Governor-General, was a visionary man, a man whose thinking was years ahead of his time, a man whose generous actions matched his words. When public servants’ salaries were cut during the Great Depression, Lord Bledisloe insisted the Government reduce his own salary by the same proportion—something we do here in this House! It meant that he ended up using his own private income to carry out his duties and to leave an enduring mark upon New Zealand history.

In 1931 he donated the Bledisloe Cup to mark the annual rugby test between Australia and New Zealand. The Bledisloe remains physically the largest cup in world rugby. In 1933 after working alongside Tā Apirana Ngata, Lord Bledisloe donated the Ahuwhenua Trophy for the Māori Farmer of the Year. The Ahuwhenua remains New Zealand’s oldest national farming competition. However, Lord Bledisloe’s most significant gift to the nation was made in 1932, when he used his own money and purchased the Waitangi estate from private vendors. He then gifted all 1,000 acres to the nation and said that Waitangi is the birthplace of our nation and that Waitangi is a place that belongs to all New Zealanders—Pākehā and Māori. More than 80 years later, Lord Bledisloe’s words resound through the generations. They are as relevant today as they were in 1932.

This bill is about nation-building, and it has been a great honour to have served as a member of the Waitangi National Trust. Those who have served before me include representatives, some of whom have been mentioned already. They include some of the forefathers of Aotearoa, particularly of the north: Hone Heke, Maihi Kāwiti, Tāmati Waka Nene, Pōmare, James Busby, Archdeacon Henry Williams, and Edward Gibbon Wakefield. Those of us who are privileged to serve on the trust today have very large shoes to fill and to follow.

This bill strengthens the existing trust by making the Governor-General its honorary patron. It extends the membership, with two additional members of Parliament who are not members of Cabinet. The Crown representatives will provide for an enduring relationship between the Crown and the Waitangi National Trust. It will be made up of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Māori Affairs, and the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage. This legislative makeover for the Waitangi National Trust is being matched on the ground with plans for a state-of-the-art Waitangi Museum. The plans are outstanding and in keeping with the trust’s vision for Waitangi to be a place for all New Zealanders, a place central to our history as a nation, a place central to our growth as a nation, a place of honour, partnership, scholarship and courage, and a place for all Kiwis to want to visit at least once in their lifetime.

Next year Aotearoa New Zealand turns 175 years old from the signing of the Treaty. This bill is about succession planning; futureproofing our most significant national site. The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi marked the birth of our nation. The lands at Waitangi mark the birthplace of our nation. The Treaty of Waitangi itself is the birth certificate of our nation. Ka hoki ōku mahara ki te wā i tae tuatahi au ki ngā whenua o Waitangi, ā, he taitama tonu au i tērā wā. I uru au ki roto i te whare i reira, ā, he whare i whakatūria i te tau 1940. I reira ngā kupu: ko au anō tētahi i reira.

[My thoughts go back to the first time when I went to the Treaty grounds. I was still a young man at that stage. I went into the house that was there, which was built in 1940, and there were the words: I was one of the ones present.]

Those words were put in that house for the reason that that house was erected—that every tree had some Governor-General’s name associated with those trees. So in 1940, when they built the house and opened it, this says: “I was also there.”, putting the other half of the Treaty, the Māori people, in there. It is a pleasure for me to stand and support this bill today. Thank you.

Tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to be able to join previous speakers and support the passage of this bill, the Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill.

I was listening to my colleague Shane Jones reciting history, and I can say that in terms of the relationship the Bledisloes had throughout the country with Māoridom at the time, it was certainly significant. They visited Tūrangawaewae Marae a number of times. Te Rata was a member of the original trust board. It was during this time that Te Pūea consolidated the nature of that relationship by sending our master carvers up to the north to be able to carve Ngātokimatawhaorua. I am recalling those carvers like Piri Poutapu, Hoani Hērangi, and the like, who contributed their time and effort to the aspiration set down by the Bledisloes to remember our history; to purchase this piece of estate and gift it back to the nation in a way that we can celebrate. It is a place that is a historical site of significance, not just to the north and not just to Māori but to New Zealanders. Eighty years later, now that we are looking again at this legislation, we can remember with only pride the amount of foresight that was held by those leaders at the time to make sure that where the founding document of our country was signed, there was a place to remember that occasion. I want to acknowledge Pita Paraone, who is a current board member of the trust and is listening to the debate, representing those original whānau who were on the board as well.

I am really excited by the fact that the time has now come to modernise the trust deed, which informs the way in which the trust board operates, but also to think about how Waitangi as a site of significance can grow and be a place where more tourists come to learn about our history and more schoolchildren come to experience a little bit of what is unique about New Zealand. I want to maybe dwell a little bit on some of that opportunity. I do not think that there is a school in the country that I have visited where Waitangi is not an annual school trip fixture—maybe not for all the classes of the school, but they always try to make a pilgrimage to Waitangi or to Parliament here in Wellington.

It is with that kind of sense of optimism that I want to say that the trust board does the nation a great service, not just by looking after the place in itself but by continually challenging itself to see how it can be a part of telling New Zealand’s stories. I remember some years ago there was a debate about the fee for going in to visit the place. At the time I think people were saying that New Zealanders should be charged nothing and only tourists should pay. That was by the by, and I think the real point of the debates of the day is that the trust board has a good opportunity to link New Zealand’s national heritage and story in a way that continues to promote us with some integrity. That is a two-sided story.

I want to come to the membership of the board. We support this bill going to the select committee because we think it is far overdue that the trust deed be modernised so that the membership and the way in which it works for the benefit of the board can be a more proactive, I guess, engagement of ideas, skills, and enthusiasm.

Having had a discussion with people around this particular bill, maybe there are two issues that might be put on the table now that we might expect at the select committee. I am expecting that it will come to the Māori Affairs Committee.

💬 Hon Christopher Finlayson: It will.

Fantastic. I must have been distracted slightly. When it gets to the select committee, maybe the issue of the lands in the estate supporting the work of the board could be a possible point of discussion. Shane Jones raised the issue about potential further investment from the Government for the ongoing operations of the trust board, but more important is guaranteeing to the board that the whole estate that was gifted to the Waitangi National Trust Board remains intact. At the moment we have got Treaty settlements in the area. Far be it from me to predict what might be part of the settlement package, but if the farm estate in this area, which was originally gifted for the purposes of preserving this particular site, becomes part of a settlement package, we might see ourselves revisiting a number of components of our contributions today, which will not be very helpful, I think.

The other point is one that I observed when I looked at the original membership of the board in the bill. We have one member who represents four of the Māori whānau who have a direct connection there. One might presume that each of those whānau in their own right deserves to have a member sit on the board and make a contribution. I understand they have come to their own arrangement, where there is a rotation of who represents those four whānau, but that is still one representative for four whānau. That could, again, be a matter that the select committee might have to consider at that point. I do not want to dwell too much more on this bill. We need to get it to the select committee. Hopefully, we will get at least to the submissions before the House rises.

Shane recited some history that also links to my Ngāpuhi connections and my Te Takapau Ngāti Manu connections to Pōmare. The place that he was referring to back home in the Waikato was Te Rore, where that incident happened. It is a place that has for my own family particular significance because of that event, but, more important, I think it is an opportunity for us to live what the successive, I guess, marriage relationships have been in consolidating the relationships between Waikato and Ngāpuhi.

Nō reira, with that said, I support the bill. I support the renewing of the trust deed and the revisiting of the membership of the trust board. I would like to get an assurance at some point about the nature of the estate that looks after the trust. If Shane Jones’ recollection of history is right, there may well need to be in the future some consideration of further investment to support the activities of the board. Tēnā koutou katoa. Kia ora.

I am pleased to stand for the Greens and speak in support of the Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill. On the face of it, typically the restructuring by some amendments of a Government body might not excite much emotion or passion, except, of course, that this bill does relate to what is undoubtedly the single most important historic site in New Zealand. For that reason, of course, it is important that the work be done and that we get it right. I believe the Green position is that largely this does seem to be a well-intentioned and well-drafted piece of legislation that does effect some necessary and positive changes. For those reasons, we of course will support it.

It has taken some time to get to this point. If I understand correctly, there was a review undertaken by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage—the Ministry of Arts and Culture, as it may have been then—in 2006 to 2008, and there were some concerns about the potential for constitutional conflict in the various roles of the Prime Minister, particularly, and, indeed, the Governor-General. It is interesting to note that in 2007 the then Governor-General, Sir Anand Satyanand, broke with convention by choosing not to take up a seat that was available to him on the board, which, one can only assume, reflected a level of unease, perhaps, from a gentleman of the highest integrity. I think there is a signal in that that all has not been well with the existing structure. So, as I say, I think it is a good thing to move on and to look at what and how we can do better.

I think it is critically important that we retain a couple of the key characteristics of the original board as it was formatted, and those characteristics are representation and inclusion. Clearly, it was insightful to the extent that membership of the board represented Māori with significant mana and connections to the site and to New Zealand more generally, and, of course, Pākehā and Government representatives. When you see names on that original board like Kāwiti, Hēnare, Māhuta, and Williams, these are names that resonate with anybody with the least understanding of, or exposure to, our New Zealand history. It is important that we retain that quality of representation, the breadth of representation, and the inclusiveness of the representation on the board. We have no qualms with this bill in the sense that we think it will achieve that. With people with goodwill, there is no reason we cannot continue to retain the best of it but make some necessary amendments to it.

I believe that there was initially some concern that the bill on the face of it appeared to be politicians handing away a level of power and control. That is not something that politicians are wont to do, typically. It perhaps created a little bit of unease or some questions raised, but I think that it is clear that it is well-intentioned. It does address a potentially concerning constitutional conflict, and we see nothing in it that is not benign and helpful.

I think it is important to acknowledge that in Waitangi as a site, as a historic site, and as a dynamic, live, living place, there have been some positive developments in recent years. The whole ambience and the whole dynamic of the place seem to have picked up. It is a more engaging place. It is in beautiful condition. It is well cared for. It reflects care and concern being put in to it. There have been some developments, and I think one would hope that the new board, in its new format, will continue. It is a historic site, obviously, but it is also part of our present and part of our future. It is very encouraging to hear that there are some positive plans afoot to expand the site, to add value to it. I must confess that I continue to be surprised by the number of New Zealanders who actually have never set foot in Waitangi. No doubt there are other places around New Zealand where people have not been, and to my mind it is peculiar. But I do think to the extent that we can add value to the site and make it a more open, more interesting, more engaging place for those who do not have the close relationship to it that some of us already do, as I say, the plans afoot, it would seem, will achieve that outcome as well. I think that is as much as I need to say.

As I say, the Greens are very keen and able to support this. We look forward to engaging in the select committee process. One of the things the bill does, of course, is to have a Government representative and a person representing the Opposition parties. It is important that those people, particularly the person representing the Opposition parties, are selected in a cross-party, consensual sort of way. Clearly, an MMP situation does require that there be a level of engagement before that appointment is made, to ensure that whoever stands in that role will have the support of all of the Opposition parties. Indeed, the same applies for the Government representative, given the likelihood that the Government of any day will constitute a number of different parties under our MMP system. We look forward to this. We think it is well-intentioned. We think it will deliver good outcomes. We will be pleased to vote for its process through the House. Kia ora.

Tēnā tātou katoa. It is with a sense of pride that I stand and speak on this bill, the Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill. It is about 10 days away from the 100th anniversary of the election of my great-grandfather to this House. From 1914 to 1938 he represented the Northern Maori electorate. When you read through his Hansard—it is not like the Hansard of these days—his was centred really on one thing, and that was the Treaty of Waitangi. His time here, 24 years, was centred on making sure that Waitangi was the jewel in the crown. I stand here with a sense of pride that my great-grandfather was able to do so much for the nation in terms of actually getting the place running and being an inaugural member of the Waitangi National Trust Board, as I have also served on it when I was the Minister of Māori Affairs.

I just want to take a brief call to mention a few names and also to say that I am looking forward—actually, it is a bit serendipitous that this may be my—

💬 Hone Harawira: Serendipitous? Woo hoo!

I see Mr Harawira has been out figuring out what “serendipitous” means. But anyway, I think it will be one of the last things that I do as chairman of the Māori Affairs Committee. I am looking forward to going to Waitangi and listening to some of the kōrero there—the submissions about what we are doing. I am interested to see the proposal that there be a Government representative and a member of the Opposition. It is not new. I maybe think that those people should represent Parliament, rather than the Government or the Opposition, as we do in the Inter-Parliamentary Union. We are parliamentary representatives, rather than representing the Opposition or representing the Government.

Waitangi is the single most important geographical point in New Zealand, absolutely. If you travel the world and see other countries and the respect and honour that they give their birthplaces, I think that we tend to miss out on that emotional tie to the birth of the nation. There was a whole lot of stuff that happened prior to the Treaty of Waitangi and to Waitangi becoming the home of New Zealand, but we should revel in the fact that as we go forward we do have a place that was established in 1840.

Two names that I want to write into the records are George Waititi and Eramiha Te Kapua, and also Mōtatau’s gift, I suppose, to the nation of the tōtara that was pulled out of the Ngāti Hine forest to build the whare rūnanga, which were actually carved at Mōtatau. My great-grandfather’s son Sir James Hēnare spent years with the trust, making sure that he carried on that mantel, and his son Ērima Hēnare has done the same. I also want to congratulate the present board, with Pita Paraone, a former member of Parliament, and also Sir Donald McKinnon, a former Deputy Prime Minister as well.

I think the trust has a rosy future, and I think that we need to make sure that we do not change it just because we think it might need changing. I think we should definitely listen to those who come before the select committee with their views. On that note, thank you very much.

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.]

I rise in support of the first reading of the Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill. It gives me honour to support previous speakers in acknowledging the national significance of the Waitangi grounds and its history. I too look forward to the progress of the bill, with its commitment to modernising the governance arrangements of the trust board. Can I first acknowledge Pita Paraone, a former member of this House and the current chair of the Waitangi National Trust Board. Tēnei te mihi ki a koe, matua. I too am happy to hear that this bill will get forwarded to the Māori Affairs Committee.

My contribution is really in acknowledging the iwi of the far north. I note the Hon Chris Finlayson’s acknowledgment of Lord Bledisloe but I want to acknowledge those original iwi owners. The history in my research is that after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, the grounds belonged to the Busby family. In 1882 Agnes Busby, the wife of James Busby, sold the land, 10 years after his passing. It was local iwi who felt that the farmlands were in decline and sought to persuade Parliament to support the resurrection of what was a significant site—the beginning of our history and the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. I want to pay tribute to the iwi of the time who did forge and try to pursue that resurrection, and their commitment of support to make the Waitangi Treaty Grounds into what they have become now. So I wanted to first pay tribute to them.

It was interesting, in my own little bit of research about that time, that in 1878, when members of local tribes petitioned the Government to set up a commemorative meeting house, the Government of the day actually refused. I am glad we are not in that period, but it is important that if we are going to be honest about our history, we acknowledge that part—that there were other people just as determined as, clearly, Lord Bledisloe and the local MP, Vernon Reed, were at the time to bring the state of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds estate to the attention of Parliament.

I want to acknowledge the original trustees who took part in this trust board. I want to share a little story about having attended one of those trust board meetings at Government House under the governance role of the former Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright. I attended a meeting with the trust alongside my predecessor, the late Hon Parekura Horomia. There are times in your life when you are amongst people who have touched history that is significant to you. I can share with you that the hairs on the back of my neck rose when I sat at a table with direct descendants of Hone Heke, Tāmati Waka Nene, and the Pōmare whānau on one side, and on the other side there were direct descendants of the Williams family, the Bledisloe family, and, of course, the Busby family, as well as the Wakefield family. It was one of those occasions before which you had not thought you would ever be able to touch your history in such a personal way. I do know, from that short time that I sat at the table with those trust members, the absolute commitment those members have to honouring the founders in terms of reserving this site on behalf of all the nation, so I do want to acknowledge, like I said, the original trust members.

Also I want to acknowledge the work done on this particular amendment bill by Mr Finlayson in terms of strengthening the relationship between the Crown and the board. I too want to add my support to the Government—whoever is in Government—seriously considering the ongoing resourcing and investment into ensuring that with this trust, on behalf of all the nation, we acknowledge the significance of the Waitangi grounds in terms of forging our history as a country. It is quite fitting that we investigate ways in which we not only support it in spirit but actually support it with resourcing.

So I join with all members in this House in supporting the first reading of this bill. I too look forward to it coming to the Māori Affairs Committee, and I encourage people to participate in that process to ensure that these grounds have a major and unquestionable part to play not just in our history as a nation but definitely in our future going forward. Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa.

It is a privilege to take a short call on this particular piece of legislation, the Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill. As the MP for Northland I just want to acknowledge the work of the Waitangi National Trust Board and Pita Paraone and Greg McManus and the work that they are doing there. There has been something of a renaissance in the efforts in Waitangi, and that is so very important to not only the people of Northland but the people of New Zealand because of the significance, which many have regaled, of the history and the personalities and the individuals, and, of course, because of it being the birthplace of New Zealand.

Can I just acknowledge the Hon Tau Henare, who has been an outstanding member of Parliament and a flamboyant and colourful individual. I will certainly miss his involvement in this place, now that he has signalled via the Twittersphere that he is moving on. I will always remember, of course, that he spent most of my first political term trying to convince me that Tau Henare Drive was actually named after him and not after his great-grandfather. I have since come to learn that I have been defrauded by his machinations. He is a very, very important part of this place and its history here, but I also think we should acknowledge the contribution that he has made to Māoridom, and this bill is, I think, another step in a very positive direction in terms of the significance of our nation and the way in which we are coming together as many peoples, in actual fact, and forging ahead.

The significance of Waitangi cannot be understated. As a Northlander for many, many years of my life, the significance of Waitangi has not really landed upon me in the way that I think it should. It is probably a sad indictment that in many ways we have not got the cultural settings or the identity in the fit place. I think that a bill like this—and the good work of the Hon Chris Finlayson in terms of the Treaty settlement process and the opportunities that are in front of us to be led by law from Waitangi, the birthplace of New Zealand—is very, very important.

I look forward to participating in whatever way I can to support the interests of the Waitangi National Trust Board. I think that the governance structure and the model that is obviously set ahead of us in terms of this legislation makes absolute sense in a practical and pragmatic way, but what we should also reflect on is the importance of where we are going as a nation, where we have come from as a nation, and what the Waitangi National Trust Board can be, and is and should be, for this nation. It is a privilege to support this piece of legislation and to support those in Tai Tokerau who work in the interests of all of New Zealand. I support this bill wholeheartedly.

Tēnā koutou katoa. The Waitangi National Trust Board Act 1932 incorporated the Waitangi National Trust Board, which administers the Waitangi Treaty grounds and associated lands. National is delivering on its promise to improve governance for the arts. The governance structure of the Waitangi National Trust Board will be modernised to reflect the cultural and historical importance of the Treaty grounds at Waitangi. Waitangi is the birthplace of this nation, both old and new, and it is fitting that this important heritage status is acknowledged.

The Treaty House was originally known as the residence where James Busby conducted much of his official mahi from 1833 to 1846. Te Whare Rūnanga was the idea of two great tūpuna: Tau Hēnare and Sir Apirana Ngata. Te Whare Rūnanga was opened in 1940—100 years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The waka house near Te Ana o Maikuku homes the ceremonial waka Ngātokimatawhaorua. The flag that was first flown at the grounds was that of the United Tribes of New Zealand.

These are the historical stories around Waitangi, but there are also very modern stories around Waitangi, and many of us in the House were part of that modern-day story when we marched in protest about the honouring of the Treaty. I am really proud to be standing with this Government and alongside my Ministers in this Government who have signed the majority of Treaty claims.

The trust is self-funded and maintains the Treaty grounds without cost to the people of Aotearoa. The changes in the bill will strengthen the financial viability and governance structure of that trust. This will enable us to increasingly place Waitangi—its history and significance—at the heart of being a New Zealander and as an essential experience for overseas manuhiri, as well.

The Waitangi National Trust Board currently consists of two categories of members—ex officio members and representative members. At this time I would like to acknowledge our rangatira Pita Paraone, Ērima Hēnare, and Sir Tumu Te Heuheu.

The Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill introduces changes to the composition of that board. The Governor-General and Ministers will be removed from ex officio positions on the board. The Governor-General will become an honorary patron of the trust. The Prime Minister, the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, and the Minister of Māori Affairs will form a Crown representative group to foster good relationships and share information with the board.

Two members of Parliament, one representing the Government and one representing the Opposition, will be appointed as full members of the board. By removing the Governor-General and Ministers from ex officio positions on the board, the bill removes the risk of conflict between their constitutional roles and their roles as trustees. I commend this bill to the House.

I am very pleased to speak on behalf of the National caucus on this Waitangi National Trust Board Amendment Bill. Colleagues before me from both sides of the House have gone through the history in quite a lot of detail.

But I do want to bring just one extra point to the House. Minister Chris Finlayson talked about the original members of the very first trust board, one of whom was Vernon Reed. Vernon Reed became a member of Parliament in the Bay of Islands from 1908. He is the grandfather of my father’s wife, Kirsty Reed, so I have a very interesting connection to the Williams family. Having been involved in many discussions with Kirsty and her family—and they have portrayed the stories of that time—I do want to acknowledge each and every one of the members of both the original board of the Waitangi National Trust and every single member who has served since that time, and, obviously, Lord and Lady Bledisloe themselves, because what they have done is allow a very important part of New Zealand’s history to be maintained and restored. So whether it is schoolchildren visiting as part of their education about Waitangi, or whether it is the pilgrimage of many, many New Zealanders on Waitangi Day, they have preserved a treasure that is important to all Kiwis.

One of the other things that were interesting when my stepmother, Kirsty, was going through some of the history, and bringing out some of the books that were written at the time, including one by Vernon Reed, was looking through some of the photos. I was intrigued to read the name Tau Hēnare. Of course, that was Tau Henare’s great-grandfather, who, I have since learnt, was a great friend of Vernon Reed. So it is somewhat interesting to then see that two descendants, albeit connected through marriage, are serving in the House of Parliament now.

I do want to acknowledge my colleague—if he is listening—the Hon Tau Henare, who is muttering. I want to acknowledge his service to this House over a significant period of time, and I acknowledge the announcement of his intention to retire from Parliament at this upcoming election. He has served New Zealand very well, and I am very proud that his forefathers served with a member of my extended family in this House and that they have allowed for this national treasure to be maintained. Thank you.

Bill read a first time.

Bill referred to the Māori Affairs Committee.