Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Bill

on behalf of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations: I move, That the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Bill be now read a third time. Tāmaki Herenga Waka, Tāmaki Whai Rawa, Tāmaki Pai, Tāmaki-makau-rau. Ko ngā kurī purepure o Tāmaki e kore e ngaro i te pō. He hōnore māku te mihi atu ki a koutou kua hoki mai nei ki tō tātou Whare nei, kia whakaoti ai tēnei kaupapa. Kei te mihi au ki a koutou e kaha ki te hui, ki te whakatakoto kaupapa ai kia tutuki ai te kaupapa nei. Nā reira, e tika ana kia mihi atu ki a koutou. Tāpiti atu ki tēnā ka mihi au ki a koutou e manaaki nei i ahau me taku whanau, mai i te wā i tae atu au ki Tāmaki i ngā tau o te ono tekau, mai i reira mātou e mahi tahi, noho tahi, tēnā koutou.

[Tāmaki the mooring place of many canoes, Tāmaki the resourceful, Tāmaki of good looks, and Tāmaki of a hundred lovers. The spotted dogskin cloak of Tāmaki will never be lost to the underworld. It is an honour for me to acknowledge you collectively who have returned to this House of ours to conclude this matter. I pay a tribute to you who worked hard to meet and to set down policies so that this matter can be fulfilled. And so, it is fitting that I acknowledge you collectively. Further to that, I thank you for looking after me and my family when I arrived there in Auckland in the 1960s, and from there we worked and lived together. Thank you.]

It is with immense pleasure that I welcome into this House for the last time on this issue the Kāhui Rangatira o Tāmaki-makau-rau: Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Pāoa, Ngāti Tamaoho, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Te Ākitai Waiohua, Te Kawerau ā Maki, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, and Te Patukirikiri. Tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou. Each of you is a representative of a metropolis of 1.5 million people where just over one-third of this nation’s people reside. Within your boundaries live almost a quarter of all Māori people, the highest number of Pacific peoples in the world, and the highest number of migrant people to our country.

Within a 20-kilometre radius of the central city alone, there are 48 tūpuna maunga. They remain the most distinctive landscape features of Tāmaki-makau-rau. They are the markers for the most visible evidence of original Māori settlement, reaching back to the 17th century. Like all our landforms, 14 of these maunga and four motu in the surrounding waters are a source of great symbolic and spiritual importance. That is why we are here today, joined by our rangatira, who have forged this momentous and innovative settlement. It is a victory for pragmatic thinking and creative solutions. It is a victory for partnerships and building a positive future. It is a victory for recognising the rights and responsibilities of mana whenua to fulfil their role as kaitiaki of these sacred sites. Above all it is a victory for Tāmaki-makau-rau and all the people who call it home.

Mount Eden, Mount Roskill, Mount Wellington, Mount Richmond, Pigeon Mountain, Mount St John—one could be forgiven for thinking they had landed in the UK or the USA and not here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Now, our greatest city and its citizens can claim the more eloquent and meaningful names befitting its great landmarks: Maungakiekie, Maungauika, Maungawhau, Puketāpapa, Pukewīwī, Te Kōpuke, Maungarei, Takarunga, Ōtāhuhu, Te Pane-ō-Mataoho, Te Ara Pueru, Ōhuiarangi, Ōhinerau, Te Tātua-a-Riukiuta, Rarotonga, Matukutūruru, Rangitoto, Motutapu, Motuihe, and Tiritiri Mātangi. The story behind each name is a legacy for teaching our children about the ancestral places around them—the maunga and the motu are no longer just inanimate hills, bumps, and islands. They take on human forms and experiences. They tell of taniwha, patupaiarehe, great leaders and lovers, and battles won and lost. These are my last 2 weeks in Parliament and I never thought that I would see the day when a senior Minister, just a month back, stood up and explained to the House about taniwha, and where they were, how they lived, and so on. We have come a long way. We have come a long way with our tikanga, i tēnei wā. We have got to appreciate that and take it through, like you have done with returning these names, for our young people to grow. If a Pākehā Minister can talk about taniwha with full belief, then that is really a good step.

The names speak to accounts of great atua, powerful tohunga, and moana and ngahere teeming with plants, sea, and birdlife. Each conceivable subject and experience is captured in the original names of the sites covered by this settlement. Thanks to Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau, we have retrieved and reclaimed the whakapapa that so rightly belongs to this rohe. We thank you for being the catalyst and driver of this claim and for the foresight and diligence applied to negotiating the settlement over this period of time. We acknowledge your goodwill and generosity, which are both enduring hallmarks of your contribution to the settlement process—first, your goodwill and generosity to receive the redress collectively, as a group; and second, the goodwill and generosity extended to other parties to this settlement, like the Crown, Auckland Council and the Department of Conservation. Ngāti Whātua rōpū, Marutūahu rōpū, Waiōhua rōpū—it is you that we look to for continued guidance and leadership regarding the management, care, and administration of these maunga and motu. In your very capable hands we restore and return the responsibility for the future development of this city and its sacred sites. You are the game-changers. You lead the way. You show the valuable contribution that mana whenua can make to the future governance and development of our towns and cities.

Kai te Kaihautū. This week a number of iwi and hapū are settling their grievances with the Crown. It is right that we remember all the rangatira no longer with us, who led many of these claims. We should remember those who did not get to see the void filled by that final reading of this bill. There are too many to name, but they will live on in their descendants here today. They live on in the fine, proud, enduring legacy bestowed by this legislation.

Nā reira, Tāmaki-makau-rau, tēnā koutou. Kei te mihi hoki au ki a koutou e tautoko ana tō tātou komiti statutory Māori board i Tāmaki-makau-rau. Ko te mea tuatahi tēnei tauira mō Aotearoa. Ko te tūmanako, ka tipu ake ētahi atu komiti pēnei i roto i Pōneke, i ētahi atu tāone nui. Nā reira, mā koutou tonu e manaaki, tiaki taua komiti. He ringaringa ō tātou kei roto i te whakahaeretanga o tō tātou tāone nui. Nā reira kei te mihi atu ki a koutou, kua oti pai tēnā whakatū. Nā reira kāre e roa aku mihi heoi anō, harikoa au kia pānuihia te kōrero tuatahi mō tō tātou kerēme. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou, kei raro.

[And so, Tāmaki of a hundred lovers, thank you collectively. I acknowledge you as well for supporting our statutory Māori board in Auckland. This example is a first for New Zealand. My hope is that a committee like this will emerge in Wellington and in other cities. You must protect and look after that committee. We have a hand in the administration of our city, and so I congratulate you collectively. Putting that into place has been completed well. Therefore my acknowledgments will not take any more time, but I am pleased to make the first address in regard to our claim. So greetings and acknowledgments to you collectively and to us all. I resume my seat.]

Tuatahi, tēnei e mihi ana ki a koutou ngā iwi, ngā pou o te rohe o Tāmaki-makau-rau. Nā koutou te kaha hei whakakotahi i raro i te maru o te kāhui o Tāmaki Makaurau kia haria mai tēnei kaupapa i mua i te aroaro o te Kāwanatanga, arā, te Pāremata. Nō reira, nei te mihi maioha ki a koutou katoa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou. E te Minita, tēnā koe mō tēnei wāhanga ki a mātou.

[First of all, I pay a tribute to you, the tribes and pillars of Auckland. It was your courage to unite under the shelter of the Tāmaki Makaurau cluster to bring this proposal before the Government—namely, Parliament. And so, an affectionate tribute, greetings, and acknowledgments to you all. To you the Minister, thank you for allowing us this part.]

It gives Labour great pleasure to be able to support the third reading of the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Bill. I want to acknowledge each of the 13 iwi that have come together under this particular settlement, in what is an innovative example of what is possible. Might I say, it may have had its challenges, but to get to this point it could well be an example that other iwi and other towns might look to, in terms of how to bring some common interests together.

I want to acknowledge the Mayor of Auckland City, Len Brown. Your leadership to steward through the statutory board in a way in which Māori can imprint on and have a voice in such a huge city is significant and should not be understated. I do want to acknowledge that this is a time of innovation and a time for change. We are in the period of Matariki—the beginning of things and the end of things. It is an opportunity to think about the way in which our great city might grow and thrive so that the iconic features that are in the city of Auckland can be celebrated, so that the history of Auckland can be better understood by those who live there, but certainly by tourists who visit Auckland City, and also to provide a window for how to do things differently.

It frustrates the heck out of me when I hear, for example, discussions around the Resource Management Act and such negative comments around the way in which Māori concerns are taken into account. It is not unreasonable, when developers want to do things in Auckland City, to get geotechnical reports, but if you want to seek reports about how this particular development might impact on Māori heritage and values, it is juxtaposed in such a negative space. I think that time needs to pass. We need to move through it. So what is happening with the Tāmaki Collective redress bill, the Māori Statutory Board, and the types of changes in Auckland City itself provide obvious tensions but will provide, I think, helpful learning points about how we as a nation can go forward, taking into account the aspirations of Māori who want to contribute to the aspirations of New Zealand.

I had not intended on taking too long a call on this third reading speech, except to say: what a challenge. What a challenge it must have been to get 13 iwi together, to come up with a model of management for some of the most iconic places in Auckland that are well renowned, the names of which the Minister has talked about. What a challenge it has been to assure the broader Auckland community that this is a positive way of looking at how the future of maunga within Auckland can be better managed. What a challenge in terms of identifying a new governance structure and a commercial structure that could represent the collective aspirations of the iwi represented in this settlement, but it has been achieved.

Today’s third reading is really an opportunity for Parliament to look at the settlement in its totality—the consequences leading to such an approach, but also the opportunities arising from it. I for one want to mention only two things that challenged us at the Māori Affairs Committee that were somewhat significant. One was regarding Watercare Services—no surprise to many. The ongoing thirst of Auckland for meeting the needs of growth, for sustaining the thirsty Auckland, if you like, gets to a sharp point when you talk about infrastructure and providing water to the city. The type of debate that the select committee had around Watercare Service’s ongoing and future requirements was interesting in so far as this settlement was concerned. Were we to absolutely, I guess, embrace the debate that Watercare Services had, there would have been a reverting to the status quo, that Watercare Services would deal with the Auckland Council for its future needs and consenting processes.

However, we did not go that way. We were assured by the good representation of Paul Majurey, I might add, probably from his experience in this space, that there was enough scope within the way in which the authority is intended to operate that the existing easements, and the discussion around how future easements would happen, would be able to be achieved under what was proposed in the bill. So we did not change it. We accepted Watercare had issues. We accepted future demand could be a prospect that might impact on areas covered in this particular settlement, but that is a process and the process can be covered in the bill.

The other thing that challenged us—this is probably more a broader point of principle, and it came to a sharp point because we have got so many different iwi in this settlement—was place names. You will remember that a colleague of mine, who has since left the House and is now in the Pacific, challenged the thinking of us as Māori members that if we cannot name a place or consider that a place has a Māori name, then perhaps we do not have any connection to it. I accept in part what he was challenging us to do, which was decide on a name, but many of the iwi will see that as we pursued information around what the challenges were here, it was different histories and layers of time where there are two names, a couple of names at least, for the same place.

We investigated whether the New Zealand Geographic Board could have three Māori names or two Māori names for the same place—all too difficult. So where there was an agreement on one name, that is an easily achievable outcome. Where there were two names or so, such as that for Mount Albert: Ōwairaka and Te Ahi Kā a Rakataura; Mount Roskill: Puketāpapa and Pukewīwī; Mount St John: Te Kōpuke and Titikōpuke—where those types of scenarios existed, there was a process where the New Zealand Geographic Board could gazette two Māori names and it would be on the record, so to speak, but for official purposes it could not be recognised in what we commonly understand as dual naming.

So maybe what this settlement has done in this instance is urge us to think through how, going forward, we might better capture what is intended, which is a full telling of the New Zealand story. Auckland City over time has been flooded by a number of iwi. A number of histories have come into play and it has been flooded by a number of other people. But that should not prevent the accurate telling of our story and the accurate capturing of our names.

I have taken something from the settlement in a positive way, that if we could do anything we might in the future look at the New Zealand Geographic Board and how it accurately captures the names of our special places. I am under no shadow of a doubt that, with a commitment to, and an intensity of focus on, what is in the best interests of the collective members under the settlement that has been presented to the House today, good things can happen. Great opportunities are ahead but the biggest opportunity, Mayor Len Brown, is how we immerse our way of working through this type of model within the broader issues of Auckland City so that the city as a whole can benefit from the fruits of better engagement with iwi within the isthmus of Auckland. Nō reira, ki a koutou katoa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai tatou.

Tāmaki Makaurau, Tāmaki Herenga Waka, Tāmaki Herenga Tangata, nau mai, haere mai. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou ngā kanohi o ngā momo kōrero, ngā uri o te hunga kua mene atu ki te pō. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. E ngā hoa mema o te Whare, tēnā tātou i Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.

[Welcome, Tāmaki of a hundred lovers, Tāmaki the mooring place of many canoes, Tāmaki the mooring place of people, welcome. I acknowledge you as genres of discourse and descendants of those who have assembled in the world of death. Greetings, acknowledgments, and congratulations to you all. And greetings to you, fellow members of the House, in this, the week of the Māori language.]

In June 2009—5 years ago—Sir Douglas Graham, as my negotiator, made a presentation to the iwi of Kaipara, Tāmaki, and Hauraki in Ellerslie. He invited more than 21 iwi and hapū to enter into negotiations at the same time, for both iwi-specific and collective settlement negotiations. The proposal was bold and could have gone the way of other attempts to restart negotiations across the region. As Sir Douglas said to me in his report: “To achieve the desired result everyone involved will have to work cooperatively. It will take inspired leadership by all involved.” Well, today we complete the collective settlement process we began with the 13 iwi of Auckland who came together to form Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau, otherwise known as the Tāmaki Collective.

I want to acknowledge those leaders and negotiators who were here at the start of negotiations, but who are not with us today. These are people like Walter Taipare of Ngāti Maru, Hāriata Gordon of Ngāti Pāoa, Jim Nicholls of Hauraki, and Takutai “Doc” Wikiriwhi, Puawai Rāmaka, and Jolene Patuawa of Ngāti Whātua. I also want to acknowledge the negotiators for the 13 iwi of Tāmaki who came together to form that collective, many of whom are here in the House today. Your inspired leadership has brought us to this point, and it would be remiss of me not to particularly acknowledge the tremendous work done by Paul Majurey as chair of the collective. He has been simply fantastic.

The negotiators and the iwi they represent are the descendants of people who intensely settled Tāmaki. They turned it into a place of grand fortifications and rich gardens, of countless pā and kāinga. The maunga of Tāmaki are also the burial places of great chiefs who fought and who made peace, and whose descendants also witnessed the coming and going of lone trees on the top of Maungakiekie. The redress delivered through this bill will provide impetus to preserve that very important history.

The 14 maunga that are at the centrepiece of this settlement are treasured cultural landmarks for both iwi and the people of our land. They merit the proposed application for World Heritage status, given their outstanding natural and cultural significance, which transcends national boundaries. The collective deed and this bill will vest the maunga in the Tāmaki Collective, to be held as reserves for the common benefit of the collective and the people of Tāmaki.

It is important to emphasise that third-party interests and all rights of public access will be protected. But by doing so, the Crown recognises the customary interests of the iwi in the maunga, and, in a reciprocal manner typical of their generosity, the iwi of the collective acknowledge the interests of all people in Auckland in the same.

The Auckland Council, which was coming into being as Sir Douglas was making his proposal, has also demonstrated inspired leadership. Mayor Brown and his council will continue to be crucial to the settlement and to the World Heritage status application. I acknowledge his presence today and thank him for coming, and I also thank Penny Webster. They have been working with the Tāmaki Collective to ensure the co-governance arrangements for the volcanic cones are a success. This third reading, as for all settlements that come before this House, is the end of the beginning, and I very much look forward to seeing the relationships that have been formed between the council and iwi develop further and bring very positive results.

There are other elements to the settlement that give me an opportunity to thank my colleagues. The islands Rangitoto, Motutapu, Motuihe, and Tiritiri Mātangi will be gifted to iwi and then gifted back, with the exception of the summit of Rangitoto, which will remain in iwi ownership with reserve status. The Minister of Conservation will be one of the partners in stronger co-governance arrangements for these islands and other important conservation land in the region. I hope and expect that these new co-governance arrangements will be conducted in the spirit of generosity that the gift represents.

The settlement also includes an agreement with the Department of Building and Housing that the Minister of Housing supported ahead of this settlement being concluded. As a result, we have already seen a demonstration of the possibilities of the partnership in the development of 280 affordable houses under way at Weymouth. The Tāmaki Collective will also receive right of refusal opportunities for Crown land across the isthmus, and I am delighted the University of Auckland and UniTec have agreed to be part of that opportunity.

Parliament will now be aware that the collective deed and this bill do not settle any historical claims, but are instead one part of Treaty settlements with the iwi and the hapū that will continue to be completed in this region. This collective settlement has also been the springboard for the comprehensive settlements that we have reached with two of the three of the members of the Ngāti Whātua rōpū, with the last agreement in principle being reached, hopefully, very shortly, and one deed of settlement with Te Kawerau-a-Maki of the Waiōhua rōpū, and with three more deeds on their way. We are also near completing settlements with the five iwi of the Maratuahu rōpū.

So once more, in closing, I want to acknowledge the negotiators for the iwi. As I have mentioned on previous occasions, Treaty settlements take courage and perseverance, and collective negotiations amplify that. I also cannot conclude without acknowledging my indefatigable negotiator Michael Dreaver—it is a great word. A First World War dreadnought was named Indefatigable, and that is a bit what he is like—absolutely committed to the task. One moment he is meeting with Ngāti Hei; the next day he will be meeting with Ngāti Whātua and discussing the Kaipara Harbour. He is always positive and dedicated to the task, and I appreciate his very hard work.

To each of the iwi who make up the collective: Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Tamaoho, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Te Ākitai Waiōhua, Te Kawerau-ā-Maki, Te Patukirikiri, and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, I look forward to a day in the not too distant future when we can say that all historical Treaty grievances in Tāmaki-makau-rau are settled. This is a great day for Auckland and it is a great day for our country. I commend the bill to the House.

Tēnā koe e te Kaihautū. Tēnā koutou e ngā kārangaranga hapū, iwi, o Tāmaki-makau-rau. Tēnā rā koutou, nā koutou i takahia mai pērā i a Ngāi Tūhoe i mua i a koutou i te ata nei. Nā koutou i takahia mai te tuarā o Te Ika-a-Māui ki a tātou i konei i Te Upoko-o-Te Ika ki te whakarongo ki tēnei te pānuitanga mutunga o tēnei pire, tā koutou pire. Kua rongohia hoki i ngā ingoa i w’akahuatia e te Minita mō rātou i tīmata ai tēnei haerenga ā-tinana i ērā tau i mua ēngari, hore kau kei konei ā-tinana ēngari kei konei rātou ā-wairua. Nā reira, mihi kau ana ki a rātou te hunga mate, rātou kua whetūrangitia. Haere e ngā mate ēngari, hoki mai tātou ki a tātou anō te hunga ora.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. Greetings to you, the subtribal and tribal callings of Auckland. A real tribute to you collectively, who, like Ngāi Tūhoe ahead of you this morning, travelled here. You traversed along the back of the North Island to us here in Wellington to listen to this final reading of this bill, your bill. I also heard names mentioned by the Minister of those who personally attended meetings at the start, those years ago, but are not here physically today, except spiritually. So I pay a tribute to them, the dead who are no longer here. Farewell the dead, but let us, the living, come back again to ourselves.]

I would like to just carry on in the vein that the Minister has started in and acknowledge all the hapū and the iwi of Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective: Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Tamaoho, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Te Ākitai Waiōhua, Te Kawerau-a-Maki, Te Patukirikiri, me ngā hapū atu o Ngāti Whātua, tēnā koutou.

This bill in its preamble explains what the Minister has just said—that this bill is separate to the Treaty claims. The iwi and hapū constituting the collective known as Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau have claims to Tāmaki-makau-rau based on historical breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi by the Crown. Those settlements are happening in a parallel process. But this bill redresses other issues around the maunga and the motu of Tāmaki-makau-rau. All the iwi have interests in these maunga and these motu of Tāmaki-makau-rau, and they all have interests into the future.

I would like to acknowledge also the words of the bill that say that “The maunga and the motu are taonga in relation to … the iwi and hapū …”, and those iwi and hapū have always maintained a unique relationship and they have never forgotten their intergenerational role as kaitiaki. I think it is really important to explain that to the motu and to the country, and to reiterate the relationship that we as Māori have with our maunga. We could relate it, I guess, to the Egyptians when they go out and build their own maunga by way of a pyramid or to the Incas building pyramids, but we Māori are a bit smarter. We do not take 30 years and 20,000 slaves to build our monuments. We have what the provider gave to us, arā, o tātou maunga, and they have much significance to us.

Therefore, it upsets us greatly when we see that over the years, such as in Tāmaki-makau-rau, the maunga there have been quarried, have been mined, and have had structures built on them. It would be similar to our going over to Egypt and dismantling a part of the pyramids to build a bit of a road somewhere. People can understand that that would be a tragedy and would an insult to the Egyptian people, and I hope that they understand that by quarrying away our maunga, taking chunks out of them, building bits of pieces out of them for roads, for example, it is an insult to us as Māori. We have this special connection. I do not think we have to justify our special connection; it is just the way it is for us. We understand it.

This bill has taken a number of years to get to this stage. It started, as the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations said, in July 2009 with negotiations between the Crown and Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau. A framework agreement was signed in February 2010, a record of agreement was signed in November 2011, another deed encapsulating a few things was initialled in June 2012, and on 8 September 2012 a deed was signed. But in order for that to all bear fruit this legislation had to be enacted, and here we are. Of course, legislation does not happen overnight. This bill has taken a number of years to be drafted, to go through the process of the first reading, the second reading, the Committee stage, and the select committee hearings, and now we have reached this stage, where the legislation is almost complete.

The Crown framework agreement has some very valid points to it, and I just want to find the particular part where it says: “The Crown recognises that the iwi/hapū members of Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau have legitimate spiritual, ancestral, cultural, customary and historical interests in the maunga of Tāmaki Makaurau.” Earlier on I heard the Minister of Māori Affairs, Pita Sharples, say that we have come a long way in 10 years, when we heard about the Minister talking about taniwha, and I think it is fantastic that we are now hearing about legislation that is legitimising our spiritual, our ancestral, our cultural, and our customary and historical interests. We have come a long way when we can talk about—and we do not have to justify to anybody else—our spiritual and cultural connections. It is part of what makes Aotearoa a beautiful place and a wonderful country to live in. I know that there will be knockers. I know that there will be people out there who do not understand that, and who do not want to understand it, but that is their loss.

It was interesting to hear, and to note in the bill, that the motu will be given to Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau and then they will be vested back, or given back, to the Crown. That reminds me of a saying of an ancestor of mine, who wanted to hold a patu pounamu of our tupuna. It was in the keeping of his relatives, but he wanted to hold it one time in his lifetime. He said: Hōmai ki ahau kia puri kai e aku ringa i mua i tōku matenga—“Let me just hold it for a moment in my lifetime.” It is a similar concept to what is happening in this bill, where the motu are being handed over and are then being handed back. I think it is honourable, and I think Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau need to be acknowledged for that.

Also, I think we need to reassure New Zealanders and Aucklanders that when the maunga are vested to Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau, there are parts of the bill that guarantee Aucklanders and New Zealanders access to those maunga. They will still be able to enjoy them. There will still be reserves that all the people of New Zealand can enjoy. This is not about exclusive ownership; it is actually about the gift of sharing. For that, I thank you all for your generosity to us as a nation.

I must also acknowledge the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. My dealings with Minister Finlayson in terms of all Treaty settlement issues have been only honourable and honest and open. I acknowledge you for the hard work that I know you put in, Minister, and I know that your hardest work is yet to come, by settling our Ngāpuhi claims. With that, I acknowledge everybody here. I thank the House, and I am happy that the Labour Party supports this legislation. Kia ora.

Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. Kei te mihi o te rā ki a koutou. It is a genuine pleasure and privilege to speak on behalf of the Green Party to affirm our support for this legislation, the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Bill, and may I add our welcome to the representatives of ngā iwi and ngā hapū of Tāmaki-makau-rau, the dignitaries, and the other stakeholders from Auckland, Tāmaki-makau-rau, who have made the effort to be in the House today. Welcome to our place and, indeed, welcome to your place. It is a pleasure to have you here.

This bill has some unique features, not least of all that, unlike other settlement bills, it does not, in fact, settle historic grievances or historic claims. As the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations has accurately pointed out, this is a redress bill. The individual claims of iwi and hapū relating to breaches of te Tiriti over time are being dealt with in a parallel process. Some of them are at an advanced stage of settlement. Others have some way to go yet. But it has been described as an elegant solution, and I actually tautoko that. It is an interesting approach and, I think, a very positive one, and it will have some very positive outcomes to it.

I think the submission last year from the Tāmaki collective noted that this legislation, as it will pass today, is an outcome of negotiation, of diplomacy, and of compromise, and that is clearly true if one reads the content and the spirit of the bill. There has been negotiation and high-level diplomacy within and between iwi and hapū and other stakeholders, and, of course, compromise. In politics, in political circles, compromise often has a negative connotation to it, but I think compromise arrives at a consensus position—a position where perhaps nobody has got everything they might have wanted, but everybody can see that there is something in it, and that this is a solution and an outcome that people can live with and that serves the interests of the maximum number of people. I think, in that sense, it is a good outcome. It is a testament to the power, indeed, of negotiation, of diplomacy, of compromise, and of achieving consensus as to what is the best way forward out of very complex and very difficult situations.

The preamble talks about the maunga and motu that are affected in this legislation—they are named in it—as being taonga in relation to which iwi and hapū have always maintained a unique relationship and where those iwi and hapū have honoured their intergenerational role as kaitiaki. I would just like to take a moment to reflect on the nature of kaitiakitanga. I would not claim to have any profound insights into the depth of the meaning of those words, of kaitiaki and kaitiakitanga. One thing I am sure of is that an assertion of kaitiaki status is an assertion of a bundle of rights to occupy, to use, and to manage. But also, I think, profoundly, it an acknowledgment of responsibility and of obligation. I think those who would criticise the Māori assertion of rights miss the fact that it also is an acceptance of significant responsibility and obligation to the past, to the present, and to the future. I think it is the sense of responsibility and obligation that drives Māori, that is one of the key drivers of Māori determination, to see our grievances settled and to see wrongs put right. I think it is important to continue to recognise that, and to, perhaps, reflect that it is a very complex matter, and complex situations and relationships have evolved over time.

The legislation speaks of restoring ownership of certain maunga and motu, and that is the word we do not often see—“ownership”. That is about as strong a statement as one could wish to see in a piece of legislation related to te Tiriti breaches over time. It provides mechanisms by which iwi and hapū can exercise mana whenua and kaitiakitanga. And, of course, we have the trustee model and the other various and quite complex mechanisms by which the spirit and the intention of this bill would be implemented. It talks about the first refusal regime, which will enable those iwi and hapū to build an economic base for their members. That is a critically important part of this whole—the fact that we are tired of hearing about Māori at the wrong end of all the social statistics. Empowering Māori by putting back into their hands the means to build an economic base in a Māori way and in a way that serves the interests, the beliefs, and the values of Māoridom is a very powerful part of this legislation.

It is very timely, and I am personally pleased, as I am sure we all are, that this legislation is being passed today. This Parliament is very close to its end. There are only 3 more sitting days. Again, the submission from the collective last year made a note that there is a significant opportunity cost. Any delay in passing this legislation would put back the time at which the iwi and hapū can begin to build their economic base, as well as having their mana whenua status acknowledged. So it is good. It is a pleasure, genuinely, to see this passing before the expiry of this Parliament.

It is probably hard to overestimate the significance of some of the maunga and the motu that are dealt with in this legislation, not only to Māori but to the sense of identity, the sense of place, of all Aucklanders and, indeed, all New Zealanders. I think you would be hard pressed to think of a single more iconic or more representative landscape feature to all Aucklanders than Rangitoto. It is, in my view at least, the singly defining feature of that area, of that city, and of that region. I think that the other maunga, the cones, the motu, Motutapu Island Recreation Reserve, Maungawhau, and Takarunga are places with which Aucklanders identify very closely—Aucklanders Māori, Pākehā, tauiwi. These are places that define what it means to be a resident in that place and to feel some attachment to it. So I think the importance of the ways in which this settlement, this redress bill, has advanced is very difficult to overestimate. It has put in place the mechanisms, as I said.

It is the outcome of some very, very hard work, I suspect, over time for a lot of parties. I think I commented at the earlier reading that although on the one hand I would very much like to have been on the Māori Affairs Committee, I also recognise that it would have been a significant challenge to the members of that select committee to shepherd this legislation through in a way that continued to be acceptable to all parties

I acknowledge the work of the select committee and, indeed, of the Minister in successfully bringing this to the House in a form that I believe will be acceptable to all parties.

A great deal of work has been done, but in another very important way the work really is only beginning, and that has been alluded to by a number of speakers. The collective has a significant task ahead of it, as does the council and as do other stakeholders in this—the NGOs, the Department of Conservation, and so on—all of the people who will have to continue in a spirit of cooperation to ensure that the spirit and the letter of this legislation is implemented in a timely fashion and in a way that does serve the collective good, the good of the most. So on behalf of the Greens I reiterate our absolute and enthusiastic support for this legislation. We offer our very best wishes to all of those for whom the work is just beginning. Kia ora.

Kia ora, Mr Assistant Speaker. How bloody appropriate that I stand in the House for the last time and before the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Bill. As a born and bred Aucklander from the huge suburb of Ōtara for the first 20-odd years, and then the last 30-odd years out in the west, I think it is appropriate—for me, anyway—to talk about the passing of this redress bill. I will not traverse the finer points of the legislation here, but I will make some hopefully pertinent points along the way.

Thank God that Rangitoto is not the Sky Tower, or thank God that the Sky Tower is not the icon of Auckland. The icon of Auckland is Rangitoto. When people see it, they know it is us; they know it is Auckland. Can I make a bold statement—that would be something new—that overseas they actually take pride in having two names for a street, for a football stadium, or for an area. All we need to do is look at Wales. Why is it so hard for us to get our heads around it? Why is it so hard for us to recognise that it is mana-enhancing, to take a line from the Māori Party, for an area and for a nation? If we want to be big players in the world, then should we not be the ones who are leading, instead of looking around for somebody to follow? We can do this here.

The bold statement is that all the people who are listed on page 19 of the bill—“Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki; Ngāti Maru; Ngāti Pāoa; Ngāti Tamaoho; Ngāti Tamaterā; Ngāti Te Ata; Ngāti Whanaunga; Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara; Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei; Te Ākitai Waiohua; Te Kawerau ā Maki; Te Patukirikiri; and hapū of Ngāti Whātua other than Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, whose members are beneficiaries of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, including Te Taoū not descended from Tuperiri”—all those people are the original urban Māori. We think it is the Manukau Urban Māori Authority and we think it is Te Whānau o Waipareira Trust. Guess what? It is you.

As a long-time resident and continuing to be a long-time resident of Tāmaki Makaurau, personal thanks for having me, because that is actually what it is all about. It is about recognition. It is about recognition of the people who are there, the mountains, the rivers, the lakes, and even the little streams that run at the back of your property. It is recognising that there is actually a history that has gone before; that it did not just start on Monday. It started thousands of years ago, and we should revel in it.

Yes, it is going to be a hard task for the city council and the collective to move in the direction that the bill sets out, but is that harder than what the Gazan people are facing today? No, it is actually very, very easy, and with a bit of goodwill from everybody, the Crown included, these things can work and they can work for the benefit of the nation.

I want to thank a couple of people in the audience: Lillian Tahuri, who was my executive assistant when I was a Minister and kept me out of trouble, and also Glenn Webber, who cut his teeth in my office, and now he has gone on to better things, hopefully. On a personal basis it is sad that I will not be part of the ongoing Treaty settlement parts of this House, because I actually think that is something that the House itself—not this Government and not the Opposition, but the House—should be proud of; that we can work through a series of issues in front of us and come up with a generally accepted way forward. There is always going to be somebody outside the circle throwing stones and saying: “No, this is not the right way to do it.” But, generally, the nation supports the work of iwi Māori and the Crown.

Can I just talk briefly about one part of that process, and that is the select committee process. I find it abhorrent that people who come to the House and get stuck into bits and pieces of a bill do not partake in the select committee process.You know, I admire people who front up to the select committee. Whether they are MPs or not, they front up to the select committee and they give their point of view, so no one can accuse them of never espousing what they really think. But to come into the House and purely and simply, for publicity purposes, screw it up—even the historical background that some people quote—is absolutely wrong.

My wish is that the Māori Affairs Committee goes on with its work in the way that we have done it for the last however long. It has been a highlight of my career to be chairperson of the Māori Affairs Committee. I have been on the select committee since 1993.

💬 Phil Twyford: You’ll be back.

Yes, I could be—whatever party is going, I suppose. I see the Māori Party is in trouble, so maybe; I do not know.

💬 Maggie Barry: The Greens are beckoning.

Oh no, not the Greens. My wish is for the House to carry on its good work in a very timely manner and also in a very collegial manner. I wish all my colleagues from everywhere in the House—I have enjoyed your company; yes, everybody’s company, even Trevor’s.

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson): Order!

Even the Hon Trevor Mallard’s. I do say this, though, in all honesty: I do hope that we look at the power of select committees. We must move away from being just a rubber stamp. I think giving select committees the ability to manoeuvre more would be a good thing. We need to look at some of the other nations around the world. But I am sure that will happen one day. Nō reira, aku mihi ki a koutou katoa e aku tēina me aku tuākana. Tēnā koutou kei a koutou Tāmaki-makau-rau.

[And so, my accolades to you all, younger and older siblings of mine, and to you collectively, Auckland.]

Big ups. Go the Blues. Go Queensland. I will see you later.

E ngā mana whenua o Tāmaki, nau mai, haere mai ki te Whare Pāremata e takatū nei. E ngā rangatira huri noa i te Whare, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Welcome to you, the ones who have territorial rights over the land of Tāmaki, welcome to the House of Representatives, waiting here in readiness. To you esteemed ones throughout the House, greetings and accolades to you collectively and to us all.]

I want to greet the 13 iwi and hapū who are here today, to congratulate you and the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the negotiators and the officials, and the Māori Affairs Committee, and even the Hon Tau Henare, on all the work that has got the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Bill to this final stage. As an Aucklander and as Labour’s Auckland issues spokesperson, I am very happy to be able to take a call in this debate. Labour welcomes and celebrates this important milestone in our city’s postcolonial history. Notwithstanding the progress of individual iwi claims, this bill—which is dealing with 15 of the volcanic cones, four islands in the gulf, and the lands in between—recognises the collective and shared interests of the iwi.

Tāmaki-makau-rau, as our country’s biggest city, faces some big challenges, as we debate almost every day in this House. We have to catch up on an infrastructure deficit that has left us with a public transport system in desperate need of upgrading. We have not been building enough houses, and the shortage has driven house prices beyond the reach of ordinary people. The city’s economy is producing neither enough jobs nor enough good, well-paid jobs for our young population. But I suggest that laying the foundations of an inclusive, democratic society based on a shared sense of fairness and a collective stake in our future prospects is just as important, if not more important, than the more bricks-and-mortar tasks of improving our built environment, fixing infrastructure, and growing the economy. Settling the Treaty claims of Tāmaki-makau-rau is the starting point for building that inclusive, democratic society.

For me personally, the story of Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei from colonisation through to the post-settlement era has been one of the defining stories of Auckland. As a young man who watched amazed as the Government of the day sent the troops in to remove Ngāti Whātua and their allies from Bastion Point in 1978, I can say that it was an honour to be in the Chamber 35 years later for the passage of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Claims Settlement Act. Knowing that history and understanding the experience of tangata whenua over a couple of centuries is essential to knowing and understanding the city we live in, the places that we move through each day, the people we live alongside. A commitment to settling these historic claims is, for me, a must-do if we are to move forward together with Māori fully engaged in the life and the economy of our city.

So it is about justice and addressing past wrongs, but, equally important, this process is about ensuring that Māori are at the table exercising leadership, whether it is in the governance institutions, the board rooms, the media, or as advocates, environmentalists—in any and every walk of life.

The transition from grievance to Treaty claim to settlement and post-settlement might seem like a long process to some people, but the journey of the Tāmaki Collective actually shows, I think, how rapidly the shift has occurred from claim to settlement to post-settlement. The collective’s role as an investor and developer in the Weymouth housing project is a symbol of that, and great to see.

Thinking about the future of Auckland, I believe that one of the biggest challenges we face is how to unleash the talents and the energy of our young people and our increasingly youthful and brown population. It is they who are too often not getting the best out of the education system, too often trapped in the lowest-paid jobs, unable to own their own homes, struggling to break through, and feeling on the outer. Successful leadership of our city over the next generation will tap into our young, brown, mega-diverse Polynesian city, and build an economy and an identity that sees this, and the extraordinary creativity and energy that it brings, as an asset and not as a liability. For me, settling the historic claims is an important building block for that vision. I see in the gallery Mayor Len Brown with Councillor Penny Webster, and I want to acknowledge the mayor’s commitment to that agenda.

Secondly, this bill vests 14 of the region’s maunga in the iwi collective, to be managed under a co-governance regime. Four of the motu—Rangitoto, Motutapu, Motuihe, and Tiritiri Mātangi—will also be part of a vesting arrangement that recognises the iwi and hapū’s special association with them. The maunga and the motu—they are taonga for all our people. They are an inseparable part of what Auckland means, and of who and what we are as a city. This morning on Radio New Zealand Ngārimu Blair put it beautifully when he said: “They represent the places where our people lived, where they loved, where they were buried, where they cried, and where they fought.” This amazing field of volcanoes is a daily part of life in Auckland, and at any given moment when you look up, your gaze will just as likely fall on one of the maunga. They are how we navigate our way around the city streets, and they are where we go to show off our city to visitors, or to walk and reflect on the day ahead or the day past.

Recognising the human settlement of the maunga over centuries before European colonisation is a wonderful way to acknowledge their importance to us. It is completely appropriate that their history should be reflected in co-governance and shared responsibility for the well-being of the maunga. As many have pointed out during the passage of this bill, the maunga have not been as well looked after as they should have been. It is my hope that this new co-responsibility will lead to a greater overall commitment to protecting and enhancing the maunga, making it easier for the public and visitors to enjoy and understand them, and engaging the local community in that work. I also hope that the work will continue in seeking Unesco World Heritage status for the maunga.

To conclude, the passage of this bill is something to celebrate, and as a fellow Aucklander I salute the hapū and iwi of the Tāmaki Collective and congratulate you on this achievement. It is always a great pleasure to be a participant in the legislative process of Treaty settlements. I know that they are no picnic for those who do the work on them, but at this final stage of the process the settlements are something we as New Zealanders can be truly proud of. Thank you.

Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. Tāmaki Makaurau, Tāmaki Herenga Waka, Tāmaki Herenga Tangata me ngā iwi o Tāmaki a Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, a Ngāti Maru, a Ngāti Paoa, a Ngāti Tamaoho, a Ngāti Tama Te Rā, a Ngāti Te Ata, a Ngāti Whanaunga, a Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei, a Ngāti Whātua-o-Kaipara, a Te Ātitai Waiōhua, a Te Kawerau-ā-Maki, a Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, a Te Patu Kirikiri, nau mai, haere mai ki Te Whare Pāremata.

[Tāmaki of a hundred lovers, Tāmaki the mooring place of many canoes and people, and the tribes of Tāmaki, Ngāi Tai at Tāmaki, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Tamaoho, Ngāti Tama Te Rā, Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Whātua of Ōrākei, Ngāti Whātua of Kaipara, Te Ātitai Waiōhua, Te Kawerau of Maki, the Council of Ngāti Whātua, Te Patu Kirikiri, welcome to Parliament House, welcome.]

It is an honour to be able to stand and support the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Bill, a bill that gives effect to the deed of settlement between the Crown and the Tāmaki Collective and recognises the interests of iwi and hapū in the Tāmaki-makau-rau maunga. Before I outline the benefits of this bill for the taonga that are to be protected and preserved into the future, I want to recognise the hard work that has gone on in the past, particularly my colleagues the Hon Chris Finlayson and the Hon Pita Sharples and the work that they have done, and also the Hon Nanaia Mahuta and all those across the House, because this is a bill that is widely supported.

It is reflected also in the people who have journeyed here today from the north. I see many from local iwi and hapū, as well as civic leaders. May I salute you all. Tāmaki-makau-rau is, of course, 25 percent of all remaining Treaty of Waitangi claims. It is a multicultural, diverse area in our nation’s largest city with a sprawling geography where Treaty claims are complex. It is also the place I call home.

Despite the complexity of this claim, the Government has successfully and across parties increased the speed at which these negotiations have been conducted and concluded. It is a move to ensure that Māori interests are truly captured and that Māori have an economic, social, and aspirational road map going forward. It is a drive to provide real-time solutions that are good not only for Māori but also for the rest of us New Zealanders.

We have heard that the 14 maunga in the Tāmaki Collective referred to by the colleagues will be held in trust for the common benefit of iwi and hapū within the collective and also for the people of Tāmaki-makau-rau. I am particularly pleased that maunga will be vested as reserves with public access by third parties protected. This will be guaranteed for generations to come. Co-governance arrangements will continue, and we know that there is a history of such arrangements being positive. There have been issues, of course, but I am confident that these will be durable over the annals of time.

I am here as a champion of the people of Maungakiekie where two of the maunga are located: Maungarei, or Mount Wellington, and Maungakiekie, or One Tree Hill. Māori used Maungarei as a pā, or hill, for many centuries. Maungakiekie got its name as the mountain of the kiekie vine, and it was one of the largest and most important Māori pā in pre-European times. This particular maunga of course holds significance for the local community of Maungakiekie and it is symbolic for the people of Tāmaki-makau-rau, but it is also iconic to our nation of Aotearoa New Zealand. With the third reading of this bill today the possibility of replanting a tree on Maungakiekie is within reach. It has taken a while to get here, but the interests and aspirations of iwi and hapū have been paramount in getting to this point. They treasured this maunga well before it was One Tree Hill and they are the definitive guardians of Maungakiekie.

I am proud that the Government has been able to come to a settlement when previous negotiations have been stalled. This third reading today means that certainly I can go back to my community and tell them that the future of their maunga is secure. Maungakiekie and Maungarei are more than just names. When I travel, not just as an MP but as a Minister, people ask me about the maunga and how it defines my community and also our city and our nation. It is a symbolic fixture on the nation’s mind. It is an international drawcard. It has been captured in a famous song by U2, of course, and it is a major attraction as it stands.

The potential for us to showcase this taonga for the appreciation of the world is unlimited. Of course, the Auckland volcanic field can now be nominated as a World Heritage site and I know that there is work going on for a feasibility study on an application for this to occur. It aligns with the purpose of the Treaty settlements. The new Maunga Authority will be our gateway to the interests of these maunga, consisting of iwi and council representatives. It will govern the iconic Auckland maunga.

I want to end by just saying that I hosted a number of young leaders from One Tree Hill College with their principal, Mr Coughlan, this morning. They were all fresh-faced and young and reflected the face of Tāmaki-makau-rau. There are many Māori, Pākehā, Pacific, Asian and other ethnicities. These young people were well aware of the history of their home, as I am, and we will never forget our history, particularly our Māori tradition and the injustices that went with that history. However, in remembering those who have passed and gone on, we can also anticipate our future, and that was seen in the children of One Tree Hill College today. This bill is exciting for our city and my community. It aims to redress past hurts, but is always forward facing. It is a real solution to real issues and I support this bill unreservedly.

Tēnā koe e te Kaiwhakahaere o te Whare. E ngā mana whenua o Tāmaki-makau-rau, nau mai, haere mai ki tō koutou Whare. Nō koutou te rā me te wā. Tēnā koutou e hui tahi nei i te Whare ki te whakamana i ēnei kerēme i tēnei pire. E tautoko ana ahau i ngā mihi ki ngā mana whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. Welcome to the ones who have territorial rights over land in Auckland, welcome to your House. The time and day is yours. Greetings to you assembled together here in the House to give effect to these claims in this bill. I endorse the accolades accorded to those who have territorial rights over land in Auckland.]

It gives me great privilege and I am proud to stand in support of this third and final reading of this bill, the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Bill. Can I say again a warm welcome to our visitors in the gallery today and to the families who are joining us via TV or listening through the radio. Like previous speakers have said, this is a great day not just for the people of Tāmaki but for the nation in seeing a collective redress settlement like we have in front of us today. Just to recap: “This Bill gives effect to certain matters as contained in the deed entered into by the Crown and Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the collective deed). Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau is the collective name for the following 13 iwi and hapū, each of which have historic Treaty claims in Tāmaki Makaurau: Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki: Ngāti Maru: Ngāti Pāoa: Ngāti Tamaoho: Ngāti Tamaterā: Ngāti Te Ata: Ngāti Whanaunga; Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara: Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei: Te Ākitai Waiohua: Te Kawerau ā Maki: Te Patukirikiri:”, and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua.

“The collective deed provides collective redress for the shared interests of Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau in relation to specified tūpuna maunga (volcanic cones), motu (islands) and lands within Tāmaki Makaurau. It does not settle any historic claims. Instead, settlement of the historical claims of each iwi and hapū comprising Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau is progressing, and in some cases has been completed, through individual negotiations with the Crown. However, the collective redress provided by the collective deed will ultimately form part of each of these individual iwi and hapū settlements.

Negotiations for collective redress in respect of the shared interests have been underway since July 2009. On 12 February 2010, Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau and the Crown signed a Framework Agreement that included redress in relation to the following: vesting of certain maunga and co-governance with the Auckland Council over those maunga; and a long-term right of first refusal over land held by the Crown in Tāmaki Makaurau; and a process for resolving historic Treaty claims relating to motu and harbours. On 5 November 2011, Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau and the Crown signed a Record of Agreement confirming the agreements reached on collective redress to be provided for in a deed. The deed was initialled on 7 June 2012 and first signed on 8 September 2012.

The Crown and iwi and hapū leaders of Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau look forward to implementing the deed and legislation, along with the specific settlements, and hope that these will create a platform for the enduring relationships envisaged by Te Tiriti o Waitangi.”

Like all Treaty claims, there are unique qualities about this one. One that clearly sets this claim apart from all others is getting 13 hapū and iwi groups to the table. As a former negotiator of Rongowhakaata claims, I note that we had 13 negotiators sitting around the table. We, unlike you, could settle in a collective settlement, so I take my hat off to you all that you were able to persevere and stay at the table. I know that there would have been some compromising along the way, but here we are. This bill represents your effort and your commitment to seeing this day to its fullest extent and the passing of this important piece of legislation. So I want to acknowledge you and your fortitude and your commitment to the mahi and getting us here.

The second unique aspect of this bill that stuck out for me is the changing face of Tāmaki-makau-rau, and I do not mean that in terms of the people who are there, but the changing face and the rightful recognition of mana whenua. The gifting of these maunga and motu back into your care is not just the process of gifting them and setting up governance arrangements; the unique part of this bill that I see, which sticks out for me, is the stories that sit behind those taonga of yours and the sharing of them. I can see the benefit that those stories are going to have for all young people who will be fortunate enough to be schooled in Tāmaki-makau-rau. So I can see, without a doubt, on that level, that the sharing of your history and your stories through all our schools through Tāmaki is going to be a benefit to the nation. So I do want to acknowledge that and recognise a unique part of this bill.

There are people who have obviously resided in Tāmaki who have spoken passionately about this bill. I have never lived in Tāmaki myself. I know I have missed out on a lot, but I have paddled in my younger days around the motu of Rangitoto. In my outrigging days we had a crew that went up. It was the largest race in New Zealand. It was called the Hauraki Hoe. It was 70 kilometres, and we would leave from Birkenhead under the harbour bridge and paddle around not just Rangitoto Island but all the outer islands as well. It used to be a 70 kilometre paddle, and I would like to boast that our crew from Wellington that journeyed up there was successful the year I did it. That is my small claim to acknowledging you all in the gallery and the importance of the passing of this bill.

It would be remiss to not acknowledge colleagues in this House—obviously, the Hon Chris Finlayson for his hard work in getting us here today, and my colleagues on the Māori Affairs Committee, ably chaired by the Hon Tau Henare. I want to thank all the officials who helped us get to where we were as a result of the discussions we had at the committee. Just in closing, there are two people here who know Tāmaki way better than I do who made decisions to move on, and I want to go on record especially to acknowledge them. As a member of Parliament for just over 12 months, I have enjoyed working with them, and they are Claudette Hauiti and Tau Henare. It has been great getting to know you in the short time that I have. I am going to miss you very much and your support around the Māori Affairs Committee, but I know it will not be the last time I see you, and I wish you all the very best. I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora.

Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e rau rangatira mā, tēnā koutou katoa. [Thank you to the authorities, voices, and leaders of a hundredfold. Greetings to you all.]

It is indeed a historic occasion and a very great honour for me as the member of Parliament for the North Shore to take one of the final calls in today’s debate on the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Bill. It has been a long time coming. I acknowledge all of the people who have worked so hard in making today a reality.

For me as a member of Parliament, which includes the area—the republic they call it sometimes—of Devonport, I would have to acknowledge that at times in this process I have felt ashamed of some of the people in my electorate with some of the attitudes that they have displayed. I think that Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei have done a tremendous job of being a good member of our community and of being good neighbours, and if this sense of acknowledgment is not forthcoming from that community, please accept it from me today as your elected representative; you are very welcome. The exciting housing developments and other initiatives that I have been briefed on by Ngārimu Blair and others are ones that will aid all of us, help all of us, and make us stronger in our community. For that I am very grateful and I am very grateful for your presence and what you give to us in this community.

I spoke at the final reading of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei bill and I am very pleased to see that Grant Hawke is here today in very good health and in very good form, because on that particular day it was not the case. So I am very pleased to see you here in good health this afternoon. I thank you for all the work that you have done as well. I would like to echo the sentiments of Kelvin Davis, expressed earlier. In case of Takarunga, my own Mount Victoria, this is a Treaty settlement process that does not stop people from coming in to enjoy the maunga and the places that are treasured for us. It is access for all New Zealanders, and I echo what he said—that it is not exclusive ownership and that the gift of sharing is something we can all learn from.

As the chair of the Local Government and Environment Committee, we have heard from Kaikōura about te korowai process, which is all about gifts and gains and the collaborative approach, and we have much to learn from these things as Pākehā and as legislators in this House of Representatives. As far as I am concerned today, I would just like to add to what others have said before me very eloquently that these are very important and significant occasions, and I thank all of you for the energy and effort that you have put in, arriving at this time.

I acknowledge the negotiators for the iwi, the indefatigable Mike Dreaver. I would also like to make a tribute to the Hon Chris Finlayson, who as our Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations said at the outset of this debate that Treaty settlements take courage and they take perseverance. Is that not the truth? He would know; he has signed 43 deeds of settlement since November 2008. He also said that this process today marks the end of the beginning.

This is a redress bill but it is a very important and significant step and it is, I think, a very good outcome. There is much more to be done, and we will do it. There is cross-party cooperation around this, and we have the tenacity and the determination as a Parliament to see this through and to process these historic Treaty claims. In closing, I would say that I commend this bill unreservedly to the House. Kia ora.

Tēnā koe. Kia ora tātou katoatoa, kia orana e Te Manea me tō tātou tangata whenua. Ā, ko au te tangata nō Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, nō Rarotonga, nō Mangaia, nō Aitutaki. Te patene i a koe me tia tangata, tuakana me tōtō, ra’i ki toto i tēnei ’are, tō Pāremata. My petition to you is that this boy from Rarotonga—tōku pito ki roto Aotearoa nei—ko au anō ki toto o Aotearoa. Even though I was born here, my pito is here, my whānau and my family come from the islands of Manuae, Rarotonga, Aitutaki, and Mangaia as well. So it is an honour to stand here today.

I have a very short call with a very small story about the day that I arrived in Glen Innes and Panmure. A friend and I used to run up Maungarei, Mount Wellington, in the early hours of the morning to say our karakias and to run around the community to hear what the tuakana would say to us. As we did, I remember that as I was on top of Maungarei, I looked across and I could see our community, and I wondered what they saw. I could see many things that were happening in that place. I could see the land of opportunity.

I remember that I came away, and I said to my wife one morning: “You know, what came to me was the whole aspect of Joshua and the city of Jericho, and that he was given a call and a mandate to take the city, as big as it was.” She laughed at me and thought it was just a pipe dream. Then I just happened to have the book by Kate Holloway, a historian, called Maungarei, and as I read the book I fell over. I looked at it, and I said to my wife: “Look at this.” What she had done is that in order to date Maungarei, the only thing she could do was date it to the time when the city of Jericho was actually built, historically. So I said there must be a significance here. As I retold the story, it simply said this: that at one time in one place Joshua was given a call from above to go and to take the city, impregnable as it was. The command was to walk around the city and at one point in time to sound the trumpet and with one voice—one united voice—the city walls would come down and they could take the city.

The vision that I had on that maunga of Maungarei was the fact that the spirit of unity, as we hear from Psalm 133, is that when people are united with one voice, then there is a blessing that flows and the ability to take the inheritance that is theirs.

I simply tell that story for this reason—because even on the maungas that we are talking about today, what we hear is because of one purpose and one mind, the spirit of unity is what unites us, and our prayer is that out of this there is more than just the acceptance of the redress but the opportunity, the potential, for our communities, for our whānau, to be able to do this.

I want to salute you and acknowledge you. Maybe this boy from Rarotonga has a voice and a sense of the connection to our tūpuna, to our tuakana, to say that when we are with one voice and of one purpose then we truly do experience the potential in what we have come to know as the blessings that will come from this. Nō reira, kia mi’i ki a tātou—there goes my buzzer—ka mutu tō tātou tuatua ki roto tēnei leo. Kia orana e Te Manea.

Bill read a third time.

Waiata

The House adjourned at 12.52.p.m. (Thursday)