Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill

I move, That the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time. I want to begin by welcoming the community of Hineuru here today. It is fitting that we are in this House, where matters of law are discussed, to address the wrongs that have been committed by the Crown against the people of Hineuru. I recognise a number of visitors in the gallery today. They will never have entered this House before, and many will have a relationship with the institution of this building that is clouded by a long history of mistrust and grievance. I hope their experience today is going to be a positive one.

Hineuru’s journey to settlement stretches back decades. While I acknowledge those present, it is only right to mention those who are no longer with us—the original claimants, who carried the claims of their tīpuna but were unable to see their aspirations recognised in legislation. I pay tribute to those who were instrumental in reaching this day, including Hine Campbell, Rere Puna, Kori Hill, Nick Wall, Emi Wall, Puāwai Rāhui, Hoani Hōhepa, and Whetū Tipiwai. I also want to mention Nicholas Twohill. He was a former historian from the Office of Treaty Settlements whose final work before he passed away was directed at describing the injustice suffered by this people—injustices that have put a serious stain on the reputation of the Crown and need to be recorded in Hansard today as a reminder to future generations of the hurt borne by past generations of Hineuru.

The tīpuna of Hineuru lived and cultivated land in the mountainous inland region between Napier and Taupō Moana. This was a strategically important area because it was one of the main thoroughfares between the central North Island and the Hawke’s Bay. Unfortunately, their first interactions with the Crown took the form of protests at the Crown’s failure to include Hineuru in its negotiations to purchase the Ahuriri block. In October 1866 Crown forces attacked a group of Māori who were camped at Ōmarunui, near Napier, after the expiry of an unreasonable ultimatum calling on the group to surrender. On the same day Crown forces intercepted, surrounded, and subsequently attacked another group, led by Hineuru rangatira Te Rangihīroa, further north near Pētane. Crown forces killed him and also other Hineuru people during the attacks, and then pursued Hineuru and other Māori into their rohe and plundered their kāinga.

Thirty-four members of Hineuru were captured, and were among the 86 prisoners who were transported to the Chatham Islands without trial. While these prisoners were being held captive the Crown proclaimed a large confiscation district in the Hawke’s Bay that included a great deal of Hineuru land. After years of protest by members of Hineuru, the Crown in 1924 promoted legislation that allowed the Native Land Court to award land in Tarawera and Tataraakina to Hineuru individuals descended from those who had been excluded from the 1870 grants. However, this action was repudiated by the Crown in 1952, when it promoted legislation that overturned these titles. For Hineuru, these actions resulted in decades of uncertainty about tenure, significant financial costs, and social and cultural dislocation, and left them virtually landless. Yet, despite all this, they have persevered.

I ask all members to stop for a moment and consider this—to consider how a people could go from a position of holding a fertile area of strategic importance to one in which they were left virtually landless, alienated from their traditional homes, and struggling to maintain leadership structures, cultural practices, and, indeed, their very language. I ask members to consider how the people of Hineuru sitting in the gallery today, whose ancestors have been subjected to such horrific treatment, and who have suffered economic and social marginalisation in their own rohe, can find it within themselves to be able to sit at the same table and engage in this process of reconciliation with the very group who, despite being entrusted to protect their interests, were responsible for the loss that was suffered.

It is a testament to the character of this people that we are here today. It is a testament to their generosity, to their desire for a better future for their children, that they have forgone full compensation for the losses they have suffered. By accepting this settlement, the people of Hineuru give a great deal to their country, and for this I thank them.

I want to acknowledge the Hineuru negotiation team. I want to make a particular reference to Karauna Brown and Ivy Kahukiwa-Smith for their significant contribution as lead negotiators. I want to acknowledge the other trustees of their trust, including Tirohia Bridger, Rēnata Bush, Toi Tāwhai, Te Reo Spooner, and Tūhuiao Kahukiwa. All these individuals have carried the heavy weight of their tūpuna and deserve praise for their services. Can I also acknowledge their advisers, including Traci Houpapa and the team from Kensington Swan, who have made a significant contribution to pursuing this settlement. Finally, I want to thank the Crown team, ably led by one of our own, Paul Swain. Although this is undoubtedly a day for the Hineuru community, I know that officials from across various departments share their excitement.

At the deed’s signing, I spoke about the significance of rangatahi—those who will inherit the full benefits of this settlement—who will not be made to endure the same prejudices as their tīpuna and who, I hope, will remember their history and will share it with generations to come. I reiterate these comments in this third reading speech but say something more: the time has now come for you to persist and persevere. The weight of your tīpuna will now fall on your own shoulders to carry, and through this settlement I hope your shoulders will not be overburdened.

I want to finish by recalling the first negotiations meeting, when the negotiators presented Crown officials with an old New Zealand flag. This was the last flag flown at the Te Hāroto School, and it flew at their marae on the day the officials met with Hineuru. In the past the flag had been flown as a symbol of partnership with the Crown. During the meeting the negotiators said they have lost faith as a result of preparing their claims for negotiation. They lowered the flag, they folded it, and they presented it to the Crown with a challenge to the Crown to hold it until such time as Hineuru considered the relationship of trust and good faith had been restored. I have the flag today and look forward to presenting it to the people of Hineuru after this bill has been passed. I look forward to the flag flying again in Te Hāroto as a representation of the partnership and of mutual trust between the parties. It has been a long journey, and I am delighted that we have reached this stage. I commend the bill to the House.

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare, e ngā mana, e ngā reo, rau rangatira mā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa! E ngā iwi o Ngāti Hineuru, aku whanaunga, ngā mihi aroha ki a koutou, kia maumahara au i tēnei rā, ko Auntie Emmy Tehuihuinga Wall nee Bush, ka aroha ki te whānau, me Uncle Robin, Ngatoru, Ngahere, Janice, nei i konei anō nei, nō reira, nau mai, haere mai ki Te Whare Pāremata i tēnei rā mō te take, kia ora.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and acknowledgments to you collectively and to us all, the powers, voices, and esteemed ones of a hundredfold; greetings and salutations. Acknowledgments to you, the people of Ngāti Hineuru, my kin, loving tributes to you. I must recall the memory of Auntie Emmy, Tehuihuinga Wall, nee Bush, today. I empathise with the family and mention these ones as well here: Uncle Robin, Ngātoru, Ngahere, and Janice. And so welcome, welcome to the House of Parliament here today in regards to the matter. Thank you.]

Kia ora to Kahukiwa as chair of Ngāti Hineuru Iwi Inc., and all of our whānau. Today is a special day. Today the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill will be passed into law in this Parliament. I am incredibly proud to stand here as Ngāti Hineuru representing our whānau in this Parliament on this incredibly significant day.

Ko Tītī-ō-Kura Te Maunga, ko Mōhaka Te Awa, ko Te Rangihīroa Te Tangata, ko Ngāti Hineuru Te Iwi.

[Tītī-ō-Kura is the mountain, Mōhaka is the river, Te Rangihīroa is the man, and Ngāti Hineuru is the tribe.]

Hineuru, daughter of Tukuha, descendent of Apa Hāpaitaketake—our rohe within the following rivers: Ripia, connecting with the Mōhaka, to Te Hoe, to Hautapu, to Te Pukahunui Stream, to Matakuhia Stream, to Waipunga River, to the Ōkoeke Stream, to the Tunamārō Stream, back to the Ripia. Our rohe within the following whenua blocks: Mōhaka, Waikare Blocks, Pukahunui, Rūnanga, Pohukura, Heruiwi, Whirinaki and the Kaingaroa. Ngāti Hineuru has links with Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Whare, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and Tūhoe. Our ancestors, including Kura, snared tītī at night by raising a net in the air and building a bonfire behind it. The birds attracted by the light would be snared by the net—hence Tītīōkura.

So why are we here today, whānau? What happened to Ngāti Hineuru? According to the Waitangi Tribunal, commenting on the 1851 Ahuriri purchase: “It is also doubtful whether all parties with rights in the land were consulted, fully understood, and agreed to the transaction. For example, insufficient effort was made to obtain Ngāti Hineuru’s agreement. Instead, their consent was essentially acquired ex post facto, when the transaction was a fait accompli.”

Between 1863 and 1870 Ngāti Hineuru were victims of Crown raupatu. We suffered armed invasion, military attack, destruction of our property. We were exiled to Wharekauri—the Chatham Islands—and some of our whānau were executed. The Crown were the thieves, the Crown were the murderers. Samuel Locke, resident magistrate in Taupō, had come to believe by February 1869 that Ngāti Hineuru “was practically extinct”, with most of our lands confiscated.

I would like to read through what happened in terms of our history. The pretext for the confiscation was the so-called battle of Ōmarunui in 1866, when a group of Pai Mārire supporters encamped at Ōmarunui was attacked by Crown forces. Some of those at Ōmarunui were Ngāti Hineuru. Te Rangi Hīroa, Hineuru’s principal chief, was killed at Pētane on the same day.

Following the battle of Ōmarunui, survivors of the battle were transported to Wharekauri. The Ōmarunui detainees had not been given any kind of trial, whether civil or military—a process that the Waitangi Tribunal has found to be illegal. In its Mohaka ki Ahuiri Report the Waitangi Tribunal found that “The manner in which ‘confessions’ were extracted after Omarunui and the prisoners’ indefinite detention on the Chathams without trial amount to breaches by the Crown of its duty of active protection and its duty to act reasonably and in good faith.” Subsequently many Ngāti Hineuru people were with Te Kooti’s Whakarau when he led the escape from the Chathams, and from 1868 until 1872, Te Kooti’s fate and that of Ngāti Hineuru were intertwined.

The Waitangi Tribunal analysed the events at Ngātapa at length in its Tūranga report. In this, the context of the concession by the Crown was that unarmed prisoners at Ngātapa were executed by agents by the State and that this was a breach of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. Executed was Ngāti Hineuru leader Nīkora Te Whakaunua.

I looked at the history of Ngātapa in preparing for this third reading speech, and I will just quote from this source: “… somewhere between 86 and 128 people, captured or surrendered at the end of [the] siege, [were] stripped naked, lined up against the side of a cliff, and … executed without trial by government forces.” One of the attendees that day, a J P Ward, who was a member of the armed constabulary, wrote: “In all some 130 odd of the defenders of Ngatapa were captured in the bush and gorges below the pa where they lay asleep having had neither sleep nor water for 2 days. They were marched up the hill side again under the outer wall—as it were—of the pa they had defended so long and so heroically, stripped of every vestige of clothing they possessed and SHOT—shot like dogs. There was no mention of a trial or if any or all of them had participated in the [Poverty Bay, Matawhero] Massacre. That did not matter to us one straw. They were shot and their bodies left to swelter and rot under the summer’s sun and bones to bleach to this day. And all this—and very much more—as done beneath the … flag of mighty England.”

We do not know our history. New Zealanders do not know their history. What the Treaty settlement process enables is for us to reclaim our history. Ngāti Hineuru has committed to six pou of their settlement. The first is the “Restoration and protection of our cultural heritage and history for future generations.” Our tamariki need to know our stories, and through this Treaty settlement process, through pieces of legislation such as this, our whānau will never forget. So there is an opportunity for us to commemorate our history through education, through language, and through culture.

Ngāti Hineuru have also committed to the “Restoration of the health and wellbeing of our people.”, and one of the main priorities is to ensure that our whānau have housing and that we create health centres. There is a “Recognition of the mana of Ngati Hineuru and restoration of the relativity Ngati Hineuru had with other iwi of the region.” The primary focus from Ngāti Hineuru will be on our relationships with our fellow iwi, but also with our local and central government representatives. There will be a “Reassertion of the presence of Ngati Hineuru through our rohe”. There will be information boards and names that are relevant to our whakapapa. We will rebuild “an economic base for Ngati Hineuru.”, and there will also be “Revitalisation and restoration of our role as kaitiaki of our resources and environment.”, an implicit commitment to the revitalisation of our fisheries and birdlife.

I have read the latest Te Kokonga Kōrero, and our whānau are committing to Hineuru scholarships. One of our main focuses will be on ensuring that our tamariki have the best access to education. There is also an emphasis on our trustee elections. We are trying to get as many of the whānau as possible involved in the post-settlement entity. In their Te Kokonga Kōrero is their strategic vision: “Hineuru—ka tupu, ka ora, ka rea; Hineuru, we grow, we thrive and we prosper.”

It is my absolute pleasure to speak on behalf of Ngāti Hineuru in the House today and to commend this piece of legislation to the House. Thank you.

Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. Kia ora tātau katoa, ā, tēnā tātau e hui nei i tēnei rā ki te kōrero, ki te wānanga i ngā take Ngāti Hineuru, Hineuru te aumangea, Hineuru te pūkeke, Hineuru te mārohirohi, tēnā koutou haere mai, haramai ki Te Whare Pāremata. Haramai ki ngā auē, haramai ki ngā kōrero, ki ngā hītori, haramai ki ngā tangi e tangihia ana. Nō reira, tēnei te whakatau atu ki a koutou kai ngā pakeke, kai te iwi, tēnā koutou, haramai! Haramai, haramai!

Kua rongo ake i ngā kōrero, e kore au e hoki ki ngā kōrero a Te Minita.Kua oti i a ia te whakatakoto i te hītori, ngā kōrero katoa e pā ana ki a koutou, ēngari ka rongo ake i te tangi o taku tuahine, ē, ka hoki ngā mahara ki tana matua kēkē ki a Hoani Wall, otirā, ki a Emmy, ko Te Whetū, koinā ngā mea i mōhio nei au i te wā i a rātau. Ka rongo ake i te tangi o tōna ngākau! Kua tae mai tēnei āhuatanga ki a ia ki tōna ngākau! ki a mātau katoa ngā Māori nei!

Ēhara tēnei āhuatanga i te āhuatanga hōu i te mea, koinei te āhuatanga o ngā kerēme i ngā wā katoa ka ngaungaua te ngākau, ka tangi te ngākau! Nō reira kai te tuahine, ka mihi rā ki te āhuatanga o tō kōrero he rawe tonu ēngari, he pōuri anō hoki ki te rongo ake i te ngaungau o ngā pēhitanga kua utaina ki runga i a Ngāti Hineuru, otirā, ki tō rahi i tēnei rangi tonu nei.

Koinei te pānuitanga whakamutunga, ā, e tika ana kia tuku roimata! Nō reira, e kore au e hoki ki aua kōrero kai aku rangatira! He tū poto noa ake tēnei ki te kī atu kai te tautoko Te Pāti Māori i ēnei kōrero katoa, kai te tautoko ake i te hiahia kia anga whakamua. Āe, he wāhi anō rā ki ngā hītori ēngari ko te painga ake, arā, ko te iwi e noho nei, ko tā rātau ko te tuhi i ngā kōrero kia noho ēnei kōrero ki roto i tēnei Whare Pāremata mō ngā rā e hia kē nei kei mua i te aroaro.

He wā pea tōna ka hoki mai ngā mokopuna, ka taea e rātau te kī mai, kai hea ngā kōrero i kōrerohia, ā, i tēnei rangi tonu nei ā ngā whā tekau tau kei mua i te aroaro! Pēnei i a mātau o tēnei whakatipuranga, ka wātea mātau ki te hoki ki ngā kōrero i kōrerohia e Apirana Ngata mā i te wā i a rātau. Nō reira, koinei te painga ake kia kōrerohia ngā kōrero i roto i te Whare Pāremata, kia tuhia ngā kōrero, ka mutu, ka noho tonu ki konei mō ake, mō ake nei!

Ēngari, waiho tērā ki reira. Ko te tino pūtake o taku kōrero, ko te kōrero mō te āhuatanga kai mua i te aroaro, kaua mō ngā uauatanga kua pā mai, kai tōwaitia katoatia ngā kōrero. Hoi anō, ka mihi rā ki a koutou me tā koutou māia, ahakoa ngā uauatanga kua pā mai ki a koutou, i noho angitū nei, māia nei, ā, ahakoa ngā pēhitanga e kōrerohia ake nei, ā, kua hāngai tonu tā koutou titiro kia eke, kia tū mana motuhake nei i roto i ngā kōrero, i ngā hītori, kia whai wāhi koutou, ēhara koutou i te hapū, he iwi tonu, ā, ka mutu, he hiahia anō wā koutou, he tūmanako anō rā wā koutou. Nō reira, kia hāngai tonu taku kōrero ki tērā o ngā kōrero.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and to us all, and acknowledgments to us gathered here today to speak and debate matters concerning Ngāti Hineuru. Hineuru the tenacious, strongminded, and brave; greetings, welcome and come forth into Parliament. Welcome to the groans, the contributions and the grieving being shed here. I therefore welcome you, the adults, the tribe, welcome, welcome, welcome!

I have heard the contributions and will not be revisiting the statements made by the Minister. He has outlined the history and all that relate to you collectively, but I heard my sister colleagues’ sob and, hey, my recollections go back to her uncle John Wall, but at the same time to Emmy and Whetū, to those ones whom I knew in their time. I heard her heart-rending sob! This came from within her, a situation that wells up within us all Māori here!

It is not a new one, because this is the situation, with claims every time the seat of emotions is chewed at, the heart laments, and so I commend the tenor of your contribution sister colleague. It is quite nice but sad also to hear as a consequence of the bite of the burdens placed upon Ngāti Hineuru, but at the same because of your massive number here this very day.

This is the final reading, and, yes, it is apt for tears to be shed! Therefore, I will not revisit those stories, my esteemed ones. This is but a short address to simply advise that the Māori Party support all these accounts and the real desire for it to move forward. Yes, there is a place for history, but the benefit is there in the people seated here. Their job is to report the contributions so that they remain here in this Parliament for the many days ahead in the future.

A time will come, perhaps, in the future when the grandchildren will be able to say to us: where are the contributions that were delivered on this very day 40 years ago, before us! Just like us of this generation, we are able to go back to the accounts delivered by Apirana Ngata in their time. So this is the advantage of delivering speeches in Parliament and reported, eventually; they remain here and are recorded forever.

The real purpose of my contribution was to talk about the situation in the future, and not about the difficulties that have emerged, as it will totally prolong discussions. Therefore, I do commend you and your perseverance. Despite the difficulties that affected you, you remained successful and confident. Despite the pressures that were referred to, your focus has remained fixed on making it to the top and being independent in the contributions and histories, and that you are able to participate; you are not a subtribe but a tribe in reality. Furthermore, you have your own needs and aspirations. Therefore, my address must remain focused on that one of the contributions.]

This is just to congratulate Ngāti Hineuru on being here today, although I hear the tangi of my sister Louisa Wall over there and, of course, of all of the iwi. For the recording of the history it is great that we have Hansard here so that it can always act as a record for the future, and the generations to come will find a space to come back here and be able to look at the discussion that happened today in the third part of this third reading of the bill. Hopefully it will become law in a very short space of time.

I have not gone back to the past history, because it has been hugely covered by both of the previous speakers—by the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations himself, and also by my colleague Louisa Wall. As I have said, these are not good times to be a Māori in Parliament discussing these issues. It happens every time that you cannot but feel an element of sadness, and yet huge respect for what our people tried to do in the face of huge provocation. The destruction of papakāinga, the loss of land—that sort of stuff is pretty hard to get over.

But I suppose today is about looking to the future, and if I can, in this short period of time—because I do not wish to go back over stuff that has already been mentioned—I will share with the House today a small excerpt from the Hineuru Strategic Plan 2016-2020, “Hineuru 2040—a dream for the future”. In that document it says: “Our people stand proud but humble in knowing who they are and their own individual whakapapa. … We have CEO’s from across many sectors from land management, business and new technologies always being asked to go and support other iwi and other peoples around the world … Our people are healthier and our kaumatua are livelier because they don’t suffer from many illnesses. This is due to an increased quality of housing for our people. Our whanau are living longer and our tamariki mokopuna are not influenced by drugs and other aspects.” Mēnā koinei te whāinga matua o tēnei iwi, me mihi rā ki tērā āhuatanga! [If this indeed is the primary aim of this tribe, then they must be applauded for that!]

As I travelled many times between Taupō, where I used to live, and Napier/Ahuriri, I went directly through the heartland of Ngāti Hineuru. You get to the top of the hill at Te Hāroto and you look around and you see the school and all the various papakāinga there. I just want to acknowledge the fact that, hopefully, this will set a pathway for Ngāti Hineuru into the future. This is the dream that they have set out for their people.

Despite all the atrocities that they speak about, it is noteworthy that they are here today to talk, and, in particular, to pick up on the offer from the Minister to sit together and discuss that flag and what it might mean into the future. Most important, they bring with them values that I think are hugely important—the values of whakaiti, of manaakitanga, of kotahitanga, and of rangatiratanga, amongst many more.

It is a privilege to be here today as the Minister for Māori Development and as a representative of the Māori Party to absolutely support this bill to be law and to allow Ngāti Hineuru to go where they want to go for their futures and for their mokopuna.

Ā, ka nui taku mihi ki a koutou e hoa mā, whakaritea mai ai tā koutou mahere mō ngā rā kai mua i te aroaro, ka tupu, ka rea, arā, e kōrerohia ake nei. Ko tāku ko te kī atu, he whakatinana i ngā wawata. Kua ea te wāhi ki tēnei o ngā Whare Pāremata, ēngari, koinei te mihi o te ngākau ki a koutou i haramai i tērā o ngā Whare, haere mai, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kai raro.

[I commend you hugely colleagues; organise your future plan, make it grow and multiply, in other words, as mentioned here. I say to you, aspirations will be manifested. The part for the Houses of Parliament is done now. Nevertheless, a heartfelt acknowledgment to you collectively from me, who came from the other one of the Houses. Welcome, welcome, greetings, accolades, and congratulations to you collectively. I resume my seat.]

Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker, ā, tēnā koutou aku rangatira, tēnā koutou rau rangatira mā. E ngā whanaunga o Ngāti Hineuru, tēnā koutou, nō koutou tēnei rā, nau mai, whakatau mai ki Te Whare Pāremata e takatū nei; āe, he rā nui tēnei, he rā whakahirahira. Whakatau mai kei te pire o Ngāti Hineuru, whakatau kei Te Whare Pāremata, kei Te Ana o Ngā Raiona. Āpiti hōno, tātai hōno, rātou te hunga mate ki a rātou, āpiti hōno, tātai hōno, tātou te hunga ora ki a tātou. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, ā, tēnā tātau katoa.

[Greetings to you Mr Assistant Speaker and to you my esteemed leaders and you of a hundredfold. Acknowledgments to you the relatives of Ngāti Hineuru, this is your day, and so welcome, draw hither to Parliament, standing here in readiness; yes, this is a great and magnificent day. Welcome to the Ngāti Hineuru’s bill, to Parliament, the Lions’ Den. The lines are drawn, the dead to themselves and the living to ourselves. Greetings, acknowledgments and salutations to you collectively and to us all.]

It is a great honour for me to stand and speak in support of and endorse this bill, the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill, at its third reading. I had the great honour—indeed, this was the last bill that I considered when I was a member of the Māori Affairs Committee. In my relatively short time in this House, in respect of the work that the Māori Affairs Committee has done, it is a great honour—that is all I can say, and I do acknowledge all the members who have participated in the great work that we do in that committee.

Today is Ngāti Hineuru’s day—Ngāti Hineuru, whom I would like to sum up as stamping their authority and indigeneity right across the motu today through the passage of this legislation. I guess that not too many folks would have heard of Ngāti Hineuru before, but after today and through the passage of this legislation, we know that Ngāti Hineuru are reasserting their rangatiratanga, and I am just so delighted by that. So often, when you consider the Hawke’s Bay or go inland, Ngāti Hineuru have been overlooked, but that is no longer the case. I am just delighted to be able to share with the whānau who have travelled far and wide to come here on this special day, because these settlements are more than just acknowledging the historical wrongs and grievances that have taken place. As I have mentioned, these settlements are also about reasserting our history.

That history, for us as Māori, is summed up in one word, and that is whakapapa. Our oral traditions and our whole genetic make-up come from those stories: the stories of the men and women, our ancestors, who created that history. They are stories of everyday life, wars, marriages, and death. They are all those strands that we hold so dear to our hearts, in memory of who we are and where we have come from. I do want to acknowledge my tuahine Louisa Wall, who gave a very eloquent speech outlining the terrible history and the terrible atrocities that have been inflicted upon Ngāti Hineuru. That is so appropriate, as she is a descendant herself, and I just acknowledge her for her whakaaro and such a moving speech.

I do not wish to traverse the history, but I do note from this settlement certain names that have come out from other settlements that we have passed through this House and through the Māori Affairs Committee, of which I was a member. There are names of places such as Ōmarunui and Pētane, and the conflicts and battles that went on in those places—places like Ngātapa. These names have come up in the settlements with the Tūranga iwi, Rongawhakaata, Te Aitangi-a-Māhaki, and also with Maungaharuru-Tangitū. So not only are we reasserting the rangatiratanga of Ngāti Hineuru but also we are acknowledging the associations of the shared history that they and also other iwi have been impacted by.

The atrocities were grave. We know about the systematic plunder, pursuit, and imprisonment of their tūpuna, and also the modus operandi of the Crown in terms of its purchasing and the fact that so much of Ngāti Hineuru’s land was, effectively, given to other iwi. They had to suffer the indignity of being totally excluded and made virtually landless through the Crown’s actions, so I do acknowledge all of the journey that Ngāti Hineuru has been on in order to arrive at this momentous day. It was a long journey, and we have heard many stories. I am inspired by the kōrero that Ngāti Hineuru Iwi Inc. and Te Kōpere gave to the committee and by how positive and how on to it they are in terms of their ushering in this new post-settlement era for Ngāti Hineuru.

But if I can backtrack a bit, we have looked at the history of Ngāti Hineuru through this bill. I am the member for Te Tai Tonga. That is the largest electorate in the country, so I cover all of Wellington, all of Te Wai Pounamu, whiti atu, and over to Wharekauri, and so whenever I see the word “Wharekauri”, my eyes choke up. I noted that—it is only one line in the bill; one line in the historical record—in 1866, I think, 34 Ngāti Hineuru were, with a total number of about 86, I think, taken as prisoners to Wharekauri, to the Chatham Islands, without trial. They were imprisoned in the harshest of conditions for over 2 years. One can only marvel—I mean, just wonder—at how those tūpuna endured all of that. But what really struck me in the historical account is that it just says: “In 1866 the prisoners escaped.” Then they joined the Crown in another battle at Ngātapa.

If we can just think back to the amazing ingenuity of Māori—the amazing ingenuity of the tūpuna of these people being imprisoned on the Chatham Islands, hundreds of miles away from the mainland, and they were able to escape. Not only just escape; how did they get back from the Chatham Islands to Tūranga—to Gisborne? They had to take ahold of a Pākehā sailing ship and sail it all the way back the opposite way, from the Chatham Islands to the East Coast. One can only marvel at the daring and the adventurous spirit and the desire of their tūpuna to get back home.

I can just picture it right now. I can just picture Te Kooti, and I can just picture Hineuru tūpuna, and there were Rongowhakaata tūpuna there, Maungaharuru-Tangitū—they were all huddling there and saying: “Right, guys, we’ve got to get back home. How are we going to do this?”. I would suppose that one of their group would have said: “I know, uncle. If you get the boat, I’ll get us home.” That could have been a Hineuru tupuna, but that is probably what took place. They were able to get hold of a sailing boat—

💬 Meka Whaitiri: Schooner.

A schooner? Oh, well, OK. A bit of a nautical, dramatical twist—ha, ha! But they were able to get ahold of that schooner and make their way back, gibbing and gybing—masters of the waves of the sea.

I think that is what I would like Ngāti Hineuru to take from their settlement: draw on the inspiration of their tūpuna and the great bravery that they had in being true to their convictions and standing up for their iwi and for their people. I am inspired by that, and every time I see that story, I think, you know, it would make a wonderful movie to capture the adventurous spirit of their tūpuna. I do acknowledge Ngāti Hineuru, and I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora tātou.

Mauri ora e Te Mana Whakawā, tēnei te mihi o ngā mema o Te Whare Pāremata huri noa i Te whare nei, e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa. Ngāti Hineuru whakatau mai, ngā uri o Rangihīroa whakatau mai, Whiti-ō-Hura Mauka whakatau mai. Mātaatua waka whakatau mai, e mihi nei, e tangi nei, mauria mai ō koutou whakaako ki te kaupapa kua huihui e tākata. Nō reira, ka hoki hoki ngā maumahara mō tō Emi Te Pohe Ngahere Bush, mō Rapi Te Pohe Ngahere Bush. E, nō reira, haere atu rā, haere atu rā ki te pā o te whakawairua, takoto mai, takoto mai!

[Good health, Mr Assistant Speaker. I acknowledge you all throughout this House; members of Parliament, greetings! Welcome to you, Ngāti Hineuru, relatives of Rangihīroa, Whiti-o-Hura Mountain, and Mātaatua Canoe. I lament and grieve here, bring forth your learnings to the matter; why the people are gathered here. Thoughts go back as well to Emi and Rapi Te Pohe Ngahere Bush. Therefore depart you two, journey on to the place of the spirits lie there, and rest.]

It is indeed my honour, as the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, as a member of the Government, to acknowledge, first of all, this iwi into this House and to acknowledge two people whom I knew down in Ōtautahi and their sad passing, and also to acknowledge being here as the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee for the third reading of the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill.

This morning we have had an incredible overview of the historical account and also the journey through to this third reading. What I want to do, though, is keep it fairly tight and concentrate on the beginning of the process, where Hineuru provided the Crown with a set of pouwhenua, and those pouwhenua were really the guiding pouwhenua on this hīkoi to where we have reached here today for the third reading.

Those pouwhenua, or pillars, guided the iwi throughout this settlement. I know there are people here in the gallery today from Hineuru. There are people who cannot be here and are possibly watching this live, and there are people also—rangatira—who have passed on, and we acknowledge them here today. Also, there were the Crown negotiators led by Paul Swain, as this settlement actually continued through to reach and fulfil those pou.

So looking at the pouwhenua, the first one is the pouwhenua tuatahi, which recognised the protection of Hineuru history and culture for the generations to come. The next one, tuarua, was the restoration of the health and the well-being of Hineuru. Tuatoru, the third one, is the recognition of the mana of Hineuru, and this particularly relates to way in which the Crown’s actions have diminished Hineuru to the point of their not being considered as an iwi in their own right. The fourth one, tuawhā, is the reassertion of Hineuru’s presence in their area following the decimation of this key Hawke’s Bay iwi by the Crown. Tuarima, which is actually the pouwhenua that will be an important one—they are all important but this one particularly—around the commercial redress and rebuilding the economic base of Hineuru. The final one, tuaono, is the recognition of Hineuru’s roles as kaitiaki of the environment in their rohe and of their traditional resources.

Hineuru have trodden a long road to reach this point, and indeed it is important again to acknowledge the negotiators—in particular, Ivy Kahukiwa-Smith and Karauna Brown—for the way that they have stood up to get the best deal they could for their people by negotiating with the Crown in a very, very pragmatic way.

I want to also acknowledge the other rangatira of Hineuru, including their chair, Tū Kahukiwa, and the board of Ngāti Hineuru Iwi Inc. I know that they have worked hard to reach this point, and I will say, after someone who is a son of Kāi Tahu has learnt since 1996, the work does not stop now. It just changes and it continues on your own journey. Now that they have been charged with putting these new resources to the benefit of their people, I am confident that they will drive an expertise that they have, particularly in those who have been the negotiators and those who have been supporters—people like Traci Houpapa. When we look at that, that is really the beacon that will take them through to what they want out of their settlement.

Hineuru have waited a long time, and they come to the final end of the journey. When I look at this, your deed of settlement, one thing that it reminds me of is that what is talked about is informative, but what is written here is binding. So, Ngāti Hineuru, ko tō koutou mahere heke mai tēnei. [This is your future.]

On that note I acknowledge again the members of the Māori Affairs Committee. We went to Napier/Ahuriri, and we actually heard the submissions and we also took note of not only those who supported this bill but also some who did not support the bill. I think of Ngāi Tahu—not the one in Te Wai Pounamu, as you know; the one in your takiwā, in your rohe. But we heard all of these submitters and then we were able to come back to the House and make an informed decision as part of this journey through to where we are today. I take great pleasure in commending this bill to the House. E mihi atu ki a koutou katoa, Hineuru. [I acknowledge you all, Hineuru.]

Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker, kia ora koutou katoa. He mihi nui ki ngā uri o Ngāti Hineuru. Ngāti Hineuru katoa, kuia, kaumātua, whaea, mātua, rangitahi, tamariki me ngā pēpē hoki, he mihi mahana mai i Te Whare Pāremata.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, greetings to you all. And a huge acknowledgment to the relatives of Ngāti Hineuru. All of them—elderly folk, men and women, mothers, parents, youth, children, and babies as well, a warm welcome from Parliament.]

It is our privilege to have you here in this Whare as part of your hīkoi towards tino rangatiratanga. The Green Party would like to proudly support your settlement and acknowledge your efforts, and to recognise that in this House, on the record today, the invisible-isation of your iwi is laid to rest. It is laid down, and the nation will hear your name, as it should.

I would just like to acknowledge that in reading the process of getting to this point it is easy to read the words, but then, you see, what does it take when a people has been scattered, their whenua stolen, their history attacked—what does it take to bring them back together to create this process? I think of all the journeys that you made to do that and all the journeys you could not afford to fund, to make. So you go to the big cities and gather up the people—you put out the call to the people but there are places that you cannot go. And in this process of drawing people back in, I think just what a huge effort it is to do that—to get people together to address their rights, their history, and their future. That itself is an enormous challenge and task for those who have been scattered to ngā hau e whā. So I just want to acknowledge you for all of that.

I also want to acknowledge that your account of this process is a testimony to the complexity when so much has been taken—not lost, but stolen. You did not lose it. You were not on the way to the shop one day, and you dropped out of your pocket your whenua and your culture—you did not. It was not that you lost it; it was taken. And it was taken, as others have said, through violence. That is why it is appropriate for tears to be shed in this Whare and throughout the motu. Before we can move to the rebuilding of the pou that you have identified, tears should be shed.

I would argue that my culture, Pākehā tūturu, should shed some tears when we read—if only we did read—the historical account. Some of us do, but most people do not. Most people in my culture in your rohe have no idea of the significance of this day, and it saddens me that we have not shed tears yet in order to be able to move on and create a decent relationship with the mana whenua. In our ignorance, we do not weep. I think weeping is a good thing, because I think it is part of healing. But if we do not weep because we do not understand, we hold on to our idea that our dominance is normal. There is nothing normal about colonisation. It is just a hell of a lot of work to fix it up—as you know—as you work on it.

This settlement is about many things. It is Matariki—time to reflect. This settlement is a great one to reflect on. It is something we often say in this Whare—that it is a deal rather than a full and final settlement. The Green Party rejects “full and final”. Te Tiriti is a living relationship. It goes on. Mai rānō katoa—keep talking. Keep the dialogue. No end—no “Tick the box, we have done it.” That is not to undermine the fantastic achievement, but to say that it is just part of an ongoing and permanent dialogue on the nature of justice under the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

We say it is a deal negotiated in the flawed context of a Crown-controlled and defined process. It is about many things—status, quantum, cultural and statutory overlies. My favourite one is RFR. I was like “What is RFR?” when I first started doing this mahi. It is the right of first refusal. I find that fascinating. So they stole your car, and then you get to compete over, or you get to make an offer on, the hubcap—RFR. That, to me, is kind of interesting, but not my idea of justice. However, next time I get in my car I will think about the hubcap, because RFR is a big part of many settlements. It is a big part of this settlement. It is better than not having it, but it is not my idea of what the thief who pinched your car should do.

However, to carry on, I just want to acknowledge that if this is the tangata whenua’s moment of justice, it has got to be about whenua—whenua. Whenua in this settlement—there are places that are being acknowledged and returned, such as the Upper Mōhaka Domain, the Tarawera Hot Springs, and the core of the rohe, including pre-colonial kāinga and wāhi tapu. Those are so important. They may not be enough, because again it is the hubcap; not the rohe, but that one hectare at Waipuna Falls—you can call it a scenic reserve. They call it a scenic reserve, but it is the spiritual significance of that wai that really matters. That is coming back under the authority of those who are deeply and intrinsically both kaitiaki and connected in a way that I do not even understand because I left my water—my family, we left the water in Ireland and we have not got back to it yet. I do not know if they want us back, either. It is understandable. Colonisation makes a mess everywhere on the planet.

However, it is really important that these sacred places are returned, at the very least to recognise the nature of those sacred places. I want to acknowledge, as my colleague Rino Tirikatene talked about, the memorial on Wharekauri and the tribute to the Whakarau, 36 of whom were members of Ngāti Hineuru. As Rino said, we can barely imagine that journey and those feelings that were invoked. We can barely imagine it.

I myself had the privilege of standing where the riflemen landed in Tūranga—standing on the beach at Whareongaonga, actually with the Ngāi Tāmanuhiri people. We stood there one day and I had that picture in my mind, but I did not know your name. Now I know your name, and that is really important. We all need to know the names of the people who were taken to Wharekauri—some of whose wairua is still there, as your story recounts. It is so important that we do not just blur history by not knowing who was there. Why were they removed from their homeland? Why was this injustice perpetuated? As Rino said, we all look forward to the movie of the return. But there is a lot of loss and a lot of pain that goes with what happened to the Whakarau, and we need to acknowledge that. This is again—where is my culture? How many people in the rohe can tell you, if they are Pākehā, about the Whakarau? It is gross ignorance, and we will never sort the Treaty until we educate our people. It is never too late to hear it, and it is extremely humbling to hear it.

Just a week ago I walked with Andrew Judd, the Mayor of New Plymouth, to Parihaka on the other side of the motu. There were 500 of us Pākehā walking, which is better than nothing, and I suspect that when I was young there would have been, like, 10 of us. So that is an improvement.

But what concerns me is that when I asked the Minister last week in the select committee whether she would make sure that the Land Wars kōrero was taught in schools, she said: “It’s a choice. The schools can choose whether to do it.” And when I pushed her, she said: “The kids can choose.” He aha? The children, who do not know the history, can choose whether to learn the history, especially the children for whom their dominance and privilege is protected by not knowing the history? Not good enough—not good enough for Ngāti Hineuru. Everybody needs to know the history, especially in your rohe. The children of that rohe, the next generation, who should be supporting the settlement and the rangatiratanga of your people—those people need to understand the history. This place needs to commit to teaching what happened in those Land Wars—what happened—because you cannot make peace until you sort out the truth and reconciliation of these issues.

So it disappoints me when I get a Minister saying that to me in 2016, when, in the next breath, we are in this House trying to make a settlement based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. But we are not going to tell anybody about it, except those who are in the know and those who have suffered and have fought their way back to this moment. That is not good enough for this country, let alone for the people who live with the consequences of Pākehā ignorance. And there are consequences. I do not have tell these people about those consequences. They are not historical consequences; they are current experiences of our tamariki, our mokopuna. That is not good enough—not good enough at all.

So the truth of history and land must be taught and articulated. Which of the rest of us will walk beside you, Ngāti Hineuru, in support of your future? You deserve all of us to be there. But in the meantime, congratulations. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou. We wish you every opportunity for a complete restoration of your tino rangatiratanga. Kia ora koutou katoa.

Ā, tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker, tēnā hoki tātou i roto i Te Whare nei. E ai ki te kōrero, “ko Titi-ō-Kura Te Maunga, ko Mōhaka Te Awa, ko Mātaatua Te Waka, ko Hineuru Te Iwi”, nā reira koutou ngā pākeke, ngā mātua, ngā taiohi, ngā kōhungahunga o Hineuru i tae mai nei i waenganui i a tātou i te rā nei, hara mai, hara mai, hara mai! Tautoko ngā mihi i mihingia e ēnā o aku tuākana, tuāhine i tū ake i mua i a au, nā reira, tino koa te hari o te ngākau ahakoa, mā koutou nahe ēngari mō tātou o Te Whare Pāremata nei. I mua i te haere tonu o tōku kōrero, i kite atu i a koutou, taku rangatira, i uru mai i Te Whare nei, te take nei, kore kau i ‘hakapono ki a au kia tū kaha ki te tautoko i tēnei pire, kia hakamana tā koutou kerēme. Nā reira, kia mōhio mai koutou, kei te pau te kaha i a mātou o Aotearoa Tuatahi ki te tautoko i a koutou i te rā nei, nā reira, tēnā koutou.

Ahakoa i puta mai ngā kōrero hītori, ahau nei nā horekau e hiahia ki te hoki atu ki wēnā tūmomo kōrero nā te mea, kei te mōhio tātou ki ēnā tūāhuatanga ēngari, i tēnei tū e āhua pūhaehae au ki a koutou, Ahakoa i puta mai tēnei kōrero i roto i te wāhanga tuarua i te wā o tēnei pire ēngari, i tū ake anō au ki te mea atu ki a koutou, kei te pūhaehae tonu au nō Ngāti Hine i roto i Te Tai Tokerau ki a koutou nā te mea, i kite atu i ngā kōrero i puta mai i tēnei kaupapa, e hiahia ana koutou kia whai mana mai i Te Karauna, kia tū hei iwi pēnei i a mātou o Ngāti Hine i roto i Te Tai Tokerau, korekau i riro i a mātou he iwi, ahakoa i roto i tō mātou whakaaro, he iwi tonu mātou, pēnei i a koutou. Nā reira, ki a au nei, he iwi koutou, korekau he kōrero i tua atu i tēnā. Tua atu i tēnā, i roto i ngā kōrero i kite atu ētāhi e pā ana ki ngā ika, pēnei i a mātou i roto i a Ngāti Hine. Ahakoa e rapa ana tō mātou ingoa i roto i taua ture, korekau i taka mai tetahi matenga ika ki a mātou, mai i taua wā tae noa ki tēnei. Nā reira, aroha ana ahau ki a koutou e pā ana ki taua kaupapa ēngari, māku e mea atu kia koutou, kaua e mutu te whawhai, kia whawhai tonu.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and acknowledgments to us as well in this House. According to the saying “Titi-ō-Kura is the mountain, Mōhaka is the river, Mātaatua is the canoe, and Hineuru is the tribe,” so to you elders, parents, young people, and infants of Hineuru who have arrived here amongst us today; welcome, come hither, welcome! I endorse the words of welcome expressed by my sister and brother colleagues who stood up before me and, as a consequence, my heart is very happy not just for you but for us of this Parliament. Before I continue with my contribution I noted you and your people, my esteemed one, enter this House, the reason being, he did not believe that I would stand in an assured manner to support this bill and to validate your claim. Therefore, I want you to know that we of New Zealand First expended a lot of energy to support you today, so congratulations.

Even though much historical evidence emerged, I for one do not personally want to go back to those historical accounts, because we already know about those circumstances. But I do stand somewhat envious of you as a collective, despite the fact that this matter emerged in the second reading of this bill. I do rise once again to say to you that we of Ngātihine of the north remain envious of you. I saw the comments that came out of this proposal that you wanted the Crown to validate you so that you could be a tribe like us Ngātihine in the north, but we were never given tribal status even though in our thoughts we are a tribe just like you. As I see it you are a tribe; there is nothing else to say about it. Beyond that, I saw some reference in the commentary about fisheries just as we of Ngāti Hine did. Even though we searched for our name in that act not a single fish head at all dropped our way since that time right to this very moment. Therefore, as far as that matter is concerned I sympathise with you all, but I will say to you collectively, do not stop fighting; continue fighting it.]

I have said that I do not need to reiterate the comments regarding the historical background to this claim, other than to reiterate my feeling of envy of them. Their iwi is similar to mine. I am of Ngāti Hine in the Tai Tokerau. We are still looking for recognition as an iwi; we are still looking for our share of the fish deal—they are yet to come. But my jealousy is at the fact that they have had their claims settled as part of this process. After today they can look forward to the future and to leading their people to where they want to go.

People have made reference to the chairman, Tūhuiao Kahukiwa, but we all know that behind every successful man is not only his whānau but also his committee. I want to just mention their names: Karauna Brown, as deputy chairman, Ivy Kahukiwa-Smith, Te Reo Spooner, Tirohia Bridger, Rēnata Bush, and Toi Tāwhai. Today we extol the virtues of each and every one of them and of what they bring to the table. But can I tell you, tomorrow most of your iwi will want to hang you because, in their eyes, you have probably made the wrong decision. But that comes with leadership—that comes with leadership. I say to you all, support your leadership. Support them. They need all the help that they can get because history will define them on the basis of what they do for their people, and without your help they cannot succeed.

I can recall when I had the privilege of being chairman of my iwi rūnanga. That night, when I went home, my father called me to his room and he said: “Boy, I just want to say one thing to you. Don’t think that just because you’re the chairman of the rūnanga that you have the final say. Don’t think for one moment that now that you’ve been ensconced as chairman of the rūnanga that you are the leader of your iwi, because if you perceive to be the leader then always remember to look behind you. Because if the people you purport to lead aren’t there, then you have to ask: who are you leading?”.

Nā reira e koutou i “hakamana te tūranga hei kaiarahi mō te iwi, māku e mea atu ki a koutou, kia kaha, kia kaha ngā tiakitanga o Te Runga Rawa ki runga i a koutou mō ngā rā kei te heke mai.”

[Therefore, to all of you collectively who validated the position as leader for the tribe, I will say to you collectively: “Be strong and may the protective powers of the Almighty Above be upon you in the days ahead of you.”]

Before I take my seat, I just want to thank the Māori Affairs Committee and those who made their submissions, particularly those who made submissions contrary to those who support the bill, because without them the committee could not give greater consideration to the bill.

In conclusion, I just want to thank the officers from the Office of Treaty Settlements, because they—and it is beyond their control—are often criticised, I believe, sometimes quite harshly. In some instances I have been guilty of that. So I just want to take this opportunity to record that appreciation, and to finally wish Hineuru all the best going into the future. Nā reira, tēnā koutou.

E koro mā, e kui mā, e rau rangatira mā o Ngāti Hineuru, nau mai, haere mai, kia ora. Ā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[To the elderly men and women, and esteemed ones of Ngāti Hineuru, welcome and greetings. So acknowledgments, salutations, and congratulations to us all.]

I stand privileged and humbled to take a short kōrero on the third reading of the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill. I stand humbled from the contributions that have been given in the House today about the atrocities and injustices that your tūpuna endured, and how you have survived and come through to today. I am humbled because I have never—and will never—walked in your shoes. I have no idea about the pain and the hurt that you have suffered through the loss of your land. As I sat and listened to the contribution from my colleague Louisa Wall, my heart, too, fell apart over her contribution about the issues and atrocities that you have faced.

Today is a day of remembrance, a day of forgiveness, and a day of looking to the future—looking to your future, to your mokopuna’s future. I am just one mere cog in the whole process, which will go on after today, when the Governor-General receives this legislation, signs it off, and, effectively, it receives its Royal assent. So it becomes law and you receive everything that is within your legislation, so that you can carry on and thrive.

From sitting up there just a few minutes ago and looking around the gallery, I understand that you are only but a portion of such a very big group. I just want to say well done. I want to congratulate you. I want to say that in a few years’ time, when I am visiting over in your rohe, I will see many great things from this settlement process that you have been able to grow with yourselves, with your rangatahi, and with your mokopuna. If ever you run out of ideas, ask your mokopuna and your rangatahi—they have got heaps of ideas for you.

So, without any further ado, I stand and I commend the bill to the House. Kia ora.

Ā, tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te W’are, otirā, e kī ana te korero “Apa wetewete nāna i tāpiki te tākiritanga o te ata”; ā, tīhei mauri ora. Nō reira, anei ahau, tēte’i uri o Apa ’āpaitaketake e tuku mi’i atu ki a Hineuru kua tae mai ki te w’akarongo ki te pānuitanga tuatoru o tēnei pire, nō reira, e tāpiri ake atu taku mi’i ki ngā mi’i kua mi’ia. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, otirā, e ngā mema o Te W’are, ā, tēnā tātau katoa.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, but at the same there is an aphorism that states “It was Apa who snared and dismantled the dawn”; behold the breath of life. And so here I am, the descendant of Apa’apai-taketake, extending a welcome to Hineuru, who have arrived here to listen to the third reading of this bill, and, accordingly, add my tributes to those accorded previously. So greetings to you collectively, members of the House, and my appreciation to us all.]

I want to acknowledge the contribution from Louisa Wall to the House today. I think, within what she said, kāore he kupu i tua atu i ngā kupu ka tukuna atu ki Te Whare nei [there are no others beyond what has been uttered to this House].

There are no other words that I can think of to aptly describe the hurt and the mamae that Hineuru have gone through over a number of generations. I have spoken about the intergenerational trauma today, and I think it is really important to acknowledge that from that time to now, Hineuru have come a very long way. This bill provides the opportunities for future development.

I want to turn my attention to Part 2 of the legislation—in particular, the cultural redress. This item is not in the legislation but is in the deed of settlement, and it is a recognition of cultural revitalisation within the deed of settlement. I think it is wonderful that as part of the negotiations Hineuru, obviously, have requested, and have received, a payment in recognition of cultural revitalisation. I think it is really important for an iwi moving forward that every opportunity is taken to ensure that with regard to those things that have affected their development and have impacted on issues like Te Reo Māori, all aspects of our culture, there are mechanisms within the settlement to address that. I acknowledge the negotiators of Hineuru for having the tenacity to be able to include such a mechanism within their settlement.

There are also a number of statutory acknowledgments within this settlement. The statutory acknowledgment cultural mechanism is an important one for every single uri of Hineuru in that every member of Hineuru has the ability to use the statutory acknowledgment within the different forums—for example, within the Environment Court—to establish and to have recognised their connection to these particular places. I think it gives that opportunity, without being questioned over their connections through those particular processes to that land. It is hugely important for our iwi and our hapū, I believe.

I think also the place name changes—and there are three place name changes in there. If I can just read them out: Stoney Creek and Ohane Stream are to be known as Ōhane Stream, Hell’s Hole is to be known by its correct name, Tauira Mateāwhā, and Te Ahimanawa is to be renamed as Te Ahimanawa-a-Kohipipi.

So there are many, many wonderful things within the cultural redress of this settlement, and in the short time that I have I want to acknowledge them. Nō reira ki a koutou Hineuru, tēnei te mihi ake ki a koutou katoa.

[And so to you, Hineuru, I truly acknowledge you all.]

Tēnei e tāpiri atu aku mihi ki a koutou o Hineuru, me ērā kōrero o taku hoa a Louisa hei whakawhārikihia te maha o ngā hītori, arā, ngā maharatanga mō ngā āhuatanga ki a koutou.

Māku hei whakarāpopoto ētehi o ngā painga, me kī, kia āhua whakaarohia e tātou ki tērā tūāhuatanga hei whakapakari ake i a Hineuru, tērā āhuatanga e pā ana ki te wai rere o Waipuna. Ka nui te mihi atu kia whakahokia mai ā koutou hononga ki tērā o ngā wai mō ngā āhuatanga, kia āta whakaarohia e te tokomaha ina ka taea rātou ki reira anā; he take tā Hineuru ki reira.

Ka nui te mōhio mō ngā ahuatanga o ngā mahi o ngā kaunihera ā-rohe, te kite mai i ngā whakaaro i roto i ā koutou nei tutukitanga mō tā koutou pire. He wāhi kia eke mai koutou i runga i te komiti whakahaere, te komiti whakamahere me kī, o tā koutou kaunihera ā-rohe mō tērā rōpū whakatōpū i ngā take mō te Rangitāiki. Ana, kua tae ki te wā kia kite i tērā atu āhuatanga, kia mahi ngātahi ngā iwi ki te taha o ngā kaunihera ā-rohe mō ngā momo taonga, ngā momo āhuatanga kei waenganui i tā koutou ake rohe.

Anā, kua kite mai te āhuatanga anō, kua riro ki a koutou tētehi wāhanga kia hoko i tērā tāmua Woodstock ahakoa, pea te nui o te utu mō tērā, ko te tino take kei reira te maunga e kōrerohia ki a koutou o Hineuru. Kei reira anō ngā āhuatanga mō te pūtea tautoko hei whakawhānui ake ā koutou nei mahi mō ā koutou tikanga, ā koutou nei herenga ki ngā momo āhuatanga o Hineuru. He mahi pai tērā mō ngā whakatupuranga.

Nō reira, koina ētehi o ngā painga i kitea e au, me te aronga ā-iwi mō Hineuru, mō ngā pou hei whakatū i tā koutou nei ake whare, ngā pou e ono kua kōrerohia mō te whare. Kua whai whakaaro au ki ērā pou. Ka whakaaro ake, he momo tērā kia hanga he whare mo ngā uri whakatipu kia tino mōhio rātou anei te take a Hineuru ki tā koutou rohe, anei te tino whainga a Hineuru, anei ngā whakakitenga mō āpōpō, anei ngā kōrero o ngā mātua tupuna e ora ai i roto i tēnei whare e hanga ai e koutou. Nō reira, ka nui te mihi!

He maha ngā kōrero kua whakawhārikihia ki mua i tō koutou aroaro, me te kite anō i tēnei tūāhuatanga. Kei a koutou anō te rongoā mō ngā whakakitenga, arā, ngā whāinga. Kei a koutou ngā āhuatanga hei whakapakari i a koutou anō ēngari, mīharo au ki te kite i ngā tautoko mai i ngā iwi kei tō taha, arā, a Maungaharuru ki Tangitū Trust. I tae mai tā rātou petihana me ā rātou tautoko i mua i te Komiti Māori. He mea mīharo tērā nā te mea, kua noho tata koutou i a koutou, me ā rātou kōrero hei whakapai, me kī, hei whakangāwari i ngā whakaaro ki tērā hononga ā-iwi Ihu, ka nui te mihi. Kua kite i ngā āhuatanga mō ngā tautoko mai a Tangōio Marae hoki, he mea pai te kite i ēnei tūāhuatanga kei waenganui i te iwi mō ēnei momo āhuatanga uaua, anā, te whakatutuki take Tiriti. Nō reira Hineuru, ka nui te mihi atu ki a koutou.

[I add my acknowledgments to you of Hineuru, to those comments from my colleague Louisa who outlined much of the historical background, in other words, much of the memories in regard to circumstances that impacted on you.

I will summarise some of the benefits for us to consider, shall we say, of how the water flow at Waipuna might further the development of Hineuru. I highly commend your proposal to bring your connections back to those waters in terms of the circumstances for the multitude to chew over, insofar as whether Hineuru has a possible connection; if it has, there is an issue for Hineuru to sort out.

There is much awareness about local council operations in terms of seeking out your views and consulting with you in matters pertaining to the settlement of your bill. There is a provision for you to be on a standing or planning committee, shall we say, of your local council as their representative on that other entity dealing with issues concerning the Rangitāiki. There you are, the time has come to view that situation whereby tribes work in collaboration with regional councils on the kinds of traditional treasures that are there in their own region, as may arise.

Now you have seen the situation again where you have an opportunity to purchase that Woodstock chattel—even though the price for that might be too high perhaps, the main reason for that being that the mountain of Hineuru, which was mentioned to you, is there. Also present are aspects where funding is required to extend your work on your customs and on your obligations to the various characteristics of Hineuru. That is a good job for the younger generation.

So those are some of the benefits I have observed, plus the tribal focus for Hineuru in regard to the pillars to be erected for you own house—the six pillars mentioned for the house. I have been thinking about them and came to the conclusion, now that is a rare breed, to build a house for the coming generations so that they fully comprehend, this is what Hineuru means to your region, here is Hineuru’s real objective, here are tomorrow’s visions, here are the stories about the ancestors who live on inside this house that you are building. Therefore, there is much to commend you on.

Many, many stories have been set down before you and observed. In terms of these revelations, inasmuch as the objectives are concerned, you indeed have the remedy. You have the attributes to strengthen yourselves, but I am amazed at the level of support you are getting from neighbouring tribes—in other words, from the Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust. Their petition and support arrived before the Māori Affairs Committee. That was admirable, because you have lived closely with each other; and with their accounts to improve, to line up our thoughts and connection as a tribe to Jesus, shall we say, less onerously—I have much admiration for you. I also note the circumstances in regard to the support from Tangōio Marae. It is wonderful to see these qualities amidst the tribe around these kinds of difficulties in terms fulfilling Treaty matters. So I have much admiration for you collectively, Hineuru.]

I just wanted to acknowledge the benefits of this settlement and, importantly, the house that is being erected by Hineuru for the future benefit of the next generation, holding on to those very important aspects of their past, their experiences, their connections to their land but also, more importantly, of how they envisage the fruition of all those aspects of Hineuru identity to transfer to the next generation.

But I want to end simply with the concluding statements from the Ngāti Hineuru Iwi Inc. and Te Kōpere o te iwi o Hineuru Trust submission. They conclude their submission by saying: “Overall the negotiation of our settlement is the best that we could do at this time. Our people have supported us through the ups and the downs. The ratification results showed that there was strong support for signing the Hineuru settlement. The signing at Parliament in April this year was a momentous occasion and we can only build our relationship with the Crown. Finally, having been through this settlement journey, we wish to acknowledge all of our kuia and koroua who fought to have the stories of Hineuru iwi told. We also wish to acknowledge all of our people who have worked hard and who have persevered to get us to where we are today. It has been a long, hard road for Hineuru but we are at the dawn of a new day where Hineuru iwi can stand proud and strong, and build a better future for our people now and into the future. Mai Hineuru, mo Hineuru.”

No reira ka waihotia ēnei kupu mā koutou te whakautu ki a koutou anō, mā koutou ano hei whakakapi ngā kōrero mō mātou. Ka whai mātou ki te tautoko ā koutou nei tino whainga hei painga mō ā koutou whakatipuranga, tēnā tātou katoa.

[I leave these words for you to answer yourselves, and for you to close the speeches for us. We will continue to support your goals for the betterment of your next generation. Thank you all.]

E rau rangatira mā, tēnā koutou, e ngā iwi katoa, kia ora mai tātau.

[Acknowledgments to you esteemed ones, all the tribes, and us all.]

It is a privilege to take a brief call on this, the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill. Over the course of time and by previous speakers it is noted that in the early 19th century Hineuru lived and cultivated land in the region between Hawke’s Bay and Taupō Moana. Interactions with the Crown started from 1886 and were harsh. In October 1886 there was conflict with the Crown at Ōmarunui, and by the end of 1886—a few months later—it is recorded that Hineuru had abandoned nearly all of their kāinga and cultivations due to conflict with the Crown. Thus it started.

So today we come to the third reading. Today we go some way to make amends: the Crown acknowledgment, cultural redress, commercial redress, and the apology, the last stanza of which reads as follows: “Through this settlement, the Crown seeks to atone for its past wrongs, and to assist Hineuru in lifting the burden of grievance and restoring the well-being of your people and cultural heritage. The Crown looks forward to building a new relationship with Hineuru based on mutual trust, co-operation, and respect for the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles.”

As part of this process I want to commend the Minister, the Hon Chris Finlayson, for his work, officials of the Office of Treaty Settlements, iwi and Crown negotiators, the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, Nuk Korako, and committee members.

I want to conclude by sharing this observation. The business of this House is always special but the third reading of a Treaty settlement bill is extra special. Early in this career it was noted to me: “Shane, try and be in the House for a Treaty settlement third reading. The mood is completely different to the normal cut and thrust of the House.” I have now been blessed to be here for these moments a few times, and to me it is as if a collective sigh is expelled—the sigh of a hundred years; the sigh of a hundred peoples. And just as a sigh is a breath out, what naturally follows is a breath in—a breath that brings new oxygen, new life, and a new day. So I commend and exalt iwi and the Crown to breathe in this new air and marvel at the taste. What is that taste? Ah! It is the taste of settlement—tinged with sadness, but still sweet to the tongue. May that taste succour and sustain ngā iwi katoa for many years. With that, I commend this bill to the House.

Tēnā koutou e ngā mema o Te Whare nei, ā, tēnā tātou katoa. He uri ahau o Tūranga-nui-ā-Kiwa o Te Tai Rāwhiti, nō Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tamanuhiri, Te Aitanga-ā-Māhaki, Ngāti Porou me te iwi o Ngāti Kahungunu. E tū, e mihi ana ki a koutou katoa Ngāti Hineuru whenua, Ngāti Hineuru mana, Ngāti Hineuru tangata, tēnei te mihi maioha ki a koutou. Tēnei te mihi maioha i runga i te kaupapa whakahirahira; āe, kua tae mai te wā kia hōnoretia te korōria o Te Atua, nō reira, ōku rau rangatira, e kui mā e koro mā, nau mai, nau mai, hara mai.

[Acknowledgments to you members of this House and to us all. I am a descendant of Tūranga-nui-ā-Kiwa of the East Coast and of Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tamamanihiri, Te Aitanga-ā-Māhaki, Ngāti Porou, and Kahungunu. I rise and acknowledge you, all the land, and the mandated one of Ngāti Hineuru, and you the people of Ngāti Hineuru, an affectionate welcome to you collectively. I acknowledge you affectionately upon the matter of significance; and, yes, the moment has arrived to honour and glorify God, and, therefore, my esteemed ones of a hundredfold, and the elderly men and women, welcome, draw hither, and welcome.]

I was honoured to speak in the first reading of this bill, the second reading of this bill, and today in the third and final reading of the Hineuru Claims Settlement Bill. It is a day of remembrance, particularly in respect of those who are no longer with us.

I want to make special note of Whetu Tipiwai. Whetu Tipiwai was a renowned kaumātua amongst his own people. He was also a renowned kaumātua for the Māori All Blacks. He was also an unofficial chauffeur driver for my predecessor, the Hon Parekura Horomia. There were many times that we would see Whetu and Pare turn up at huis at home, and when they got out of the car we would say: “What’s wrong with this picture? Shouldn’t you be driving Whetu?”. But, in all sincerity, I remember people like Whetu. It is also a day of reflection, when we think: could we have done better? It is also a day of celebration at last, as we see the third reading of this bill—the legislative path is coming to its end. It is also a day of realisation that the work is only just beginning.

I may, just to set again—and I know previous speakers have mentioned it. I do want to draw and make some references to the historical account in this bill, because it does give in a succinct way what the people of Ngāti Hineuru experienced. In the mid - 19th century the tīpuna of Hineuru lived and cultivated in the Waipunga and Mōhaka river valleys, and at Tarawera, Waiparatī, and other kāinga in the mountainous inland region between Hawke’s Bay and Taupō Moana. In November 1851 the Crown purchased the Ahuriri Block of approximately 265,000 acres from another iwi without including Hineuru in the negotiations. The Crown also forgot to reserve any land for Hineuru.

By the mid-1860s some Hineuru had converted to Pai Mārire. Pānapa, the Pai Mārire leader among Hineuru, established a Pai Mārire settlement at Waiparatī. In 1866 Pānapa and Hineuru rangatira Te Rangi Hīroa wrote to the Crown that they would come with a party to coastal Hawke’s Bay in response to a Crown invitation to meet. The Crown viewed this party as a threat to the region’s security. In October 1866, after the expiry of an ultimatum calling for their surrender, Crown forces attacked a group of people, including Hineuru, camped at Ōmarunui. On the same day Crown forces also intercepted and surrounded and then subsequently attacked another group led by Te Rangi Hīroa near Pētane. About 35 Māori, including Te Rangi Hīroa and other Hineuru individuals, were killed in the two attacks. Crown forces subsequently pursued Hineuru and other Māori who had escaped the attacks into the Hineuru rohe, and plundered kāinga at Waiparatī and in the surrounding area.

By the end of 1866 Hineuru had abandoned nearly all of their kāinga and cultivations due to the conflict with the Crown. Thirty-four Hineuru individuals were among the 86 prisoners of the Crown captured at Ōmarunui and in the conflict near Pētane. Most were transported to the Chatham Islands and detained without trial in harsh conditions for almost 2 years.

That brief historical account does not give the richness of what these people suffered, but I am glad that it is recorded in their settlement bill. It is a passage that I encourage not only future generations of Ngāti Hineuru to remember but all people of the Hawke’s Bay and Taupō area. Every Government department and every local government that have anything to do with the people of Ngāti Hineuru should have that at the forefront of their own plans.

The land loss in that summary is absolutely clear. The loss of land and the loss of lives through the two battles are clear. And, clearly, in terms of those who were imprisoned on the Chatham Islands without trial, that shows the severity of the breaches of the Treaty: land loss, loss of life—severity of breaches. The settlement today can in no way compensate for the losses suffered at the hands of these people, but it is a small recognition, for this House particularly, to acknowledge those breaches and to offer up a deal—like my colleague from the Greens has mentioned—through this settlement, to acknowledge that you have much work to do ahead. And I join with all members to acknowledge that.

In terms of the day of realisation, I am encouraged to hear the planning—and I noticed this in the second reading of this bill—that has gone on to date in preparing you for the post-settlement entity period. There are the six pou that were talked about by previous speakers and in previous readings. The fact is that you, Hineuru, are one of the smartest people, for qualifications, which I would say may be second to Rongowhakaata’s, I acknowledge. This says to me that your settlements will be in good hands. It is not for me to advise you on how best to use that. All I can offer is, ensure that your people are at the centre of what you do. Always remember that it is these young ones, whose histories and journeys are only just starting. So, as we celebrate when we leave this House that we have got over this milestone, there has been some planning already to date and there will be planning yet to come.

Like many members in this House, I get to travel around not only my electorate of Ikaroa-Rāwhiti but throughout the country, and we get to see some quite innovative Māori enterprises that are going on out there. I am always biased when we are running enterprises—I want our people to be at the heart of not only running those enterprises but actually benefiting from them. And so as we stand and celebrate the passage of this bill, I too want to acknowledge the work of the Minister, your negotiators, the work of the officials, and colleagues on the Māori Affairs Committee.

I was at the hearings that we had in Napier. Whenever I remember Hineuru, I will remember seeing my dad walk into the back. Right next door to where the hearings were is the hot pools in Napier, and that was where my mum and dad would always go. So they came over and had a nohi. So standing and supporting this bill, I remember people like that who have supported it. Just in my last few minutes—as I said in the first and second reading, and I feel I need to say in this third reading—there is land alienation and, as we pass this legislation, acknowledgment of your own alienation from land. We have to remind ourselves in this House that when we pass legislation that involves Māori land, Māori have to be at the forefront of those changes.

And we have the Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill right in front of this House. Submissions close on 14 July. I have been running workshops throughout my electorate—Flo, I did not see you at Hastings, but hopefully you will put a submission in. It closes on 14 July. Please, whānau, have your say on the future of our whenua.

I commend this bill to the House.

Kia ora e Te Mana Whakawā. Tēnā koe e Te Whare. Tēnā tātou katoa e te Hineuru iwi. Rather unexpectedly, I find myself taking this final call on behalf of the Government, but this is sometimes what happens to a whip when the House gets ahead of time, and that is what has happened. The final speaker on our list is unable to be here. Unfortunately, I am unable to speak with as much knowledge as others who have spoken before me have done on this particular bill, but I do nevertheless want to say how proud I am to be here on this day and to acknowledge the contributions of a number of those who have spoken before.

I think that what you are seeing today is Parliament at its best, and that is because this is one of those occasions when members do all listen to one another with considerable respect and acknowledge very significant chapters in our history. Considerable wrongs are being righted today. Of course, as others have said, you could never have adequate compensation for the wrongs of the past, and we do not even pretend to be doing that. But, nevertheless, I think that with the expression of genuine regret and a determination to move forward from this and with the considerable generosity of the iwi in accepting the apology and the redress from the Crown, we have an opportunity to move forward much more united and much more determined to have a better future in our country, respecting one another regardless of race or gender, ethnicity or religion, or whatever.

I am very proud, therefore, to have been a member of a Parliament that has in recent years made considerable progress in advancing the Treaty settlements that have come before this House. These special extended sittings that we have been having quite regularly on Wednesday mornings in recent times have enabled us to make that considerable progress.

But, of course, that is just the legislative stage, and I acknowledge everybody who has worked so hard for such a very long period of time behind the scenes to bring us to this point, where, on this historic day, as we conclude the third reading and finally end a process that has taken so long, we can say to you, congratulations, well done, arohanui, and may we wish you and your iwi all the very best for the future, and thank you for joining the Crown on this historic occasion.

Bill read a third time.

Waiata

The House adjourned at 12.07 p.m. (Wednesday)