Ngāruahine Claims Settlement Bill

Kia ora. E te iwi o Ngāruahine tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou, kia ora mai tātou.

[To you the tribe of Ngāruahine, greetings, salutations, and welcome to you all. I appreciate you greatly, and thank you to us all.]

There is a convention in the House that the Speaker in the Chair is not allowed to make a speech. It will not be lost on my friend John Hooker that I intend to pussyfoot around those rules. Some of us live by the mantra that it is better to ask for forgiveness than for permission. You will not hear me speak for very long about the travesties of the past—Te Ngutu o te Manu—the travesties of the confiscations around our rohe, and you will not hear me acknowledge the leaders of the past or acknowledge the travesties of those confiscations and where they have left you today, or wax lyrical in congratulations to Daisy, to Pita, to John, and to others—the familiar faces of those sitting in the gallery. You will not hear me say any of that, because it is against the rules.

I move, That the Ngāruahine Claims Settlement Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider the bill. First and foremost, like you, Mr Deputy Speaker—of course, you did not do it—I want to extend a warm welcome to the people of Ngāruahine who are here today to witness the first reading of their settlement bill. Nau mai haere mai.

Today is a day for acknowledging Ngāruahine tūpuna, as well as their descendants. It is particularly important to acknowledge those who have been part of the Ngāruahine journey, working tirelessly over the many years to have those grievances properly addressed. Sadly, many of these people are no longer with us and cannot be part of this important occasion today, but it is important to read their names into Hansard for ever more. I speak of Tohe Pakanga Ngatai, Rawa Tarawanuku, Margaret Kahupūroko Olley, Eric Whakataka Taha, Pue Barry Whakaruru, and John Kata Luke. They unfortunately passed away even before the settlement was realised. I want to read into Hansard the names of Stephen Hēnare Toki, Jean Teira Nuku, and Cyril Rangiwaiwaitomo, who have passed on since.

I want to acknowledge those who are still with us and who were, and are, absolutely committed to making sure that the Ngāruahine voice, their concerns, and their interests were heard. I refer here to Matekitawhiti Carr, Hine Toki, Hinewaitou Josie Bingham, and Ronald Boyd Hudson, some of whom are sitting amongst us today. Of course, special acknowledgment goes to that great New Zealander Tihi Anne Daisy Noble, who has driven the Ngāruahine negotiations from the outset with mana, with class, and with determination, along with the other negotiators. Attending the many Waitangi Tribunal hearings and court sittings in Wellington, in addition to the countless negotiation hui, shows the extraordinary commitment of all these people to the Ngāruahine kaupapa. This unrelenting dedication is the reason we are here today.

I want to acknowledge particularly the Office of Treaty Settlements. I want to acknowledge all departments of State for the work that they have done, particularly the Department of Conservation, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and there are so many others. I want to say something about the chief Crown negotiator. Yesterday I said that after the 2011 election I approached my parliamentary colleague and friend Rick Barker and asked whether he would be prepared to be chief Crown negotiator. He worked very hard on this settlement, and like all settlements, it had a lot of complexity.

Yesterday there was some unfortunate criticism of my negotiators by one member of this House, without really understanding the complexities and without really understanding how difficult these negotiations can be. I do not want to belabour the point, but all I want to say for the benefit of the House is that it is so easy to criticise from the sidelines; it is much harder to study a settlement, to understand the complexity, and to understand the historical gravity and the need to put things right. Rick Barker did that very well here indeed.

But every country has the type of politician who snipes from the sidelines. Take the United States, for example. Just yesterday Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said of Donald Trump: “We’ve got an empty suit here, full of bravado but not full of anything really meaningful for the country.” Enough said. I do not want to dwell on that particular MP—until the next debate at least—but I do want to acknowledge Mr Barker and thank him for his wonderful work, not only in this settlement but in plenty of others as well, and I am going to continue using him regardless of the criticism.

I now want to highlight some key moments in the history of the relationship between Ngāruahine and the Crown, which provide the bleak backdrop—and I emphasise the bleak backdrop—to this settlement. In the 1840s and the 1850s Ngāruahine people engaged in trade with Europeans. They were prosperous. They were successful. During this time Ngāruahine consistently opposed the sale of their lands to Europeans, and they retained control over their land and resources. What unfolds after that is a truly sorry history of Crown land purchasing that led to war in Taranaki, the devastation of Ngāruahine settlements and cultivations by Crown forces, the indiscriminate and the unjust confiscation of every acre of the Ngāruahine rohe in 1865, and the loss of control over the few lands that were returned.

By the late 1870s large numbers of Ngāruahine people were among the many people from Taranaki and elsewhere who relocated to Parihaka and supported that settlement’s leaders in their movement for independence and peace. Ngāruahine people were among those who were arrested, transported to the South Island, and imprisoned in harsh conditions for long periods without trial, and were also among those who were displaced from Parihaka when that settlement was invaded and dismantled by the Crown troops in 1881. These events remain among the lowest points in New Zealand’s history, which is why we have been doing so much work in recent times with Parihaka, and that is work that I can talk about on another day.

Earlier this year we were welcomed—I say this to my friend Mr Korako—so kindly by Ngāi Tahu at the beautiful Arahura Marae near Hokitika, and then up the road I was honoured to deliver the Crown’s apology to the people of Ngāruahine at the very site of a memorial for those of the iwi who were transported to the West Coast. This was at the conclusion of their recent hīkoi to the South Island to visit places where their tūpuna were taken from Parihaka and held captive in caves, forced to build stone embankments around Otago Harbour and many of the roads in Dunedin. This was a fitting conclusion to a very emotional and spiritual hīkoi.

I now turn to the settlement itself. Following the signing of the terms of negotiation in October 2010 Ngāruahine signed an agreement in principle at the end of 2012. The deed of settlement was initialled in June 2014, signed a couple of months later, and now we have the bill before the House. Of course, the members of the Māori Affairs Committee are going to take a good look at it. They will see that key elements of the package include $67.5 million, a right of deferred selection over 10 sites, the vesting of four culturally significant sites, overlay classification over six sites of particular importance, statutory acknowledgments over 51 sites of significance, and deeds of recognition over 23 sites.

There is so much about this settlement that I could talk about, but it is important to get this bill away to the select committee today. So, in closing, can I simply say that it truly is a privilege to be the steward of this portfolio, the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, and to have negotiated this settlement with this great iwi. It certainly is a privilege to be opening the debate on this very important occasion. It is a day for reflection on what Ngāruahine have lost, but it is a day of optimism as well—optimism for the future that lies ahead for Ngāruahine. The bill should proceed without delay to the Māori Affairs Committee, and so I commend it to the House.

Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te W’are, oti noa, “Piki mai, kake mai, hōmai te wai ora ki ahau e tū tehu ana te moe o te kuia i te pō, hoi ka raru, ka papaki kau ana ngā tai ki Te Reinga, ka pō, ka ao, ka awatea, ā, tihei mauri ora!” E tuku mi’i atu kia koutou Ngāruahine, ā, ki ngā hapū Kānihi, Umutahi hapū, Ōkahu, Inuāwai hapū, Ngāti Manuhiakai hapū, Ngāti Tū hapū, Ngāti Hauā hapū, Ngāti Tamahūroa Tītahi hapū. Anei ahau tētehi uri o Ngā Wakatauroa tuku mi’i atu ki a koutou, nau mai, haere mai, whakatau mai. Ka mi’i atu anō ki ngā mate, ngā mate katoa i runga i a koutou, i a mātou, i a tātou katoa. Ka nui te tangi o te ngākau te wehenga atu ō rātou mā i tīmata tēnei kaupapa, nō reira, e ’oki, e moe, e moe.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker of the House, and so, “Come up, ascend here, give me living, giving waters, for the lady sleeps in eager anticipation, but there was deception as the tides broke at Te Reinga and the night, and, alas, the night set in, then came dawn, and behold the breath of life!”. I welcome you collectively, Ngāruahine, and the subtribes Kānihi, Umutahi, Ōkahu, Inuāwai, Ngāti Manuhiakai, Ngāti Tū, Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Tamahūroa, and Tītahi. I, a descendant of Ngā Wakatauroa, stand here to welcome you collectively; come hither, come forth, welcome. I also acknowledge the dead: those upon you, us, and everyone. There is much grief within me to those ones who started this proposal, and so rest, sleep, slumber on.]

It gives me great pleasure to speak in the first reading of the Ngāruahine Claims Settlement Bill. Ka tāpiri atu taku mihi ki te mihi ka tukuna atu e koe ki te iwi nei [I add my tribute to the one that you accorded this tribe here]. I want to join my acknowledgment to the one that you gave first, Mr Deputy Speaker, because I think it is appropriate, as you are in the Chair, that you ought to have done that. So I acknowledge that you did that, and I join my acknowledgment to yours.

This settlement has been a long time coming, like all settlements that arrive here. I talked about perseverance in the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill, and I could equally apply that to the Ngāruahine people—their perseverance in coming through all of the historical issues that have happened in Taranaki whānui and, in particular, in this case, to Ngāruahine; the likes of which are still carried by the people of Ngāruahine to this day.

I have spoken on these settlement bills on previous occasions, and I have talked about historical and intergenerational trauma. If there was a historical account that I have read that describes the historical and intergenerational trauma, then I would point to the historical account that is included in this bill. It is not easy for a generation to carry such trauma and then to address it with the perpetrators of the trauma that has been inflicted upon them. It takes courage to be able to do that, so I acknowledge the whole iwi, and I want to acknowledge, in particular, the negotiators and, as the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations has pointed out, Daisy Noble, who has been absolutely tenacious in getting Ngāruahine to this point today. I think that she ought to be mentioned for the very fact of carrying the hurt and the trauma of past generations so that it can be addressed appropriately through this settlement. And so I acknowledge that.

This settlement is a significant one. The Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations has outlined all of the parts that are included within this deed of settlement. I want to acknowledge his work in bringing this settlement to the House, and also the Crown negotiators and the officers at the Office of Treaty Settlements. The kaitiaki instrument in particular drew my attention. It talks about the natural resources, which are, of course, very important to Ngāruahine.

I also wanted to spend a bit of time on the financial redress. I believe that the financial redress looks fairly significant, of course, but we all know that it is but a small proportion of what was lost. The total area lost in Taranaki was 1.2 million acres, which includes all of the land of Ngāruahine. This gives an opportunity for the iwi to move forward, to use that settlement asset to grow the economic base of the iwi, so that the generations of today and the generations to come, which bear the effects of those things that impact the iwi today, will have a base from which they can restore, or begin to restore, their place within, and on, their lands.

I think it is important that we acknowledge—and we have heard about this—the generosity of spirit. We have heard of it a number of times during debates on settlements, but when an iwi has lost completely everything—absolutely everything—and then still survives today and finds it within itself to negotiate with the perpetrators of the hurt that has been inflicted upon it, that generosity certainly needs to be acknowledged. The financial redress, as I said, provides a way forward for the iwi. I think that through this financial redress future generations will be in good stead.

I have to acknowledge also that through this settlement the iwi of Ngāruahine will eventually be—and I am sure that they are well on their way to being—full participants in everything that goes on in their rohe. I point to the relationship mechanisms within this Treaty settlement and also to the letters that the Crown will write to ministries in order to encourage those relationships to move forward. I always think that those letters could be a bit more. I think that there could be more obligation on the ministries and departments to ensure that that relationship happens. It is something that I think should be discussed at the select committee, and hopefully we can make sure, through submissions, that those letters are not just pieces of paper, and that when there is engagement between the iwi and those ministries it is at the level where the decisions are made, and not with officers—middle management—of those ministries.

Nō reira, koinā taku kōrero, ā, ka mihi atu anō ahau ki a koutou ngā uri o Ngāruahine. Ka nui te mi’i atu ki a koutou, ko te tūmanako kia ūhia mai ngā manaakitanga ki runga ki a koutou katoa mō ngā wā katoa, ā, tihei mauri ora!

[That is my address, and I acknowledge you collectively once again, descendants of Ngāruahine. I admire you greatly, in the hope that all that generosity will spread over you all the time; so behold the breath of life!]

“Titiro, titiro ki Te Maunga Tītōhea i runga o Parihaka, Waitotōro, Ngāti Moeahu, Ngāti Haupoto. Ko te takiritanga i te kahu o Wikitōria kaitoa, kaitoa! Ko Tohu, ko Te Whiti nga manu e rua i patu i te hoariri ki te rangimārie, ksss auē, ksss aue! Ahakoa te pahū o Tanga, o Parihaka, uē, uē, uē, hā!”

Kai ngā taokete, Te Maunga Tītōhea koutou e kawe nei i te raukura, ngā tūmanako o te hunga kua ngaro atu i te tirohanga kanohi, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, nau mai, e rarau! Nau mai ki roto i te Whare Pāremata nāna koutou i tūkino i ngā tau kua hipa ake, i tēnei rā kua hara mai koutou ki raro i tōna parirau me ngā mate huhua kua pā mai, kua kōrerohia nei e te Minita i tēnei ata. Ka tangi ake, he kitenga kanohi ka hoki ngā mahara ki te hunga kāore i konei, ēhara i te mea nō roto i a koutou ēngari hā, ka huri tika tonu ōku whakaaro ki a Te Miringa mā, ko rātou i āki nei i ēnei kaupapa mō Taranaki whānui tonu i te wā i a ia. Ēngari, anō koutou i tēnei rā te hunga ora, e Daisy, ko koe tērā e ārahi nei i ngā kaupapa. Ka tangi ake, ka tangi ake mō ngā pakeke kua ngaro. Hoi anō, kai konei koutou, kai konei koe kua eke ki roto i te Whare Pāremata, haere mai, haere mai, haere mai kei aku rangatira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātau!

I puta i a au tētahi kōrero i Te Marae o Tūrangawaewae i te kotahi marama pea kua hipa, i tērā o ngā hui i whakanuia ko te āhuatanga o te kirimana i waenganui i a Waikato-Tainui, me te Karauna. I reira a Hēmi Bolger rāua ko te tangata nā a Sir Doug Graham. I kī atu au i te marae rā, ē, kua āhua raruraru a Te Ururoa ki te noho i Tūrangawaewae, i a rātau e whakanui ana i te kirimana i waenganui i a Tainui me te Karauna i te mea, i ngā 25 tau kua hipa, i tērā taha o te taiapa kē au e porotēhi ana. He pērā anō taku aronga ki a koutou i tēnei rā, e kai ōku taokete! I ngā wā roa mō ngā toru tau kua hipa ake, i reira tātau, ētahi o tātau, ā, tukituki nei te rae i runga o Waitara!

Ā, he aha te kaupapa? Ko te kōpaki o te Karauna! Ko tana Kiriona, ē kī, ē kī! Ko tā tātau i tērā rā ko te kī atu, tō hamuti! Whakahokia atu tō kōpaki, ā, ki tua o tāwauwau! Ēngari anō, a, kai konei tātau, ā, ko tōna whakatinanatanga, ā, kua āhua tūreiti te kōrero mō tērā i tēnei wā. Nō reira, haere mai rā i raro i te āhuatanga o ēnei whakaaro. Ka tangi ake ēngari, ka hari harikoa i te mea, kua eke koutou ki tēnei taumata. Nō reira, e tika kia noho au ki roto i Te Reo Māori ēngari, kua koropupū ake te whakaaro, ā, me whakatakoto ētahi paku kōrero i te reo Pākehā kia mārama tonu te whānuitanga o ngā mea e whakarongo nei ki ēnei kōrero. Nō reira kai aku rangatira o te Whare, kai te Kaikōrero o te Whare, tēnā koe, me tō kore kōrero mō tō rahi.

[“Look, look at the Barren Mountain over Parihaka, Waitōtara River, and the subtribes Ngāti Moeahu and Ngāti Haupoto, and the loosening of Victoria’s cape; good job, good job! It was Tohu and Te Whiti, those two birds, who slew the enemy with peace; ksss, oh, the pain, ksss, oh, the pain! Despite the eruption of Tanga and Parihaka, it shook, shook, and shook to no avail; what a delight!”

To the in-laws, to Barren Mountain bearers of the feather plume and aspirations of those who are lost from sight, I greet and acknowledge you; welcome, come hither, settle in! Welcome to Parliament House, that which violated you in the years gone by and today, you have come under its wing with your many deceased, who have been mentioned by the Minister this morning. I mourn them, and, after seeing you, memories of those who are no longer here are recalled, even though they are from within you entirely. My thoughts go directly to Miringa and them, the ones who really urged these proposals along for Taranaki at large in his time. As far as you are concerned today, Daisy, you and the ones who are alive are leading the proposals. But I do mourn and grieve for the elders who have passed away. You as a collective, however, are here; you have arrived in the House of Parliament; come hither, welcome, draw closer, and acknowledgments to you, my esteemed elders; salutations, congratulations, and well done to us all.

I made a statement at Tūrangawaewae Marae about a month ago, at one of the meetings to celebrate the circumstances around the signing of the deed of settlement between Waikato-Tainui and the Crown. Jim Bolger and Sir Doug Graham were there. At that marae I stated that I, Te Ururoa, had become somewhat troubled to remain there at Tūrangawaewae while they were celebrating the deed settlement, because 25 years ago I was on that side of the fence protesting instead. My inclination to you, my in-laws, is still similar to what it was then as it is today! In that lengthy period, about 3 years ago, we were there; some of us were there up at Waitara, at loggerheads with each other! And what was the proposal? The fiscal envelope of the Crown! Its billion dollars—well, well! Our response that day was: “Your faeces! Take your envelope away to beyond the wherever!”. That aside, we are all here—its fulfilment? Well, today it is a bit late now to talk about that.

And so welcome here, indeed, under the circumstance of these views. I lament, but at the same time I am very happy because you have reached this pinnacle. It is apt, therefore, for me to have remained speaking in Māori, but the thoughts well up from within that I should express a few thoughts in English, so that the vast number listening in can have some clarity about these sentiments. And so, esteemed ones of the House and Mr Deputy Speaker, my appreciation to us all, and to you in particular, Mr Deputy Speaker of the House, for not making any reference to how well you have been put together; thank you.]

It gives me great pleasure to stand in front of Ngāruahine today. I say that because it was about 30 years ago that I arrived with my whānau back in Taranaki. My wife is from Taranaki and became involved in many of the things. As I said earlier, I was on Tūrangawaewae Marae a couple of months ago, actually, celebrating 25 years, I think it was—

💬 Hon Nanaia Mahuta: 20.

Twenty—20 years since the signing of the Waikato-Tainui agreement, and there was James Bolger and—

💬 Tim Macindoe: Doug Graham.

Sir Doug Graham. Sir Doug Graham referred to a protest that happened to be outside of Tūrangawaewae at the time, and I said: “Well, Sir Doug, you were on this side; I was actually on the outside protesting about that fiscal envelope that was touted around by the National Party at the time.” It brings back memories because for many of the people I see up here it is exactly the same. It was about 30 years ago when I went to Taranaki and—I will admit to it—we sort of led a few protests now and again, caused a bit of havoc now and again, but had some fun.

💬 Pita Paraone: Led by your heart.

Ha, ha! It was very much led by the heart, and I just think about those times and the many people, because I did attend many of the first discussions. We are talking about 30 years ago—holy cow; 30 years ago. Here we are 30 years down the track and not everybody is through the gate yet, but some are. I remember the Waitangi Tribunal hearings, where absolutely everybody said: “No way. Do away with that blimmin $1 billion. You’re not going to buy us off for that amount of money.” Well, history is history. We know what has happened since then.

But I think about many of those who have passed on, and the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations mentioned some of them, but I think very much around Te Miringa Hohaia, whom you may remember, but one of the korero that came out was Taranaki, kia kotahi te kōrero [Taranaki, be of one voice]. We know what has happened is that people have split off, and that is fine. But I think about nā koutou who have come today, because it has been a long journey. So to Daisy, I congratulate you and you whānau and your team. Wīremu, ki a koe anō hoki i kite au i tō ingoa i runga i ngā rārangi ingoa [to you too, Wīremu; I noted your name on the list of names]. So congratulations to you for being here.

You may not have been here earlier, but we made mention—a couple of the members have talked about a few things this morning that I think are important to put on the radar. One of our members, the Green member Catherine Delahunty, in fact, talked about the fact that although we celebrate so much the various people in our history—people like Paris and Grey and Whitmore are celebrated in history; I know they are celebrated, because they are street names in New Plymouth, for goodness sake—but ko te hunga Māori, ā, kāore i kitea [as for the Māori people, they were not sighted]. And I know that one of those protests was to get rid of those posts, but I did not—I did not touch those ones. It was other ones—no, no it was not. So I think that is an important point that those names have huge ramifications for our people, because they are symbols of a history that many people do not talk about.

I just want to raise a second issue that others have spoken about, which is that the history of people like the people of Taranaki—I lived there for a couple of years, and I have got to say there are a few people who I know feel so deeply and strongly about confiscation. These people are one of them. Tūhoe is another; Tainui is another. There are others, obviously. But, you know, because they live on that same land that was confiscated from them—and, as a teacher of Treaty education, I have seen the books that show the confiscation line. For somebody who came out of a Parliament of New Zealand to draw down the page one squiggle and draw to the right and say “All of that is now confiscated.”, you know, that is a part of our history that not many people talk about. Here we have an opportunity to put that sort of stuff in front of our Parliament, and I think we should take that opportunity all of the time.

I take the point of the “Ngāti Paraone” tribe. He said: “You know, maybe these debates should be in the afternoon so that they open up for the general public.” It is all very well for us sitting here and for those watching on TV, but actually the history that is spoken about in these Treaty debates is hugely important. We never get it out—we have got 10 minutes to put everything out there. We never do it justice, but the mere fact of some of the key points that all of us make, for the purposes of being united about giving opportunities for people to move forward, I think, should be given consideration. Maybe we will take that up in the Business Committee of the House.

These are the thoughts that sort of come to mind, and the hope is, of course, that although the journey is not over, because there are a couple of stages—I was looking for one certain man from Ngāti Tū to come to the door, but I cannot see him here today. So I am suspecting that he will want to have an audience with me and to have a talk. I gave a commitment to that Ngāti Tū kaumātua that I would come up and see him. It may be a little bit later. I may have a phone message on my phone, which I will get to this afternoon, and we may have a talk on Facebook. But these are the things that we go through. Some of our people say “Let’s go.”, some of our people have certain issues that they still want resolved, and some of our people are so passionate—and there is nothing wrong with passion. There is nothing wrong with passion, especially if it is in the best interests of our people.

E hoa mā, koinei te mihi o te ngākau ki a koutou i tēnei rangi, kua eke ki tēnei taumata! Ē harikoa ana ko koutou tēnei kua noho nei hei hoa haere mō ngā iwi kua tae kē mai ki roto i te Whare Pāremata. Taihoa ake nei ka eke Te Komiti Whiriwhiri Take Māori ki runga i a koutou ki reira wetewete ai, te tikanga ia i mua o te paunga o tēnei tau. Ko wai ka mōhio, ka hoki mai koutou? Ā, koirā te rā waiata, te wā ngahau, te wā e tutuki ai te kaupapa, e taea ai tō koutou haere i runga i te huarahi whakarite mai ai. Nō reira kai aku rangatira, e ngā taokete, kai ngā uri o ngā manu e rua, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātau katoa.

[Colleagues, I really acknowledge you from the heart today; you have reached the pinnacle. I am absolutely thrilled that you remain here as ones for tribes arriving here in the House as ones to engage with. The Māori Affairs Committee will shortly prevail upon you to critically analyse with you there, and hopefully before the end of this year. Who knows when you will be back? And that will be the day to sing, entertain—and when the proposal is settled and you go off on your way to make plans. And so, my esteemed colleagues, in-laws, and descendants of those two birds, I acknowledge, commend, and congratulate you and us all collectively; thank you.]

Tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. Māku e whaiwhai ngā kōrero kua kōrerohia i te ata nei, ā, nō reira ki a koutou Ngāruahine, kei te mihi maioha ki a koutou. E hoki ngā mahara i tēnei wā ki a rātou katoa, ka whakaaro ake ki ngā mātua tūpuna me ngā kupu kōrero i waihotia ki ngā whakatupuranga hei kawe i tēnei kaupapa te toimahatanga o te raupatu, me te hiahia kia whai oranga i roto i ngā āhuatanga mō ngā whakatupuranga. Nō reira, ki tērā kīwai o te kete nei e Tihi, e mihi atu ana ki a koutou katoa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou. Nāku te waimaria kia tuitui i ēnei kōrero ki ērā i waihotia i roto i Te Whare nei.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I will follow up on the contributions expressed this morning, so an affectionate greeting to you collectively, Ngāruahine. At this moment my thoughts go back to all of the departed, and I reflect on the words uttered by the ancestral forefathers, which they left behind to the generations, about this matter of extreme depression relating to confiscation, which was for them to bear, with a desire that benefits accrue from within the circumstances for generations. Therefore, on the other handle of this basket, Tihi, I acknowledge you all; greetings, well done, and congratulations. It is my good fortune that I am able to stitch these comments to those that were left in this House.]

It gives me some pleasure to be able to contribute to this particular Treaty settlement. As I said in my opening mihi, you cannot help but be reminded of some of the historical facts of the country and locate yourself in some small way to some common interest. When I read through the historical accounts for Ngāruahine and the impact of confiscation in the area, there was so much that was similar to the experience in Waikato—1.2 million acres were confiscated in Taranaki, which is the same amount as in Waikato.

In terms of the inability of the Compensation Court to adequately address the issues, because those who had fought hard to hold on to their lands were classed as rebels, and in terms of the dislocation that people had as a result of raupatu of their land—how that turned relationships around, often, within hapū and within whanau, those who fought with the Crown and those who remained loyal to the aspirations of their people—all of this kind of gets churned up as a result of combing through the historical facts and the events that occurred. I grew up as a child who heard only stories of people who had remembered their tūpuna who had fought during particular times. But can I say this, as a child of a raupatu area, he rongoā i roto i te mamae [there is a medicine in the pain], because we were very well assured that despite the burden of obligation that the generation above me—my parents’ generation, my father’s generation—had to address the issue of raupatu, it was so that the next generation had the ability to look forward.

In some small way the settlement process enables that to happen. It is not a complete redressing of all those wrongs, but it is a window and a door that you can choose to walk through so that things can be better for the next generation. It is so as not to forget the past, but to be able to walk confidently into the future and say: “This is who our ancestors were and what they believed in. This is who we are now. This is how we choose to be going forward into the future.” For all that, I acknowledge Ngāruahine. I acknowledge everything that is in this particular settlement and what you have tried to achieve.

I had a look at some of the aspects of this settlement. Can I say that at the select committee level I am particularly interested in the local government level, the instruments that enable your participation in the planning and regulation aspects of what happens within your particular region. I will take a particular interest in that because I know that so much of what can happen going forward into the future will require your own determination of your development aspirations and being able to locate that within your own area, working with local government, working with business, and working with all those groups you have to work with to give full effect to what you want to do. I also note that there are relationship accords with key Government agencies. We have just had a debate yesterday in the House with the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations noting the Post Settlement Commitments Unit and how that unit can be a really key part of ensuring that these accords are monitored and evaluated and are operating in the way that the settlement intends it to operate, because if it falls short of that, it falls short of your aspirations contained in the settlement.

Although it may not, on the surface, be appropriate for certain matters to be relitigated, Minister, I anticipate that even though the Wai 552 issue has gone to the High Court and has had a determination, it may well come back to the Māori Affairs Committee through a submission. Often I have noticed, through the Treaty settlement process, that people use the select committee as a way to be able to tell their story and have it recorded and heard in some way, shape, or form. The select committee gives a lot of respect to anybody who presents submissions to us in earnest, in order to try to understand the nature of their concerns. We are somewhat constrained in being able to address this, because once it gets to the settlement phase and the legislative phase our strongest role is to ensure that the deed reflects what is contained in the legislative mechanisms, and we can kind of really scrutinise some of that aspect. But to revisit matters that have already been determined elsewhere, we are a little bit constrained in that respect. I do want to mention that because I anticipate that that will be an issue.

I also note the matters with regard to the conservation estate. You know, the conservation legislation is still, in itself, one of those Acts of law that have the strongest references to giving effect to the Treaty of Waitangi. So the Treaty settlement process has enabled us to really have a high level of expectation on these accords and these instruments through the conservation estate, to be able to make sure that they are working to their full extent as well.

Do you know what? Over time I have considered in this House—and I have been here as long as the Waikato raupatu settlement, 20 years next year—that the conservation lands might be the last bastion of New Zealand lands solely held for our people in the public estate, and Māori are inserting themselves right in there, saying: “We’re going to partner how these lands are going to be managed, for the benefit of all New Zealanders.” That can only be good, because more and more we are seeing so much of the New Zealand estate sold elsewhere out of our hands, and the next generation is quite fearful about that. So New Zealanders owe a huge debt of gratitude to iwi who, through their good nature, have said: “We can do this with the Crown for the benefit of all New Zealanders.” It gives me great heart, the Tūhoe settlement with Te Urewera. That will radically, I think, transform the way in which people will look at co-management and co-governance of a beautiful estate like that, as does the Ngāruahine settlement.

There is so much more to this Treaty settlement that, again, as the Minister himself said, there is not enough time in 10 minutes to be able to do it adequate justice. But you can rest assured, Ngāruahine, that the diligence of our select committee chair and his good nature enable us to investigate any matter that we require—

💬 Pita Paraone: And members.

—and members; that is right, the member from New Zealand First—and to investigate those matters that are really important, to give you an assurance that we are doing the best job we can do to steward through what has been a huge and long effort of a number of people. But, most important, the total sum of that effort is courage—courage and conviction. Nō reira, i roto i ērā kupu iti, ka waihotia i roto i ēnei pito kōrero mā koutou hei hari, hei whakahoki ki te kāinga, nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[So in those brief words, I leave these brief statements for you to enjoy and take home; so acknowledgments to you collectively and to us all.]

Tēnā koe e te Mana Whakawā, ā, “Ko te hau mua, ko te hau muri, ko Te Hau Tamawahine, ko Te Hau Tamatāne, e tū mai rā Te Tokotoko a Tāne-nui-a-raki, e tutū mautia whakamaua ka tīna, tīna, haumi e, hui e, tāhiki e!” Ā, tēnā rā koutou ngā pōua o Waitaka o tō tātou matua tipuna. Ngāruhine ka mihi, Taranaki Mauka ka mihi, nō reira e ngā manuhiri o te Whare Pāremata nau mai, haere mai, piki mai, kake mai, hōmai te wairua.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. And so: “It is the winds to fore and aft, those of Tamawahine and Tamatāne, and yonder stands the walking stick of Tāne-nui-a-raki, hold fast to it securely; join, gather, and entwine; it is done!” And so acknowledgments to you, the aged from Kaikōura to Waitaki; I salute you. To you, Ngāruahine and Taranaki Mountain, visitors of Parliament House, I therefore bid you welcome; draw hither, mount, and climb aboard, give me the spirit.]

I want first to acknowledge the people of Ngāruahine who are here today and those who could not be but may be watching or listening to this, which is a momentous occasion for the people. I am Ngāi Tahu, and I know the history of these people. I come from Rāpaki o Te Rakiwhakaputa and I also come from Kāti Waewae Arahura o te Whare Tūhuru. As children we were told these were the stories of these people, these prisoners, who came to our marae, and who actually, at Rāpaki, they were interned on Ōtamahua, and a lot of them perished. My tīpuna brought them from Ōtamahua te Rāpaki. And then those who were taken to the Tai Poutini were also interned where they suffered and died. So I want to acknowledge this incredible people and what they have gone through.

The history here of Ngāruahine is one of the great ironies of the New Zealand Wars. Despite the fact that it was the Crown that violated the recently signed Treaty of Waitangi, it was the iwi who were branded as rebels both by the Government of the day and by many subsequent historical accounts. Ngāruahine was one of these iwi. This was a prosperous and successful iwi that had been trading peacefully with Europeans, but for many years they opposed the sale of their lands to Europeans, and that was their right. When the end of Ngāruahine’s success as a prosperous and peaceful iwi came, it was not to protect their own lands but that of neighbouring iwi.

It should be a mark of pride to the people of Ngāruahine that their ancestors put at risk their financial prosperity to go to the aid of others. When the Crown declared war on North Taranaki iwi, who were resisting forced sales of land, some Ngāruahine entered the war to support their neighbours. When the Crown confiscated 1.2 million acres of Taranaki land, it included all of the land belonging to Ngāruahine. Crown forces then entered the Ngāruahine rohe, destroyed villages, stores, and sources of food, and took a lot of Ngāruahine as prisoners. Eventually small percentages of land were nominally returned, but even then there was uncertainty about the control the iwi had over its land.

As I said before, many displaced Ngāruahine relocated to Parihaka and joined the peace movement there, only to be arrested and transported to jails in Te Wai Pounamu. It was highly appropriate that the apology for the Crown’s wrongs committed against Ngāruahine should be delivered on the Tai Poutini at Hokitika earlier this year, at the site where many Ngāruahine ancestors were jailed. Over the years since these breaches of the Treaty took place, Ngāruahine has been forced to suffer the injustices of so-called redress through the wholly inadequate west coast commissions.

The Taranaki Maori Claims Settlement Act of 1944 claimed to provide a full settlement of claims, with no evidence that Ngāruahine had agreed to the settlement. What we have here today is a full and final settlement that has been agreed between the Crown and Ngāruahine. It acknowledges the wrongs that the Crown perpetrated against the iwi and offers an unreserved apology. What it does not, and, indeed, cannot, do is fully compensate Ngāruahine for what the Crown stole from them. Instead, the commercial redress of $67.7 million provides a way for Ngāruahine to begin developing an economic base for their future and for these tamariki who are here today, and for their tamariki after them. The iwi’s relationship with their lands is also recognised through various means such as deferred selection, vesting of culturally significant sites, statutory acknowledgments, and deeds of recognition.

I want to reiterate the Minister’s acknowledgment of Ngāruahine’s generosity in accepting the settlement. I want to also acknowledge the work of the many people who have brought the iwi to this point. These include the tūpuna who first began seeking redress for the Crown’s breaches of the Treaty over a hundred years ago. There are also many whom the Minister has already acknowledged by name—the two Ministers, actually—who have worked on this current settlement. I acknowledge those who have passed on, those who could not be here today, and those who are here to see the first stage of their settlement process through this House.

This bill will now move on to the Māori Affairs Committee, which I am honoured to chair. I look forward to considering this bill in detail. I look forward to welcoming those Ngāruahine people and others who wish to make submissions on this bill. I want to acknowledge the work of Minister Finlayson as our Treaty settlements Minister. I also want to acknowledge the tautoko from the Minister of everything else Māori—Te Ururoa Flavell, my colleague from “Tīpene Kura”. Finally, to my colleagues the members of the Māori Affairs Committee—we try to park our political affiliations at the door and then we enter that room, and then we try to do things that are in the best interests of our people. Nō reira, Ngāruahine, ka nuinui te mihi, te aroha, e mihi, e mihi, e mihi atu ana ki a koutou katoa.

[And so huge greetings and empathy to you, Ngāruahine; I acknowledge, salute, and congratulate you all.]

I would like, without any reservation indeed, to commend this bill to the House. Kia ora.

E te Māngai o te Whare tēnā koe, tuarua, ki ngā mema ō tō tātou Whare, tēnā koutou katoa, tuatoru, ka mihi atu ki a Ngāruahine me ngā hapū katoa, ka mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker of the House; secondly, acknowledgments to all members; and, thirdly, I welcome you, Ngāruahine, and all the subtribes.]

Last year John Key responded to the Waitangi Tribunal claim on Te Paparahi o Te Raki by saying that New Zealand was settled “peacefully”—that was the word he used. And he went on to explain that Māori would have been grateful for the injection of capital that early Pākēha brought with them when they settled Aotearoa New Zealand—Māori would have been grateful for the capital! The history of Ngāruahine puts John Key back in his place—someone who is, sadly, ignorant of his own history, of his own country, and of the efforts of his own Government to respond to that history with some restitution.

This morning I want to set out some of that history, as John Key’s own Government has described it in its own legislation before us today, and to suggest that perhaps he might want to reflect on both the inaccuracy and the offensiveness of his earlier comments. Before 1860 Ngāruahine were prosperous and economically successful and retained ownership of their lands and resources after consistently opposing the sale of land in their rohe to Europeans.

In the late 1850s some Ngāruahine provided assistance to northern Taranaki iwi who were also resisting Crown efforts to acquire land. The Crown declared some Māori who were preventing the surveys elsewhere in Taranaki to be in rebellion and commenced hostilities against them. Some Ngāruahine entered the war on the side of the non-sellers. Following the occupation of the Tataraimaka Block by Crown troops, conflict in Taranaki resumed in 1863, and Ngāruahine people again travelled north to engage with Crown forces.

In 1865 the Crown proclaimed 1.2 million acres of Taranaki land confiscated, including all of the Ngāruahine rohe. The confiscations were indiscriminate, depriving both “loyal” and “rebel” Māori of their lands. The war continued, and in early 1866 Crown forces entered the Ngāruahine rohe and used scorched earth tactics, which devastated several Ngāruahine villages, along with associated food stores, livestock, and crops. As a result of the Crown’s military campaigns, Ngāruahine people were forced to abandon their former homes and food-gathering sites, suffering severe hardship. Some Ngāruahine people were taken prisoner during the war, and a number lost their lives.

The process that was established to compensate “loyal” Māori for the confiscation of their land began in the 1860s, before the fighting had come to an end in South Taranaki, and this made it very difficult for Ngāruahine people to participate in the hearings for that compensation. By 1880 none of the compensation court awards to Ngāruahine had been implemented.

So, the settlement legislation says, the Crown acknowledges that the cumulative effect of the Crown’s actions in purchasing land in Taranaki created tensions that led to the outbreak of war; that it conducted a bush scouring campaign and used scorched earth tactics in southern Taranaki to reduce the ability of Māori, including Ngāruahine, to fight; that these campaigns resulted in the devastation of a number of important Ngāruahine kāinga, including Māwhitiwhiti and Ahipaipa, and forced Ngāruahine to flee their settlements, causing severe hardship for them; that Ngāruahine suffered loss of life during the Taranaki wars; and that the Taranaki wars constituted an injustice. It does not sound like peaceful settlement to me.

The settlement bill goes on to describe that in the early 1870s many Ngāruahine returned to their lands on the Waimate plains. Through the 1870s the Crown attempted to secure nominally confiscated Ngāruahine land for European settlement by making formal and informal payments to Māori and by promising to provide reserves and protect significant Ngāruahine sites. These promises were not fulfilled. By the late 1870s many Ngāruahine people were uncertain about the status of their lands. By this time many Ngāruahine had relocated to Parihaka in central Taranaki, and were supporting its leaders Te Whiti and Tohu Kākahi and their movement for Māori peace and independence.

The Crown acknowledges that Ngāruahine provided material support to the Parihaka community and that large numbers of Ngāruahine people were residing at Parihaka when Crown forces invaded the settlement in 1881. It inflicted serious damage on the prosperous Māori village of Parihaka and the people residing there, forcibly dispersing many of the inhabitants, and assaulted the human rights of the people. These actions caused great distress and were a complete denial of the Māori right to develop and sustain autonomous communities in a peaceful manner, and its treatment of Ngāruahine people at Parihaka was unconscionable and a breach of the Treaty of Waitangi.

The Crown also goes on to acknowledge that it detained members of Ngāruahine and other Māori of Taranaki for their participation in the peaceful resistance campaigns initiated at Parihaka, that legislation was enacted that suspended the ordinary course of law, and that as a result most prisoners, including many Ngāruahine people, were detained without trial. The detention of those prisoners without trial for an unreasonably lengthy period assumed the character of indefinite detention, and the imprisonment of Ngāruahine and other Māori of Taranaki in South Island gaols for political reasons inflicted unwarranted hardships on them and their whānau. The treatment, the Crown acknowledges, of these political prisoners was wrongful, a breach of natural justice, and deprived them of their basic human rights.

There is much more of this history—this demonstrable, proven history—in the settlement legislation. I would urge all New Zealanders to take the opportunity, while this bill and other settlement bills are going through the House, to look at those histories, to learn what those histories are, especially in their own areas, and to understand what happened in their own country, so that we may learn from those lessons, understand where we come from, and present a much brighter vision for how we might proceed in the future. The history set out in the Ngāruahine legislation shows just the first decade after Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed, and it is a history of violence, racism, and theft, all of which characterise the colonisation process. It was not peaceful; it was not about fair exchange. It was about greed.

Treaty settlements have many problems in the Green Party’s view, but one of the things they get right is the setting out of our collective history. We need to make more of these accounts—to understand them, to learn them, and to learn lessons from them. I want to wish Ngāruahine all the very best for the future of their settlement. I look forward to talking with them more about this in the select committee. Tēnā koutou katoa.

Tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. Ā, tiheiwa mauri ora, tuku mauri ora ki te wheiao, ki te ao mārama! Ngāruahine, nau mai haere mai. Tū wāhi poto tēnei ki te tautoko i ngā mihi i mihingia e aku tuākana i whakatau i a koutou kua tae mai nei i runga i te kaupapa i karangahia tātou i te rā nei. Kei te tautoko hoki i ngā mihi ki tēnā o ngā whanaunga karanga maha nā rātou i ‘hakatīmata mai tēnei kaupapa, ka harekau kē kei waenganui i a tātou. Ahakoa horekau i waenganui i a tātou ā-tinana ēngari, mōhio ana au kei konei rātou a-wairua, nā reira, e tika ana kia mihi tonu ki a rātou. Nā reira, kua ea te wāhi mā rātou, ka hoki mai ki a tātou te hunga ora, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou.

Kei te tautoko mātou o Aotearoa Tuatahi i te pire nei ahakoa, e mōhio ana au e horekau e tino tatū, e tino tau kē tā koutou kerēme. Tika ana te kōrero a te Minita ahakoa me pēhea tō rātou whakaaro, ka horekau kē e tino tau ēngari, ko te mea nui i tēnei wā i raro i te kirimana i hainatia i a koutou i waenganui i te Karauna, kua tau kē. Ēngari, ka nui taku mihi ki a koutou, tā koutou manaakitanga ēhara ki te Karauna anahe ēngari, ki te iwi whānui o Te Motu nei, nā reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou.

I mea atu au ki wā tātou whanaunga mai i Hineuru i te ata nei, āhua pūhaehae ana au ki a rātou nā te mea, kua tau kē te whakaaro o Te Karauna, he iwi kē rātou. Horekau i hē ki tēnā! Pēnā i a koutou e tū i te rā nei hei iwi! Horekau ahau nei e raru ki tēnā! Ēngari, i roto i a mātou o Ngāti Hine, tōku whānau anahe tata kē 10,000 ngā tangata ēngari, kīhai te Karauna i ’hakaae i a mātou, ē, tū hei iwi. Kia ahatia? Ēngari te mea nui i raro i te kaupapa o te pire nei, pai kē ki a koutou i te Whare nei. Nā reira, ngā mihi hoki!

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. So “Behold the breath of life! I give life to the natural and the enlightened world!” Welcome, come hither, Ngāruahine. I stand briefly in support of the tributes of welcome expressed by my elder colleagues to you collectively who arrived because of the call of the proposal that brought us all together here today. I also endorse the tributes to those relatives of many callings who started this proposal and are no longer amongst us. Even though they are no longer amongst us physically, I am cognisant of the fact that they are here spiritually, so it is apt that we continue to acknowledge them. Therefore the part for them has been satisfied, and so we come back to us the living; greetings, salutations, and acknowledgments to you collectively.

We of New Zealand First support this bill, even though I know that your claim has not really been settled properly. What the Minister has said is correct; regardless of what their thoughts are, it will never really be settled, but the main thing at this point in time is, under the mandate of agreement that you collectively signed amongst the Crown, it has been settled already. But I do appreciate you greatly for your hospitality, not just with the Crown alone but with the public of this land; so well done, wonderful, and congratulations.

I said to our relatives from Hineuru this morning that I was somewhat envious of them because the Crown had already made up their mind that they were already a tribe. Nothing at all wrong with that. It is much like your standing today as a tribe! Absolutely no problems at all with that. I do not have a problem with that! But within us in Ngāti Hine, in my family alone, there are nearly 10,000 people, but the Crown will not agree that we stand as a tribe! So what? But the important thing is, under what is being proposed by this bill, it is better instead for you really in this House, and so congratulations as well.]

I just want to say that we certainly support the bill going to the Māori Affairs Committee. Like all other settlements, there will be other people within the tribe and outside of the tribe who will have some reservations, a contrary view perhaps, about this settlement. I think that the Māori Affairs Committee process allows the opportunity for those people to come and air their views.

The bill provides that Ngāruahine may nominate members to the Taranaki Regional Council’s standing committee. On that particular issue I must say that I know that there are people out there who oppose this view. I have no problem with them having a different view. In fact, this is one of the good things about this whole process. The actual history is recorded, so that if people have any doubts as to the merits of iwi claims, then it is documented there. It is documented in a way that is acceptable to the Crown as well. The fact that the Crown has tendered its apology to Ngāruahine is testament to its acceptance of the history that has been recorded. I want to have that noted in the Hansard. Āe, nā tēnā pea ka rongo i a mātou mai ngā hunga i tautoko, ‘hakahēngia te kaupapa i roto i te pire i mau mai i mua o te aroaro o Te Komiti mō ngā Take Māori. Tēnā pea kei te mōhio mai i a mātou, he aha te tino ngako ō ō rātou whakaaro.

[Yes, and they might hear about us through those who agree to or oppose the proposal in this bill before the Māori Affairs Committee. Perhaps they might know about us in respect of what is the real substance inside their minds.]

As a previous speaker alluded to, there is some concern about Wai 522, the Āraukuku hapū claim. Again, I think that, through the Māori Affairs Committee process, that will certainly be a point of discussion, and it will give the committee some clarification as to what is the actual situation. It is important that this legislation actually reflects what is in the deed of settlement. We will certainly have that confirmed again in the Māori Affairs Committee.

This whole process of Treaty settlements does provide an opportunity for this country to have recorded the actual history of what happened to Māori when the European came to this country. Today we are discussing a settlement bill that concerns a tribe in the Taranaki area. I can remember when I sat on the Māori Affairs Committee to look at the Ngāti Mutunga claim. I must say that I thought that the quantum was very small given the history and the impact that the arrival of the Crown had on that part of our country. Perhaps it could be argued that the quantum for this one could be similar, in that it is not big enough considering the course of history that impacted on this iwi. However, we will certainly hear more about that during the Māori Affairs Committee deliberations.

I just want to conclude by saying that we do not have any concerns about the quality of the negotiators. We do have some concern that the Crown negotiators get compensated very well, but I wonder whether or not the Māori negotiators got something similar. I would suggest not. Really, if there is any criticism it is in that respect. I just want it on the record, Minister, that it is not against the individuals, but against the unfairness, I would suggest. However, having said that, I just want to conclude by again commending the bill to the House. Kia ora.

E te Mana Whakawā, kia ora. E te iwi o Ngāruahine ka nui te mihi atu ki a koutou katoa, nau mai, haere mai i tēnei rā.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and a huge appreciation to you all, the tribe of Ngāruahine; welcome, come hither today.]

I stand very humbled again. Each time I stand for these claims settlement bills, I am very humbled to speak in support of them. I stand because a little while ago I watched on television the hīkoi that Taranaki iwi and members of Ngāruahine made down to the South Island, following the tracks of those who were imprisoned wrongly over the confiscation of land in Taranaki, out at Parihaka. My heart sobbed for all of you. I was in Dunedin in 2011 and I went and visited those caves. I can almost tell you that I could feel the mamae and the tears that were flowing through the whole process that you have endured over time.

Today is a special day for all of you, and it is also a very special day for the Māori Affairs Committee. We are humbled to be able to take your bill to the select committee. And, yes, not everybody will agree with the findings inside the bill, and there will be lots who will agree, but I have yet to stand in this House and hear of a smooth ride of any claims settlement bill coming through this House. This is the reality of what we go through. Under the leadership of our Minister here, the Hon Chris Finlayson, and the leadership of the chair of our select committee, Nuk Korako, I believe that we will be very expeditious with the rest of the process for your bill. I wholeheartedly support it and commend it to the House. Kia ora.

This is a 5-minute call.

Tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. Tēnā koutou rau rangatira mā, Ngāruahine, Taranaki Maunga, Taranaki tangata, tēnā koutou, nau mai, haere mai. Haere mai ki te Whare Pāremata e takatū nei nō koutou tēnei rā whakahirahira. Ka huri ngā whakaaro ki a rātou kua whetūrangitia, haere koutou, haere koutou, ka hoki mai ki a tātou te hunga ora, e rau rangatira mā. Huri rauna i tēnei Whare, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and greetings, esteemed ones of a hundredfold, Ngāruahine, Taranaki Mountain, Taranaki people; salutations, welcome, welcome. Come hither to Parliament House in readiness here; this momentous day is yours. My thoughts turn to those who have passed away, farewell and go forth to you collectively, and so I come back to us the living, esteemed ones of a hundredfold. Therefore I commend, acknowledge, and salute you collectively and us all.]

It is a great honour to be making a small contribution to the first reading of this settlement bill. I acknowledge Ngāruahine, my whanaunga who have travelled this long distance to finally be here in Parliament—not only physically but also over the many, many years of mamae and anguish and pain that have transpired—for the first reading of this settlement bill. I do acknowledge the whanaunga, just like the chair of our Māori Affairs Committee, my whanaunga Nuk Korako, through our connections with Poutini Ngāi Tahu, but also through Ngāti Toa up to Taranaki. I am your pōtiki here and I do mihi to you today.

I just acknowledge that we have heard a lot of the history. It is a dark, bloodstained history, and I was thinking that there is no need for me to traverse that. This year we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Great War, the First World War, as we rightly should do, and the sacrifice that was made collectively as a nation—Māori, Pākehā, everybody—in that Great War. But I think that too often we overlook our own history and our own conflicts and wars that took place in our country. There is no better example of that than the wars that took place in Taranaki in the 1860s and all the way through the 1880s. Our manuhiri here today were front and centre in the thick of all of that, and I think that as a nation we need to reflect on and make sure that that history is taught and carried on. I know this definitely happens at our hapū and our whanau levels, but I think that collectively as a nation we need to do that.

These are special days. It is about remembering those who have put through the petitions and the commissions—everything that has taken place in the past. It is about reflecting on that and it is also about acknowledging the work that has gone on with Te Korowai o Ngāruahine as well. I do acknowledge all of the hapū who have come under Te Korowai who have completed this settlement. We know that not all hapū are, perhaps, supportive of this settlement. We get that in every settlement piece of legislation that comes through this House. There will always be some disappointed or disaffected hapū—a hapū with whakapapa in both camps, of different pā—so we will have the opportunity to hear that kōrero and I think that is important too.

But let me not detract from the fact that this is a momentous day for Ngāruahine. I was just reflecting on the Crown labelling you, as a Māori, as being either “a loyal” or “a rebel”. I find that really staggering. Regardless of where Ngāruahine were—as a loyal or a rebel—actually, they were just helping their whanaunga of Te Ātiawa a lot of the time, getting behind them, because of the Crown’s insatiable appetite for land. As anyone will know, when you go over the Waimate plains, these are beautiful plains, green lush plains, which stretch right out to the great maunga; obviously, green is gold. It is just a great sadness that this great iwi has been denied their lands, and at least there is some measure of compensation that is taking place here. Reserve lands—yes, they were set aside, but most of them are locked up in perpetual leases so that they still cannot get access to their actual whenua.

It is a long history, and today, I think, is just to celebrate this first reading. I am looking forward to being in the Māori Affairs Committee where we will continue the kōrero, so all I can do is commend this bill to the House. Kia ora tātou.

E te Mana Whakawā, tēnā koe. It is a privilege to stand in the House today to support this bill in its first reading. I do not profess to understand either the pains of the injustices inflicted upon Ngāruahine in the past or the generations that it has taken to reach this point, but I come to this House and stand resolute in the belief that the New Zealand society that we want to deliver is one that provides opportunity for all our people to contribute to a growing economy—one that is creating more and higher-paying jobs—to participate in an education system that creates opportunities for our young and leads to greater prosperity in their futures, and where we can lead long and healthy lives and live safely in our homes and across our communities.

As my colleague Mr Korako said earlier, with this settlement and the economic redress that it includes, we cannot right the wrongs of the past, but we can provide an economic base for Ngāruahine to participate in the future and in the partnership of the New Zealand that we all wish to see. I commend this bill to the House.

Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare. “Te tai rā, te tai rā, e tumu ana, e pari ana ki tawhiti nui, ki tawhiti roa, i Hawaiki rā nō—he tai tapu nā Tangaroa! Tērā whaitiri, Te Waka o Mātaatua, i haere mai i te nuku roa. Ko te ngaru whatiwhati hoe he kura tongorere wā taku ika poutapu, nā Te Oro, nā Puhikaiariki. Ko ngā hoehoe o te pō, te whetū rere ata, ko Tāne Mahuta i whakairihia, whano, whano, haere mai te toki, haumi e, hui e, tāiki e!”

Kāti ake rā e te Whare! E te Māngai o te Whare ka tāpiri waku kōrero, tāu nā kōrero i horaina ki runga i ngā manuhiri kua tae mai i te rā nei—ka mea atu, he manuhiri? Ēhara tēnei i te whakaae! Kua roa rawa a Ngāruahine, kua roa rawa ngā iwi Māori e takahia nei i ngā ara poutama i mua i tēnei Whare. He aha te take i takahia nei rātau i te nuku roa ka tae mai ki runga i a tātau i te rā nei? Nā, mō ngā take Tiriti, mō ngā tūkino a te Karauna ki a tātau Te Iwi Māori, tēnei e whakatau nei i a koutou, tēnā koutou!

Ka huri ngā whakaaro ki ngā tini aituā. E te pāpā, e Hone, i kawea mai ngā puna roimata o Taranaki Maunga ki runga i Te Marae o Ōtīria ki roto, i ngā marama kua pahure ake nei, koutou Ngāruahine! Kia mōhio mai koutou i a au e tamariki ana, ko tōku pāpā tērā i āwhina i a koutou me ngā mahi rangahau mō ō koutou take Tiriti. I a au e tamariki ana, ia marama i taraiwa mātau ko pāpā, mātau ko tōku whāea ki roto i a koutou. He aha ai? Hei āta wānanga i ngā take! Hei āta kōrero i ngā tūkinotanga! Hei whakatuituia, hei whakawhanaunga i a tātau ki roto i ngā whakapapa e puritia nei e tātau Te Iwi Māori. Nō reira, ka tangi tonu te ngākau mō pāpā kua ngaro atu ki Te Pō! Ka tangi tonu mō ngā mate, mō ngā aituā maha i mauria mai e koutou ki runga i te tāhūhū o tō tātou Whare.

Nā, ka whakaaro ake ahau ki ngā ingoa kua wahangia nei e te Minita. Ko ahau tēnā e oro ana i ngā ingoa, me ētahi atu i mahue atu, i roto i ngā rārangi ingoa o te Minita i te rā nei. Ka whakaaro ake mō te pāpā, a Tohe Pakanga Ngātai, ka whakaaro ake mō te papa, a Harry Hikuroa, me tērā o ngā mātua, a Jack rāua ko Peggy Toro. Ka whakaaro ake ki ngā mātua ki a Lawa rāua ko June Nuku, ki a Hōne Luke, ki te pāpā ki a Eric Taha, anā, me te whāea a Rose. Ka whakaaro ake ki a Cyril Tāmau, ānā, me tōna tuakana a Sonny. Kai roto i waku whakaaro, ko te whāea a Mīria Rangi, anā, ko Richie Luke, ko Bill Kātene. Ahakoa ngā totohe kei waenganui i a koutou e Ngāruahine, e Taranaki Maunga, ngā au piki me ngā au heke i roto i ō koutou haerenga, hei āta whiriwhiri, hei āta totohe i tēnei take e pā ana ki ngā tūkinotanga a te Karauna, ēnei ka tangi, ēnei ka mihi! He puna wai e utuhia, he wai kei aku kamo! “Te pua kōrau e ruia, e tipu i te waru!” Kāti te wahanga ki te hunga mate!

Ka whakahokia mai ngā rārangi kōrero ki a tātau e te Whare. Hei whakataki ake i te kōrero: “He toa tauā, he toa pāhekeheke. Ko te toa ngaki kai, e kore e pāheke!” E mihi atu ahau ki a koutou e ngā ringa raupā, koutou e ngā waha kōrero, e ōku apa whatukura, e ōku apa māreikura. Ko koutou rā tērā e kawea nei i ngā moemoeā, ngā mamaetanga o Ngāruahine i roto i ngā taumaha, tae noa mai ki te ata nei, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Kai āianei, ka huri tū atu ngā whakaaro ki ngā kōrero kai roto i te pire, ā, kia mōhio mai tātou ka noho ahau ki roto i Te Reo Māori. Ka whakaaro ake ahau ki te wāhanga tuatahi. Kai roto i taua wāhanga he wāhi whakapāha ki a koutou e Ngāruahine. Ā, e mōhio ana tātau kua tae ki te wā me whakapāha. I āta wetewete e tātau i ngā kupu kai roto i te pire nei, kia tirohia i te hōhonutanga o te whakapāha ki a koutou, kia kaua e tuku mā te ngutu anake te whakapāha ēngari, ka puta mai i te whatumanawa o te tangata, otirā, o te Karauna e whakapāha nei. Nā, ka whakaaro ake ki ngā hītori kua kōrero mai nei e te Whare. E kaha tautoko ana ahau i ngā kōrero o tēnā, o tēnā o tātou. E mea atu ana i tūkinohia e te Kāwanatanga i a Ngāruahine. E mea atu ana kua wareware, kua roa rawa te Kāwanatanga, i wareware i a Ngāruahine ki roto i ōna whiriwhiringa mō ngā taumaha kua pahure ake nei. Kāti, he pai, he manawanui te kite atu i tēnei wāhanga kua tuhia nei ki roto i te pire.

Ka whakaaro ake ahau mō tētahi atu wāhanga: tētahi wāhanga ki tāku nei titiro, ki te titiro o ngā kanohi Māori nei! He aha nei ko ngā kanohi? Anā, ko te whakapapa! Ko wai te Kāwanatanga, ko wai te ture ka tohu atu, anā, ko Ngāruahine koutou? Kei te pupuru koutou i ō koutou whakapapa, hei tuituia ki ngā iwi katoa puta noa i te rohe whānui o Taranaki, Ngāruahine, tae noa hoki ki a au i Te Tai Tokerau. Ko wai rā te Karauna te tohu, ko wai koutou? Kāti, e mihi atu nei!

Ka huri tū atu ahau ki te wāhanga tuarua o te pire. E toru ngā pū wāhanga kai roto i tēnei wāhanga, te wāhanga tuarua. Tuatahi hai whakarite i tētahi mahere hei tiaki i te taiao, kāti, ko Papatūānuku kei raro, ko Ranginui kei runga, tēnei ka mihi. Ko tētahi atu pū wāhanga e mea atu ana, te tikanga mō ngā hao ika. Kua roa rawa tēnei Whare e totohe ana mō ngā mahi hao ika o te motu whānui nei. Pai te kite atu ki roto i te pire, ka whai wāhanga a Ngāruahine ki roto i ngā kōrero hao ika tā te mea, he iwi takutai koutou. Nō reira e mihi atu ana, tēnā koutou! Anā, ko te pū wāhanga tuatoru kei roto i te wāhanga tuarua, ko ngā taonga tūturu kei a koutou. Ko ngā rawa o te whenua, o te hau e pupuhi mai nei, anā, koia rā tērā, ko te hau i purea nei i ō koutou mauri, ō koutou wairua ki roto i ngā tau, anā, he taonga tūturu tērā—[Bell rung] Anā, kua tangi te pere!

Ka huri atu ahau ki te wāhanga tuatoru, arā, te wāhanga whakamutunga o te pire nei, te taha ki whakatika hapa arumoni me te kōnae pūtea hei whakapāha atu, hei whakaea ai i te mamae kua roa rawa koutou e hīpokina, kāti! He aha nei nā te pūtea ki a tāua Te Māori? I te ao o ngā mātua tūpuna, ko te oranga te mea nui! Ko te kōrero o ngā mātua tupuna pērā i a Tā Apirana Ngāta e mea atu ana: “Mā ngā rākau a te Pākehā ka whiwhi oranga.” Nā, tēnā! Ka tukuna atu i tēnei kōnae pūtea ki a koutou, hei whakatinana ake i ō koutou moemoeā, i ō koutou moehewa mō ngā uri whakatupu, mō ngā mokopuna e haere ake nei, kāti!

E mihi atu ana ki Te Rōpū Whiriwhiri i ngā Take Māori āianei ka tau te pire ki mua i a koutou, otirā, ki mua i a tātau. Ka noho tātou ki te āta whakarongo. Nā, he taonga te whakarongo! Kauwē e tohutohu ki a Ngāruahine ki roto i te pire anake! Te mea nui, kia āta whakarongo tātau katoa ki ngā kōrero ā tēnā, ā tēnā, ā-tēnā, kāti!

Ki a tātau katoa e te Whare mō ngā mahi katoa kua oti nei i te ata, e mihi atu ana. Ngāruahine! Ka, waiho ngā kete kupu nei a te tupuna kei roto i a au a Te Kāwiti e mea atu ana, “me titiro ki ngā taumata o Te Moana”, tēnā koutou, tēna koutou, kia ora tātau katoa.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker of the House. “It is the tide, it is the tide, it ebbs and flows in from the far and great distance, from way back to the homeland Hawaiki, it is the sacred tide of Tangaroa. That thunderous canoe of Mātaatua traversed the great distance, the wave that splinters paddles and heralds the sacred fish of Te Oro belonging to Puhikaiariki. The night paddles, the dawn star are Tāne Mahuta personified; proceed, go forward, come forth the adze, join, gather, entwine!”

Enough of that for now. Mr Deputy Speaker of the House, I add my tributes to yours that you cast so lavishly upon the visitors that have arrived here today—but I ask: visitors? I do not agree! Ngāruahuine, and indeed Māoridom, have for a long time tramped the well-worn red stoned paths before this House. And what is the reason why they have tramped the great distance to be seated there above us there today? For Treaty matters and transgressions of the Crown upon us, indeed the Māori people, that I and every one of you as a collective have considered—hello there!

I turn my thoughts to the myriads who have passed away. To you, the elder Hone, you took the pools of tears of Taranaki Mountain up on to the marae of Ōtīria in months just past; you, Ngāruahine. You must understand, Ngāruahine, that while I was a toddler my father was that person who assisted you and the research that was done on matters pertaining to you under the Treaty. While I was a child, each month we would drive down with my dad and mum to be amongst you. Why? To critically analyse matters, to speak about the wrongdoings carefully, to weave our connections and relationships with each other through the genealogies that we as Māori keep. Therefore, I continue to grieve inside for Dad, who has gone to the void, and for the deaths and the many misfortunes that you as a collective have brought upon the roof of our House.

Now I think about the names that the Minister mentioned. I was one who heard them, but others who were left out in the list of names by the Minister today come to mind: elder Tohepakanga Ngātai, elder Harry Hikuroa, and the parents Jack and Peggy Toro. I think about parents like Lawa and June Nuku, Hone Luke, elder Eric Taha, and, yes indeed, Dame Rose. I recollect Cyril Tāmau and his elder brother Sonny. In my mind is dear Dame Mīria Rangi, and then Richie Luke, plus Bill Kātene. Despite the ongoing internal debates within you, Ngāruahine and Taranaki Mountain, the ups and downs in your journeys to carefully consider and debate this matter relating to the transgressions of the Crown, we mourn and acknowledge you. As a spring gushes water, so do tears that well up in my eyes. “The young fern shoots grow unto maturation when summer is upon us!” With due respect to the dead, enough for that part.

I bring the comments back to us in the House. To preface this part of the address, an aphorism: “A warrior’s life is full of uncertainty, but the life of one who is an expert at tilling crops for food is not.” I acknowledge you, the providers of secretariat services, the advocates, the providers of expert and specialist advice; you are the ones who have carried the aspirations and pain of Ngāruahine through the hard times, right up to this morning. I say well done, congratulations, and good on you all.

I turn now to the contents in this bill, but you must all understand that I will remain speaking in the Māori language. I reflect on Part 1, where there is an apology to you, Ngāruahine. We know that we have come to where an apology must be made. We analysed the wording very critically to assess the depth of the apology offered to you, so that it was not coming merely from the lips alone but from right inside the very core of the individual; in other words, this apology was coming from right within the heart of the Crown making the apology. Now, thinking about the historical accounts that the House presented here, I strongly endorse the sentiments expressed by each and every one of us. The sentiments are saying that the Government violated Ngāruahine. It is saying that the Government has absolutely forgotten about Ngāruahine for a long time in its own considerations about the seriousness of these in the past. Well, it is good and really reassuring to see this part that has been written into the bill.

I think about another part, one that in my perspective reflects a point of view from these Māori eyes! Why the eyes now? Well, it is the genealogy! Who indeed is the Government, the law, to say that you are Ngāruahine? Hold fast to your genealogy, to thread to all tribes throughout the broad region of Taranaki and right up to me, as well, in the north! Who indeed is the Crown to say who you are? But, enough; I acknowledge you.

I stand and turn to Part 2 of the bill. There are three Subparts in this section of Part 2; firstly, to consider a plan to protect the environment. Now then, there is Mother Earth below and Sky Father above; I applaud this. Another clause sets out protocols for fisheries. This House has been debating fisheries operations throughout this country for far too long. So it is good to see a part included in the bill for Ngāruahine to have a place in the discussions around fisheries, because you are a coastal people. So I applaud you; well done. And now for Subpart 3 in Part 2 of the bill: things of value handed down that you have, Ngāruahine, resources of the land and air, the very wind that has been removing impediments from your life and spiritual principle for uncounted years. Now then, those are treasures handed down—[Bell rung] And there goes the bell!

I turn now to Part 3, to the concluding part of this bill, which relates to commercial redress and a component of the apology—the financial package to alleviate the pain you have borne for so long. Enough said! What exactly is funding to us Māori? In the world of our forefathers, livelihood was the most important thing. In a statement by one of them, Sir Apirana Ngata had this to say: “Livelihood will be achieved through the tools of the non-Māori.” And there you are! A financial package is offered to you to manifest your aspirations and dreams and those of the generations and grandchildren to come. Enough said!

I acknowledge the Māori Affairs Committee. The bill is about to come before you—in other words, before us. We will sit down and have a good listen. Now then, listening is a thing to be prized. Do not just give counsel to Ngāruahine solely in the bill. The most important thing is that we must all give our ear to each and every one who gives an account. Enough said!

And so I thank all of us in the House for what has been achieved this morning. To you, Ngāruahine, I leave these words within me from my ancestor Te Kāwiti for you: “Look to the peaks of the ocean.” Greetings and acknowledgments to you and to us all, collectively; thank you.]

Kia ora, e te Mana Whakawā; tēnā koe, e te Whare; and particularly warm greetings to all who are here today representing Ngāruahine. I made the point earlier today that, unfortunately, because of the significant amount of business that the House has to conduct in a fairly short space of time, some of us speaking in the latter stages of this debate will have to take very short calls. But I do want to assure you that that does not, in any way, suggest that we do not fully appreciate and endorse the great significance of this occasion.

I want to begin by thanking those who have spoken in today’s debate. I think that most have made very thoughtful and insightful contributions. It is certainly not an occasion to be mean spirited or petty. The significance of this occasion deserves much more than that, and I want to acknowledge the outstanding work that the Crown negotiators have done and, particularly, the goodwill that has been shown by Ngāruahine in engaging with the process. You could never be adequately compensated for the wrongs that have been done. It is a privilege to be one of the modern-day parliamentarians who has an opportunity to be part of trying to redress these great wrongs. As others have said, we could never adequately do that, but I think that by acknowledging the wrong and by being absolutely determined to ensure that we do our level best to try to ensure a much brighter future for the iwi, that is, I hope, in a small way, an indication of goodwill.

The other point that I would make is that this is a process that began more than two decades ago, under the leadership of the Rt Hon Jim Bolger and the outstanding work that was done by his Treaty negotiations Minister Sir Doug Graham. The greatest progress of all has been made under the determined leadership of the Rt Hon John Key and the outstanding stewardship of this portfolio by the Hon Chris Finlayson. So to those who wish to be demeaning of that effort, I simply make the point that actions speak louder than words. It is this Minister and his team who have been getting on with the job. I am immensely proud to be supporting them in their endeavours. I thank the select committee for the outstanding work that it is doing. I wish the iwi all the very best for what I hope will be a bright and prosperous future.

Bill read a first time.

Bill referred to the Māori Affairs Committee.

Waiata

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.