Third Readings

I move, That the Ngāti Kuri Claims Settlement Bill, Te Aupouri Claims Settlement Bill, the NgāiTakoto Claims Settlement Bill, Te Rarawa Claims Settlement Bill, the Ngāti Kahu Accumulated Rentals Trust Bill, and the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Act 1977 Amendment Bill be now read a third time. E te Tūmuaki Kōrero o te Whare, tēnā koe. E aku hoa mema o te Whare, tēnā koutou. E ngā manuhiri tūārangi o Te Tai Tokerau, ngā iwi o Te Hiku o Te Ika, a Ngāti Kurī, Te Aupōuri, NgāiTakoto, Te Rarawa, nau mai, haere mai! Haere mai ki Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara, haere mai ki te Whare Pāremata. Kei te maumahara ki te hunga kua mene atu ki te pō, tae atu ki a Dame Whina Cooper nāna te hīkoi nui me te ōhāki ki te motu; ā, me te Hōnore Matiu Rata hoki, nāna te moemoeā i whai take ai tātou i tēnei rā. He rā nui tēnei mō ngā iwi o Te Hiku o Te Ika, ā, he rā nui hoki mō tātou katoa. Rau rangatira mā, tēnei taku mihi ki a koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Greetings to you, Mr Assistant Speaker of the House. To you, my fellow members of the House and to the visitors from afar of Northland, the tribes of Te Hiku o Te Ika, Ngāti Kurī, Te Aupōuri, Ngāi Takoto, and Te Rarawa, welcome, come hither! Welcome to Wellington and Parliament House. I bring back to mind those who have gathered in the void, including Dame Whina Cooper, whose great march and last words to the nation were hers, and the Hon Matiu Rata, whose dream it was that makes this day a fruitful one for us. This day is a great one for the tribes of Te Hiku o Te Ika and for us all. And so I acknowledge you, my esteemed ones of a hundredfold; congratulations, and well done to you and to us all collectively.]

Can I begin by offering my very warm greetings to the people of Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri, NgāiTakoto, and Te Rarawa who have travelled here from the far, far north, the Tail of the Fish, to witness the passing of these Treaty settlements into law. I do acknowledge the great distance many have travelled to be here today, particularly those who set off by bus at 5 a.m. yesterday morning and have travelled virtually non-stop through day and night to be here.

I welcome everyone from Te Hāpua, Te Kao, Kaimaumau, Kaitāia, the Hokianga, and so many points in between to the head of the fish, our nation’s Parliament. I acknowledge the presence of some of the rangatahi. I understand that all of Pangaru kura, as well as students from Pukemiro and Te Rangiāniwaniwa, are here today, viewing from the old Legislative Council Chamber, and others have also sent representatives—a very warm welcome to all those rangatahi.

I also acknowledge those who have been unable to make the journey to Wellington and who are marking this occasion in other ways. I acknowledge the symbolism of Ngāti Kuri leaving all but two of their seats in this House empty—empty to remind us all of those who experienced the grievances and have now passed on.

Sadly, the news of the passing of Gloria Herbert, who led Te Rarawa in the early years of negotiations with the Crown, reached us yesterday. I know Gloria set the tone, leading with strength and grace and driving the message that both Treaty partners can achieve much when they work to understand each other. It was fitting that she was one of the first to sign the Te Rarawa deed at Te Ahu in 2012, but she left us knowing the settlement was almost completed. My condolences to her whānau and to the iwi she served so well.

Can I also take this opportunity to express my sympathies to Shane Jones and his family, and Graham Latimer and his family at their time of dreadful loss. I know those ancestors whose lives were so impacted by the wrongful actions the Crown is seeking to atone for through these settlements, and whose wairua are carried by the iwi here today. I honour those ancestors.

This third reading is the penultimate step in a Treaty claim and a settlement journey that is of national significance. It is not an overstatement to say that the iwi leaders here have been pivotal in shaping the way in which our country both examines the injustices that were historically suffered by Māori and strives to address them.

Why are we having this debate today? Because in a few days’ time it will be 40 years since the great Māori Land March set off from Te Hāpua. Most New Zealanders who witnessed it were compelled by that seemingly frail yet passionately articulate woman who led the march, Dame Whina Cooper. The imagery was powerful and it is stamped in our national memory, and the messages conveyed even more so. Pākehā had to stop and consider what made a 79-year-old kuia decide to lead a march the very length of the North Island.

I pause to acknowledge those here today, including the children of Whina Cooper and those who joined that protest and brought that very important message here to our nation’s Parliament. By the time the hīkoi arrived the country was watching and one message was clear: Māori had legitimate Treaty grievances; they had to be addressed.

Of course, the Te Hiku people know the importance of having strong representatives in Parliament. The north sent a man whom we all greatly admire, Matiu Rata, to this House, and he earnt his place in New Zealand history for many achievements, but perhaps none more so than the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal 40 years ago this year, creating the pathway for these important claims to be heard.

Matiu Rata walked that pathway, but not alone. As “Karanga rā”, the tribunal waiata, says, “The clarion voice of Rata calls. The movement in the Tail of the Fish responds.” Wiki Karena for Te Aupōuri, Simon Snowdon for Te Rarawa, the Rev. Māori Marsden for NgāiTakoto, and McCully Matiu for Ngāti Kahu joined Matiu Ratu in submitting what became known as the Wai 45 Muriwhenua land claim in 1987. They were supported in the pursuit of justice by the expert evidence of Rima Edwards, the political courage of Graham Latimer, and the practical assistance of many, many iwi members. They benefited from the contribution of some final legal minds. It could be said that the far north was a judicial incubator. Dame Sian Elias, as she now is; Joe Williams, now in the High Court; and David Baragwanath, who is now doing important work in The Hague, were just some of the lawyers who worked for these iwi.

The historical picture captured in the report was of a strong people with all their rich layers of interconnections and history ready to welcome the opportunities offered by the arrival of new people and to form relationships that would be mutually beneficial. Within 25 years of signing the Treaty, the Crown had acquired all the most fertile of Te Hiku lands through land taking involved in pre-Treaty transactions, and had fundamentally altered the relationships entered into between iwi and settlers. Through purchasing vast areas of land cheaply and then failing to follow up with the promises from settlers to generate those new opportunities, these good people were left with the most marginal land and little opportunity to sustain the people on their tribal lands, and that situation only worsened after 1865.

Although the tribunal heard the claims together, each iwi, ultimately, sought their own pathway to settlement, and I want to briefly reflect on each of the grievances and the settlement journeys.

First, Ngāti Kuri. To the representatives of Ngāti Kuri—very, very warm greetings. If one knows Ngāti Kuri’s history it is not possible to think the Crown fulfilled the undertakings made in the Treaty. Put simply, the Crown failed Ngāti Kuri. It failed from the outset to recognise the iwi as tangata whenua and respect their mana and rangatiratanga. It failed to protect their interests in land. It ignored the persistent pleas in the 1930s to return land the Crown was not using or to provide the economic development assistance that was being made available to other New Zealanders at a time when the situation of the people in Te Hāpua, for example, was so very desperate. It tried to remove the people from Kapowairua in the 1960s, without complete success, I might say, because they proved tenacious and the bonds of whakapapa could not be extinguished.

I remember so well the tears shed at Ngātaki on 7 February last year as I read the acknowledgments of the hurt and the suffering the Crown caused to Ngāti Kuri ancestors and those who are still with us today. I am so pleased this settlement will restore Kapowairua and other lands to this iwi, and I acknowledge those who fought for that outcome, including Ratima Petera, Piri Paraone, Motu Rapata, Hone Aperahama, Rata Raharuhi, Paraha Neho, Dame Mira Szaszy, Nina Subritzky, Saana Murray—who told me the story of how she was hit when she spoke Te Reo at school—Sophie Waitai, and Alice Palmer. The iwi negotiators Harry Burkhardt, Tom Petricevich, Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn—they were all ably supported by the trust board, but also by kuia and kaumātua, particularly the late Merimeri Penfold, that respected member of the Māori Battalion Charlie Petera, and Pineaha Murray.

To Te Aupōuri, I say welcome. I pay tribute to the extraordinary patience and resolve Te Aupōuri have demonstrated since Matiu Wiki, George Wītana, Winiata Brown, Waitai Petera, and John Walters led the iwi into negotiations in 2000. I acknowledge the others who picked up the mahi of the negotiations: that great New Zealander Ata Kapa, Michele Wi, Hugh Karena, Raymond Subritzky, Ebony Duff, Peter Lucas-Jones, Maahia Nathan, and the support team.

When Ata Kapa submitted a claim to the tribunal in 1998, he asserted that Te Aupōuri have a proud history to maintain, not necessarily in a glorification of tupuna in battle or heroics of rangatira—although I am sure that Shane Jones would say that is not exactly correct. But Ata wisely noted that Te Aupōuri have pursued the gradual and determined progress of the iwi as a unit over the years to the present. They have been particularly driven to ensure these settlements will enable the development of Te Aupōuri and will allow this iwi, with the iwi of Te Hiku, to exercise kaitiakitanga and rangatiratanga over Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe.

This day has been a long day coming for Te Aupōuri. They have faced many challenges. There have been at least five Crown offers, two agreements in principle, and a period of withdrawal from negotiations when the Crown did not meet iwi aspirations. Te Aupōuri have dealt with four Ministers of Treaty settlements, over 20 Crown agencies, and two local authorities. Through all of it they have flown and sought a place to land where others might follow.

Finally, with this legislation the Te Aupōuri Māori Trust Board will be wound up. And, of course, what is new? There are eleventh hour challenges there as well, but I am heartened by the new tribal entity and the leadership that has emerged. In relation to those troubles, I promise representatives of Te Aupōuri that the Minister for Māori Development and I will be working closely with you to see a way through those problems.

I come to NgāiTakoto, the descendants of Tūwhakatere, and say: behold, the pioke from Rangaunu. It does indeed create quite a wake. The historical account in the deed of settlement describes the marginalisation of NgāiTakoto by the Crown. They bore the brunt of surplus land policy and early Crown purchasing. What is more, the Crown failed to recognise their mana and thus failed to protect their customary interests.

This settlement is about restoration for NgāiTakoto and an ability to create a future in which your connection to Kaimaumau, to Te Make, to Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe, and to numerous other areas can no longer be marginalised or ignored. I am so pleased they have already secured, through our early provision of settlement quantum, highly important lands that the Crown could not provide in certain parts of their rohe.

So many people have contributed to NgāiTakoto kaupapa over the years, including, as I said earlier, the Rev. Māori Marsden, the Rev. Harold Pētera, Lance Brown, Laddie and Harriet Cook, Ivan Erstich, Matilda Dick, Hiriana Marsden, and Walter Erstich. Although they did not have the opportunity to participate in negotiations, I know their work and their legacies guided the iwi, and can I say this: I also acknowledge a former member of Parliament, Hone Harawira. Thanks to Wallace Rivers, to Rangitāne Marsden, to Mangu Awarau, and to the team for the tremendous hard work they have put into securing a better future for the people of NgāiTakoto.

And to Te Rarawa, as I said, we gathered here in 2011 to acknowledge the deed of settlement. It is such a great privilege to have them back here today. As I think about what led Dame Whina to march to this House 40 years ago, I know that she carried the burden of Te Rarawa ancestors. Generations of their people over more than 170 years have borne the responsibility of seeking redress from the Crown.

There are so many people here who deserve to be thanked for their tremendous work in bringing those stories to the attention of the Crown. That work has continued throughout the 19th century and again into the 20th century, when your leaders participated in commissions of inquiry into grievances about land, including, for example, at Motu Karaka. Iwi leaders sought recognition and redress for other grievances, such as the Crown’s acquisition of timber and resources at various places, and the Crown’s administration of Māori land in the 20th century, including Te Kārae.

The human capital Te Rarawa people have had to spend in the pursuit of redress is truly regrettable. In the face of all those grievances—and my summary is hopelessly inadequate—it is humbling to think about the approach they brought to negotiating a settlement. In 1990 Dame Whina told an international audience to remember “that the Treaty was signed so that we could all live as one nation in Aotearoa”.

Te Hiku leaders sought to walk the talk of that by designing redress that would set out, for example, how Te Rarawa and the Crown would work in the future. Te Rarawa leaders have pushed hard to guide the Crown to a better Treaty relationship. Led by Gloria Herbert, they emphasised the need for the Crown and iwi to treat one another with respect and with honour. Other Treaty negotiators—Haami Piripi, Paul White, Malcolm Peri under the guidance of Joe Cooper—had an unwavering commitment to securing a settlement. I know that they have been supported by many others, including Tame Murray, Hec Busby, and many, many more.

Finally, let me say something about shared redress. Individually, these settlements are significant. They provide each of the iwi an opportunity to determine their future. Collectively, however, the settlements are truly unique. The iwi’s decision to join together to negotiate and agree common arrangements across significant redress that is important to all appropriately reflects the ancestral network that binds all together, but it also speaks to a great vision. It takes true leadership to work together to that degree.

I conclude by acknowledging the quality of the negotiators. Iwi have been served by some extraordinarily gifted people who were committed to finding innovative and flexible approaches to the redress. The qualities of the leaders in the galleries—we have the best leaders that one could possibly seek to negotiate with. They had an aspiration for progress. They had the tenacity to pursue it. They had an ability to be forthright, with grace and often with humour, and they kept me on my toes.

I will never forget my first meeting with Hugh Kārena, when he said: “The big question, Minister, is whether you’re up to it.” I want to acknowledge the fine work of my chief Crown negotiator, Pat Snedden, in both the individual and collective negotiations. He phoned me in 2008 and asked me whether I wanted him to continue. I said: “Go for it.” He did a wonderful job, and I salute him today. I also acknowledge the hard work of officials from the Office of Treaty Settlements. I particularly acknowledge Maureen Hickey. Maureen Hickey has worked on these settlements for over 10 years, and I salute her for her ability and her professionalism.

Finally, I want to reflect on what we have collectively achieved. It is said that Mat Rata quietly returned more Crown land to Māori in a single term than any Minister previously. I am so pleased these settlements continue that legacy through one of the largest returns of land to Māori ownership through any Treaty settlement. We are taking a unique approach to conservation lands by establishing the Te Hiku o Te Ika Conservation Board and through the korowai more broadly.

Cape Reinga will have its name, Te Rerenga Wairua, restored. It will return to Māori ownership and protection. Almost 30 years ago Te Hiku asked in the tribunal for the spiritual significance of Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē to be appropriately recognised in legislation. Today that comes to fruition, and in addition, Te Hiku will, alongside other local authorities, provide governance over Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē.

Finally, I hope the day will come when we in this House pass legislation giving effect to a Ngāti Kahu settlement. In the meantime, safeguards are provided through the Ngāti Kahu Accumulated Rentals Trust Bill. It will ensure that the interest from the rent on Crown forests starts to accumulate for the benefit of Ngāti Kahu.

In closing, can I express my thanks to members of Parliament who have worked with me over the years on this matter. As has been said earlier in this House, this has been a truly bipartisan effort. I have always enjoyed talking to Kelvin Davis about these matters and listening to his wisdom on these topics, and even Hone Harawira and I could sit down from time to time and talk sensibly.

I want to finish now by expressing my excitement for the future of Te Hiku. The commitments between Te Hiku iwi and the Crown that we are giving legislative weight to are very significant indeed. I have every confidence that this is a new beginning, not just for iwi collectively, but for each of the iwi and the Crown. I am very grateful to you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and to the House for giving me the indulgence of going slightly beyond the 10-minute period so that I could cover all those points. I commend the bill to the House.

Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. “Ruia, ruia, tahia, tahia, kia hemo te kākoakoa, kia herea mai i te kawau korokī, kia tātaki mai i tāna i pūkorokoro, whaikoro. Ko te kūaka, he kūaka mārangaranga, kotahi te manu i tau ki te tahuna, tau ana, tau ana”. Tau ana ngā kūaka o Te Hiku o Te Ika kei raro i te tuanui o tēnei Whare i te rā nei, nā reira e ōku whanaunga, rau rangatira mā, mai i Ngāti Kurī, Te Aupōuri, NgāiTakoto, Te Rarawa, tēnā koutou, nau mai, haere mai, haere mai, whakatau mai. Whakatau mai nei, pīkaungia mai ngā tini mate kei runga i ō koutou pokowhiwhi. Kua rongo ake nei ngā īngoa o wētahi pērā i a Dame Whina, pērā i a Matiu Rata, pērā i a Gloria, inanahi rā, i a Ngāreta Mete, i a Dame Emily, rātou katoa mā kore au e taea te ‘hakahuahuatia ngā īngoa katoa, ēngari, pīkaungia mai rātou katoa hei utaina mai ki runga i ngā mate o te motu kia tūhonohono ai rātou te hunga wairua ki te hunga wairua. Kia tūtakitaki ai rātou, pēnei i a tātou te hunga ora e tūhonohono ana, e tūtakitaki ana, nā reira, tēnā koutou.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. “Scatter, scatter, sweep on, sweep on, let us not be plundered by our foe, by the rope that has been stretched out and fastened, let us rejoice by moving along the rope. Godwits flock together. When one rises, flies away and lands on the beach, others follow.” The godwits of the Tail of the Fish have landed beneath the roof of this house. And so, to you, my relatives and esteemed leaders of a hundredfold of Ngāti Kurī, Te Aupōuri, NgāiTakoto, and Te Rarawa, greetings to you, welcome, come hither, welcome, welcome. Welcome, bring forth the myriad of deaths that are upon your shoulders. I heard some names like Dame Whina Cooper, Matiu Rata, Gloria, yesterday, Ngāreta Mete, and Dame Emily—all of them. I cannot recall them all, but nevertheless, bring them all here and place them upon the deaths of the nation, so that they can engage with each other, like we the living meet and link up with each other. So acknowledgments to you collectively.]

Yesterday as I left the tangi for Ngāreta Mete, Shane Jones’ wife, I was at the airport in Kerikeri. There were a number of people from Te Hiku who had to come down to Kerikeri to fly out. I listened to their stories, and I see Errol Murray up there. Errol told me the story about how in the mid-1980s, as a young man, I guess, in his 20s—at least, eh, Errol—he went with a number of kaumātua, and their names have been said: Matiu Rata, Simon Snowden, and those great people. He said his job was just to be the driver. He just drove them around from hui to hui as they talked about whether to settle or not, and the pros and the cons. Now here he is, as a young grandfather, and those men have passed on. Although they are not here in body, we know they are here in spirit. They started the journey; these people here are here to finish the journey. They are not here to listen to the third reading of a bill. They are here to realise a dream that was started—actually, 180 years ago it all kicked off.

It was 180 years ago when everything started to happen that affected our people in such a way that we actually have not realised our potential as we should as Māori across the whole country. And so the likes of Matiu kicked things off in the mid-1980s, and people like Errol and many others were there as young people, just listening and hearing, and as our old people have passed on they have had to carry the mantle, so that we have got to this stage here, where basically the prologue of the story has been written, and now further chapters in the book that is going to be the history of Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri, NgāiTakoto, and Te Rarawa are about to be written.

As I said in the earlier debate on Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Bill, I had an uncle who once said to me on the marae: “If ever you stuff up, fix it.” The Crown over generations has stuffed up, and it has taken way too long for those errors to be fixed. So here we are as the members in this House. Be we sitting on that side of the Whare or this side of the Whare, or anywhere around, we are charged with the task of fixing up the mistakes that the Crown, which we represent, perpetuated upon our people for those 180 years. So it is a great pleasure and it is with the utmost humility that I stand here and take part in this great day.

This day belongs to Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri, NgāiTakoto, and Te Rarawa. Let us not let anything else that is going on around our rohe diminish from the fact that this day has arrived after way too long. I was sitting with John Paitai yesterday at the airport. We were colleagues. He was the deputy principal at Kaitāia College; I was the principal of Kaitāia Intermediate School. He now happens to be the principal of Bay of Islands College, an auspicious educational institution, I must say. Its first XV of 1984 was well led. It did not actually lose to Kaitāia College at all—three wins, two draws. John was telling me about his parents. He said they gave their lives for this kaupapa, for this cause, to see this through, and there are so many others who have done that.

And it is all—who is it for? Actually, it is for those young people sitting in the other room over there from Te Kura Taumata o Panguru, Te Rangi Āniwaniwa, and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Pukemiro. That is what this is all happening for: not so that these people up here can really benefit, but so those young people, those mokopuna, those rangatahi—so that they can move forward. Those kura are doing a fantastic job, and I hope those young people—that you are listening, and that you are going to be the people who are going to take this mantle that these people up here have negotiated for you, taking this settlement and moving it into the future so that your mokopuna can also benefit and grow and thrive and reach their potential, not just in Te Hiku o Te Ika but throughout New Zealand and throughout the world.

I thank the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations for his comprehensive summary of everything that has occurred. You know, it just defies belief that people can lose so much and yet still survive. When we look at Ngāti Kuri, for instance, who did not sign Te Tiriti o Waitangi, at the time of te Tiriti, tikanga Māori—and for many years tikanga Māori just prevailed. That was the way it was. And then these people turn up and they just start changing the rules. They start alienating Ngāti Kuri from their land. They start alienating them from their reo, their tikanga, and their traditions, so that by 1890, in fact, over 70 percent of Ngāti Kuri’s land had been alienated.

And then, of course, the Native Land Court turns up and they have their hearings and land is surveyed out and only 10 people can own any piece of land. That was all set up, basically, just so the land could be chopped and divvied up and partitioned off. Of course, the surveys that went on, they all cost money, and people who did not have money were charged. So they went into debt, and so they had to sell more land to pay off that debt, and it was just a snowball effect. Ngāti Kuri repeatedly asked for the return of their land and were repeatedly denied. It is due to the Crown’s actions and omissions that Ngāti Kuri were left with very little land and fewer economic opportunities.

Te Aupōuri—the story is very similar. There was an incident in 1842 where a schooner washed up on the beach and some of the locals saw these gifts from Tangaroa washed up there and took them. The Crown comes along and says: “You need to compensate the owner.” The Crown took 2,482 acres of land. It gave 1,000 to the owner of the schooner for his lost goods and kept the other 1,482 as Crown-surplus land. Surplus land, I think, is just a euphemism for theft. For those people who do not know, the surplus land—basically someone like a surveyor could go along and say “Oh, it looks like here there’s 100,000 acres.” when, in reality, there were only 70,000 acres. Then 70,000 acres were surveyed out and the other 30,000 acres just went to the Crown. It was systematic, systemic theft of land. In 1858, 100,000 acres was purchased after the Crown agent deliberately underestimated the acreage—100,000 acres of land. In 1896 surveys again created huge debts and the land was vested in what became known as the Tokerau District Māori Land Board. That organisation has a lot to answer for.

After the collapse of the gun trade in the 1920s the Crown tried to implement a land consolidation scheme that failed, leading to further debt and land alienation. In the 1950s a failed attempt to develop dairy farms created more problems. So this is something that New Zealand has to understand: we are not just talking about what happened in the 1800s; we are talking about things that have happened in the lifetimes of these people sitting here. It is not all just historical grievance; it is actually contemporary grievance, but the Crown just continued along its merry way, further alienating our people from their land and, as a consequence, from language, customs, and culture.

So throughout the 20th century Te Aupōuri and Te Hiku have been deprived, meaning whānau have often had to leave. I remember my auntie, who had the good sense to marry my uncle Toss Tetai, who lives in Kāretu. Auntie Janie—she was a Wells—said that when she was going to Te Kura o Te Kao there was 260-odd students. Now, I think, there are something like 30. So, again, the Crown’s actions and omissions left Te Aupōuri without sufficient land and, as a result, they have lost a lot of their language and their tikanga.

NgāiTakoto—they were not included in many land transactions prior to te Tiriti. A lot of the negotiations were just done around them as if they did not exist. Post-Treaty land claims commissioners confirmed the alienation of 32,000 acres of NgāiTakoto land—32,000 acres. It just rolls off the tongue, but we actually need to stop and take stock of the size of 32,000 acres. When you take that amount of land off somebody—and a lot of it was along the river, so it denied them access to the most fertile lands—imagine the harm that causes to a people, and that is what happened to NgāiTakoto. They were also victims of that schooner incident. They had interests in the land that was given back to that schooner captain, and the Crown took surplus land. In 1858 and 1859, 112,613 acres were lost. By 1859, some 19 years after Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed, NgāiTakoto were virtually landless. They were left almost unable to manage the traditional natural resources. Their cultural foundations and tribal structures were all but destroyed.

Te Rarawa signed He Whakaputanga and te Tiriti. After 1840, 21,500 acres went to the Crown as surplus land. By 1865, 100,000 acres had been alienated by purchasing, with the aim, basically, of extinguishing customary title. From the 1870s, 130,000 acres of Te Rarawa land and forest was purchased, even though previous sales had not brought any economic benefits. By the start of the 20th century Te Rarawa held less than a third of their original land. Again the Crown’s actions and omissions have left Te Rarawa without sufficient or suitable land and the ability to develop economically, socially, and culturally.

It is only appropriate that this legislation is passed and that the apologies are made and reiterated. It gives me great joy that Ninety Mile Beach is going to be renamed Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe. Even though I was born and bred in Kawakawa, an hour or so south of Te Hiku area, my whakapapa ties go right back to Tōhe, the tupuna whose name is Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe. It means the long beach of Tōhe. That means I whakapapa directly to these people here. Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe has extensive spiritual meaning to us. It is what we call Te Ara Wairua, the spiritual pathway. Yesterday, at the tangihanga in Kohukohu, I was able to recite: Mai i Whāro ki Waimimiha, ki Ngāpae, ki te pā o Utea, ki Ngātamarāwaho, ki Te Arai ki Whakatehaua, ki a Waipakaru, ki a Waikānae, ki a Kōhangatī, ki a Kauwaeparāoa, ki a Te Neke [from Wharo to Waimimiha, Ngāpae, the fortress of Utea, Ngātamarāwaho, Te Ārai, Whakatehaua, Waipakaru, Waikānae, Kōhangatī, Kauwaeparāoa, and Te Neke].

It is the length of Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe. Those are the names of the places that our spirits pass by, as they head up the west coast: Ka haere rātou ki a Haumu, ki a Maringinoa, ki a Waingurunguru, ki a Motuōpao i Hērangi, ki a Waitarau, ki a Te Wērahi, ki a Tarawamaomao, ki a Ngaatua-peruperu, heke iho i te puke rā ki Te Waiora o Tāne, ki Te Wai Whero o Rata, ki te wāhi e kīia nei ko Moetatau, arā, ko Te Rerenga o Ngā Wairua [they go on to Haumu, Maringinoa, Waingurunguru, Motuōpao i Hērangi, Waitarau, Te Wērahi, Tarawamaomao, and Ngaatua-peruperu, and down that hillock to Te Waiora o Tāne, Te Wai Whero o Rata, to the place Moetatau—in other words, Te Rerenga o Ngā Wairua].

It has immense spiritual connection to us as Māori, and it is only appropriate that the name is restored and also that the board set up to protect and look after Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe happens. It is not going to be just a group of Māori who turn up and start laying down the law in terms of Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe. It is half made up of representatives from Te Hiku tribes and half made up of the regional council. Why? So that we can restore the mana, the wairua, of that beach to what it was so many years ago. That is the beauty of this bill. Also there is te korowai. As the Minister has mentioned, that provision enables the iwi to look after a large area of what was conservation land.

I think that we have a—sorry, I do not think; we do have a positive future to look forward to up in Te Hiku. I would just like to acknowledge all the names, all the people, all the negotiators. All the names were read out, and I am sorry I cannot do justice to that. I know I would definitely leave out names, so I will not try to recite them all. But you have done a fantastic job in terms of leading our people up in the north towards a better future—our mokopuna up north towards a better future.

So I thank you all very much for being here to share this day. It is a day for Ngāti Kuri, for Te Aupōuri, for Te Rarawa, and for NgāiTakoto. It is your day. Let us not let anything spoil it. Let us have a great celebration tonight, and I thank the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations for his invitation to the dinner—or else I would have been having sandwiches in my office! Nā reira, tātou mā huri rauna i tō tātou Whare, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[So acknowledgments, greetings, and congratulations to us all throughout our House.]

Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. Kia ora tātou katoa. Kai aku rangatira, kua puta mai Te Hiku o Te Ika kia eke mai ki Te Upoko o Te Ika, hara mai rā. Hara mai rā me ngā mate huhua kua pā ki a koutou, otirā, ki ngā mea e noho nei i roto i te Whare Pāremata. Tēnei te kawe nei i ngā mate o taku taha ki a Te Arawa i tēnei ata, i te tekau mā tahi o ngā hāora i tēnei ata, i taki haere nei wētahi o te kāinga, ko te kupu whakamutunga ki runga i tētahi, āpōpō ko tētahi anō. Nō reira, anā, kua huihui mai rātau katoa, kua kōrerohia i tēnei ata. Nō reira, hara mai me ngā mate huhua, otirā, rātau e kōrerohia ake nei.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou i hara mai i tawhiti. I hara mai i tawhiti kia kite mai ai i te pūāwaitanga o tēnei mea o te kōrero, otirā, ngā wawata i wawatatia mai ai, e ō koutou, e ō tātau tūpuna i te wā i a rātau. Nō reira, koinei te whaiwhai haere i ngā kōrero o te Minita, tuatahi, e kore au e hoki ki wāna kōrero, inā kē te nui o tana kōrero, me ngā kai ō-roto, e kōrero nei mō te hītori, e kōrero nei mō ngā mahi uaua, te ara tāpokopoko i whaiwhai haeretia e koutou. Nō reira, waiho tērā kōrero ki reira, ko tāku he tautoko i a ia, i whakakao nei i ngā iwi kia mahitahi, kia eke ki tēnei taumata.

Ka rua, ka mihi rā ki te mema Pāremata mō Te Tai Tokerau, ki a Kelvin, me te papai o tana kōrero! Ā, kai pōhēhē te tangata e kore tēnei āhuatanga e pā mai ki ngā mema Pāremata, kātahi te pōhēhē ko tērā! Arā, i rongo nei i tana wairua i tēnei ata! E ngākaunui ana ki tō tātau iwi, ki a koutou kua tae mai! He pēnā anō hoki māua ko te Minita i Taranaki i ngā rā kua hipa i raro i Te Maunga o Taranaki. I kōrerohia te hītori o Parihaka, ā, ka pā ki te ngākau, ka puta te roimata. I rongo ngā taringa, i rongo te wairua mō ērā o ngā āhuatanga, ngā pēhitanga kua tau mai ki runga i a tātau katoa. Kaua ko Taranaki i tōna kotahi, kaua ko Tainui i tōna kotahi, kaua ko ē, Whanganui i tōna kotahi ēngari, ā, ko koutou, ko tātau, e hoa mā! Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa!

I kōrerohia ngā mate, tērā o ngā tuāhine a Ngāreta, i kōrerohia a Kahurangi Emily, waiho tērā ki reira, i kōrerohia te hunga pēnei i a Whina Cooper mā, a Matiu Rata mā. Ē, ko tāku he tautoko ake i ērā kōrero katoa! Ko tētahi āhuatanga o Te Tai Tokerau, e hia kē nei ngā porotēhi kua tīmata mai ai i Te Hiku o Te Ika! I kōrero mai tētahi mō Whina Cooper, i tīmata mai ai tērā kaupapa i hea? Ā, anei ngā iwi, Te Tai Tokerau, Te Hiku o Te Ika, Te Rerenga Wairua! Ka eke ki te kaupapa o te takutai moana, tīmata mai ai tērā i hea? Anei, tētahi wāhanga ki Te Tai Tokerau, ko tētahi wāhanga ki taku tuahine ki Ngāti Kahungunu.

Ko te tikanga o taku kōrero e pēnei ana, i te tau 1840, i te rā 6 o Hui-tanguru, o Pēpuere rānei, i hainatia mai ai Te Tiriti o Waitangi ki Te Tai Tokerau, inā kē ōna moemoeā, inā kē ōna hiahia, inā kē ōna tūmanako! Kaua mō Te Tai tokerau i tōna kotahi ēngari, mō te motu! Te tikanga ia, he nohotahitanga o Te Pākehā me Te Māori! Anei tātau, i tēnei rā e hokinga arā anō ki tērā kaupapa, ki tērā Tiriti, me te kī atu, kātahi tō hē e te Kāwanatanga, kaua ko tētahi Kāwanatanga i tōna kotahi ēngari, ā, ia tau, ia tau, ā, e pērā anō te āhua! Kua hoki mai tēnei iwi i raro i tērā korowai o Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ki te whakatika i tērā hē, i ērā hapa!

Nō reira, koia te mihi ki a koutou kai aku rangatira! Tīmata mai ai i reira, anei koutou e whakatika nei i tērā hapa! Kai te kite atu i ētahi o ngā hoa o ngā tau kua hipa ake! He aha te mahi? Ā, he kawe i te haki, kia piupiu te haki, ā, ko te porotēhi, ko te noho whenua, ērā āhuatanga katoa, e Mangu! Ā, kai te kite atu i a koe! Ko tātau tērā, me ngā tuāhine nei! Ko tā tātau i tērā wā he porotēhi mō ngā mahi nanakia a te Kāwanatanga! Ē, tēnei au e noho nei i taku whakaiti i tēnei wā! Anei au e tū nei i roto i te Whare Pāremata, he mema Pāremata, he Minita tonu e noho nei, e tū nei i taku whakaiti ēngari, kai te pai! Kua riro māku, mā te Minita, mā tēnei Whare Pāremata e whakatika ngā hapa, ngā hē. Nō reira, ēnei kōrero katoa kua puta mai i tēnei ata, me te hoki o ngā mahara ki ngā huihuinga, ki ngā wānanga, ki Te Kawariki i kawe nei i ngā kōrero, i ngā whakaaro, he painga anō rā o te porotēhi! He whakaohooho i te iwi! E kore tātau e noho i te ngoikore ēngari, kia mōhio mai, ā, he take kai reira!

Ēngari i rongo ake, tērā pea wētahi, kāre i rongo i te kōrero i te ata nei mō te taunga waka rererangi i Kaitaia, e whakanohoia nei e ētahi! Ko tā te Minita, ē, kua hē tērā hunga! Ko tā koutou mema Pāremata ko te kī atu, tērā pea he take ēngari kai wareware mō te hunga māuiui! Mēnā hiahia rātau kia puta ki te hōhipera ka pēhea nei? Ka haere mā te waka kawe tūroro ki te hōhipera kai Whāngārei rā anō? Me tuku i te waka rererangi kia eke ki Kaitaia ki reira āwhina atu ai i a rātau! He whakaaro pai ērā! E tika ana kia whakatakoto ki roto i te Whare Pāremata.

Ko tāna, ko te kī atu, ē, kai te hoki te mana—āhua nei—ki a koutou mō Te Oneroa ā Tōhē. I te wā i a au e porotēhi ana, i tū au ki tētahi pito o Te Oneroa ā Tōhē ka kore, korekore rawa au e whakapono, ka tae mai au ki konei ki te rongo i tēnei kōrero, ka tukuna anō rā tētahi paku wāhanga o te mana mō Te Oneroa ā Tōhē ki a koutou!

Nō reira, koinei te mīharo ki tērā o ngā kaupapa, ā, ka mutu, kia whai wāhi au mō te wā poto nei, ki te kōrero mō tētahi take kua puta. Ēhara i te mea, i pānuitia atu ēngari, e koutou o Te Aupōuri. Ā, tēnā, i ngā wiki tata kua hipa ake, i tae mai tētahi reta ki a au, ā-Minita nei mai i Te Poari tawhito, he hiahia nō tērā hunga kia tae atu tētahi ki te āwhina i a rātau. Tahi wiki, rua wiki pea i muri ake, ka tae mai te tiamana o Te Poari hōu ki te kī mai, he āwangawanga ōna ki te āhuatanga o te noho o Te Poari tawhito. Ka kī atu au, ā, tēnā taihoa ake nei, kia rukuhia te hōhonutanga o ngā take me ngā āwangawanga. Nō ngā wiki e rua pea kua hipa, nāku tonu tētahi i tuku kia haere ki tērā poari ki te āwhina atu. Ka mutu, ki te ruku ki te hōhonutanga o ngā mate, o ngā take ā-moni nei, mēnā he take kei reira.

Nō reira, kua rongo koutou i te kōrero a te Minita. Kāre i tika kia waiho ake te poari hei kawe ai ngā taumahatanga o te hunga tawhito. Me tuku i te mea hōu kia haere i tana haere, kia kore ngā āwangawanga, ngā nama, ngā take e whakataumaha i a ia. Nō reira waiho ake tērā take ki a māua, hei whaiwhai haere i ngā rā kei mua i te aroaro. E tika ana kia whakatika i tērā āhuatanga ēngari, pai kē me āta titiro ki te hōhonutanga o tērā take i te tuatahi.

Ka rua, mō Te Ture Whenua. I puta te kōrero ko ngā whenua ka whakahoki atu ki a koutou, ēngari, kāre he take o tērā whenua mēnā ka noho herehere tonu tērā whenua! Te tūmanako ia ā te tau hōu, ka tae mai tētahi pire hōu hei tuku i ngā here kia taea ai e Te Iwi Māori, te whai i ngā huarahi e tika ana mō rātau ēngari, kia kaua e tuku nui nei, kei ngaro katoa te whenua i tohea mai ai e ētahi i te wā i a rātau.

Ka mutu ko taku kōrero whakamutunga, he whaiwhai haere ko tā te mema o Te Tai Tokerau, ko tā Kelvin kōrero. Ki te hunga rangatahi kua tae mai i tēnei rā, i tēnei rā tonu nei kai a tātau Te Kōhanga Reo, kei a tātau Te Kura Kaupapa Māori, kei a tātau ngā Reo Irirangi Māori, kei a tātau Te Pouaka Whakaata Māori! Ko te nuinga o wā tātau rangatahi, kāre pea i te mōhio, i puta ēnei take katoa i te tohe, i te pakanga! Pēnei i te hunga e kōrerohia ake nei a Matiu Rata mā! I puta ai te tohe i te pakanga, i te heke o te werawera pēnei i ngā kerēme e korerohia ake nei! Ngā painga, ka taka atu ki roto i ō koutou ringaringa! Nō reira, ko taku īnoi ki te hunga rangatahi, ko te kī atu, me whai wāhi koutou mō te wā poto, ki te titiro ki ēnei kaupapa, ki ēnei kōrero i tēnei rangi! Ngā hītori, kaua e pōhēhē māmā noa iho te tuku atu, kāo! I puta ēnei āhuatanga katoa, i te tohe! Nō reira, e tika ana kia hara mai koutou ki konei ki te whakarongo ki ngā kōrero! Mā reira ka ako i te hōhonutanga o ngā take!

Nō reira, kai aku rangatira, koia tērā! Kāre i kō atu, kāre i kō mai! Hoi anō ko tāku he whaiwhai haere i ngā mihi a te hunga nei ki a koutou me te whakamihi atu ki a koutou katoa ko te hunga e noho nei, ā-takawaenga i roto i ngā whiriwhiringa, ka mutu, tā koutou tokomaha! Kāti, e tika ana kia tae katoa mai koutou ki tēnei o ngā Whare Pāremata i tēnei rā, ko te wāhi ki a au, mō te Pāti Māori, ko te whakatūwhera i tōna ngākau me te kī atu, kia kaha, kia toa, i roto i ngā tau kei mua i te aroaro! Mahia te mahi, kia eke ki tōna taumata, te taumata i wawatatia mai ai e te hunga kua ngaro atu i te tirohanga kanohi, kai aku rangatira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātau katoa, kai raro!

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. Greetings to us all. To my esteemed ones, Te Hiku from the Far North have come to Wellington, so welcome indeed to you collectively. Come hither, with the many deaths that have affected you, but, at the same time, have affected those sitting here in Parliament House. I bear the deaths of my Te Arawa side this morning, and at 11 a.m. some people from home left immediately, specifically to attend a final eulogy and to attend another one tomorrow. So there you are; all the dead alluded to this morning have assembled. Therefore, welcome to you and indeed the many deaths that were referred to.

I salute those who have travelled from afar. You have travelled from afar to witness the realisation of this thing called discourse—in other words, the hopes that your ancestors and our ancestors desired in their time. Therefore I am following up the Minister’s contributions, but in the first instance I will not be repeating his address. His discourse and the content in it were massive. He addressed the history, the work involved that was difficult for you, and the path that you followed that bogged you down. So let us leave that there. My role is to support the Minister in terms of bringing tribes together and for them to work cooperatively to reach this pinnacle.

Secondly, I truly acknowledge Kelvin, the member of Parliament for Te Tai Tokerau, on his wonderful contribution. If one thinks mistakenly that this situation does not affect members of Parliament personally, what an assumption that is! His emotion was plainly heard there this morning. The Minister and I experienced that as well, beneath Mount Taranaki, in recent days just past. The history of Parihaka was told. It stirred our emotions and caused tears to flow. Our ears heard and our emotions were moved by those circumstances and by the oppression imposed upon all of us. It was not upon Taranaki alone, and neither was it upon Tainui and Whanganui alone either, but on you collectively, Te Hiku, and on all of us colleagues. So good tidings to you all; well done and congratulations.

The dead mentioned previously included one of the sisters, Ngāreta, and Kahurangi Emily. We will leave that one there and go to these ones like Whina Cooper and Matiu Rata. I support all those tributes to them. An aspect of Northland that I want to point out is that several protests began from the tail of the Fish. Someone mentioned Whina Cooper. Now where did that topic begin from? Here are the tribes—here is Te Tai Tokerau, Te Hiku o Te Ika, and Te Rerenga Wairua! And now we are up to the matter relating to the foreshore and seabed. Where did that protest start from? Here is a portion of Te Tai Tokerau and one part of my sister member of Parliament here of Ngati Kahungunu descent.

The tenor of my contribution goes like this. In the year 1840, on 6 February—that is, Hui-tanguru or Pēpuere—the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in Te Tai Tokerau, and an endless amount of its dreams, desires, and aspirations emerged. It was not just for Te Tai Tokerau alone but for the nation, its motive being for Pākehā and Māori to live together in harmony. And so, here we are today going back to that principle, to that Treaty, and exclaiming at the same time how wrong you were, the Government. But it was not just one particular Government on its own. Year after year the situation was repeated. This tribe has come back under the cloak of the Treaty of Waitangi to rectify that wrong, those injustices.

And so, to you my esteemed chiefly ones, I compliment you. It began from there, and here you are, putting that injustice to bed! I can see some mates from way back. What was the job? Carrying the banner, waving it about, protesting, taking over the land in protest by occupying it, and all those kinds of protest actions. Hello there, Mangu; I can see you. That was us and the sisters here. Our role at that time was to protest against any underhand Government dealings. And here I am now, sitting and standing here, all humble in Parliament House, as a member of Parliament and a current Crown Minister, full of humility! But that is fine. The responsibility is mine now, as the Minister, and it is for this House of Parliament as well, to redress infringements and wrongful actions and wrongdoings. All these sentiments have emerged this morning, as well as recollections relating to gatherings, seminars, and to Te Kawariki, which was responsible for the talk and ideology. There are gains indeed in protests; it gets the tribe going. We will not be idle, but you must understand the issue that is there.

Now some may have heard, although others may not have heard, the talk about the situation at Kaitaia Airport this morning. Some protesters occupied it. According to the Minister, that lot have erred. Your member of Parliament for Te Tai Tokerau said that there might be an issue there, and do not forget the sick people. If they want to get out to a hospital, what will happen there? Will they go by ambulance all the way to Whangarei to the hospital there? Allow planes to land at Kaitaia to help the sick. That is a good idea. It is right that the matter be put before Parliament House.

Your member also said that ownership of Ninety Mile Beach might be returned to you. When I was protesting, I stood at one end of Ninety Mile Beach. I did not ever nor really believe that I might be present here and to hear this statement that a tiny governance proportion of Ninety Mile Beach would be ceded to you collectively. I express my admiration indeed for that one of the policies.

What is more, I take a brief opportunity to comment on an issue that has cropped up. It is not as though it was announced, but to those of you of Te Aupōuri, do listen closely. Now then, recently, just some weeks ago, a letter arrived that was addressed to me as Minister, from the past board, requesting the assistance of someone to help them. One to 2 weeks afterwards, perhaps, the chairman of the new board arrived to inform me about his concerns about how the past board was positioned. I said to him to hold off a bit, until an in-depth assessment of the concerns and issues was undertaken. After 2 weeks perhaps, I sent someone to that board to provide the assistance they sought and, as well as that, to make an in-depth assessment of the defects, the issues relating to finances, to ascertain whether there was something of concern there.

So you have heard the Minister’s address. It is not appropriate for the new trust board to bear the burdens of the past regime. The new trust board must be allowed to make its way, going forward, as it sees fit, without being encumbered by concerns, debts, and issues of the previous board. And so, let us leave that issue for us two to follow up in the days ahead. That situation must be addressed—that is correct—but it is far better that the depth of that issue is scrutinised properly first.

Secondly, about the Māori Land Act, a statement was made that the lands will be returned to you, but that land is useless if restrictions on it remain. The hope is that a new bill will arrive in the new year that will release the restrictions and will enable Māoridom to pursue pathways appropriate for them, but not to release in huge chunks, in case all of the land is lost that some people debated over in their time.

And, furthermore, my closing remark is to follow up the contribution by the member for Te Tai Tokerau, Kelvin. To you, the young people who arrived here today, we have the Māori language nest movement, Māori-medium schools, Māori radio, and Māori Television. We have them all today. The majority of young people may not know that all these issues became a reality through protests and warfare, very much like those that Matiu Rata and others alluded to. Protests are the outcome of warfare and loss of perspiration, like in these claims being debated here. The benefits will fall into your hands. Therefore, my plea to you young people is to become involved for a brief moment and check out these policies and sentiments today. Historical stuff; no worries there, handing it down is very simple—not! All these situations are an outcome of protests. And so, it is right for you to have come here to listen to the contributions. It is through that process that you will learn about the depth of the issues.

And so, to you my esteemed ones, that is it. There is no more, no less. And so, my part is merely to follow up on tributes that these ones here extended to you collectively; to compliment you, all the ones seated here, to facilitate negotiations, and, what is more, with the bulk of you. Well then, it is apt that all of you arrived here in this House of Parliament today. My role on behalf of the Māori Party is merely to open up its heart to you and to say this to you collectively. Be strong and staunch in the years before you. Do what has to be done to achieve its summit, the level that those lost from sight aspired to. So my revered ones, congratulations, well done, compliments to you collectively, and my appreciation to us all. I resume my seat.]

“Uea, uea, uea, te tauā iti, te tauā rahi ki a Tūtangatanga te ara ki Whīria, te paiaka o te riri, ki Whatu Manunu, Hara Manunu! E hia aku mate kai taku tua, kai taku aro? Piha, piha, manawa o te ika kua riro, ēhara e tauā koia. Koia ā Ngū, koia a Whē, koia a Patupatu, koia a Rangahua, ko te tama i torohakina e koe, ki Mataterā, ki Waeroti, ki Waerota, te tau mai ai tō huakuru tiwha! Tiwha horahia, whakataka te hua o te kauri e taku raupatu, ki te Tonga waikau te mata o te uhi ka tukoki, haonui, haoroa, hui Tangaroa, Mahuta i runga, Mahuta i raro, Mahuta i uta, Mahuta i tai, he kapua kē hoki ko Atirua. Ko Te Atirua i tau ki hea? I tau ki runga, i tau ki hea? I tau ki raro! I tau ki Maunganui, ki Maungaroa, ki Maungaharuru i taku manawa a Tūmakatea! I taku manawa ka irihia nei, ki te whei ao, ki te ao mārama, tihewa mauriora!”

E ōku rangatira, ka tautoko ahau i ngā tangi ki ō tātau tini aituā. Kua waha nei tō tātou Whare i te nuinga o rātou, anā, kua kōrero mai mō ngā tūpuna rongonui ki ēnei whakatupuranga, arā, ko Whina Cooper, arā, ko Matiu Rata me te tini, me te mano! Ka tāpae atu ahau, tō koutou mokopuna, i ngā roimata mō tōku pāpā, kai pōhēhē tēnei Whare nō Ngāti Hine anake mātau. Ka tāpae tonu ahau i te ingoa o tōku tupuna a Himi Hēnare i ngā mate, ka tangihia, ka mihihia, nō reira, haere e ngā mate, haere! Ka tau ahau ki runga i te maunga o Maunganui, ka titiro whakararo ki tērā o tātau, arā, ko Manos Nathan kua ngaro atu ki Te Pō! Kotahi tonu te kōrero, haere mai, haere!

E ōku rangatira, ko te nuinga o ngā tāngata e waha nei i ō tātou tini aituā, he mea maumahara. Ki tēnei nā, e mōhio mārika ana ahau i te taonga o te whakapapa. Ka puritia, ka kōrerotia i ngā wā katoa. Koinā tāku e mōhio ana, he aha nei nā ōna hua katoa? Kai pōhēhē tēnei Whare, ko tēnei pire i takea mai nō nainei tata ake nei, kahore! Nō reira ko taku hiahia i te rā nei, tā te mea, ko te nuinga o ngā kōrero kua kōrerohia, ka kapohia ake e ahau i ōku pānga ki a koutou, e ōku rangatira! I te pānuitanga tuatahi o tēnei pire, i kōrero atu ahau ki mua i tō koutou aroaro, me tāku e mea nei, anā, ka kōrero ahau i ngā pānga whakapapa ki a koutou, kia mōhio ai koutou, ahakoa kua taunga tēnei kerēme, wēnei nawe, wēnei amuamu, ki mua i te aroaro o Te Karauna, kei konei tonu mātau, me te whawhai i te take.

Nō reira, ka tīmata ake ahau ko Te Rarawa-kai-whare e! Ko Rāhiri ka moe i a Whakaruru ka puta ki waho ko Rongomai. Ka moe i a Te Kahuwhero, ka puta ki waho ko Matau Tūrangi. Ka moe i a Kōtete ka puta ki waho ko Te Reinga Kotikoti, ka moe i a Tare, ka puta ki waho ko Te Kurī. Ka moe i a Utu-utu ka puta ki waho ko Ruapounamu, ka moe i a Te Tarutaru ka puta ki waho ko Ngāmotu, tāna ko Te Mārino, tāna ko Te Morenga, tāna ko Mānihi, tāna ko Mereana, tāna ko Tiopira i moe i a Rikihia ka puta ki waho ko Hera, ka moe i a Tau Hēnare ka puta ki waho ko karani-pāpā, ko pāpā, ko ahau.

Ka whakataukītia e ō tātau mātua tūpuna: “Ko Te Atua ki Te Rangi, ko Te Aupōuri ki te whenua.” Ko Ruanui, tāna ko Korako-nui-a-rua, ko Mātītī, ko Wāwenga, ko Hakumanu, ko Taiwawe, ko Tūputa, ko Mārama, ko Papa, ko Hou-te-rangi, ko Waimirirangi ka moe i a Kairewa ka puta ki waho ko Haere-ki-te-rā, ko Tatamoana, a More-te-korohunga, anā, ko Te Ikanui, ko Te Maanga, ko Te Ikanui Tuarua, ko Irimate, ko Ngātete, ko Ritihia, ka puta ki waho ko Hera, ka moe i a Tau Hēnare, ka puta ko Himi, ko pāpā, ko ahau. Ko Kurahaupō te waka, ko Pōhurihanga te tangata, ko Pōhurihanga ka moe i a Maieke, ka puta ko Ngāti Kurī Matakakā, Ngāti Kurī Matamomoe. E ōku rangatira kua waha ahau i ngā whakapapa ka āhei koutou te tātai, ka āhei koutou te aru mai, ka āhei koutou te mihi mai!

Nā, ka whai whakaaro ahau mō tōku ki roto o NgāiTakoto. Ka moe a Tūwhakatere i a Tūterangihiatohia, ko Ngāti Kurī rāua ko Tūpoia o Ngāti Kahu ka puta a NgāiTakoto, te hua o te pōuri, te hua o te mamae. Ko te take ka waiho nā atu, ko Ngāi Takoto mō te wāhanga whakamutunga ki ngā whakapapa, hoi anō hei whakamahara i tō tātou Whare me te Minita e noho nei, he whānau katoa tātau, mai i ngā pākau e rua o Te Ika, tae noa atu ki Te Rerenga Wairua.

E ōku rangatira, e hiahia ana au ki te tohutohu i tēnei Whare i te mana o Te Hiku o Te Ika. He tini ngā tāngata nō roto i a koutou, i uru mai ki roto i tēnei Whare! Kawe mai i ngā kaupapa nui, i ngā kaupapa whakahirahira o Te Tai Tokerau ki roto i te Whare Pāremata e tū nei! Kua kōrero te Whare mō Matiu Rata, nā, ka whakaaro ake ahau, ki a Tākuta Bruce Gregory! Ka whakaaro ake ahau ki a Tau Hēnare tamaiti, kaua ko Tau Hēnare tupuna! Ka whakaaro ake ahau mō tōku pāpā a Dover Samuels! Arā, ko Hone Harawira kua waho nei i tō tātau Whare! Anā, nō roto anō hoki i a koutou, ko tērā nanakia a Shane Jones! Kai pōhēhē koutou, otirā, te Whare, ko te Minita Māori i tēnei wā, ehara nō Rotorua nō Te Arawa anake ēngari, i roto i a koutou, i roto i a tātau, arā, ko Te Ururoa Flavell. Kei tēnei taha tonu o te Whare, ko Adrian Rūrawhe, nō roto i a tātau o Te Hiku! Anā, kua kōrero mai tōku tuakana, a Kelvin, i ōna pānga katoa ki a koutou ki te tupuna, ki a Tōhē. Nā, tae noa iho mai ki ahau e tū nei, ko tātau katoa.

E ōku rangatira, kua kōrerotia katoatia ngā kōrero! E mōhio ana koutou katoa ki ngā kōrero i roto i tēnei pire, ngā take whakahoki atu whenua, ngā take pūtea, ngā take e pā ana ki ngā ingoa kua roa rawa tātau e puritia nei, e kōrero nei. Nō reira, ēhara tēnei i te takaroa i ngā kōrero, kahore! Hoi anō ko te tāpae i waku mihi ki ngā mihi kua tukuna atu ki runga i a koutou. Kei a au nei wētahi kōrero e hiahia ana, hai whakakapi ake i tōku kōrero i te rā nei.

Tuatahi e te Whare, ko te īnoi ki tō tātou Kaihanga, māna koutou e tiaki, e tāwharau ki roto i ngā tau kei mua i a koutou, anā, me tō koutou hokinga atu ki te hau kāinga, kia tiaki tō tātou Kaihanga i a koutou, me ngā moemoeā o ngā uri whakatupu, o ngā uri e haere ake nei. E ōku rangatira, anei hoki ngā kōrero o ngā mātua tūpuna hai āta whakaarohia mā tātou i te rā nei, hei kōrero whakakapi, ka kapohia ake e ahau i te whakataukī o Te Rarawa: “Me āta tukutuku i ngā waiata rere o Te Waitaha Pāua, kei tokia e Te Patu ā Te Tonga, kia māniania te haere, whao atu ai!”. Nā, ka kapohia ake e ahau i te whakataukī o ngā mātua tūpuna ki roto i a tātau e Te Hiku, hei whakakapi ake: “Hei ahau koe i whai piringi taku ūkaipō, hei a koe rānei tāua e pāhuahua ai, kahore!”. Hei a tāua tonu, paringa tai moana, tumunga tai tangata, he purapura e ruia ai te rēanga tangata e puta ai, kia puta ake ki te whei ao, ki te ao mārama. Te Hiku, tēnā koutou, e te Whare, tēnā tātau katoa!

[“Push forward, push forward, push forward, the small and large war parties, to Tūtangatanga, the pathway to Whīria, the root of the wrath, to Whatu Manunu, to Hara Manunu, to Hara Manunu. How many have I slain behind and in front of me? Ah! Fish gills and internal organs taken by that war party there? No! There is Ngū, Whē, Patupatu, Rangahua, the young man, impelled by you, and at Mataterā, Waeroti, and Waerota, your haukuru adze was conspicuous. My conquest of the product from the kauri that was prepared and displayed was conspicuous. At the bathing waters of Tonga, where the chisel struck at an angle, the harvest was massive and long; assemble Tangaroa, Mahuta above, below, shoreward, seaward as well, and the cloud Atirua as well. Where did Atirau settle—above? Where? It settled further down at Maunganui, Maungaroa, Maungaharuru, and in my heart, Tūmakatea, that is to be suspended in the natural and enlightened world, behold the breath of life!”

To my esteemed leaders, I endorse the laments to the myriad of our dead. Our Parliament voiced most of the well-known ancestors like Whina Cooper, Matiu Rata—the myriad and the thousands that this generation alluded to. I, your grandchild, shed my tears for my father, and just in case this House might think mistakenly that we are solely from Ngāti Hine, I will submit the name of my grandfather, James Hēnare, who died, was grieved over, and had tributes accorded to him. Therefore, depart, the dead, farewell! I settle myself upon Maunganui and look downwards at one of ours, namely Manos Nathan, who has been lost to the void. There is only one thing to say: welcome and farewell!

My esteemed ones, the majority of the people who were voicing the myriad of our dead were recalling memories. To this one, I implicitly understand just how much of a treasure genealogy is. It is retained and spoken about at all times. That then is a real benefit and I know it. This House may mistakenly assume that this bill is of very recent origins—not at all! Therefore, my desire today, because much of what there is to talk about has been covered, is to snatch up my connections to you collectively, as something to speak on, my esteemed ones. In the first reading of this bill, I said that I was going to talk to you collectively about my genealogical connections, which I will do, to make you aware that although this claim and these grievances and complaints have been settled before the Crown, we are still here and will continue to fight the issue.

So I begin with Te Rarawa-kai-whare. Rāhiri married Whakaruru, and Rongomai was born, who married Te Kahuwhero, and Matau Tūrangi was born. Matau Tūrangi married Kōtete, and Te Reinga Kotikoti was born, who married Tare, and Te Kurī was born. Te Kurī married Utu-utu, and Ruapounamu was born, who married Te Tarutaru and Ngāmotu, and Te Mārino, Te Mōrenga, Mānihi, Mereana, and Tiopira were born. Tiopira married Ritihia and Hera was born. She married Tau Hēnare, and my grandfather Himi and my father Ērima, who begat me, were born.

Our ancestors uttered the aphorism: “God is to Heaven as Te Aupōuri is to the land.” Ruanui begat Kōrako-nui-ā-rua, who begat Mātītī, who begat Wāwenga, who begat Hakumanu, who begat Taiwawe, who begat Tūputa, who begat Mārama, who begat Papa, who begat Hou-te-rangi, who begat Waimirirangi, who married Kairewa, who begat Haere-ki-te-rā, who begat Takamoana, who begat More-te-korohunga, who begat Te Ikanui, who begat Maanga, who begat Ikanui, who begat Irimate, who begat Ngātete, who begat Ritihia, who begat Hera, who married Tau Hēnare, who begat Himi, who begat Ērima, my father, who begat me. Kurahaupō is the canoe, and Pōhurihanga is the man who married Maieke, and Ngāti Kurī Matakakā and Ngāti Kurī Matamomoe emerged. So, my esteemed leaders, I have articulated the genealogies, which you can now recite; follow along and acknowledge!

I have an opportunity now in terms of my connections inside NgāiTakoto. Tūwhakatere married Tūterangiātōhia of Ngāti Kurī, and Tūpoia of Ngāti Kahu and NgāiTakoto emerged, the product of sadness and hurt. The reason why NgāiTakoto was left for the last part of the genealogies was to remind our House and the Minister sitting here that we are all family, from both shoulder blades of the Fish, right through to the Leaping-Off Place of the Spirits.

My esteemed leaders, I wanted to advise this House about the influence that the Tail of the Fish has. Myriads of people have come from within you, Te Hiku, into this House! They have brought with them policies of huge importance and significance, from Te Tai Tokerau into the House standing here. The House spoke about Matiu Rata. Now then, I thought about Dr Bruce Gregory and then about the younger Tau Hēnare—not the older version, my ancestor, Tau Hēnare! Then my thoughts turned to my uncle, Dover Samuels. Oh yes, and Hone Harawira, who is out of our House now. And, yes, another one from within you, Te Hiku, that rascal Shane Jones! But, indeed, just in case you of the House assume that the current Minister of Māori Development, that Te Ururoa Flavell there, is totally from Rotorua and belongs to Te Arawa, he is not; he is from within you, Te Hiku, from within us; he is one of our own. And right here on this side of the House, Adrian Rūrawhe. He is from within us, Te Hiku! And here is another one. My senior colleague here, Kelvin Davis, has already told you collectively about all his links to the ancestor, Tōhē. And now to me standing here, and to all of us.

My esteemed ones, all the talking has been done. All of you know what is contained in this bill relating to matters about the return of land, funding, and place names we have kept for a long time and continue to negotiate. So I am not going to prolong the contributions—not at all. There is nothing more except to add my tributes to those that have been heaped upon you collectively.

I have some words that I want to express to close my contribution today. Firstly, to the House, I pray to our Creator that He cares and shelters you in future years, and as you return home, and that He protects you and the dreams of the descendants of the present and future generations. And so, to you, my noble people, some words as well from all of our forefathers for us to consider carefully as a closing statement. I snatch up a Te Rarawa proverb: “The gentle waters at Te Waitaha Pāua flow continuously as Te Tonga chisels his adze with difficulty.” And, furthermore, I snatch up the proverb of the forefathers from within us, Te Hiku, to conclude: “Is it through me that you gained a haven, my mother, or is it through you that you and I will be pillaged? No!”. It is only through both of us working together as a single ebbing and incoming tide of humanity that the seed can be sown properly for generations of man to emerge into the natural and enlightened world. Congratulations to you, Te Hiku, and to us all in the House!]

Tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. E rau rangatira mā ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai tātou.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. And so acknowledgments to you, esteemed ones of a hundredfold, and to us all.]

It is my privilege to stand today and take a short call on this, the final reading of the bills arising from Te Hiku Claims Settlement Bill. I would like to start, firstly, by acknowledging the Minister who leads this bill, the Hon Christopher Finlayson, for his fine work, the Office of Treaty Settlements for its diligence, and the iwi of Te Hiku for their patience and perseverance.

I believe that our tūpuna walk and cry with us today. They cry in sadness for the moments lost. They cry in happiness for the moment that is now. They cry for the wrenching of their way of life into a paradigm they were ill-prepared for, and so they suffered. In my professional domain, they cry for the wracking coughs of a thousand smokers and TB victims, whose spittle turned bright red as they slowly, but surely, wasted, and to the dust they returned. This is but a part of what our tūpuna cry for today.

But although the burden is heaviest for Māori, the pain of the past is not for Māori alone to bear. Non-Māori also hurt. I stand here today: one man, a product of two peoples. On my Māori side, to the east, Ngāti Wai, and, to the south, Ngāti Maniapoto. On my European side, my English great-grandparents call today, from across the Hokianga Harbour to the people of Te Rarawa and others, and up into the gallery.

From the south side of the Hokianga, from Tāheke, from the rohe of Ngāti Pākau, my great-grandparents Thomas and Rose Brocas cry with us today. They were timber millers, working with local people. Arriving from Shropshire, England, they operated the flaxmill at Waimā, beside the Waimā River. They then operated the Brocas timber mill on the Waimā River, providing lumber for homes and local infrastructure, all through the Hokianga in the far north. In his later years, great-grandad Brocas was the postmaster at the Tāheke post office at Roronui, formerly known as Waahirakau, Raronui, and Wharerakau. I am looking here at a 1912 picture of my great-grandad Brocas at the Tāheke post office—five Māori children around him. No shoes—shorts, a vest. For them, for Rose and Bernard, i nāianei, e moe ana rāua ki roto i te urupā o Rāwene [they are resting now in the Rāwene cemetery]. I say to you that my English tūpuna, who also formed a life with your tūpuna, walk and cry with you today—tears of remembrance, tears of reconciliation, and tears of resilience.

This bill includes a summary of the agreed historical account—Crown acknowledgments of breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi. The settlement package includes recognition of Te Hiku iwi as kaitiaki of Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe, Te Ara Wairua, and Te Rerenga Wairua. It provides for co-governance arrangements for the beach and the development of the management regime for Te Rerenga Wairua, five farms and the majority of Aupōuri Forest. There is also recognition here that not all of the wrongs are righted. Not all of the hurt is erased, and so the people weep. In conclusion I will say this, “the tears of hurt taste just the same as the tears of hope; the difference is whether those tears fall on the cheeks of a face that is at peace”. So it is my hope that this settlement goes some way towards Te Hiku finding some peace with the past and hope for the future. Nō reira, e ngā iwi nau mai, haere mai, āpiti hono, tātai hono, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, ā, kia ora mai tātou katoa.

[Therefore to you, the tribes, welcome, come hither, the lines are joined; so acknowledgments, greetings, and congratulations to you and to us all collectively. Thank you.]

Ā, tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. Ko te mihi o te rā ki a koutou, ngā manuhiri, ngā rangatira, ngā kuia, ngā tāngata o ngā hapū katoa o Te Hiku, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. So acknowledgments of the day to you collectively, visitors, esteemed elders, elderly womenfolk, and people of all Te Hiku subtribes; accolades, congratulations, and well done to you and us all collectively.]

As ever, it is a privilege to stand on behalf of the Greens to speak to a settlement bill, the end of a journey but the beginning of perhaps a much longer journey, which all of these settlements do represent. This is an auspicious day, an important day, for Te Hiku and for Northland—more generally, for Tai Tokerau. It does represent an enormous amount of work that has been done. I join with other people who have spoken, recognising and acknowledging the work of those who have gone before us, who are not here to see this celebration, but without whose thoughts and whose hands, often over a lifetime of work, this day would not have been reached.

Of course, it is all in the interests of improving the lot of those who live with us today and, of those, who will come after us into the future. I think it is something that we can all agree on: that our aspiration has to be to create a better future for our mokopuna, for our rangatahi. That should be the goal that focuses all of our work, not only around these bills but, indeed, around others.

The Te Hiku area, the far north, contains some of the most beautiful, some of the most powerful, some of the most iconic landscapes of anywhere in our country or, I would argue, of any other country. Sites of extraordinary cultural importance like Te Rerenga Wairua and Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe are not only renowned for their physical beauty but also for their cultural importance, both to Māori—tūpuna Māori and present-day Māori—and, indeed, to Pākehā, who have become, in their time, indigenous to this country as well. So it is important that we acknowledge the significance of the place and of the people who have lived there and who will live there in the future.

Unfortunately, too often when people think of Northland and even, indeed, the far north, they think of deprivation, of neglect, and of ill health, both of the landscape and of the people, and those two, of course, are inextricably linked. We need to turn that round, and this settlement bill is a step. It is quite a large step towards putting the resources into the hands of those who can turn that round so that in time, Te Hiku and Northland—Tai Tokerau generally—will be associated with well-being, with prosperity, and with opportunity. These are the things that we can aspire to collectively, and this, today, is an important step towards achieving that goal.

As ever, when settlements are signed and when bills come through this House, there is almost inevitably, as night follows day, a backlash from people who often should know better. Concerns were expressed some months ago around the matter of a co-governance model for Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe. There were ridiculous claims that Māori would immediately exclude people from the beach, that barriers would be raised, and that roads would be dug up—nonsense from somebody who should know better. I am sure that over time we will see that, in fact, the co-governance structure that puts hapū in their rightful place—having significant decision-making authority over the beaches and over the landscape generally—is an appropriate model, and it will contribute to our collective well-being as it evolves.

I would like to just quote briefly from a submission made to this bill by Haami Piripi, the chair, of course, of the rūnanga of Te Rarawa. He was writing, actually, about an earlier negotiation. I do not pretend to have read all the submissions. I was not on the select committee. It is a 575-page bill. But this paragraph did jump out at me as capturing the essence of a lot of what it is that we aspire to do with the Treaty settlements. Matua Piripi said: “We finally reached a point in negotiations that we gauged was at the edge of the Crown’s tolerance zone and might be acceptable to our people and communities. It was not perceived as the delivery of justice but rather as seeding what could be grown to nurture our people’s future.” I think that captures a lot, as I say, of the essence of what the negotiations and the settlements need to do. They need to push everybody’s boundaries. The starting positions are often so polarised that there is real difficulty in getting to a point of agreement. So it is good that everybody feels a little bit of the pain, and, indeed, that does push their boundaries.

He talked about not the delivery of justice, but a step towards that. The bills cannot and will never fully restore what was lost, what was taken. That is beyond our means. In a sense, what must be done—is that full restitution, full restoration—cannot be done, and we need to acknowledge that, but nevertheless strive to get the most appropriate and the most just outcomes that we can to ensure our future well-being.

I think the model for the future settling of grievances and injustices to some extent exists within this bill. There is an agreement around the Kohukohu police station that for the moment, yes, it will reside with Te Rarawa, but there is a gentleperson’s agreement, if you like, that if it is more appropriate in the future to go to Te Ihutai, then that is what the outcome will be—that is, the superior claim will be acknowledged in time. The point of that is that—in similar fashion—I think this settlement effectively removes the Crown from the equation in terms of what happens in the future.

Let the remaining matters of dispute and concern—and they are real and they are significant, and some of the events at Kaitāia Airport in the last 24 hours or so are testament to that—be settled by Māori, between Māori, in a way appropriate for Māori. Let it be that the ongoing concerns are settled in ways that are respectful of the conflicting claims of iwi, of hapū, and indeed of whanau.

To some extent, the notion of a post-settlement settlement between Māori interests alone is acknowledging that the affected parties are inheriting a mess not of their making, a mess resulting from generations of colonisation—the overturning and, indeed, the destruction of what were existing structures of governance, of management, and of decision-making. Te Hiku is not the first, and will certainly not be the last, occasion where Māori inherit a dysfunctional situation, where Māori take on the burden of seeking a more substantive and a more lasting level of justice, which may emerge from a reconciliation within and between iwi, hapū, and whānau.

Beyond a certain point, these matters are best dealt with and settled not in this House, not in courtrooms, and not in the office of some Government agency, but in the rohe, on the marae. People of goodwill from within those communities are best placed to resolve and to make good the future for the people in their time. So this settlement, as complex as it is, as subtle as it may be at times, is nevertheless like all settlements—it is still something of a rough cut. The lines are bold and, therefore, somewhat crude, and to some extent unsatisfactory.

The ongoing task for our Māori communities, led by our kaumātua and our kuia, is to better define those boundaries—to define those boundaries that divide and the relationships that link our communities more finely, more accurately, and more justly. While today is the end of a process, it is the beginning of a longer process: a challenge to exploit the opportunities that are now available to the people of Te Hiku. I have no doubt in my mind that they will rise to that challenge, and that the future will be better for it. Kia ora.

Ā, tihewa mauri ora, tuku mauri ora ki te whei ao, ki te ao mārama! Tū wāhi poto tēnei hei māngai mō Te Rōpū Aotearoa Tuatahi ki te tautoko i ngā mihi i mihingia e aku tuākana ki te ‘hakatau i a koutou aku whanaunga, mai i Te Hiku. Aroha ana au ki a māua a Winitana, nā te mea, i ‘hakahuangia e tōku tuakana, ko Waimā nō te hau kāinga, ēngari, horekau māua i rongo i ō māua ingoa, nā reira, kia mōhio mai koutou i āianei, kia ahatia?

E tika ana kia tukuna atu ngā mihi ki a rātou mā, ki a rātou i ‘hakatīmata mai i tēnei kaupapa ahakoa kāhore rātou i konei, i waenganui i a tātou ā-tinana. Nā reira, ka nui taku mihi ki a rātou me ēnā o ngā mate i hinga atu i ērā atu wiki, marama o te tau hoki. Nā reira e tika ana ka nui ngā mihi, kārekau kē te puna kōrero i mimiti ki a rātou, kia ahatia? Ēngari, e tika ana kia mihi hoki ki a rātou. Nā reira, ki a rātou, ki a tātou te hunga ora, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou! Tēnā hoki koutou aku mātua, aku whanaunga karanga maha i haere mai tawhiti kia tae mai ki waenganui i a tātou. Ahakoa e āhua rerekē ana ēnei hāora ki te ‘hakaputa mai i ngā pire o te Whare nei, ka ahatia? Ko te mea nui kua puta mai i tēnei rā!

[Behold the breath of life, and so wellness to the natural and enlightened world! This is a short call as spokesperson for New Zealand First, to endorse the sentiments expressed by my senior colleagues to you, my relatives from Te Hiku. I feel sorry for Winston and me, because my elder relation said that Waimā is from back home but we did not hear our names, so you know now—but whatever!

Tributes to them who have passed away are apt, especially those who began this matter, even though they are not here physically among us. And so a huge tribute to them, and to those as well who have died in the past weeks and months of the year. Therefore it is appropriate that the tributes are huge, as the pool of tributes to them will never run out—but to what effect? However, it is right indeed that they are accorded a tribute. And so to them and to us, I acknowledge, salute, and greet you collectively. I greet you as well, my elders and relatives of many callings, who have come from afar to arrive here amongst us. Although these hours are somewhat strange for bills from this House to appear, so what! The important thing is that they have emerged.]

I stand on behalf of New Zealand First to support the sentiments expressed by those who have stood before me, and to acknowledge our relations from the far north who have travelled a long distance to be here in spite of the challenges facing them, not only in terms of arranging travel but also in terms of the social and economic difficulties they face in the north. I want to start off by prefacing this contribution with reference to the comments made by the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations with regard to Dame Whina Cooper and the Land March of 1975. Can I say that the idea of a land march actually had its genesis at a meeting of the Ngāti Wai Land Retention Committee, where the point of debate was its concern at the amount of coastal land that was being lost or taken under the public works legislation for public utilities. It was at that meeting that the idea that a land march should take place was raised and later that year it did take place. I am proud to say that we have in this House one person who was actually at that meeting and who can attest to what I am saying, and that is the Rt Hon Winston Peters.

This bill is the culmination of a long journey made by a number of iwi, and I especially want to acknowledge NgāiTakoto and the fact that the Crown has recognised you as an iwi. Here am I from Ngāti Hine, and my own family, Paraone, exceeds more than NgāiTakoto, and yet you are recognised as an iwi but the Crown will not recognise Ngāti Hine as an iwi. Kia ahatia? I know the battles that you have had to fight and the journey that you have had to travel, and so I am prepared, on behalf of Ngāti Hine, to make that same journey.

The legislation concerns the following iwi: Ngāti Kuri, NgāiTakoto, Te Aupōuri, and Te Rarawa. Sadly, it does not include our relatives of Ngāti Kahu. Ngāti Kahu have particular reasons as to why they have chosen to stand outside this settlement, and I will allude to those later on in my speech. But, suffice it to say, the journey that has been travelled by these iwi should be recognised and each of them should be commended for the perseverance, the tenacity, that they have had to get to this point.

The other thing that I am quite proud of about this settlement is that it has taken place because of the actions of one of their own, and that is the Hon Matiu Rata. His contribution to this whole area of Treaty settlement and his foresight to establish the tribunal have led to a number of settlements taking place, and although a number have already taken place, this is the first substantial settlement that has taken place from his tribal area. I just want to again acknowledge the Hon Matiu Rata and his foresight. I can recall at the time people not supporting him, but with his tenacity and perseverance he was able to see the establishment of the tribunal.

I will refer to each of the iwi—first of all, Ngāti Kuri. Ngāti Kuri’s claim is based on the fact that the Crown failed to recognise it in the first instance. Secondly, the Crown failed to return land that it had taken unjustifiably. However, the settlement does restore some of that mana—and the emphasis is on “some” because, as we already know, although these settlements are regarded as full and final, they never ever fully compensate the claimants for what they have lost.

In regard to Te Aupōuri, like with Ngāti Kuri, I want to acknowledge their negotiators. They have pursued the settlement with great determination. They faced many challenges and it has been a long fight for them. The settlement legislation sees the demise of Te Aupōuri Māori Trust Board. I can recall making comment about this in the first reading, given that I can recall a number of the original members of that trust board. [Bell rung] I am taken aback by the bell because previous speakers had a much longer time to speak. So to those iwi whom I have not acknowledged I acknowledge you now.

I want to conclude my speech by saying that we support settlement being made. However, I want to refer to the fact that Ngāti Kahu applied to the Wellington High Court to question the settlement and how it affected them. The court subsequently asked the tribunal to reconsider their position. That has not been dealt with by the tribunal, and although we support the right of each iwi to make their settlement, we do it with some caution in the fact that here we have an iwi who will be affected by this settlement and without the tribunal considering the direction of the High Court.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I just want to thank you for your perseverance.

I want to say that this attempt to settle the Muriwhenua claims has involved complex overlapping claims that have been made for many years, and hence the action taken by Ngāti Kahu that is now reflected in the protest action that is being taken at the Kaitāia Airport, which is just a mere reflection of what this settlement legislation has on Ngāti Kahu and their standing. I want to say that for Ngāti Kahu there, their initial concerns were basically that they opposed those parts of the claims settlement bill that seek to deny the rights and entitlements of Ngāti Kahu—and I do not think that anyone would object to that.

Secondly, Ngāti Kahu whānau and hapū hold mana whenua and mana moana over their lands, territories and resources, and the Crown has failed to have regard for their customary associations and interests. Having said that, New Zealand First will support the passing of this legislation because we think that it is unfair to hold up this settlement where other iwi are ready to proceed.

I also want to conclude by saying that while listening to the debate I received an email message from a member of Te Rarawa stating that their particular whānau hapū did not support the settlement. So I have responded by saying that the best I can do is to have that recorded in the record of Parliament. What that does is signal the challenges that each of you will face after this settlement. I will reiterate the words that my father said to me when I was chairman of the Ngāti Hine rūnanga. He said: “Boy, never forget to look behind you, because if there’s no one there, then you’ve got to ask yourself: who are you leading?”.

Nā reira, i roto i aua kupu kōrero, ngā mihi hoki ki a koutou, kia tau te rangimāria i te wā e noho nei i konei, i te wā e hoki ana, e hīkoi ana ki te wā kāinga, nā reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai anō tātou.

[So within those words, congratulations as well to you collectively; allow peace to prevail over you while you are here; and, as you are returning and travelling back home, congratulations, well done, and thank you collectively and to us all once again.]

Ā, tēnā koe e te Mana Whakawā, e koro mā, e kui mā, e rau rangatira mā o Te Hiku o Te Ika ā Māui, nau mai, haere mai ki te Whare Pāremata i tēnei rā whakahirahira, tēnā koutou.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and so welcome to you, the elder men and womenfolk, and esteemed ones of Northland; come hither to Parliament House on this great day; well done.]

Today signals the end of a long process for ngā whanau me ngā hapū o Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri, NgāiTakoto, Te Rarawa. It is a significant day today for all of you, and I am proud to stand here and speak in this final part of your claims settlement process. From the time the lands were confiscated in the 1800s to today, the journey that you have all made has been one of significant achievement, and I pay tribute to you all.

As I said, I am humbled—I am humbled to participate in the third reading of this legislation arising from Te Hiku Claims Settlement Bill. Today one journey ends and another begins for Te Hiku o Te Ika: the journey to economic independence; the journey to reclaiming decision-making powers over forestry, farms, and conservation lands and over beaches and mountains. Lands that once belonged to Te Hiku today are returned, in varying measures, from its northernmost point at Te Rerenga Wairua, also known to most New Zealanders as Cape Reinga, to the shores of Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe, or Ninety Mile Beach. These are the places that for many of us have been holiday destinations without our regarding for their significance to the iwi of Te Hiku, but that changes today. That changes today, and the people of New Zealand will hear it and they will hear it shouted from the highest mountaintops, from this House, and from all of you.

I want to extend my thanks to the negotiators for the iwi and the Crown. I want to thank the staff of the Office of Treaty Settlements, and I want to thank the Parliamentary Counsel Office and members of the Māori Affairs Committee, as well as our Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations for his diligence and his hard work. But mostly I want to thank Te Hiku o Te Ika-a-Māui for their perseverance, their ihi, wehi, and their kaha [personal magnetism, awe, and intensity] throughout this whole process.

I will finish my kōrero with a whakataukī from one of your ancestresses, Meri Ngāroto. “He aha te mea nui o tēnei ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.”—What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people. And this bill is for the people of the past, the people of the present, and the people of the future of Te Hiku o Te Ika. Kia ora.

Ā, tēnā koe e te Mana Whakawā. Anei te mihi atu ki a koe, otirā, ki a koutou e hui nei i tēnei wā, e tōku ake rahi, tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou. Kua whakarongo au ki ngā kāwai whakapapa ō ēnei nā wāku hoa e noho tata nei ki roto i te Whare, kāre au i kī nō Ngāpuhi, nō Ngāti Hine, no Te Aupōuri, nō te aha noa, nō Te Hiku. Kai te rapu au i roto i taku herenga whakapapa o tētahi hononga ki a koutou.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker; greetings to you and to the people assembled here now, my many, I welcome you all. I have listened to the genealogical descent lines offered by these colleagues of mine, seated close by me in the House. I cannot say I am from Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Te Aupōuri, Te Hiku, or whatever. However, I have looked more closely at my descent lines for links to the people assembled here.]

💬 Peeni Henare: Ngāti Kahu.

Āna, āna, tērā pea kai te tika koe! Ēngari, kai roto i te whānau Heta, ka puta mai ko Connie, ka moe a Connie i a Ririwai Fox, ka puta ko te whānau Fox, nā reira, ko ērā he hononga mōku. Nā reira, tēnā koutou, nau mai, haere mai, haere mai ki tēnei Whare.

I tēnei rangi, e whakaaro ana au kua riro i a tātau te Whare. Kai te moe te Raiona. Kai te moe ia, ngōngoro ana! Kai te kōrero tātau ki a tātau i runga i ngā kaupapa o Te Ao Māori, ā, kua riro i a Māori te Whare nei. Hai aha ngā tikanga, ngā kaupapa o tēnei Whare Mīere o Te Pāremata, mō tēnei wā kua riro i a tātau, he aha ai?

I tēnei ata i tuku au i tētahi text ki taku hoa a Ben, i a tātau e noho ana ki roto i te Whare. Whakaaro ana au, he rerekē te wairua i tēnei rā, he rerekē! Ka tiro haere ki roto i Te Whare kua wātea katoa ngā tūru! Kai hea rātou? Kāore rātou e mōhio ki te mahi whakahirahira e haere ana i roto i Te Whare i tēnei wā? Kai hea rātou ki te whakarongo ki a koutou? Te whakarongo ki ēnei kōrero e whārikihia nei? E whārikihia nei i ngā mamae kai roto i a tāua!

Kātahi au ka whakaaro! E hika! Me tuwhera ngā karu! Kai te kī rawa atu ēnei tūru e ō tātau tūpuna! Kua tau tēnā ki runga i ahau i tēnei wā, kai konei rātau! Kai konei! Koinei tāua, māua ko taku hoa a Peeni e kōrero ana i te ata nei. Kua rangona au i ā rātau, i ō rātou wairua kua tau ki roto i te Whare i tēnei wā, ki te whakarongo ki tēnei kōrero, tēnei kōrero whakahirahira mō tātau katoa, ahakoa tō tātau hononga whakapapa, kai konei! Nā reira, kai te mihi. Kai te mihi ki ngā mate kai runga i a tātau katoa. Rātau i Te Arawa e takoto mai rā i tēnei wā. Rātau kai roto i tō koutou whenua, kai runga i ō koutou na marae. Rātou kai taku kāinga, rātau kua mate kētia, e noho nei i tēnei wā kai te mihi!

Ka hoki mai anō ki a tātau te hunga ora, tātau e whakatutuki nei i ō rātou nā wawata, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā mai tātau katoa. I ahau i uru mai ki te Whare i tērā tau koinā tētahi o ngā rangi whakahirahira mōku. I taua wā, e noho ana au me taku Kleenex i runga i te mea he taumaha tēnei kōrero, e tangi ana te ngākau. I tēnei wā, kai te pērā ana, kai te pēnei hoki ahau i runga i te whakaaro ki a rātau me ngā mate o te Kāwanatanga, ō rātou mahi hē i ēnei tau kua pahure ake, ngā piki, me ngā heke kua tae ki tēnei wā. Tēnei wā, kai konei i runga i te kotahitanga.

Kai ahau tētahi kuia, a Niniwaterangi, i tū a ia mō Te Pāremata Māori, i runga i te whenua Papawai. Nā, ahakoa tana wahinetanga, i hiahia ia ki te tū ki te kōrero, ki te wero atu i ngā rangatira o taua wā i runga i te kōrero o Te Kotahitanga. Nā, i a rātou e whawhai ana kia wātea te ātea kia tū mai taku kuia ki te kōrero. Haere atu ia ki waenganui te ātea ka hiki tana panekoti, ka mimi ki roto i te kōhua, inumia te mimi, kātahi ka karawhiua te kōhua ki te waewae o te tangata e mātakitaki ana me te kī, “Kia taea e koutou, tāne mā, kia whai nei i ahau, e pēnā ana tō koutou mahi.”, ā, ka noho tēnei kuia, kātahi ka kōrero i tana kōrero. I kōrero ia mō Te Kōtahitanga.

Kai konei koutou kei runga i taua whakaaro Te Kōtahitanga. Kua waiho ngā nawe, ngā amuamu ki te taha, ki te whakarite i tētahi rautaki, tētahi ara hei mua i a koutou, kia tutuki ngā wawata ō rātau mā kua mene ki te pō. Nā reira kai te mihi, kai te mihi ki a koutou. Nā koutou tēnā i whakaatu nei kia tātau katoa. Ēhara i te mea, ēnei whawhai, ēnei raru, ā, he mea tauhou ki a koutou. I ngā rohe katoa o te motu e whai nei i te ara o Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ō rātou kerēme, e pēnā ana! I Te Wairarapa, hika! Kai te pērā tonu rātau. Nā reira, kai te mihi. Ko koutou tēnā kua whakaatu i te ara mō tātau katoa, i raro i te whakaaro kotahi, i roto i te ngākau tahi, i runga i te mahi tahi kia taea, ka taea e tātau!

Nā, ehara tēnei i taku tūru tūturu! Kāre kau au i te Minita o te Pāti Nahinara! Kai reira kē au e noho ana i te nuinga o te wā ēngari, e hiahia ana au kia tū kai mua i a koutou, nā reira, ka mihi. I neke ki konei kia kite au i a koutou, kia kore taku tuarā e tū ki mua i a koutou, he aha ai? Nō te mea kai konei te hunga rangatahi e whakarongo mai nei ki a tātau e kōrero nei. Kai konei ngā rangatira o taua kura hunga, ngā koroua, ngā kuia e whakapau werawera ana i ngā tau kua pahure nei, te kohi ngā whakaaro, te kohi ngā hītori, te whawhai hoki. Nā reira kai te pirangi au ki te kite i a koutou, tēnā koutou. I tito au i tētahi kōrero ēngari kāre au i hāngai ki taua kōrero. Hai aha tēnā! He aha ai? Kai te pīrangi au ki te mihi atu ki Te Hiku!

Ko Whina Cooper tēnā, e whakaatu nei ki a tātau me pēhea te tutuki i ngā wawata. I ahau i tae mai ki Te Pāremata nei, tipi haere au, huri rauna au i Te Whare, ki te rapu i te wāhi e tū nei rātau, e kōrero ana mō tō tātou ao. Ēngari i ahau e tipi haere, e huri rauna ana i Te Whare, i kite au i te korowai o tērā kuia a Dame Whina Cooper, e noho nei ki roto i tēnei Whare. Kātahi ka miharo rawa atu, mīharo rawa atu! E whakaaro ana au ki a rātou, rātou mā kua takahi te ara ki tēnei Whare ki te hāpai i ngā take ō tātau katoa. Nā reira, e Hiku, kai te mihi atu ki a koutou.

I haere atu au ki Waitangi i tēnei tau. Kāre au i haere ki Waitangi, i te kāinga kē au e whakanui ana i taua rangi. Ko au tēnā e whakarite i ngā nekehanga i roto i Te Wairarapa mō te rangi whakanui i a Waitangi. Ēngari, i tēnei tau i haere atu au ki reira. I reira hoki taku hoa tāne, he tangata kuti hipi taku hoa tāne. Pai rawa atu, āe! Ēngari i mea atu au ki a ia: “Darling, i a tāua e haere ki runga i a Waitangi, mehemea ka karawhiu tētahi i ō rātou parahako ki a tāua, hei aha, kaua e meke i a rātou!” “Kei te pai!” Tukua atu koe kia haere! Nā reira, i tae atu au ki reira!

I ngā tau kua pahure, kua whakarongo au ki ngā kōrero a Hone, e kī nei, ā, te pani me te rawakore! Ko ērā te āhuatanga kai roto i Te Tai Tokerau, engari, kia tae atu au ki reira, hika mā! He waka hou e taraiwa ana i runga i te huarahi, ngā whare ātaahua rawa kai runga i ngā puke, ngā poti kai runga i te moana! Whū! He pūtea kai roto i tēnei wāhi! Hika mā! Engari rā, kātahi au ka tiro atu ko te pūtea kei roto i a Tai Tokerau, kai roto i te ringa ō rātau e mau tonu ana i te whenua. Ko te putea kai roto i a Te Tai Tokerau, kai roto i te ringa o rātou mā kua riro i tō tāua whenua!

Nā reira i tēnei rā, kai te hiahia tātau o Te Whare nei ki te whakahoki i taua mana ki a tātau, ki a koutou, kia riro anō i a koutou ngā rawa kia tutuki ngā wawata ō rātau mā kua mene atu ki te pō. He aha ai? Ēhara nā tātau kua pau ngā tau i a tātau koroua mā, kuia mā, he kuia ahau! Ēhara mā tāua! Ēngari mō ngā tamariki, mō ngā mokopuna! Mō rātau mā kāre anō kia whānau mai! Nā reira kia kaha! Kia kaha mai koutou kia tutuki pai ō koutou wawata, kia riro i a rātou ngā rawa mō ngā tau kai te heke mai.

Kua tau ngā wairua o Te Whare, kua tau a rātau mā e noho nei i roto i ēnei tūru wātea. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai tātau katoa.

[Maybe you are right—here is one! I have links to the Heta family, through Connie, who married Ririwai Fox, and so emerged the Fox family. Those are the links for me. So, acknowledgments to you collectively; welcome, come hither to this House.

I have heard today that we have taken over this House. The Lion is sleeping; it is resting and snoring! We are here talking to each other about matters relating to the Māori world, so I say Māori have taken over the House. Set aside the protocols and procedures of this Chamber of Parliament in the time we have it, and for what purpose?

I sent a text to my husband, Ben, while we were sitting in the House. I was thinking that the spirit is different today—odd! I gazed around the House and noticed that these seats were all vacant. Where are they? Are they not aware that a task of significance is occurring here in the House at this moment? Where are they, to listen to you and to these contributions? The hurt that is inside us are in these contributions.

Then I thought—my word! Open your eyes! These empty chairs are all occupied by our ancestors. That realisation descended upon me, and I was at ease; they are here, they are here. My colleagues, Peeni, and I are here this morning. I can hear them, and sense their presence pervading the House at this moment, to listen to this address of importance for us all; regardless of our genealogical connections, they are here. And so, I acknowledge them and the deaths that are upon us all, those ones of Te Arawa lying in state at this moment, those ones of yours, Te Hiku, on your land and marae, my ones back home, the ones of yesteryear, and those ones who are here spiritually—I pay homage to you all!

I come back to us once again the living, the ones engaged in this process of fulfilling their aspirations; acknowledgments, greetings, and good tidings to you and to us all. When I came into the House last year, it was one of the great days for me. At that time I was sitting with my Kleenex because this contribution was an onerous one, and I was tearful inside. I am like that now, as I reflect on the ones who are no longer here and on the problems confronted and perpetrated by the Government in recent years, as well as the trials and tribulations of the people unto this time. Today we are here, unified in thought and purpose.

My ancestor Niniwaterangi was a member of the Māori Parliament located at Papawai. She wished to stand and speak, to challenge the leaders of Te Kotahitanga. There were debates and arguments as to whether she was permitted to do so. While the debate raged on, she went to the centre of the marae, lifted her dress, and urinated into a container; she then proceeded to drink the contents of the container. When she had drunk it all, she threw the container at the assemblage, crying out: “Men, I challenge you to follow my example.” My ancestor then sat down and began her speech; she spoke of Te Kotahitanga.

You are here in that same sense of unity. You have put to the side your arguments, to form a strategy, to forge a path forward together, so that you may realise the aspirations of those who have passed on to the night. I applaud you for that. You have shown that to us all today. These arguments and differences of view are not a new thing to you. Throughout the land, the groups who have strived to settle their Treaty of Waitangi claims have experienced the same challenges. In Wairarapa the experience has been similar. So I applaud you. You have shown the right path to follow; through unity of thought and unity of effort all can be achieved.

So that you know, this is not my proper seat. I am not a Minister in the National Party! My proper seat is yonder, but I wanted to sit where I could see you and stand before you, and where you could see me. I did not want to stand with my back to you. The young people are here, listening to our words. Students of your schools are present here, as well as the elders, those who have worked tirelessly over the years, gathering the views, compiling the histories, and fighting the good fight. I want to look at you as I deliver my speech. I wrote a speech but I will not read from it. Why? I wanted to talk directly to the people of Te Hiku.

Whina Cooper showed us the way to realise our dreams. When I first entered Parliament I went around this House, to garner a sense of what it was like in their time, what they spoke of in relation to our world. But while I was walking here, there, and around this House, I came upon the cloak worn by Dame Whina Cooper, here in this House. I was in awe, in wonder! And my thoughts went to the people who walked the roads of this country to bring all our claims before this House. Te Hiku, I salute you.

I went to Waitangi this year. I do not usually go there; rather I stay home to commemorate Waitangi Day. But this year I went. I coordinate the events on Waitangi Day in Wairarapa. But this year I decided to go with my husband. My husband is a shearer—a very good shearer! I said to him: “Darling, when we go to Waitangi, should someone abuse us or shout at us, please do not punch them!”. “All good.”, was his response! And so, I attended this year.

In years past I have listened to the speeches of Hone on behalf of the poor and the parentless. For that is the plight of the people of the north. But on entering the north I was greatly surprised—new cars, beautiful homes situated on hills, and leisure craft on the water. I thought, wow, this is an affluent place. Then I realised that the affluent people are those in whose hands the land is. The affluence in the north is confined to those who have taken the land.

Today we of this House want to return to you the prestige that was once yours, so that you end up with the resources that will realise the aspirations of those who have passed. Why? It was not for us that the elders fought so hard; the benefits will be for our children, and their children, and for those not yet born. Be strong! Be resolute and realise your dreams and ambitions, that they may receive the benefits in the years before us.

The spirit of the House is at ease, as are the spirits of our ancestors and of those occupying the empty seats, so acknowledgments, well done, and congratulations to you collectively, Te Hiku, and my appreciation to us all.]

I call Adrian Rurawhe—a 5-minute call.

Ā, tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker, otirā, ko te mea tuatahi: “Korōria, hareruia ki a Ihowa o ngā mano tuauriuri, whāioio, kī tonu te rangi me te whenua i te nui o tōna korōria. Ā, nō reira mā Te Māngai o ngā ariki hei tautoko mai, āianei, āke nei, āe.” Ā, kei te mihi atu anō i te āhuatanga ki ō tātou tini mate, rātou katoa i hinga mai nā puta noa i Te Hiku, otirā, puta noa ngā moutere nei o Aotearoa. ‘aere ngā mate, e oti, e moe, e moe, ā, kāti rā! Ki a tātou ngā kanohi ora, tēnei ahau i tuku mihi atu ki ngā iwi nei kua tae mai i tēnei rā whakahirahira. Nō reira, Ngāti Kurī, NgāiTakoto, Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri, tēnei ahau e tuku mihi atu ki a koutou katoa. Tēnei te mihi mō ō koutou kaha kia tae mai i tēnei wā, te pānuitanga tuatoru o ēnei pire, nō reira, tēnei te mihi atu. E tika ana hoki kia mihi atu ki te Minita me ngā āpiha o Office of Treaty Settlements, tēnei hoki te mihi atu ki a koe e te Minita.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, but first of all: “Glory and halleluiah to Jehovah, lord of hosts, lord of ancient and infinite times, heaven and earth is filled with his glory. And so, the Mouthpiece of lords provides support now and forever, yes!”. I therefore pay homage once again to the situation regarding the myriads of our dead, all of those who have fallen throughout Te Hiku, but, at the same time, throughout these islands of New Zealand; farewell the dead, journey on, rest and slumber there. And now here I am extending a welcome to the tribes who have arrived here on this important day. Therefore welcome Ngāti Kurī, NgāiTakoto, Te Rarawa, and Te Aupōuri. I acknowledge you all. I commend you on your efforts to get here at this moment for the third reading of these bills, so congratulations. It is apt as well to acknowledge you, the Minister, and the officials of the Office of Treaty Settlements. Congratulations, Minister.]

It is a great pleasure for me to rise to have a short call on these bills, the third readings of which are today. We have heard many kōrero about the tenacity, about the strength, about everything that it takes to go through this process, and I endorse all of those words. It is, indeed, one of the special times that I have had since I became an MP last year—to stand in this House and speak to settlement bills. They are not an end, but they are a beginning.

At the first reading I spoke of the story of Tūmatahina and his endeavours to ensure that his people were able to escape from Murimotu. I repeat those words today in this context. The taura that was woven for the rangatira nei, so that they and his people could escape from Murimotu, was the means by which they escaped.

This settlement, the settlements that each of you as iwi will have, is a means for you to move forward in this ever-changing world, and I want to acknowledge all of the rangatahi who are here today. These settlements are really about the future of your rangatahi, and their children, and their mokopuna. It is incumbent upon the iwi to grow that asset, to move forward, for a better future for them.

So I want to acknowledge the fortitude and the tenacity of the negotiators and of all of the iwi in getting to this point, and ensuring that there is a better future for your tamariki and your mokopuna. It is not an easy process, as we have heard, and I want, in this very short call, to acknowledge all of those who have passed who have also given so much to this process in coming to this day.

Kua tangi te pere, kua poto noa iho taku kōrero, hoi anō ka huri atu anō ki a rātou i te wā’i ngāro. Nō reira, ko te tūmanako kia ūhia mai e Ihowa o Ngā Mano ōna manaakitanga i runga ki ō koutou whānau me ō koutou hapū katoa i roto i ēnei ā’uatanga. Nō reira, piki te ora, piki te kaha, te māramatanga ki a tātou katoa, mā te Māngai hei tautoko mai, āianei, āe!

[The bell has sounded and my contribution is shortened, and so I turn once again to those in the unseen realm. The hope therefore is that Jehovah, Lord of Hosts, has thrown his kindness upon your families and upon all your subtribes in these circumstances. So to you and to all of us, may life, endurance, and enlightenment prevail, with the support of the Mouthpiece forever; yes!]

Tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. Te Oneroa ā Tohe, he kōhanga, he whanga, he moana o Ngā Rui o Te Marangai, Tāhuaua, Aoaokaroro, Tūtaratihi he ingoa ātaahua, he ingoa o ngā iwi o Te Hiku nō reira, e ngā pākeke o ōku rau rangatira, e ngā rangatahi kua tae mai, nau mai, nau mai, haere mai.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Te Oneroa ā Tohe, a language nest, a bay, a sea of Ngā Rui o Te Marangai, Tāhuahua, Aoaokaroro, Tūtaratihi—these are beautiful Te Hiku tribal names, so to you, elders of my esteemed ones of a hundredfold, and young people who have arrived, welcome, come hither, welcome.]

I rise with great humility and it is a privilege to stand here in support of this significant legislation that we are passing today. I am a proud descendant of Ngāti Kahungunu, of the great waka tipua of Tākitimu, and I mihi to many of our shared relations in the gallery today. I know that Kahungunu descended from Kaitāia and was known as Kāhunahuna from the far north, so I mihi to many of you here today in acknowledgment of that shared whakapapa. I also stand as the proud member of another great Māori electorate, Ikaroa-Rāwhiti, and I bring the warm greetings of the iwi that I represent: Ngati Porou, Rongowhakaata, Ngai Tāmanuhiri, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne, and Te Ātiawa ki Awanuiārangi. I stand here in celebration with you all for this wonderful, wonderful occasion in passing this legislation arising from Te Hiku Claims Settlement Bill.

I want to acknowledge the families that you have shared with us who have shaped the very essence of our Kahungunu people in Heretaunga. I particularly want to mention the whānau of Hēnare Harris of Mangamuka—the grandfather of the very good rugby league player Tohu Harris. I want to acknowledge Manu Neho, who buried not only my grandmother but many people throughout Ngāti Kahungunu. I want to mention Jim Mōrunga, whose daughter lives two doors down from me in Whakatū, and I know he too came from the far north. I also look in the gallery and see Brown Wiki, who taught with my father, an original of Ātaakura, and I want to acknowledge here Brown, your lovely wife, and your son, who came to Kahungunu to work in our mighty freezing works and has stayed there. So we have a shared whakapapa and I want to acknowledge that here today as my contribution in supporting this legislation.

Everybody knows that it is a hard process getting your Treaty settlement sorted, and I am probably the only member here who has been a former Treaty negotiator. Can I acknowledge the work of your negotiators. It is not an easy task. You have your iwi on one side saying that you are not doing enough, and then you have the Crown saying that this is all you are going to get. So to all the multiple negotiators who got us here, a big mihi to you all. In the time I have got I will not do justice to all, but I want to acknowledge the beautiful ingoa that you have given and shared with this nation that forms part of this legislation. I want to acknowledge the social accord that you have entered into, and I hope that allows the people of the far north more control in terms of ensuring that our people have a better future going forward.

The third part, briefly, that I want to mention is the right of first refusal that the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations talked about—172 years—and I want to celebrate that you have achieved that in your legislation today. If there is one thing I would like to acknowledge, it is that for those original owners where iwi perhaps do not want to take the land, there needs to be some sort of recourse for those original landowners where maybe the iwi do not want to buy the land back.

In closing, I want to acknowledge the rangatahi who are in this House. Forty years ago Whina Cooper started the Land March. I was 10 years old and I was working in the shearing sheds on the East Coast, and my uncle took us from our shed to join the hīkoi as it came through. So my message to our rangatahi is that the things that you will receive and benefit from have come from a road of protest and activism. It is now yours to take forward, and I wish you all the very, very best.

Nō reira, e te iwi kua tae mai, harikoa te ngākau ki te kitekite i a koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātau katoa.

[How pleasing it is to see you collectively, the people who have arrived, so acknowledgments, accolades, and congratulations to you and to us all.]

Bills read a third time.

Waiata

Haka

The House adjourned at 1.07 p.m. (Wednesday)