Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill

I seek leave, me kī, kia wāwāhi te āhuatanga ō wā tātou kōrero i tēnei rā, nā runga i te āhuatanga o te kupu kōrero ki te wāhi ngaro ā-karakia nei, nō reira, kai te īnoi atu ki Te Whare kia whakatūwherahia i roto i te kupu kōrero ā-karakia nei, kia īnoi atu ki a Adrian Rurawhe pea, hei wāwahi i wā tātou kōrero, mena e pai ana tēnā ki Te Whare.

[I seek leave, shall we say, to re-examine the way we begin today, in terms of opening up our contributions in regard to acknowledging the unseen place in a traditional way or through a prayer. Therefore, I seek the indulgence of the House that we proceed to do that by way of a prayer, and furthermore respectfully ask whether Adrian Rurawhe might perhaps lead the way with a prayer to open up our contributions, if the House so desires.]

Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There is no objection.

Ā, kāti rā, korōia, harerūia ki koe, E Ihowa, ngā mano tūāuriuri, whaiōio, kī tonu Te Rangi me Te Whenua i te nui o tō korōria. Nō reira, anei mātou whakahokia te reo whakamoemiti ki mua i ō koutou aroaro mō ō koutou tini manaakitanga ka tukuna mai e koutou ki runga ki a mātou. Oti noa, ka tono atu anō ki a koutou kia hōmai te ora, te kaha me te māramatanga, te rangimārie, kia manaakitia hoki mātou i roto katoa i o mātou whiriwhiringa kōrero. Manaakitia hoki ngā iwi katoa kua tae mai i tēnei rā ki te whakarongo ki ō rātou pire. Nō reira, ko koutou hoki nei te tīmatanga me te whakaotinga mai hoki ō mātou tūmanako atu nei i roto i ō koutou kōroriatanga. Mā Te Māngai e tautoko mai āianei, ake nei, āe.

[And so glory and praise be to you, Jehovah of the multitudes and the thousands upon thousands, and whereupon heaven and earth are filled with your glory. We are here, therefore, returning and placing our words of praise before your multitude and thousands upon thousands for the protection and care bestowed upon us. Furthermore, we seek that you make us well, energetic, understanding, and calm and that you look out for us throughout our deliberations. Take care of all the tribes that have arrived here today to listen to their bills. Therefore, our inspiration begins and ends also with you in your glory. May Te Māngai endorse this now and forever, yes.]

I move, That the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill be now read a second time. This bill is going to give effect to a deed of settlement between the Crown and Hineuru that was signed here in Wellington in April last year, settling all the historic Treaty of Waitangi claims relating to Hineuru. The settlement comprises historical redress, which records the breaches and the past injustices caused by failures of the Crown; cultural redress reconnecting the people of Hineuru with a number of their most culturally significant sites; and financial and commercial redress reasserting Hineuru’s role in the region with a strong economic base for them to grow.

As always, I want to thank and acknowledge the work of the Māori Affairs Committee, which has once again done an excellent job in progressing this bill in a very timely manner. The committee began its consideration of the bill in September last year and considered 13 submissions from interested groups and individuals, including one submission that was extremely critical of the Treaty settlement process, suggesting that the Waitangi Tribunal is a “racist rip-off” and that Māori are not indigenous to New Zealand. It is what I call—and I often receive emails from such people—a “KKK submission”. Although I do not want to give credence to individuals with these rather odd beliefs, I want to acknowledge the unique perspective on Treaty settlements as a timely reminder of the importance of these settlements for the development of our country. It is only right the history of these settlements be recorded, remembered, and retold to future generations to ensure the wrongs of the past are neither forgotten nor belittled.

The committee travelled to Napier in November last year to hear from submitters on the settlement. I was very pleased to see that the majority of submissions were in full support of the settlement, including a number of submissions from neighbouring iwi who wanted to show support for their Hineuru relations. The committee makes 13 recommendations, which are all either technical or consequential in nature. I want to thank the chair, the committee members, and the advisers for their consideration of the bill and their combined efforts to return the bill to this House without undue delay.

I intend to keep my comments in the second reading very short. I will leave my final thanks to the Hineuru negotiating team until the third reading. However, before I end I want to acknowledge the patience of the trustees of Hineuru, who have been anxious to reach settlement of their historical claims, and I want to assure them that I and, I am sure, everyone in this House, share their aspiration for a just and durable settlement as soon as possible.

I look forward to the bill moving towards its third reading in a very timely manner. I also look forward to welcoming the community of Hineuru back to Parliament as we draw to a close this final stage in this particular settlement and come together to celebrate a stronger and more prosperous future for the people of Hineuru. I commend the bill to the House.

Ā waiho ki “Te amorangi ki mua, ko te hāpai ō ki muri”. E ngā mate huhua kua hinga atu, haere, haere, moe mai rā.

E rau rangatira mā! Ngāti Hineuru, e ngā kaumātua, nau mai, haere mai, hoki mai. Hoki mai ki tō tātou Whare. E Te Māngai o Te Whare nei, tēnā koe, e ngā mema katoa, ā, tēnā tātou katoa. E tātou e “te iti rearea, teitei kahikatea ka taea”. Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Leave it to the aphorism: “Emblem of god in the vanguard, food bearers to the rear”. To the vast number that have fallen, depart, go, rest there.

To the respected leaders of a hundredfold, to you, Ngāti Hineuru, respected elders, welcome, come forth, and welcome back. Welcome back to our House. Mr Assistant Speaker, thank you, and acknowledgments to all of us members. We are indeed like “the tiny bellbird capable of soaring over the great heights of the kahikatea tree”. Well done all.]

It is indeed my honour to stand in support of the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill. In terms of context, as the Minister Christopher Finlayson has alluded to, the second reading is really an opportunity to report back what was presented in front of the Māori Affairs Committee.

Before I address some of the critical issues that Ngāti Hineuru themselves raised at the Māori Affairs Committee, may I just paint some context for the tribe of Ngāti Hineuru. They descend from two ancestors: Apa-hāpai-taketake of Ngāti Apa and Kurapoto. The Hineuru rohe—although a mountainous region; its location is on the main access routes between Napier and Taupō, Rotorua, and the Bay of Plenty. Their history is, indeed, an interesting one. Although the subjects were raised at the select committee—and, as the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations rightfully said, recommendations were made and technical changes were made—I want to take my time and talk around the negotiation process that the negotiators of Ngāti Hineuru had to endure. They raised some very important points in front of the select committee that I may seek the indulgence of the House to traverse in my contribution this morning.

The history with the Crown is described by the submission submitted by Ngāti Hineuru. The most important incidence of the Hineuru history was the Crown attacks at Ōmarunui and Pētane in 1866, during which their rangatira, Te Rangi Hīroa, was killed. Following these attacks many were captured and sent to the Chatham Islands. There they came across Te Kooti and were subsequently involved in his escape and the subsequent wars that ensued. While all this was happening the Crown was purchasing and taking Hineuru lands. Ngāti Hineuru were left virtually landless. And, to add salt to the wounds, the Crown also awarded certain Hineuru lands to other iwi. This is an area of contention for Hineuru, as it is for many other iwi who have suffered a similar fate. Once a very powerful iwi, Hineuru held very strategic areas in the central North Island. Following the loss of their lands, resources, and people, the Hineuru people who remained lived in poverty and in the shadow of the pains of the past. Once a powerful nation, their journey to settlement is about rebuilding their people.

The other interesting aspect of this particular claim was that Ngāti Hineuru had to attend three hearings: the Mōhaka ki Ahuriri inquiry during 1996 and 2000, the central North Island tribunal hearings in 2005, and Te Urewera hearings from 2003 to 2005. It is a challenge enough to attend your own hearings and prepare yourself to ensure that your interest in your rohe is protected, but in this particular instance of Ngāti Hineuru the requirement to protect what little they had required them to attend three hearings. I would put the question around whether any other iwi has to endure three hearings to ensure what land they have can be protected.

Entities were established. Ngāti Hineuru Iwi Inc. was established in 2005, and its responsibility was for the negotiations. Te Kōpere o Te Iwi o Hineuru Trust, responsible to receive and manage the redress, was ratified by just under 75 percent in late 2015. I want to acknowledge the six pou that form the intent of the iwi to rebuild their people: the restoration and protection of their cultural heritage and history for future generations; the restoration of the health and well-being of their people; the recognition of the mana of Hineuru and the restoration of the relativity Hineuru had with other iwi in the region; the reassertion of the presence of Hineuru through their rohe; the rebuilding of their economic base; and the revitalisation and restoration of their role as kaitiaki of their natural resources and environment.

The two issues that I want to raise in my contribution are, first, issues pertaining to the negotiations, and, second, the continuing pursuit of recognition. It was interesting in the submission to the Māori Affairs Committee—we often do not hear the struggles that sometimes negotiators have to go through in terms of getting their particular settlement over the line. I want to mention the issue around the Crown Forestry Rental Trust funding and the extra pressure it put on the negotiators when it came to funding the particular negotiations. It was sorted—I would like to say that; it was sorted through perceived conflicts of trustees of Crown Forestry Rental Trust—but the upshot was that Ngāti Hineuru were left with a debt, and they still have a debt over something that had nothing whatsoever to do with them in terms of the releasing of funds. So I want to say to the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations that if there is any way, in his good grace, that we could forgo that debt, I am sure that you will make Ngāti Hineuru people very, very happy.

The other issue that was raised at the select committee was the continuous pursuit of recognition. As we have seen in many, many settlements, the use of iwi authorities in current legislation confers some benefit, and clearly those who do not have the status of iwi miss out. In Ngāti Hineuru’s case, they mentioned the fisheries protocol with the Ministry for Primary Industries. Far be it from me to be talking about fish in this settlement, but the fisheries settlement means that Ngāti Hineuru’s part of the settlement is not managed by them. If I can read through their submission, they would one day like (1) to be recognised as an iwi; but (2) to pursue and enjoy the opportunities that other iwi have in relation to the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claim) Settlement Act. Again I put that on the floor of this House: if there is anything that the Minister could help with in that regard, we would definitely support that—and also the census classification.

I too, in my final couple of minutes, want to thank the select committee, the Minister, the officials, the negotiators, and the people of Ngāti Hineuru.

In my closing point, the Ngāti Hineuru claim, like many others, has shown the Crown’s action in retaining Māori whenua in Māori hands has been dismal, has been an abject failure, and has been a dereliction of duty. Like Ngāti Hineuru, none of their land loss was of their own making. Being removed from their land and incarcerated on the Chatham Islands without trial was not of their doing. Their land being sold in their absence was not of their doing. Earlier this month the Government introduced a brand new Māori land law, Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill—not an amendment of the existing Te Ture Whenua Maori Act, but a complete rewrite. Māori landowners have had a year to understand the 400-page bill. Like Ngāti Hineuru, I contend this is not of their doing. I commend this bill to the House.

Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker, kia ora tātau katoa. Ka mihi ki a koe e te mema o Te Tai Hauāuru mō te āhuatanga ō wā tātou whakarite i tēnei ata, hei wāwāhi i te āhuatanga o ngā kōrero o tēnei ata. Ka mutu, ka huri atu ki a koutou katoa e whakakanohi nei, a Ngāti Hineuru i tēnei ata, tēnā koutou, mōrena, moatarau! Haere mai ki Te Whare Pāremata, Te Whare Paremata, ā, i takatakihi nei i te mana o Ngāti Hineuru i ngā tau kua hipa ake nei, anā e kōrero ake nei, e tēnei o ngā mema, e Meka Whaitiri. Ka pai tana kōrero, ko ia te mea whakatakoto i ngā rārangi kōrero mō te āhuatanga o ngā hītori, e kore au e hoki ki ēnā kōrero, kua kōrerohia, kua rongo kē koutou i ērā korero.

Ka mutu, i a au e tū nei ka rere ngā whakaaro ki Te Tai Tokerau, e hoa mā, ko te āhuatanga o tērā o ngā pou o Te Kōhanga Reo, ki a Mānuera Tohu, ko ia tērā e takoto mai rā i roto i Te Tai Tokerau. Ēhara i te mea ko ia i tōna kotahi ēngari, ngā mate huhua kāre e kore, kua heria mai ai e koutou i tēnei rā. He kite kanohi, ka hoki ngā mahara, he rongo ā-taringa, te āhuatanga o tēnei ingoa, a Ngāti Hineuru, ka hoki ōku whakaaro ki a Whetū Tipiwai. Ko ia te tangata i aki nei, i tū hei whakakanohi nei i te āhuatanga o tā koutou kerēme i te wā i a ia, ka tangi ake ki a ia kua riro ki tua o te pae o maumahara. Nō reira, kāti. Ko tāku he whakakao mai i ngā mate katoa i raro i te korowai o ō tātou nohotahi i tēnei ata me te kī atu, koutou e te pō, e moe, e moe, e moe, tātou te hunga ora huri noa i tō tātou whare, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātou katoa.

I tuatahi, kāre au i konei i roto i Te Whare nei i te wā i kōrerohia tuatahitia tēnei o ngā pire, ēngari ko te āhuatanga o ngā kōrero o Ngāti Hineuru, āe, arā ētahi paku rerekētanga ēngari ko te tino kaupapa e orite ana, muru i te whenua, raupatu i te whenua, kōhuru i te tangata, ērā āhuatanga katoa. Ēhara i te mea, he kōrero hōu i roto i tēnei Whare Pāremata mō ngā take kerēme. Nō reira, ko tāku i te tuatahi ka mihi ki te komiti i haere nā ki roto i te takiwā o Ngāti Hineuru, i rongo ki ngā kōrero, e kore au e kōrero mō ērā kōrero i te mea, ko koutou te hunga i rongo nā i ērā korero; ēngari, ka mihi rā ki te tiamana, otirā, koutou ngā mema o tō tātau rōpū, tō tātau komiti o Te Whare Pāremata i a koutou te mahi nui.

Kua aro tonu atu ōku taringa ki te āhuatanga o ngā kōrero a Meka Whaitiri me te kī atu, e kore e taea te whakahē i tua atu o tētahi kaupapa, ā, ko Te Ture Whenua Māori, nō reira ka hoki mai ki tērā ā taihoa ake nei. I kōrerohia mō te āhuatanga o ngā tohe, o ngā pakanga i tū, ka mutu, ki Petone, ka mutu i kōrerohia te ingoa o Te Rangihīroa, kua tuhia ki roto i ngā pukapuka o Te Whare Pāremata i tēnei wā, nō reira, e kore au e hoki ki ērā.

Ko te āhuatanga o Te Kōti Whenua, ā, ēhara, kei te tika tērā! Ko te Kōti Whenua i whai wāhi i roto i ngā whiriwhiringa mō koutou Ngāti Hineuru, ko tāna mahi he whānako i te whenua i raro i te ture, ākuanei pea te āhuatanga o Te Kōti Whenua Māori. Nō reira, kai te whakaae atu ki ērā momo kōrero ki tērā momo hītori! Kei te whakaae atu anō hoki ki tā te mema nā, e kōrero nā, kia whakahokia te mana o ngā āhuatanga o te kaitiaki o runga i te whenua o Ngāti Hineuru ki a koutou. E whakaae atu ana au ki tērā, nō reira, e kore au e whakatōwai i ērā kōrero i te mea, kua kōrerohia, kua puta tērā kōrero.

Kotahi, e rua pea waku tāpiringa kōrero ki ngā kōrero i kōrerohia ake nei. Tuatahi, mō te haerenga o tētahi iwi ki mua i te aroaro o Te Taraipiunara o Waitangi, otirā, ki mua i te aroaro o iwi kē, ēhara tērā i te āhuatanga hou. Koia te āhuatanga i roto i ngā kerēme katoa! Kai a au tōku mana, kai au tōku hītori ēngari, a hā, kua rerekē te kōrero a tēnā iwi, ā tēnā iwi, ā tēnā iwi. Nō reira, me pēhea hoki? Me haere ki Te Kōti, ki reira whakatau ai, ā, ko te wāhi ki a koe, ko te wāhi ki a au. E pērā ano hoki, ā, kai te mōhio pea koutou, ko te āhuatanga o ngā kerēme, me kī, o te Central North Island, ha! E 3 tau a ngāi tātau e tohe ana, ki a tātau anō mō te rohe kai a au, kai tēnā, kai tēnā, kai tēnā, kai tēnā. Nō reira, ko te haerenga ki Te Kōti ki reira whiriwhiri ai i ngā take ā-rohe whenua, ā-mana nei ēhara i te āhuatanga hou. Nō reira, kai te whakahē atu au ki tā te mema e kōrero nā.

Tuarua, e whakaae atu ana ki tana tīmatanga kōrero, i te wāhanga whakamutunga o tana kōrero, me tana kī atu: “He wāhi mō te ture”, āe! E tika! Ko te ture he mea i takatakahi nei, i muru i te whenua nei i raro i te korowai, e ai ki tā te ture, o te tika me te pono. Ko te mate kē, kāre i te tino pērā. Kei konei tātou e ngana nei ki te whakatika i ērā āhuatanga.

Nō reira, i kōrero ia mō te āhuatanga o Te Ture Whenua Māori ā, tēnā. I aroha mai mō te huri ki tērā kaupapa ēngari, a koia nei te āhuatanga o Te Whare Pāremata: he tau utuutu te korero. Ka tū tētahi, ā, ka whakautua e tētahi. Ka tū mai tētahi kaupapa, ka whakautu e tētahi. Nō reira, taihoa ake nei, kia eke ki te mea tuatoru, ā, kia hāngai tonu ki te kaupapa o tēnei mea ko tā koutou kerēme o Ngāti Hineuru.

Ko tāku ki Te Ture Whenua Māori e pēnei ana, ko Te Ture Whenua Māori hou; i tīmata mai ai i te tau kotahi mano, 1993, e 5 tau i muri mai—ha!—kua tīmata ki te whakapanoni, ā, mai i tērā wā kua kōrerohia, kua kōrerohia, kua kōrerohia i ngā tau, ā, tae rā anō ki te tau kua hipa. Nō reira, ahakoa ko te mema ka kī, poto noa iho te wā ki te kōrero o roto, me kī mō te marea, mō tēnei kaupapa ēhara! Kua roa tēnei kaupapa e kōrerohia ana! Ko tāna kaupapa, he whakatikatika i ngā nawe i kōrerohia e koutou, Ngāti Hineuru, i roto i tā koutou kerēme. Tuatahi, ko te mana motuhake o te whenua Māori me noho ki roto i ngā ringaringa o te ao Māori. Taku mōhio, ka whakae atu a Ngāti Hineuru ki tērā kōrero. Ka rua, mena e hiahia ana a Ngāti Hineuru ki te whakawhanake ake tōna whenua, kai a ia te kōrero, kaua mā tētahi, kaua mā Te Kōti, kaua mā tētahi atu. Ā, ki taku mōhio kai te whakaae mai a Ngāti Hineuru ki tērā kōrero.

Kaupapa tuatoru: ā, kāti. Ko Te Whenua Māori, he taonga tuku iho, he taonga. Kia kaua e riro tērā whenua ki tangata kē. Ki taku mōhio ka whakaae atu a Ngāti Hineuru, ki tērā kōrero. Nō reira, kāti, he aha te raruraru? Ā tēnā ko tā tātau, ngā mārama kai mua i te aroaro? Ko te aha te ruku ki te hōhonutanga o tēnei take, he aha ai? E tika ana tā te mema, kia kaua tātau e hoki ki ngā pēhitanga, ki ngā mahi tinihanga o roto i Te Ture, i whānako nei, i riro ai e Te Karauna te mana o te whenua, kore te kaupapa. Nō reira, Ngāti Hineuru, haere mai, haere mai ki roto i Te Whare Pāremata, kia kōrerohia ēnei take.

Ko te āhuatanga o te hītori ka whakatakotohia e te mema, kua kōrerohia i te pānuitanga tuatahi. Kia hoki mai tātau ki te mea tuatoru, ā, kāti, me whakanui tātau i te āhuatanga, kaua i ngā mahi o Te Kōti Whenua Māori, kaua i te hōia, kaua i ngā tohe, hei tohengia ngā pakanga, kāo! Me whakanui i te take kua roa koutou e whaihai haeretia ana i roto i ngā tau, arā, kia hoki te mana, otirā, tētahi paku painga ki a koutou ā ngā tau kai mua i te aroaro.

Nō reira, kāti, haere mai. Whakarongo ki ngā kōrero, ā, kāti. Ā te wāhanga tuatoru, kua hui anō tātau ki konei whakanui ai. Haere mai, tēnā koutou. Ki ngā mema o Te Whare Pāremata, huri noa, kia ora tātou katoa, kai raro.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and greetings to everyone. My appreciation to the member for Te Tai Hauāuru in regard to how we commenced proceedings this morning. Further to that, I turn to all of you Ngāti Hineuru who have fronted up this morning—acknowledgments to you, good morning, and an early one at that! Welcome to Parliament, the very one that walked all over the authority of Ngāti Hineuru in past years, as reiterated by the member Meka Whaitiri. Her contribution was good, she outlined the historical side—which I will not revisit as you have already heard it.

Furthermore, as I stand here my thoughts fly north, friends, to one of the pillars of the Te Kōhanga Reo movement, Mānuera Tohu, currently lying in state up there in the Far North. It is not as though it is him alone, but also the innumerable masses, many of whom you bring with you here today. Seeing your faces brings back memories of them. Upon hearing this name, Ngāti Hineuru, my thoughts bring back memories of Whetū Tipiwai. He was the person who, during his time, was the face of your claim. I lament him. He has gone beyond the horizon of memories. Enough. My part here this morning is to bring together all the departed under the cloak that belongs to all of us assembled here as one this morning, and to say to them—you of the void—sleep, rest, and slumber. To us the living throughout our House, my greetings, acknowledgments, and salutations to you collectively and to us all.

First of all, I was not present in the House when the first contributions were made on this bill, and, yes, although the tenor of the statements by Ngāti Hineuru may have differed a little, the basic theme remained the same: plundering the land, confiscating the land, murdering people, all those kinds of things. But that sort of statement is not new in this Parliament as far as claim issues are concerned. So the first thing for me is to acknowledge the Māori Affairs Committee, which went throughout the Ngāti Hineuru district and heard the accounts. I will not address those, because you, the committee members, were the ones who heard those accounts. However, I do acknowledge the chair and you, the members of our group, our committee of Parliament; you have a big role to play.

My ears are focused on the nature of Meka Whaitiri’s comments and assuring her that it is not possible to dispute what she has stated beyond the Māori land legislation, but I will come to that presently. The circumstances around the disputes and battles were discussed further at Petone, and what is more, the name Te Rangihīroa was the subject of discussion which has been written into the records of Parliament—and so I will not go back to those.

In regard to the Land Court, that is indeed correct. The Land Court was involved in the negotiations for you, Ngāti Hineuru. Its role under the Act was to steal the land, and that, perhaps, is the situation as far as the Māori Land Court is concerned. Therefore, I agree with that sort of talk and that kind of history! I agree also with what that member is saying—that the power of the trustee, in terms of Ngāti Hineuru land, should be returned to you. I agree to that and will not prolong those comments, because it has been mentioned and is out there already.

Perhaps I have one or two more supplementary statements to add to those that were made. The first one is in regard to a tribe going before the Waitangi Tribunal but at the same time ahead of another tribe; that is not a new situation at all. That is the situation in all claims! I have my own power and my own history, but—hello—what that tribe, that one, and that one are saying is quite different. So what happens now? Go to the court and settle the part that concerns you and the part that concerns me. It is similar as well, shall we say, to the Central North Island collective claims of which you are well aware. We have been fighting amongst ourselves for over 3 years for the region that I have and that that one, that one, and that one have. And so in the end it is a trip to the court to negotiate matters relating to land boundaries and authority—none of that is a new situation. Therefore, I disagree with what the member has said.

Secondly, I agreed with her opening remark in the closing stages of her address and where she said “There is a place for the law”. Quite correct! It was the law that abused and plundered this land under the cloak, according to the law, justly and honestly. The problem was that it was not really like that. We are still here trying to sort out those situations.

She alluded to the situation concerning the Māori land legislation. She apologised for turning to that matter, but this is the situation in the House: the protocol is first one side and then the other side. One side stands and delivers, then the other side responds. Eventually the third reading is reached, and contributions must remain focused on this task at hand—which is your claim, Ngāti Hineuru.

In terms of the Māori land legislation, I put it like this: it began in 1993; 5 years after—hello—changes began to happen. From that time onwards, discussions took place each year right up until the year just gone. So despite the member’s assertion there has only been a short period for consultation, in terms of public consultation, that is not it at all—the time devoted to this matter has been long enough. Her agenda was to amend the concerns you, Ngāti Hineuru, raised in your claim. Firstly, that the autonomy of Māori land must remain in the hands of Māoridom. Secondly, if Ngāti Hineuru wants to develop its own land then it must have a say in that. No one else has a say in it; not the court, no one else. And, to my knowledge, Ngāti Hineuru agrees to that statement.

Well, now to the third matter. Māori land is a treasure handed down; it is a treasure and must never be taken by someone else. As I understand it, Ngāti Hineuru agrees to that statement. Therefore, what is the problem? What else is there for us to consider in the months ahead? What else is there for us to delve into at depth, and for what purpose? The member is right—we must never go back to actions of suppression and deception through the Act that enabled the Crown to alienate land and secure ownership of it without the policy. Therefore welcome, Ngāti Hineuru, welcome into Parliament to discuss these matters.

The member has set down the historical context; it was considered in the first reading. And so when we come back for the third reading, suffice to say we will celebrate the circumstance and not the actions of the Māori Land Court, not the constabulary, disputes, and battles. We will celebrate the reason it took you so long to follow up this matter over the years—the return of the mana to you, in other words—to get back one small benefit for you collectively in the years to come.

So enough and welcome. Listen to the contributions. And I leave it there. At the third reading we will assemble here again to celebrate. Welcome and acknowledgments to you, Ngāti Hineuru. My acknowledgments to the members of the House throughout, and to all of us indeed, thank you. I resume my seat.]

Te Māngai o Te Whare, tēnā koe, tēnā koutou, e Te Whare. Ki a koutou ngā uri o Ngāti Hineuru e rere haere ana ngā mihi aroha o Te Rōpū Kākāriki ki a koutou katoa i tēnei rā whakahirahira ō koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and to you collectively, the House. To you, the descendants of Ngāti Hineuru, affectionate empathy goes to you all from the Green Party on this inspirational day of yours, so congratulations to us all.]

I rise to take the call for the Green Party in this, the second reading of the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill, and I am doing so on behalf of Catherine Delahunty, who addressed Parliament at the first reading. So I am just taking her place for today. Firstly, I want to acknowledge the people of Hineuru who have got the legislation in this settlement to where it is today, and I include in that acknowledgment not only the people who have worked on the negotiations since 2010 but also those of previous generations who have worked their entire lives for justice for their people. And, like the others before me, I do want to acknowledge those who have passed on. I want to acknowledge the Māori Affairs Committee, also the submitters who sent in their submissions, and those who came and spoke to the committee in person in Napier. I have read through some of the submissions, and I have also read the deed of settlement.

I agree with my colleague Catherine Delahunty that the history of Ngāti Hineuru has been invisibilised. It is a harrowing read. But I feel it necessary to read of the tragic losses and grief that have been suffered by the people, in order to understand this settlement itself. That history includes the alienation from their land and from the people of Hineuru through mostly foul means, as well as the historical injustices that were meted out to the people. I want to just quote from one part of the summary of the deed of settlement: “Thirty-four Hineuru individuals were among the 86 prisoners of the Crown captured at Ōmarunui and the conflict near Pētane. Most were transported to the Chatham Islands and detained without trial in harsh conditions for almost two years. In 1868 the prisoners escaped and became embroiled in a war with the Crown. During this war Crown forces attacked Ngātapa in January 1869. After the attack a severed head reported to belong to Nikora of Hineuru was brought back to the Crown camp. Crown forces summarily executed a number of prisoners captured at Ngātapa.”

This history is important. This history must hurt a lot. And it is the scars that the people of Hineuru bear today that this settlement seeks to heal. This history is hardly known by Pākehā. This history is not taught in schools, and that is another tragedy, for how can young Māori plot their future if they do not know their past? And a wider knowledge of the history of people—the frequently brutal story of colonisation—would maybe go some way towards preventing the ignorant and casual racism that pervades our society. So, yes, I think this history should be compulsory in schools.

I want to acknowledge that in this settlement Ngāti Hineuru have identified six pou that they want to see realised, and others have touched on them. They are the restoration and protection of Hineuru’s cultural heritage; the health and well-being of their people; the recognition of Hineuru’s mana and the restoration of their relationships with neighbouring iwi, which is very important; the reassertion of Hineuru presence throughout the rohe; the ability to rebuild an economic base for the iwi; and the revitalisation of Hineuru’s role as kaitiaki of the environment and their resources. And I note that the negotiations have tried to achieve that with this redress package, which includes financial redress of $25 million in the financial redress, plus $2 million for cultural revitalisation, plus some commercial redress, and the statutory recognition and deeds of recognition of wāhi tapu in places where Ngāti Hineuru have special association.

I also want to acknowledge that in this settlement Ngāti Hineuru have shown great generosity. One example is not only accepting this settlement, which does not cover their losses, but also things like the Waipunga Falls Scenic Reserve, which will be vested in Hineuru and held by them for 10 days but then returned as a gift to all New Zealanders.

I do have to say that, although the Greens celebrate with iwi the great achievements in getting this settlement through the House, we also have concerns about the settlement process itself. I note the supportive submissions of some of the neighbouring iwi, like Maungaharuru-Tangitū, but I also note the concerns of, for example, Ngāi Tahu ki Waikare about the competing interests in the Mōhaka-Wakare block. Our concern is that the Crown determines whom it will negotiate with, and it, obviously, prefers to deal with large natural groupings—that is what it says. So, essentially, again, the Crown holds the power. It determines who is in and who is out. I know it is a very difficult decision around who gets what but it is the Crown that determines it, and our concern is that that reinforces the Crown’s position as a coloniser and it pits iwi against iwi, hapū against hapū.

We know that there can be many interests from hapū and iwi in some significant places, because of the nature of relationships—the interweaving of the strands of whakapapa. However, the decision about who gets what rests with the Crown, and we worry about the potential that has to create additional grievances. Having said that, we acknowledge the negotiators who have had to balance those interests, and particularly the negotiators from Ngāti Hineuru, who have achieved the best settlement they can.

For the record, I do have to state that the Greens never—and we do not with this one either—accept the settlement as full and final, regardless of what it says in the deed of settlement. It is certainly not full when you compare the losses—the huge losses; the terrible hurts—with the compensation. It is certainly not a full settlement, and we do not think it is final, because the historical breaches—what happened in the past—may yet affect generations to come in ways that we have not foreseen, and I know that Ngāti Hineuru, in common with iwi across the country, have no wish to short-change the children yet to come. We do, however, recognise that this settlement is the best that could be negotiated for Ngāti Hineuru in these circumstances. We hope that it will be an economic base, a way to restore their mana, and that their people will be restored to their rightful place. We therefore commend the bill to the House. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker, ā, tēnā koutou ōku rangatira huri rauna i tō tātou Whare. E tū tautoko ana ahau i tēnei pire i tōna pānui tuarua. Ki a koutou Ngāti Hineuru, nau mai haere mai, piki mai, whakatau mai ki Te Whare Pāremata e takatū nei, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, ā, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and acknowledgments to you, my noble ones around and throughout our House. I endorse this bill in its second reading. Welcome to you, Ngāti Hineuru, come hither, climb aboard, and pay homage to Parliament waiting here in readiness; so greetings, salutations, and acknowledgments to you collectively and to us all.]

It is a pleasure to speak in support of this bill at its second reading. It was a great honour to be on the Māori Affairs Committee when this bill was being considered and to travel up to the Hawke’s Bay with our—well, it was actually only half of the select committee, because we split on that particular day. But it is very important that we do travel to the takiwā—well, near enough to the takiwā involved—so that we can hear all of the submitters, especially the hau kāinga. It is always a pleasure.

I have sat on a few Treaty settlement bills in my time, when I was on the select committee, and the issues are very similar right across the board through every Treaty settlement, and I guess that was evidenced by the submitters who came forward. I am pleased that the overwhelming majority of all the submitters were wholeheartedly in support of this bill, in particular the neighbouring iwi in Maungaharuru-Tangitū. I was very pleased to see the support of the whole area, because there are a lot of connections between those various iwi, and they go back a long way.

Just to remind this House, actually, for those who do not know where the country of Ngāti Hineuru is, it is—it will not be accurate if I give geographic points. I could try, but it would probably not be effective. If you could picture it, for those who are familiar with the area, driving on the highway from Taupō to Napier, from Tarawera on the Napier-Taupō highway you go up to Te Hāroto, over the saddle, and down into the Hawke’s Bay. So it is a massive, massive area.

I am well familiar with Te Hāroto; I have actually been to Ngāti Hineuru as a young child. I was in the Rātana band. We were up there for—it must have been a whakamoemiti or hui of great note, but I remember it very well because it was snowing and it was extremely cold, and I was there, shivering in my uniform with my fellow band members. We could hardly get out a note, it was that cold. So we did not sound too good, marching on—in fact, we were very quick marching on. But I do have fond memories of Te Hāroto, even though it was mightily cold—even from someone from the south. I do know what the cold is like, but it was certainly cold up there on that particular day.

Just getting back to the submitters, there was a lot of local support. It was wonderful to hear those supportive submitters. There were submitters such as Ngāi Tahu, and I know we all perk up when we hear “Ngāi Tahu” but there is no connection to the southern Ngāi Tahu; this is a hapū from up those ways.

💬 Meka Whaitiri: Pāhauwera.

Pāhauwera, that is right. We heard similar submissions when the Pāhauwera settlement was going through and when the Maungaharuru-Tangitū settlement was going through, in terms of who is included in what and who should be included on this. It is always difficult when peoples are on those boundaries or they all sort of mix together or are intermingled. But we heard those submitters, and those matters were clearly dealt with in the Pāhauwera settlement and also in the Maungaharuru one. It was very clear that Ngāti Hineuru definitely have their own grievances and their own settlement. That was made clear to us, but I do acknowledge those Ngāi Tahu submitters who were there to have their particular say.

Ngāti Hineuru, as I said, is this vast geographical area, but it has actually been involved in four Waitangi Tribunal inquiries. So we are talking about Tūhoe, we are talking about Taihape, we are talking about the central North Island—and one other. It is a vast area. Oh, it was Mōhaka ki Ahuriri. How could I forget the main one? It is a vast geographical area in a Māori sense, in an iwi sense, and it is really gratifying to know that we are progressing this bill so that Ngāti Hineuru can assert their identity, assert their mana, and their tino rangatiratanga over their ancestral landscape and over their tribal whenua.

I was pleased to note that Ngāti Hineuru do not muck around. They are a very progressive iwi. They have been working very hard—so hard that they have even purchased a farm that was a right of first refusal in their deed of settlement, which would be expiring later this year, but I understand they have already taken up that right of first refusal and have purchased the Woodstock farm—I would prefer to say their maunga tapu. It is their maunga tapu. They have purchased quite a large farm and adjoining forest lands, which are part of their maunga tapu, and it is wonderful that through this Treaty settlement, through the cultural redress and commercial redress, they have already been able to activate those hard-fought gains that they have managed to achieve within their settlement to bring their whenua back to their people and to be able to stand on their own maunga.

I do not want to prolong my contribution, but I do support Ngāti Hineuru for travelling down today through the storms and the lightning and the thunder. They were able to make it here safely to see this House support the safe passage of their bill, and I commend it at its second reading. I commend the swift passage of this bill through the House. Kia ora tātou.

Ā, tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker, tēnā hoki tātou e noho nei i roto i Te Whare i te ata nei. E tū ake tēnei ki te tautoko i ngā mihi i mihingia e ngā kaikōrero i tū ake i mua i a au ēngari, e te tuakana, Adrian, e mihi ana hoki ki a koe nau nei i whakaritengia wā tātou noho i te ata nei. E tika ana kia huri ngā whakaaro ki Te Runga Rawa kia īnoi atu ki a Ia, kia pai ai ō tātou mahi i te rā nei. Ēngari tua atu i tēnā, e tika ana kia mihi hoki ki a koutou mā Ngāti Hineuru i tae mai i waenganui i a tātou i te ata nei, me koutou e noho mai nā i te wā kāinga, me koutou hoki e mātakitaki mai ana i runga i te pouaka whakaata ki ēnei kōrero e pā ana ki tā koutou kerēme.

Ā, mihi hoki ki tēnā o ngā mate maha kei waenganui i a koutou nā Te Minita i whakahuangia te ingoa, a Whetū nā te mea, ko ia tetahi i kawea atu i tēnei kaupapa i runga i te hīkoitanga o tēnei take ki Te Whare nei. He mihi hoki ki a ia kua tū honohono ki tērā o ngā mate kei waenganui i a mātou, mai Te Tai Tokerau, nā, ko Manuera Tohu tēnā. Ko ia tetahi o ngā pou o Te Kōhanga Reo, nā reira, e tika ana kia mihi tonu ki a rātou.

Ā, ka hoki mai ki a tātou te hunga ora, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and acknowledgments to us seated here in the House this morning. I stand to support the tributes accorded by speakers who got up before me, but to you in particular, Adrian, my senior, a special thankyou for conducting a prayer over us seated here this morning. It is proper that thoughts are cast up to heaven, to Him, to ensure our work goes well today. But that aside, it is proper as well that you collectively of Ngāti Hineuru who have arrived here amongst us today be acknowledged, plus those of you back home, as well, watching these contributions on television that relate to your claims.

A tribute also to that one of the many deaths amongst you, whom the Minister for Māori Development named as being Whetū, because he was one who took this proposal on its trek to this House here—a tribute to him, united now with that other one of our deaths in the north, Manuera Tohu, one of the pillars of the kōhanga reo institution. Therefore, it is fitting that we continue to pay a tribute to them.

And so we come back to us, the living; acknowledgments, salutations, and congratulations to you collectively.]

On behalf of New Zealand First I stand to support this bill in its second reading. As an earlier speaker pointed out, this is the opportunity to report on the submissions that were presented to the Māori Affairs Committee, which I felt privileged to be a member of. The Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations quite rightly points out that the bill is about settling all claims and providing cultural redress to the iwi, together with financial redress, to allow them to go forward in terms of the economic development of the iwi.

Can I say that the committee received 13 submissions, and a majority of them were in favour of the bill. However, there were one or two submitters who spoke in opposition to the bill, and a number of concerns were also raised by those who supported the bill, not least of all the concern was that, as an iwi, they had not been recognised by the system—I am talking about Statistics New Zealand.

Members may recall that during the first reading of this bill I expressed my envy of Ngāti Hineuru, whose population, according to the information that was provided to us, was around the vicinity of 1,500. Yet my whānau exceeds the 5,000s—and that is just the Paraone whānau. But I belong to—well, I refer to—an iwi called Ngāti Hine in the north. And we are not even recognised as an iwi. Kia ahatia, kia ahatia? Koinā te āhuatanga o tātou!

[So what? So what of it? That is how it goes with us!]

But I am making the point, in support of this bill, that Ngāti Hineuru should be given due recognition, and when the next census is carried out, I would want to see Ngāti Hineuru on the list—next to Ngāti Hine. But if that is going to be a prevention of Ngāti Hineuru being on the list, then I am quite happy to stand down, because you have got to this stage as part of your settlement process and I think that it should be duly recognised.

As part of that whole process also, some disquiet was mentioned about not being able to participate in the fisheries allocation, although being an iwi. And we can understand that. But I just want to say to Ngāti Hineuru that Ngāti Hine is mentioned in the actual Maori Fisheries Act, but we have yet to see a scale. But that is another matter—hoi anō.

The report of the select committee also mentions the issue around the Mōhaka-Waikare block. The report, quite rightly, says that we heard the concerns of a representative of the Ngāi Tahu ki Waikare ancestral owners who queried the right of Ngāti Hineuru to include that part of their lands into their claim. We were aware that the Crown carried out investigations into the historical interests in the area before offering Hineuru redress in the Mōhaka-Waikare block, and these investigations found that Hineuru in fact has customary interests in the block. After the agreement in principle between the Crown and Hineuru was signed, the Crown consulted with all overlapping claimants to enable fair and appropriate redress. I think, in this respect, that that process needs to be commended because of the support that was provided by those iwi who had overlapping claims.

The Office of Treaty Settlements advised the committee that Ngāi Tahu ki Waikare is included in the definitions of Ngāti Pāhauwera and Maungaharuru-Tangitū Hapū claimants, and that those groups were part of the consultation on overlapping claims. Redress was provided in deeds of settlement for both groups to settle all of their historical claims. Therefore the Office of Treaty Settlements believes that the Crown has adequately considered the interests of Ngāi Tahu ki Waikare.

In terms of those who opposed the bill, one submitter was astonished that a hapū of Tūwharetoa Taupō has a Treaty of Waitangi grievance claim to lands outside of their ancestral boundaries. They referred to Hineuru as a hapū, alongside other Tūwharetoa hapū, that has received pūtea from land sales beginning in 1859 through to the 1900s. They said that Hineuru was a major beneficiary of the Mōhaka-Waikare land during the gift-back of confiscated land, including the Tarawera, Tataraakina, and Pohokura blocks. We also heard from another submitter, who objected to the claims settlement bill pertaining to the Waitara block that the Crown retained after confiscation in 1869.

Before I conclude, I just want to support some of the comments made by the Greens spokesperson in terms of this bill not being a complete settlement, in terms of iwi groups. But we do acknowledge the contribution that these settlements make to our nation. I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora.

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare, e mihi atu ki a koutou ngā mema o Te Whare Pāremata. Nō reira, e ngā uri o Rangihīroa, Ngāti Hineuru, Mātaatua Waka, Mōhaka Awa, Tītīōkura Mauka, e mihi nei, e tangi nei, e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa. Mauria mai he whakaako ki te kaupapa nunui, ā, ko tēnei rā, e mihi atu ki a koutou.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and I acknowledge you, members of Parliament. To you, the descendants of Rangihīroa, Ngāti Hineuru, Mātaatua Canoe, Mōhaka River, and Tītīōkura Mountain, grieving and mourning here, I acknowledge you all. Bring forth a learning of huge significance, which is this day; I salute you.]

I want to also, first of all, acknowledge the Māori Affairs Committee, as its chair, and say that it has actually presented here today a lot of the background to the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill. So as the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee I say there are just two important points that I would like to make, and they concern, actually, the progress to the second reading. In the first reading we covered very much the historical aspects of this claim, this settlement. In this one it came down to the Māori Affairs Committee, and then from there we heard the 13 submissions. I think the important thing is that in those submissions we heard for and against.

So the first one I want to talk about is one that was actually for—one of the many that was for—the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill. This one came from Karauna Brown, who is also one of the co - lead negotiators. Karauna spoke of the mamae and the pain that is being carried to this day by Ngāti Hineuru, particularly around the Crown confiscations. Karauna also highlighted the way the settlement provides recognition for Hineuru as an iwi, as a people. Hineuru have often been listed as a hapū of other iwi, such as Kahungunu or Tūwharetoa. Hineuru members have been reminded every 4 years during the census that they are not actually seen as being a listed iwi for them to select, but the members of Hineuru have continued to consider themselves to be an iwi in their own right, despite the Crown’s actions to undermine their status. This settlement recognises the mana of Hineuru as a distinct iwi and restores them to the place of relativity with other iwi in partnership with the Crown, so that, to me, is one of the real highlights of this Treaty settlement bill.

The next one is, again, from a party from the other side, which did not agree with this settlement. The Māori Affairs Committee actually hears—one of the great things about this is it is an opportunity for those who are involved in that whakapapa in the particular iwi to actually come and address the Māori Affairs Committee. The one I am talking about is from the representatives from Ngāi Tahu ki Waikare. These were ancestral owners, as they said, who submitted before the committee, and they have interests in the Mōhaka-Waikare block, which has been highlighted here a number of times today.

I think the important thing, though, with the Māori Affairs Committee is that we did give this a very, very good hearing, and, particularly, it was a very, very long discussion, as well. We took into account the historical interests and then also one of the important parts as to the whakapapa, and all of that, but at the end of the day it was a consensus of the committee that we found no reason to disagree with the Crown’s conclusion. So they are the two important submissions, I believe, in this process, in which we confirmed we would move this bill to the second reading.

I look forward again to this particular Treaty settlement coming back so that it can go through its Committee stage and then into its third reading. You will notice that we have only a very, very short time on this side of the House to actually kōrero, but on that note, hopefully, I have highlighted those two most important points. Nō reira, I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora.

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare, e ngā mana, e ngā reo, rau rangatira mā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Ngā mihi rā ki ngā whanaunga, ngā uri o Ngāti Hineuru, tēnā tātou.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and to the powers, voices, and esteemed ones of a hundredfold, acknowledgments, salutations, and greetings to us all. Acknowledgments indeed to the relatives and descendants of Ngāti Hineuru; greetings to us.]

I stand here as a descendant of Ngāti Hineuru, incredibly proud to be in the House in the second reading of the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill. What I have decided to do is to actually let the voice of Ngāti Hineuru speak in this process, and what I want to do is quote from some of the submissions that were heard by my colleagues during the select committee process.

The first such is Ivy Kahukiwa-Smith, and I quote from her submission: “I get emotional thinking about the journey we have travelled. The most powerful aspect that has been hard for me has been hearing our histories and our stories. The stories of our struggles, our fights, the loss of life and whenua, and the consequence of being nearly landless are stories that have been really hard to hear. However, in learning these stories, it is important that this information is never lost. I am excited for the future because there is light beyond all of [the] pain and anguish suffered by my tupuna and it starts again with the finalisation of this settlement. Our Hineuru people deserve this. I think about all of those people who have been victims of this claim. I think about our old people who fought over many years and who are not alive to see the settlement come to fruition. Our old people deserve this. This settlement is about them. It is about making sure they are recognised for the mamae they have suffered as a consequence of the actions of the Crown. This is also about our future and about building a stronger Hineuru. With this settlement, we are able to make sure our people are well looked after. It is as much about the past as it is about our future.”

I would also like to quote from the submission of Karauna Brown: “Our people were peaceful people, but the Crown believed that we were rebels and so we were attacked. They were peaceful, but being at Omarunui, they were absolutely slaughtered. Our people were then imprisoned and taken to the Chatham Islands where they lived in inhumane conditions before coming back with Te Kooti. Our people were then stripped of their land by the Crown through various means and now we are centrally located in a very small settlement; Te Haroto. There was a huge mamae for me from the battle of Omarunui because in that slaughter was my own koro and his name is Te Wano. He is on one of the poupou in our whare. Because of my Koro, I continue this journey today. He started it, and now I hope I can take it over and finally finish it. He deserves it and so too my mokopuna. As a negotiator, when I heard the Crown offer the apology, I had a bit of a tangi. This is because it brought back a lot of the mamae that we carry from the raupatu. It brings back all of the memories of the stories. One major aspect of the settlement for me is recognition of who we are as a people. We are not a hapū of Kahungunu or Tuwharetoa, but we are an iwi in our own right. This settlement has been about us fighting to rebuild our mana as an iwi. For far too long, we have been subsumed into other iwi. This settlement provides us with another standing to be recognised as an iwi and to stand proud as Hineuru.”

Toi Tāwhai’s submission says: “The reason why I support this Bill is because of how proud I am to be Hineuru, how proud I am to have been part of this journey and how I believe it is an important step in us moving forward as an iwi. Given the effort of all negotiators involved, and how long it has taken to come this far, I believe we got the best settlement we could have in the circumstances. … I think that this settlement will make our future brighter and allow us to remedy the grievances that the Crown has inflicted on us in the past. It will enable us … to move forward with mana. The Hineuru settlement does not compensate us for all of our grievances, nor does it satisfy every single member of Hineuru. No settlement will ever be sufficient to fix or to right the wrongs of the past or to satisfy everyone. However, as someone who is involved in this kaupapa, I can say that we have worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome for our people.”

I would now like to quote from Tirohia Bridger’s submission: “For me this bill is the end of a long, hard journey that my mother began when this kaupapa started decades ago. Her name is Hine (Gladys) Campbell and her life’s work has been working for her iwi, Hineuru. At times this mahi, for her, was very difficult and her work has not been rewarded. She also did not get to see the benefits that this Treaty settlement will bring for the iwi. But I always remember that she never got involved for selfish reasons. One of my mother’s catchphrases when she used to take me around on hui was: ‘When you start doing this mahi, never ever focus on the money. When you are working for Hineuru, you focus on Hineuru.’ Therefore, for me, the settlement is about my kuia, our generation, and the future mokopuna to come.”

I would now like to quote from Rēnata Bush: “This type of mahi takes a big toll on the wairua, and for me it is important to continue to have karakia. I pray to our heavenly father that we complete this settlement very soon so that we can let go of the pain and mamae of our people, and begin to work toward a better future for our mokopuna.”

And, finally, Tūhuiao Kahukiwa: “I remember my kuia and koroua say[ing] to me years ago—I was a mokopuna then. My old people said to me, ‘Mokopuna, this is all for you. We are fighting for this for you.’ Now that I have grown up, I say to you, my mokopuna, ‘Moko, this is all for you.’ I was the mokopuna then, but now I am still fighting for my mokopuna. I don’t think my children will see the eventual fruits of this settlement. My mokopuna might see some fruits, but the next generation after that will be hugely rewarded for the pain and suffering caused by my old people. This is for them. We want to finalise this settlement because the future is for Hineuru. It is no one else’s to take it away from them. We are ready to build a stronger future for our mokopuna. I wholeheartedly support the completion of the Hineuru settlement and the finalisation of the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill.”

I read these out because I think it is important that the voice of Ngāti Hineuru is recorded in Hansard, and because for me it has always been about the power of our people through this truth and reconciliation process to get to a point of settlement that is very much about our aroha for our tūpuna, but it is also about us accepting what has happened to us and actually focusing on the future. Every iwi in Aotearoa have their stories, Hineuru have their own stories, but I think it is incumbent upon us in Parliament to make sure that the voices of the people whom we represent and the voices of the people who are involved in the Treaty settlement process actually are the most important voice in this House.

I have been listening intently, actually, to the whole focus on identity and the status of an iwi, and how important it is for iwi to be recognised. One of the issues that Hineuru brought up in the select committee process was that it wants recognition through the census. I guess it is an opportunity to recommend to the Māori Affairs Committee that it is an opportunity for you to write to Minister Foss, who is our Minister of Statistics, and jointly with the Minister of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations to actually create not a precedent but a principle: that if iwi are recognised through the Treaty settlement process then they automatically should be included in the next census. I actually thank Hineuru for bringing that to the attention of the House, because it is something that we can do and that we can include, possibly not as part of the settlement but as a principle going forward.

So, with my colleagues, I commend this bill to the House, and I am incredibly proud to be here today to witness the passage of this legislation. Kia ora.

E Te Mana Whakawā, tēnā koe. Tēnā koutou e hui ā-kanohi nei i tēnei rā, koutou i hara mai ā-tinana ki te whakarongo ā-taringa, ki te tiro atu ā-karu, ā, ki te rongo ā-wairua hoki ki te kiko o ngā kōrero kua whārikihia i tēnei rā, nei te mihi atu ki a koutou i roto i ō koutou mate i tēnei wā, ngā mate o te wiki, o te marama, o te tau ēngari anō mō ngā tahi rau tau kua hipa, ō koutou tūpuna i mate mai i roto i te pakanga o Ōmarunui, kai te mihi atu ki a rātou katoa. Ā, nā reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai tātou katoa.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and greetings to you gathered here physically, face to face, on this day to hear, see, and spiritually experience the gist of these contributions delivered before you. I acknowledge you collectively in regard to your deaths at this point in time—not just those of the week, month, or year, but those as well of the past hundred years, your ancestors who died in the battle of Ōmarunui. I do pay a tribute to them all, so greetings and salutations to you collectively. My appreciation to us all.]

Ngāti Hineuru, like many other iwi in Aotearoa, you have suffered. Ngāti Hineuru suffered land confiscation under the New Zealand Settlements Act, suffered in the Land Wars at Ōmarunui, near Pētane, where Te Rangi Hīroa lost his life. The involvement of Hineuru with Te Kooti and your participation in the peaceful Pai Mārire movement branded the people as rebels, which yielded unwarranted attacks. The tūpuna who survived those attacks were exiled—exiled from the ancestral lands to the Chathams. Whilst the people were exiled the lands were plundered, rendering the people of Hineuru virtually landless. In fact, some of the land was given to other iwi. The Crown detained the ancestors of Hineuru and executed those ancestors without trial. When settlement negotiations started in 2009 Hineuru negotiators provided a set of pou, representing the settlement aspirations: mai i Hineuru, mō Hineuru [from Hineuru, for Hineuru].

But what is most astounding to me in the history of this people is the significance of the landholdings, the strategic landholdings in a pivotal part of the central North Island that you once held. They were the arterial routes between Hawke’s Bay and Taupō, Rotorua, and the Bay of Plenty. They included Rangitaiki and Kāingaroa, which, in your submission, was explained as a mahinga kai area, and bordered by Maungaharuru, Te Waka Range, and the Kāweka Range where the settlement was—a significant part of the central North Island. What is astounding is that, despite that huge area, after decimating your people the Crown did not even acknowledge your status as an iwi and you were left out of the fisheries settlement because of what the Crown decided you were, because the Crown wanted to make a decision about who you were and where you got to live. You know, from that prominent position that you held and then becoming landless, what is, again, astounding to me is the small area that is coming back to you—the small parcel of land that is coming back to you, the Hineuru people. You have had to use the settlement money to purchase some more land, and the small amount of money the people get is being subsumed further by having to purchase more land.

I ask myself why. I have a 5-minute call only, but I ask myself: why do we do this? When will Aotearoa recognise the gift that our people give in their settlements, because if we took all that should have been returned, our country could not afford it. You, the Hineuru people, have answered why: through your pou: tuatahi restoration, protection, cultural heritage—aroha mai, Mr Assistant Speaker. Your pou explains it. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai tātou katoa.

Joanne Hughes.

Thank you—Hayes.

The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): Hayes—sorry, I apologise.

Ā, ka nui te mihi atu ki a koutou ngā whānau o Ngāti Hineuru. Nau mai, haere mai!

[And so I acknowledge you greatly, the family of Ngāti Hineuru. Welcome, come hither!]

This is going to be a short contribution today because we have got to start looking to the future for Ngāti Hineuru. Much has been said about the content of your bill and the travesty that you suffered through land loss, through the invasion of the Crown on to your land. So I want to turn you to looking towards your future and where to from here, because this is all about the future for mokopuna in Ngāti Hineuru—remembering the past but looking forward to the future. So without any further ado I want to commend the bill to the House and look forward to the rest of the process to see your bill traverse its way into legislation. Kia ora.

Bill read a second time.