Ngāruahine Claims Settlement Bill

I move, That the Ngāruahine Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time. Taranaki Maunga, te taumata tirohanga kanohi o ngā waka Aotea, Tokomaru, Kurahaupō. Taranaki Whenua, Te Ūkaipō o Te Iwi. Taranaki Tangata, ngā kaihāpai o ngā tohutohu o te hunga kua mene atu ki Te Pō, arā, te korero: “Mai i Te Rangi ki Te Nuku-o-Te Whenua ka puta ake Te Ira Tangata i Te Pō ki Te Whaiao, ki Te Ao mārama”, nau mai, haere mai.

[Taranaki mountain, the summit face viewed by the canoes Aotea, Tokomaru, and Kurahaupō, Taranaki land, the sustenance source, Taranaki person, supporters of the teachings that belonged to those who have assembled at the void, there indeed is the aphorism: “From the sky to the earth the human element emerged from the void into the world of light and enlightenment.” Welcome, come hither.]

I am so pleased to be here as the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations to move the third reading of this bill. It is a day of huge significance, and I am so pleased that we are finally here for the third reading, given recent events. In the interests of harmony in the House, I will say no more than that. Over the next few hours, we will see Ngāruahine join their whanaunga Te Atiawa and Taranaki iwi in celebrating the third readings of their settlement bills, bills that seek to address some of the gravest moments in our country’s history and that will, hopefully, path a way for a positive future for the iwi of Taranaki. To the many people of Ngāruahine here in the gallery, I and other members of Parliament have eagerly awaited this important moment, and we feel privileged to be here. You and your tīpuna have fought for over 170 years to reach this point. So, once again, I extend my warmest greetings to you all.

In a third reading, it is appropriate to acknowledge those board members and others who have played such an important role in reaching this stage. Some of them are sitting in the gallery today—these include: John Hooker, Peter Moeahu, Allie Hemara-Wahanui, Bonita Bigham, Christine Hēnare, Te Rau Oriwa Davis, Puhi Nuku, Acushla Deanne O’Carroll-Sciascia, Omahuru Robinson, Ngaraina Brooks, Patricia Coles, Te Oti Kātene, Karl Adamson, Pat Gallagher, and Marty Davis.

Can I also acknowledge Matekitewhite Kaa, Hine Toki, Hine Waitoa, Josie Bigam, Ronald Hudson, and others who were instrumental in ensuring the very best outcome for Ngāruahine. And it is so appropriate to read all those names into the permanent record of this House. Finally, I want to recognise the outstanding contribution of Daisy Noble, the contribution that she has made to this settlement, along with the other Ngāruahine negotiators. Her tenacity and drive during negotiations was invaluable. Her commitment was totally unwavering, right up until today. Late one night when we were dealing with the Committee stage of the bill, I looked up into the gallery and there she was.

It is also fitting to pay tribute to those who have passed on but who were so influential in Ngāruahine reaching this final milestone. I speak of Pue Whakaruru and John Nyman. Others include Tohe Ngātai, Lawa Nuku, Margaret Kahupūroko Olley, Eric Taha, John Kato Luke, Steven Toki, Jean Teira Nuku, and Cyril Tamou. And there are so many others who have worked long and hard on this negotiation but who cannot be here today.

The contribution of all those I have mentioned in seeing Ngāruahine’s grievances addressed is testament to their dedication in ensuring that their people will flourish. And it is so very important to record in Hansard those names for ever more.

Finally, although his name has been in Hansard on many occasions over the years, can I mention my chief Crown negotiator Rick Barker and thank him for his great work on the settlement. And can I also acknowledge all the officials from various Government agencies for helping me over the years so that we could reach this day. I greatly appreciate the hard work of representatives of the Department of Conservation, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, and so many others.

At the Ngāruahine Claims Settlement Bill’s first reading, I recounted the bleak history of what the Crown did to the people of Ngāruahine. I took those present through some of the major elements of the settlement finally agreed between the Crown and Ngāruahine in August 2014. I do not want to detract from its significance, because today is a day of looking forward, and I suspect that others are going to speak in some detail about these important matters, in any case. But it is important briefly to touch on the history, and this I now do.

Before 1860 Ngāruahine were thriving, they were economically successful, and they retained ownership of their lands and resources. By 1865 every acre of the Ngāruahine rohe had been indiscriminately and unjustly confiscated by the Crown. By 1879 many Ngāruahine had relocated to Parihaka and supported its leaders, Te Whiti and Tohu, and their movement for peace and independence. Some were among those who were arrested and exiled to South Island prisons, where they were detained in harsh conditions for at least 17 months without trial. In November 1881 Crown troops invaded and dismantled Parihaka, again displacing Ngāruahine from their settlement.

During the 20th century the Crown’s efforts to address the grievances of Ngāruahine failed time and time again. Compensation may have been paid, but it was not discussed with Ngāruahine beforehand. Inquiries may have been undertaken, but they were limited in their scope.

We must, therefore, focus on where we are today and where this great iwi is going in the future. The settlement will provide a base for the iwi to grow and develop. It includes $67.5 million of financial and commercial redress, a right of deferred selection over 10 sites, and vesting of four culturally significant sites. There is also provision for overlay classifications, statutory acknowledgments, and deeds of recognition.

One of the more novel aspects of the package is the right of Ngāruahine, together with the seven other iwi of Taranaki, to nominate members for appointment to two of the Taranaki Regional Council standing committees, and we heard about that in some colour in recent weeks. Although initially contested by New Zealand First in Parliament in September, the Committee of the whole House voted in favour of retaining this provision intact.

During the debate, mention was made of the huge benefit of having the iwi of Taranaki at the council decision-making table. Members also spoke more broadly of the importance of having a Māori perspective in all elements of decision making, and I look forward to seeing this arrangement in action. And, frankly, who can contest such an arrangement when exactly the same provision is extended to Federated Farmers? I firmly believe the region will benefit from this arrangement, and any suggestion that we are on the road to apartheid is garbage.

In closing, I acknowledge the generosity of the Ngāruahine people. Their tīpuna were subjected to so much unfairness, and yet they sit amongst us today to join in this very important occasion. That is testament to the mana of these people, and I thank them for that.

So this is the final stage of the legislative process. At this moment, I again remember what happened in the past and recognise all those who are no longer with us but worked so hard for Ngāruahine, and I also pause to stop to reflect on the importance of today and what it will mean for the people of Ngāruahine going forward. It is a wonderful day, I look forward to celebrating it with my friends in the gallery later in the day, and I commend the bill to the House.

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. “Papā te whatitiri, hikohiko te uira, kahukura ki te rangi. He aitū ka riri ka rongo mai ka hē ko Ngungunu, ko Ngangana, ko Apārangi. Ko te titi o te rua, ko te tao whakawahine, ko te tao o te tupuna a Hineamaru, tihei wā mauri ora!” Kāti ake rā e te iwi kua tae tātau! I te ata nei i tuku īnoi tātau ki tō tātau kaihanga, kia toro mai i tōna ringa manaaki, tōna ringa atawhai ki runga i a tātau, me te mahara anō ki a rātau kua ngaro atu ki Te Pō.

E Ngāruahine, e koutou, e ōku karanga maha, haere mai rā koutou, haere mai rā koutou, haere mai rā koutou! Pīkauria mai e koutou ngā aituā maha kei runga i a koutou, ngā aituā maha o te wā nei, o ngā rā kua pahure ake. Kua wahaina mai e Te Minita ētahi o tātau kua riro atu ki Te Pō. Kāti, rātau kua whetūrangitia, haere atu rā koutou ki Te Pūtahitanganui-ā-Rēhua, ki te huihuinga o te kahurangi, ki te oti atu. Kua takahia atu rā koutou i te ara whānui, i takahia ai a Māui ki Te Pō, ki Te Anu-mātao, ki Rarohenga, koutou o Te Pō, e moe, e moe, e moe!

Kia whakahokia mai ngā rārangi kōrero ki te tāhūhū o tō tātau Whare, haere mai, haere mai, haere mai! Kua roa rawa koutou e takahi ana i tēnei huarahi. Kua kōrero mai Te Minita mō ngā tāngata kua pā nei te ringa ki ngā mahi e tutuki nei i tēnei rā. I kapo ake ahau i te ingoa i wahaina e Te Minita, o tōku whaea kei roto i a koutou a Christine. E tika ana, e mihi atu, e tangi atu. I tērā atu pānuitanga i kōrero atu ahau mō te wā i a au e tupu ana ki roto i te kāinga. Ko ngā pepa katoa kei runga i ngā pātū o tō mātau whare, e kīia nei, ko ngā kōrero o Ngāruahine, ko ngā take a Ngāruahine, ko ngā hītori a Ngāruahine. Ahakoa kei Te Tai Tokerau au i tupu mai, nō reira ka hoki atu ngā mahara ki ngā wā i haere ai mātau ki roto i a koutou, ko tēnei take, ko tēnei kaupapa te mea i karanga nei i a mātau, kāti kua tae mai. E huri tū atu ki a koe e te pāpā e Mahara, e tika ana e mihi atu ana au ki a koe, me ō tāua mātua, ō tāua tūpuna i noho mai ki roto i ngā tūru o tēnei Whare, tā te mea, i tīmata ai ngā kōrero o tēnei kaupapa mai i taua wā, tae noa mai ki tēnei wā.

E Te Minita, i kite atu ahau i ngā māka i hoatu ki a koe ki roto i ngā rangi kua pahure ake nei. E tika ana e mihi atu ana au ki a koe mō ngā mahi nunui kua oti i a koe ki roto i ngā tau. I te rā nei, ka tutuki anō tēnei Whare i ngā moemoeā, i ngā mahi nui, i mahia e koe, e tātau Te Iwi Māori, anā, me ngā āpiha kua wahaina mai e koe. Ngā āpiha puta noa ki roto i tō tari, ki roto i te Tari o Te Minita Whanake i ngā Take Māori, ngā tari katoa. Kua wahaina mai e koe i te mema tawhito a Rick Barker, e tika ana me mihi atu au ki a ia, kāti, ka waihona atu ngā mihi ki konā. Kua roa rawa tō tātau noho ki roto i ngā mahi o te rā nei, kāre e kore ka haere tonu ngā mihi, ka haere tonu ngā mihi.

Kua kōrero mai nā Te Minita mō te rahi o te pūtea ka hoatu ki a Ngāruahine, ka mihi atu ahau. Rawa au mō te tū i taku ihu ki tērā rahi pūtea, kāhore. E tika ana tana kōrero. Me aro atu ngā whakaaro me te titiro ki ngā tau kei mua i a tātau mō ngā uri whakatupu ka noho mai ki runga rā, me ngā uri whakatupu kei te kāinga e noho ana. Ko reira te oranga o tāua Te Iwi Māori, ko reira te oranga mō Ngāruahine, ko reira te oranga mō ngāi tātau katoa.

Hoinō tāku atu ki Te Iwi, ahakoa tēnei hōnore nui, ahakoa te tutukitanga o tēnei pire, ko tāku atu ki a tātau—me tito i ngā waiata, me tuhia i ngā pao, me hakaina e tātau i ngā haka, ka kore tātau e wareware. Ka kore tātau e wareware i te takahanga mai o Ngāruahine ki roto i ngā tau, tae noa mai ki tēnei wā. Kia kaua ngā uri whakatupu e wareware ki ngā ingoa i hinga atu ki Te Pō, i ngā ingoa i pā te ringa ki runga i ēnei mahi, nō reira kia kaha rā koutou! Mahara ake ana au ki ngā kōrero a tōku tupuna a Tā Hemi, kua roa rawa, ā, kua tawhiti kē tō koutou haerenga mai i te kore e haere tonu. He nui rawa ō koutou mahi ki te kore e mahi nui tonu. Me kaua koutou, otirā, tātau e pōhēhē he nui ngā mahi kei mua i a koutou. I kite atu ahau i ngā matakitetanga, i te mahere o Ngāruahine ki runga i te ipurangi, ō koutou hiahia, ō koutou wawata, ō koutou momoeā, he nui ngā mahi kai mua i a koutou. Nō reira, kia kaha rā koutou ki roto i ngā whāinga kei mua i a koutou. Kia kaha rā koutou ki te pupuru i ngā maharatanga o ngā mahi i tutukina i a koutou me ngā mahi ō rātou mā kua ngaro atu ki Te Pō, kāti, tēnā koutou.

Tētahi o ngā whakaaro o ngā whakaritenga o te pire, ka whakaritea nei i te wā hononga ki waenganui i Te Iwi o Ngāruahine me ngā tari Kāwanatanga. He mea pai tēnā. Tautoko mārika ana au i te whakatau a Te Minita, arā, ko te nuinga o te wā ko te tirohanga, ko te kaikiri a Te Pākehā ēngari, ka ora mai anō a Aotearoa whānui mehemea ka whai reo, ka whai wahanga tāua Te Māori ki runga i ngā mahi katoa, me ngā nekehanga katoa e haere ake nei. Kua kite tātau ki roto i ngā mahi tatūnga kerēme, tatūnga take Tiriti anā, ko te mahi ngātahi me Te Papa Atawhai, kia whakahokia mai i ngā wāhi tapu, i ngā whenua o ngā mātua, o ngā tūpuna, ki roto i ngā mahi whakahaere a Te Iwi. Ka mihi atu ahau ki tērā tūāhuatanga. Anā, ko ngā wāhi whenua kei roto o Ngāruahine i tēnei wā, kei a rātau ngā kōrero mō Te Kohinga, mō Te Ngutu o Te Manu, mō Waipakari, mō ngā wāhi whenua kei roto i a rātau. Nō reira e tika ana, me whai wāhanga a Ngāruahine ki roto i ngā mahi whakarite, i ngā mahi whakatū mahere mō aua wāhi katoa.

Nō reira ka mihi atu ahau ki tērā atu āhuatanga, me tērā atu ki te taha o te pūtea e kīia nei ko te right of first refusal. Ki roto i ngā tau e 2 i a au e noho ana ki roto i tēnei tūru, ka kite atu ahau i te whanaketanga o tēnei tikanga a te ture nei, arā, ko te right of first refusal. Pai te kite atu ki roto i tēnei pire kua whakapakari ake. Kua whanake anō tēnei tū āhuatanga ki roto i te pire kei mua i te aroaro o Te Whare i te rā nei. He mea pai tēnā. Kia kaua e hoki atu anō te kurī ki te kai i tana ruaki! Kia kaua anō te tiro whakamuri ki ngā hē i tutuki nei ki roto i tēnei Whare, e herea nei i ngā mokopuna me ngā uri whakatupu ā taihoa ake nei.

Kāti, kua tata pau te wā ki a au mō tēnei take. Hoinō tāku, e mīharo ana! E manawanui ana, nā runga i te taenga o ōku ake, o Ngāruahine, o Taranaki Whānui ki roto i tō tātau Whare. I mua i taku urunga mai ki roto i Te Whare i te rā nei, i kōrero atu ahau ki tōku pāpā nei ki a Mahara Okeroa, me te kī atu, mangū pai tō tātau Whare i te rā nei! Kāti, ka rongo i te wairua o Te Māori, tēnā koutou e Ngāruahine, tēnā koutou katoa!

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. “The thunder crashes, the lightning flashes, a rainbow adorns the sky. An angry calamity is heard that troubles Ngungunu, Ngangana, Apārangi. It is the nipple of the pit, the opening spear of womanhood and of the ancestress Hineamaru, behold the breath of life!” And so, people, we have made it! We offered prayers this morning to our creator to extend his caring and kind hand upon us, and also remembered those lost to the void.

To you Ngāruahine, to my many callings, welcome indeed, come forth, come hither to you collectively! Bring forth the many, many deaths that are upon you of the moment and from past days, and some of us who have gone to the void were borne here by the Minister. And so to them and to you collectively who have become immortalised in the heavens, go forth and depart to the great confluence of Rehua, to the gathering of the illustrious for all time. You have walked the great path that Māui traversed on the void, to the chilling cold, to the place where the spirits of the dead are, to you collectively of the void, sleep, rest, slumber on!

I bring back the lines of the contribution to the ridgepole of our House, and so welcome, welcome, welcome! You have travelled this path for a very long time. The Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations has told us about the people whose hands were involved in the tasks that concluded this process today. I pick up the name that the Minister brought forth, my Aunty Christine, amongst you. How apt, I acknowledge and grieve her. In that other reading I spoke about my upbringing back home. All the papers that were on the walls of our house were what are referred to now as being the stories and matters about Ngāruahine and about the history of Ngāruahine. Even though I grew up in the Far North, and so the thoughts must go back to the times we travelled amongst you, this matter, this policy was the thing that called us, and so you have arrived. I turn and face you, fatherly figure Mahara. It is apt that I acknowledge you and our fathers and forefathers who sat in the seats of this House, because the discussions about this matter began in those times right down to this very moment.

Minister, I saw the figures that were given to you during the past days. It is apt that I commend you for all the great work you accomplished during the years. Today this House has again realised the dreams, the great work you did, we the Māori people did, and the officials that you brought along, officials from throughout your department, the Ministry of Māori Development, and all the other departments. You brought along the former member Rick Barker. It is appropriate that I acknowledge him, and so I leave the acknowledgments there. We have sat through today’s proceedings for a long time, and undoubtedly acknowledgments will continue.

That Minister has spoken about the size of the funding given to Ngāruahine—I applaud him for that. I would never turn up my nose to that large amount of funding—never. What he has stated is correct. Thoughts and outlook must focus on the future before us, and upon the coming generations in addition to the younger ones living at home. That is where the well-being is for us of Māoridom, of Ngāruahine, that is where it is for us all.

Mine to the people, regardless of this great honour and the settlement of this bill, mine to us is this: let us compose songs, ditties, and perform our posture dances, so we do not forget it and the time it took Ngāruahine over the years to this moment, so that generations to come will not forget the names of those who fell to the void, and of those who had a hand in these tasks, so go hard! I recall the words of my grandfather Sir James: it has been a long time and you have travelled such a long way from nothing and continue to do so. You have done much and still continue to do much more. You, indeed all of us, must never assume that there is a lot of work ahead of you collectively. I saw the visions on the internet about Ngāruahine’s plan in regard to your needs, aspirations, and dreams. There is much work ahead of you. So work hard through the objectives that are before you. Be really strong in storing the work you completed and the work done by those who are lost to the void, enough of that, well done.

One of the thoughts about the provisions of the bill was about a partnership between the tribe of Ngāruahine and Government agencies. That is a good thing. I wholeheartedly endorse the ruling of the Minister most of the time, but there is the Pākehā perception of racism. However, the whole country will benefit if we Māori have a voice and a part to play in all operations and facets currently. We have seen it at work in settlements and Treaty matters, and working there in partnership with the Department of Conservation in terms of returning sacred sites and lands belonging to the fathers and forefathers, and in operations run by the tribe. I applaud that kind of situation. And we see it there as well in the lands that belong to Ngāruahine currently. They have the commentaries about Te Kohinga, Te Ngutu o Te Manu, Waipakari, and parcels of land they own. And so it is only right that Ngāruahine be involved in the decision-making process, in setting up strategic plans and in all those kinds of things.

And so I doff my hat to that kind of situation, and to that one, too, on the side of funding alluded to as the right of first refusal. In the past 2 years since I occupied this seat, I have seen the development of this legal procedure of this law, namely the right of first refusal. It is good to see that it has been strengthened even further. This kind of situation has been developed again in this bill before the House today. That is a great thing. The dog must never be allowed to consume its vomit! The wrongs that were determined in the past in this House should never be revisited to encumber the grandchildren and generations to come.

And so, in conclusion, the time for me in relation to this matter has nearly expired. All I can say is: admirable! I am dedicated because of the arrival of my own ones of Ngāruahine and of greater Taranaki into this House of ours. Before I came into the House today, I spoke with my uncle here, Mahara Okeroa, and said to him that our House is nice and dark today! And so I feel the Māori spirit, well done, Ngāruahine, and my appreciation to us all!]

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā rangatira mā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. It is indeed an honour to be able to stand and speak in the third reading of the Ngāruahine Claims Settlement Bill. I want to acknowledge my friend and colleague the Hon Christopher Finlayson, who has very aptly, sincerely, and deeply led the process through which we come to a conclusion today. I would also like to acknowledge Daisy Noble. In fact, there are many in the House today to acknowledge, but also Will Edwards, John Hooker, and Peter Moeahu. I would also like to acknowledge the Hon Mahara Okeroa, and also all the supporting hapū and iwi from Taranaki who are here today.

The rohe of Ngāruahine is where I was born and grew up as a young boy. We lived down the end of Rama Road and Kaupakanui is my awa. As a 16-year-old my first job was working for the Kiwi Dairies factory at Kaupakanui, back in the day when we made cheese the hard way. I remember over that summer, between my fifth form and sixth form, losing 2 stone in weight in 6 weeks because of the hard work. And, yes, some of you might think I need to go back there. As a 17-year-old I left for Palmerston North, where I trained to be a teacher, but then as a 28-year-old I returned to South Taranaki, where I taught at Ramanui Primary School in Hāwera. But I still travelled to Manaia several times a week where I played my rugby for Waimate.

Some of my earliest memories as a boy are of standing on the ground down the Rama Road looking to Mount Taranaki—something that many of you would have done, and still do. In fact, your heart reaches out to that, because you want to stand on your land, and look to your maunga. I vividly recall doing the same when my father, Venn Young, passed away. Taranaki has remained constant and central in all of our lives. He would have loved to see this day, and I am privileged to stand here in this House representative in some way of him, as well, as we come to this very, very important day.

As Minister Finlayson has said, looking at the historical account, we see the serious breaches that have happened to the people of Ngāruahine. So it is important on this day, in the time that I have, to acknowledge that but I also wish to look to the future, as Ngāruahine are doing, as well. As I looked and saw their document—their strategic plan of 2009 to 2034—charting a new course, I saw that strategic goal one was that a divided house cannot stand. So not only do they speak here today of their sense and purpose of unity, but our hope and prayer is that today, in the passing of this bill, we would all be together, and that there will not be a divided house in Taranaki but that we would see great support for this great iwi group.

I would like to also mirror and reflect the words of Minister Finlayson when he thanked Ngāruahine for their great generosity in coming to this House, negotiating, and coming to this agreement with the Crown. We know that only a very small proportion of that which they have lost has been returned, but our prayer is that this will become a strong foundation to go forward and to develop the economic base, the cultural base, and the educational, the economic, and the employment base for their future.

I would like to speak longer, but it is important for us this morning that we progress our bills in a timely way because we want to come to a completion today in these third readings. I commend the people of Ngāruahine to this House. I commend this bill to this House. I am so pleased and privileged to be able to stand in support of it. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

“Whakataka te hau ki te uru, whakataka te hau ki te tonga. Kia mākinakina ki uta, kia mātaratara ki tai. Kia hī ake ana te atākura, he tio, he huka, he hauhunga; tihei mauri ora!” Tēnei te tāpiri atu i aku mihi nō Waikato-Maniapoto ki a koutou kua tau mai nei ki tēnei Whare Pāremata, tā koutou Whare i tēnei rangi. Nō reira, Ngāruahine, tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou me te mōhio anō o te maha o rātau kāre i tae ā-tinana mai. Rātau e hiki me kī, e kawea te toimahatanga o ēnei tūāhuatanga, a koutou koroheke, rūruhi. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a rātau katoa kua wehe ki te Pō. Tēnei anō hoki e mihi atu ki a koutou ngā mahuetanga iho e kawea nei i tēnei tutukitanga i mua i te aroaro o te Pāremata, hei kanohi mō tēnei tūāhuatanga, hei kanohi mō ngā mokopuna me ā rātau whāinga i raro i ngā tikanga o tēnei tutukitanga. Nō reira, i roto i ērā o ngā whakaaro ka nui te mihi atu ki a koutou katoa. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou.

[“Cease the winds from the west, cease the winds from the south. Let the breeze blow over the land; let the breeze blow over the ocean. Let the red-tipped dawn come with a sharpened air, a touch of frost a promise of a glorious day; behold the breath of life!” I add my tribute on behalf of Waikato-Maniapoto to you collectively who have arrived here at this Parliament House, and, indeed, your House today. And so I welcome you, Ngāruahine, knowing full well that many of them didn’t arrive here physically. They, your old folks and elderly ones, are ones who picked up the burden of these kinds of situations and carried it upon them. I also acknowledge you, the ones left behind, as a face for this kind of situation and a representative for grandchildren and their aspirations under the customs of this settlement; bring it upon you at this settlement before Parliament. Therefore, within those thoughts I congratulate you all immensely, well done, and my appreciation to you collectively.]

I stand in the third reading of this particular bill with some trepidation, because I understand the enormity of what is being achieved today with three settlement bills from Taranaki coming to a conclusion. I do that with trepidation because the history, which is detailed in the settlement bills, expresses a long-held view of a history that was never told. We can only take some comfort as New Zealanders that when we seek to correct the history of New Zealand so it may see the light of day that your descendants—of Ngāruahine—and the many descendants of this country can somewhat hope to see a way forward.

I read, with some interest, for this third reading bill about the way in which negotiators worked hard to construct the historical accounts and the acknowledgments leading to the Crown apology. We have had a number of efforts to negotiate the substance of the bill; Minister, you have outlined some of that detail. Can I assure members of the House that through the select committee stage, as difficult as this Treaty settlement process is, we did work hard to try to ensure that all the views within Ngāruahine were able to be heard and given due respect through our proceedings—and you will see it in the select committee’s report. That said, we acknowledge that this settlement that is being achieved today is a positive one for Ngāruahine.

Although there have been challenges, and I acknowledge that, there are many opportunities. Those opportunities will be realised by the generations yet to come. We are optimistic about that—we have to be—because reducing the wrongs and hurts of the past allow another generation to look forward. So I want to take, with your forbearance, the time of the House to read out the apology, because the bill when enacted will be your record of what you have negotiated with the Crown. But the apology, as read in the Hansard, will be New Zealand’s record of the Crown making its amends for some very hurtful wrongs of the past.

As you, Ngāruahine, have set out the apology in negotiations with the Crown it reads, as follows: “(1) The Crown offices the following apology to the tūpuna, the descendants, the hapū, and whānau of Ngāruahine.

(2) The Crown regrets its actions that led to the outbreak of war in Taranaki. During those wars, Crown forces mounted numerous attacks against Ngāruahine kainga, and used scorched earth tactics that devastated Ngāruahine cultivations, livestock, and food stores. These actions caused severe hardship, deprivation, exile and death for many Ngāruahine people. For both its actions and their effects, the Crown unreservedly apologises.

(3) The Crown is sorry for the immense prejudice it caused by confiscating land that had sustained Ngāruahine tūpuna for centuries. The raupatu was indiscriminate, unjust, and unconscionable. The Crown deeply regrets the serious damage its actions have caused to Ngāruahine and its people.

(4) The Crown deeply regrets its unjust treatment of the Ngāruahine people it imprisoned for taking part in campaigns of peaceful resistance. The Crown sincerely apologises to those tūpuna it exiled hundreds of kilometres from their homes, to the whānau who grieved in their absence, to the descendants, and to Ngāruahine.

(5) The Crown deeply regrets and unreservedly apologises for its unconscionable actions at Parihaka, and for the harm those actions caused to the community and those Ngāruahine people who resided there.

(6) For generations the Crown has failed to live up to its obligations to Ngāruahine under the Treaty of Waitangi. The effects of its actions over generations have damaged their autonomy, cultural and spiritual heritage, and ability to exercise customary rights and responsibilities. The Crown solemnly apologises to Ngāruahine for all of its breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles.

(7) The Crown hopes that this settlement and this apology will relieve the burden of grievance that Ngāruahine has carried for so many years, and will assist Ngāruahine to heal the wounds of the past. The Crown looks forward to building a relationship of mutual trust and cooperation with Ngāruahine founded on respect for the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles.”

Kei reira te whakapāha atu o te Karauna ki a koutou Ngāruahine.

[And it is there where the apology of the Crown is to you, Ngāruahine.]

I think when generations to come read the apology, they should be uplifted to know that this generation tried with its best efforts to seek redress for some of the most hurtful things of the past, with optimism. So, just as my colleague Peeni Henare said in his erudite speech: songs should be written, haka should be performed, and, at the heart of that hurt, optimism for the future remains a vibrant light to guide the path forward.

I have no doubt that the negotiators for this claim have carried much. I think the Crown, the Office of Treaty Settlements officials, necessarily have had to endure a lot of truth telling. That said, my small part of optimism is for the bravery of those kaumātua and koroheke and rūruhi who saw fit to ensure that today would be a day of celebration, always remembering the past; a day of optimism, always remembering the sacrifice; a day of nation building, understanding the necessary aspects of the relationship between Ngāruahine and the Crown. For that, we thank you, because this is what New Zealand’s fabric will be built on: a relationship on the Treaty of Waitangi—two partners, trying to come together to make things happen.

This is a lesson for Parliament as we all sit in this House debating pieces of legislation like this. The onus is upon us, across the House, that no matter what political hue we come from and what colour we wear, if the relationship is not upheld, then there is no substance to the words on the paper. So it is determined on the leadership of every generation to make sure that the relationships and the intent envisaged through these Treaty settlements, such as that which we have witnessed today with Ngāruahine, can be upheld with the spirit that is intended to heal the wounds of the past. Nō reira he paku, he paku, he iti tāku kia tāpiri atu ki ēnei o ngā momo kōrero mō tēnei ki te kōrero ki a koutou i tēnei wā, Ngāruahine, nō reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātau katoa.

[So this is but a tiny, small, teeny bit and morsel of mine to add to these kinds of contributions about this; to say to you collectively at this time, Ngāruahine, therefore, acknowledgments and congratulations to you collectively and my appreciation to us all.]

E Te Māngai o Te Whare, tēnā koe, ata mārie koutou katoa ōku hoa kaimahi o tēnei Whare Pāremata tēnā tātau katoa. Ā, huri noa ki a koutou tēnei te mihi ki a koutou e ngā iwi e toru o Taranaki whānui kua tae mai nei ki tēnei Whare, ki tēnei whenua ō koutou, i Te Ūpoko-o-Te Ika, nō ngā rekereke o Te Maunga Tītōhia. Ka tautoko ahau i ngā mihi kua mihia kia whakatau i a koutou ki roto i Te Whare nei. Ka tuku au i ngā mihi aroha o Te Rōpū Kākāriki ki a tātau i tēnei rā whakahirahira rawa atu. Hari koa tēnei, te uri o Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, o Ngāti Porou hoki ki te kite i a koutou! Ka kīkī mai tēnei Whare i a koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātau katoa. E ai ki te kōrero a Tītokowaru: “e kore au e mate, ka mate ko te mate, ka ora taku toa!”.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. A peaceful morning to you all, my work colleagues of this House of Parliament; acknowledgments to you all. Turning to you collectively, I greet you the three tribes of greater Taranaki who have arrived here in this House from the heels of Barren Mountain, to this land of yours at the head of the fish. I endorse the tributes accorded to welcome you collectively into this House today. I extend the empathy of the Green Party to us on this day of huge significance. This offspring of Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, and Ngāti Porou as well is rapt to see you collectively. Your presence fills this House. Well done, congratulations, and accolades to you and to us all collectively. According to the aphorism of Tītokowaru: “I won’t die; it is death itself that will, and my gallantry will survive!”.]

I shall not die, I shall not die. When death itself is dead I shall still be alive. Long after I am dead my deeds will echo through time. This was spoken by Tītokowaru, who was the rangatira of Ngāruahine and one of the greatest military strategists ever, and we had a few of those in our history. I reference Tītokowaru in relation to raupatu and that he eventually laid down his arms at Parihaka. It speaks very clearly to the enduring strength and mana of tangata whenua through raupatu, through serious, deep injustice, and indeed through the working through of this very settlement that we are here for today, the third reading of the Ngāruahine Claims Settlement Bill.

I want to tautoko my colleague, my tuahine, Nanaia Mahuta when she speaks of the anxiety and the incredible honour that is on our shoulders as Māori MPs, as Māori members of Parliament, in this House when we are surrounded by the mana, the strength, and the tūpuna of all of you from Taranaki iwi whānui who have come here today, carrying both the generations of mamae and also the generations of resilience, of strength, of courage, and of generosity going forward, as we here honour the settlement today for your people.

It is always with anxiety and incredible honour and responsibility that we stand here, that I stand here, among our people with these settlements. The Green Party has long understood that these settlements can never be full and final. We know that you yourselves have acknowledged that these settlements barely cover any of the injustice that has happened, but in the spirit of generosity and in the spirit of the strength to continue forward—because we shall never die—you are here with all of that to do the best that you can for your mokopuna, and for your tamariki in generations to come.

To do our jobs properly as representatives of Te Ao Māori, we want to acknowledge that difficult process. I recall fondly—like many of my colleagues have in earlier readings—in particular, Peter Moeahu of Ngāti Manuhiakai hapū, who embodied the length of time that these processes take as well as the burden that is carried by hapū and iwi through the settlement processes. When he spoke at the beginning he presented his seven children and his first mokopuna to the tribunal and said: “This is who the Crown steals from and has stolen from.”

Then at the hearing for Ngāruahine, which was my very first hearing ever for the Treaty settlement processes, he appeared, having accumulated seven children, 14 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren, and he said: “This is who the Crown settles with.” So I acknowledge you, Peter. I acknowledge you as an example of the generations that happen through these processes for our iwi, and I acknowledge the people we lose—and there are many—through these processes for settling a Treaty claim. We know that the injustice can never be settled. So I acknowledge those submissions that I heard that day.

We know how fraught this whole process is. I do want to acknowledge that the Greens have always been very clear about the wedges that happen and have happened in every single Treaty settlement process—every single one. The large natural groupings that are preferred through this Crown process mean that we have—and I do want to acknowledge and recall, as an example, that we heard from Āraukuku that day as well. They felt aggrieved by this process.

I want to acknowledge that this is part of why Te Pāti Kākāriki knows that the generosity of our people far exceeds the fact that hardly anything that was taken is actually returned. But in this process those wedges happen, and they have happened around the country. As I said in, I think, the first reading, I am not one to stand here and cast any sort of judgment on those wedges, because you wait till Ngāpuhi happens. So I want to acknowledge that I understand and that it is important that we are clear about that process.

I quickly want to pick up on when Minister Finlayson referred to the absurdity of some of the comments about the representation clauses to allow Ngāruahine representation on the Taranaki authority, and I completely agree with him that it is absurd to think of it as anything less than upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership. Actually, the heart of upholding Te Tiriti is something quite different from some of the fear of the representation of Māori on authorities that we did have in a couple of the submissions that were opposed to that particular clause of representation. I want to pick on that representation on authorities, and although it is not the be-all and end-all of honouring mana motuhake under Te Tiriti, it is an important part of upholding the relationship, and we all benefit when we can ensure that mana whenua do have that representation at that decision-making level.

I recall events around waste water sewerage, in particular, around the regions, around Aotearoa, actually, and in Taranaki, where if we had had iwi representation from the get-go—30 or 40-odd years ago at the planning stage when our own people were saying “This is not going to end up well for the mauri of our water.”—perhaps better decisions would have been made that would benefit all of us. I am very pleased to see the Crown acknowledge that representation through this settlement also.

As I sum up, I am happy to see all of our Taranaki iwi whānui here today. They will continue to pick up the ongoing threads. I want to finish off with the acknowledgment of the importance of our historical Parihaka context. It is relevant through all of these reconciliation processes, and I thank the Crown for having a separate reconciliation process to come. Nā reira, taku mihi ki a koutou o Ngāruahine. Tēnā tātou katoa.

Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker, tēnā hoki tātau e noho nei i roto Te Whare. “Tiwhatiwha Te Pō, kakarauri Te Pō, ki a au i Te Pō tiwhatiwha, haratuatia, takawiritia ngā marae a Māui, ka puta te ira tangata ki Te Whei Ao, ki Te Ao Mārama, tihei wā mauri ora!” E tātau mā, he tū wāhi poto tēnei ki te tautoko i ngā mihi a taku tuakana a Peeni ki te whakatau i a koutou ngā iwi o Taranaki, nā reira nau mai, haere mai!

Kia mōhio mai koutou, ko tēnei he karere. Ko au te karere mō Te Rōpū Aotearoa Tuatahi. Nā reira, karekau i hakahēngia ngā kōrero o ngā kaikōrero i tū ake i mua i a au nā te mea, e tika ana kua tae kē tēnei pire ki te whakatau i tā koutou kerēme. E tika ana hoki, ahakoa me pēhea te kaha o Te Karauna i whakapāhā ki a koutou, ēngari, korekau kē i tae ki te whakautu i ngā mamaetanga i taka mai i runga i a koutou i tērā atu rautau. Nā reira, kia mōhio mai koutou koinā te whakaaro o Aotearoa Tuatahi. Ēngari, ā, koinā te mea nui ko te ari kē!

Ēngari, i mua i te haere tonu o tōku kōrero e tika ana kia mea atu ki a tātau i te āhuatanga i puta mai i tēnei pire, he wā tino taumahatanga i roto i te hītoria o ēnei motu.

[Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker, and acknowledgments also to us seated here in the House. “The void is gloomy, the void is dusky, while I am in the gloomy void, I slash at the unbalanced and cross-grained marae of Māui, and so emerges the human element into the glimmer of dawn and the world of enlightenment, behold the breath of life!” To us the assembled, this is a short call to endorse the tributes of my elder relative Peeni when welcoming you, the tribes of Taranaki, so welcome, welcome!

You collectively must understand that this one is a messenger, in that I am the envoy for the New Zealand First Party. Therefore I did not oppose the contributions of the speakers who got up before me, and quite rightly, as well, because this bill has already reached the point where your claim has been settled. It is fitting too, regardless how hard, the Crown apologises to you collectively. But it did not get there to respond to the pains that fell upon you collectively in the last century. And so you collectively must understand that is the view of New Zealand First. But that is the main thing, it is clear!

But before I go on with my address it is fitting that I inform us about the situation that came out of this bill. It was a period of great difficulty in the history of these islands.]

I just want to say that I stand in support of the welcome extended by my older brother Peeni Henare to our visitors to their House today. I also stand to acknowledge all those who have passed and to acknowledge those also who have been responsible for bringing this claim, this settlement, to this point in time. Although we have heard in previous settlements that the Crown can never apologise enough or recompense the iwi enough to meet the full breach that the Crown imposed at the time on iwi Māori, I want to take this opportunity of supporting that acknowledgment, and in so doing I hope that the people of New Zealand will also accept that very point.

As the previous speakers have pointed out, in 1860 Ngāruahine had their own independence. They were economically sustained by their own efforts, and yet 5 years later all the asset base on which they relied for that same sustainability, for that same rangatiratanga that we talk about, was gone. They moved as a consequence of that, and in 1881 they were again dismantled. Some were taken off to prison without any formal charges being laid. This bill is all about compensation for those breaches.

Some speakers have talked about a particular clause in the bill, and I want to base my contribution to this debate around that. I am referring to clause 86, “Iwi representation on Council committee”. I appreciate that this was what was asked for by those who represented the iwi, but I want to just remind this House that a little over 2 months ago we had a series of local body elections. A number of Māori were elected on to councils. They got there without the need to have special legislation. It has often been said that one of the reasons Māori are not as represented as they should be on local body councils is that people do not vote. I know that those who have been responsible for bringing this bill to this House today know that they need to focus on their young people. I am talking about those who have reached the age when they are allowed to vote through to, say, 35, because it is that group of people who do not vote. If we are not going to have people voting to get our people on to councils, then we will have the situation that this clause tries to address.

I want to also remind the House that in 2001 the then-Labour Government introduced a bill that established two seats dedicated for Māori on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. At the time that council had six members who claimed Māori descent. Subsequent to the passing of that piece of legislation, that council has had no more than two Māori representatives on council. What I am suggesting is that this clause within the bill will limit Māori representation to just that committee unless our people get out and vote. If they do not do that then councils will be bereft of that representation.

I also want to make the point about particular interest groups like Federated Farmers. We oppose that, as well. This is just to make this House aware that we oppose that. That is in spite of Taranaki area having a number of Māori farmers, who probably are represented by Federated Farmers. I just want to make that point.

With the time that is left for me, I just want to wish Ngāruahine the best as they go forward. If they think that the task of getting this to this stage has been one of hard work, can I suggest that the future will be even harder. While I am on my feet I just want to ask whether or not some of their negotiators might want to join my relatives in the north and help us get our settlement. Then again, that is something for the north. Nā reira e tātau mā, kia tau te rangimārie ki runga i a koutou i te wā i anga mua i a koutou, nā reira tēnā koutou, kia ora mai anō tātau.

[Therefore to us assembled, allow the peace to settle upon you collectively in the time ahead of you, so congratulations and my appreciation once again to us all.]

Ā, tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā, anei te mihi atu ki a koe, otirā, ki Te Whare, tēnā koutou! Tēna koutou e hui nei i tēnei wā, te ātaahua, te rawe te kite atu i a koutou kua tae ā-tinana mai ki tēnei Whare o tātou. Kua hipa kē te wā, kua mahue kē ngā tau ēngari, kua tae ki tēnei rangi, he rangi whakahirahira tēnei! He rangi whakahirahira tēnei, kāre e kore! Nā reira, kai te mihi atu ki a koutou, nau mai, haere mai Ngāruahine! Nau mai, haere mai ki tēnei Whare ō tātou, ōku pou, ōku rahi, kai waenganui i a koutou! Kai te mihi atu ki a koutou, ko koutou ngā mea i whakamanahia tēnei Whare, ko koutou ngā mea i tau ki konei me ō koutou māramatanga, hītori, ō koutou rangatiratanga. Nā reira, tēnā koutou, nau mai, haere mai!

[And so I thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. I acknowledge you and indeed the House. Salutations to you collectively, greetings. Acknowledgments to you meeting here at this point in time. It is so beautiful and wonderful to see you collectively who have arrived here physically in this House of ours. The time and years have absolutely passed but we have reached this day, and it is a truly magnificent one. Without a doubt it is a memorable day. And so I pay a tribute to you collectively; welcome, come hither Ngāruahine. Welcome to this House of ours, my pillars and my numerous amongst you. I acknowledge you particularly because you are the ones who enacted this House, who landed here with your understanding, history, and self-determination. Therefore, accolades to you collectively, welcome, come hither!]

E Te Whare, I will not labour the point. I have been reminded in recent times to be mana-enhancing. I am just going to say that maybe it was really lucky they had those two seats, or they might not have any Māori representation in Rotorua. So I absolutely support Māori representation as a right under the Treaty, and I will leave it there.

The aspects of this settlement have been well documented. The aspects of this settlement and grievances have been well articulated. You know better than I the pain and the heartache that have been endured by your people. So today I actually want to focus my comments on our rangatahi, on our young people. They will be the ones who inherit the future and the decisions that we make. They will be the ones to choose who takes up those seats in the future to ensure that representation and a voice for our people are never lost again. They will be the ones who carry forward into the future the stories that you have told, the histories that you have researched and brought into visual existence again.

So, I want to focus my comments on you, e te hunga rangatahi. The raukura that you wear is a symbol of many things, actually: the harmony of spirit, the physical harmony, the communal harmony, and unity of your people—a symbol of peace. Let us talk about that spiritual connection. When you, as young people, put the raukura in your hair, does your mind immediately go back to the origin? Are you immediately connected ā-wairua to your tūpuna? Do you immediately draw upon all of their knowledge—all of their ancestral knowledge, the culmination of all that was that brings you to this point? Not just in your immediate past—those 175 years ago, those 150 years ago, when your people were convicted, tortured, ferried away, enslaved, and killed. Not just that; go back to the journeys of our ancestors who crossed these oceans, and who navigated not only by the stars but by the phosphorus in the oceans, by the currents, and by the tides. You are the culmination of all of our strength and all of our greatness, and when you wear that raukura your spiritual connection brings you closer to them, as it reminds you and draws your memory back to the greatness of our people. Do not forget that as you battle the future that comes upon you and as you navigate the pathways of your youth—oh, to be young again! Ha, ha! As you navigate the pathways of your youth, do not forget that. You are a seed born of greatness, and the raukura reminds you of it.

Physical harmony—your people are about to come into monetary wealth, to have some land returned, and to have taonga returned, or to have the ability to create new taonga. Think about the reasons that your ancestors fought so hard to retain whenua, to retain taonga, to retain mana motuhaki, and to retain rangatiratanga. In the decisions that you make in the future, do not waste that effort that they have made on your behalf. You know, it is a pittance—it is a pittance—but you are born into a brightness of hope, because the thing about the future is that it is not yet determined. You have the power in your hands to determine your own pathways, to determine your own futures, to put to good use the resources that will be returned to your people today, and to put to good use the learnings and efforts of the struggle of your ancestors, the negotiators, the researchers, the nannies who turned up at the marae for all those hui, and the cooks in the kitchen who made sure everybody was fed. You know, every part of that cannot be wasted as you get to determine your future—and the future is bright, because the potential is limitless. Make the decisions wisely that enable our whānau to hold up their end.

The last thing—we talk about harmony and unity. You know, you guys know harmony better than me. I have heard you sing. Harmony is not all singing the same tune—well, actually, same tune, but different notes. Ha, ha! Harmony is not all singing the same note. It is the opportunity to embellish each other, to enhance each other, and to enrich each other’s note by recognising each other’s difference and working together as one. We can be different. We can have different points of view. We can have different pathways and different dress styles—just quietly. We can wear our hair differently. None of those things have to be done in isolation from each other. As young people we grow up “on the mock”. We are pretty good at that: “I’m trying to be mana-enhancing. I’m holding it in.” Harmony and unity mean working side by side with one another, for the mutual benefit of all of us. The raukura symbolises all of those things, and when we have those things we realise the aspirations of our tūpuna, and we move together in peace, harmony, and unity—both spiritual and physical.

E te hunga rangatahi, hold on to the words of your ancestors. Push them forward to your future. Learn from them, grow from them, and mark your own path. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai tātou katoa.

Ā, tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare, otirā, e tika ana kia huri atu anō ki a rātau mā i hinga mai nā puta noa i ngā moutere nei, nō reira, e ngā mate maha o te wā, hoki wairua atu ki a rātau mā te tini me te mano, hoki atu ki te wā ki a koutou, nō reira e oki, e moe, e moe, ā, kāti mō tēnā!

E tū ake ahau i tuatahi e Te Māngai o Te Whare kia tuku mihi atu ki ngā whānau me ngā hapū o Ngāruahine. Nō reira, koutou mā kua tae mai ki Te W’are nei, anei ahau e tuku mihi atu ki a koutou, nau mai, haere mai, whakatau mai rā ki roto i tēnei Whare, e kīia nei, Te Ana Raiona! Otirā, i tēnei rā e tautoko ana ahau i ngā mihi o ngā mema o Te Whare nei. E tū tahi mātau ki roto i tēnei Whare ki te tautoko i tēnei pire, nō reira koutou mā, Ngāruahine, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, ā, tēnā tātau katoa!

[So thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, but at the same time it is fitting that I turn to them, the ones who have fallen throughout these islands, and so to you, the many dead of the moment, return spiritually to them, the innumerable and the multitude. Go back to the time that is yours, so rest, sleep, slumber, enough!

I rise in the first instance, Mr Deputy Speaker, to offer a tribute to the families and subtribes of Ngāruahine. So to you collectively who have arrived at this House, here I am offering a welcome to you. Welcome, welcome, and welcome into this House, referred to as the lion’s den! But today I am endorsing the tributes by members of this House. We stand as one in this House to support this bill. Therefore, congratulations and accolades to you, Ngāruahine. My appreciation to us all.]

Today is a special day. Today is a day to celebrate a long, long process. I want to acknowledge the perseverance and the tenacity of those who have guided Ngāruahine to the House today for the third reading of this claims settlement bill. It is a journey that did not start with the signing of terms of negotiation or mandate. It started very much before then. It actually started on 6 February 1840, and almost immediately—probably on 7 February—that Treaty was being breached. For that length of time, our people throughout the nation not only have tried to make the Treaty of Waitangi a living document, one with substance and one that we have upheld, but have had to face the challenge that it was being breached.

Today we find ourselves here to have the third reading of this bill. Supposedly, it is a full and final settlement. If I may add a few words to the words that Marama Fox has just said to the rangatahi: a day will come when you must surely relitigate this settlement, like every other rangatahi and their iwi must do. That is not a challenge to the Crown or even to us passing this today; this is just an acknowledgment of the reality of this process. It is a negotiated process.

I want to congratulate, as I said before, the tenacity of those negotiators who have brought this settlement to this House. It has not been an easy settlement, like every other settlement that has come to this House. The process requires that all whānau and all hapū of every settlement group, of every iwi that makes a settlement, must be in agreement. Of course, we all know the reality of that. The reality is that not everyone will be happy. But I think the majority will be, with this settlement. In the days and months and years to come there will be the opportunity to reconcile those differences. That is something that only Ngāruahine can do. But we are all here to support that process, to support the many mechanisms within this Treaty settlement that will enhance and benefit all of the whānau of Ngāruahine. It will take time, though. It will take time because the settlement mechanisms, and in particular the financial redress—it is but a fraction, as we have heard already in this House, of the loss that was sustained by Ngāruahine.

I want to read again the first line in the historical account. It says: “Before 1860, Ngāruahine were prosperous and economically successful, and retained ownership of their lands and resources after consistently opposing the sale of land in their rohe to Europeans.” I think that really does outline the strength and the foresight of the people of Ngāruahine in 1860, and that is evident in the people today.

The financial redress is but one part, a very important part, of growing the Ngāruahine nation. I take my hat off to the post-settlement governance entity for the work that it has done already in growing that asset and the work that it has done in contributing to our nation. I have noted a number of bills that are currently before the House where Ngāruahine have made submissions. These are really important issues and really important things for this House to acknowledge.

All of these things mean that Ngāruahine, in moving forward, will be a greater nation through this settlement, and so I stand here before you to fully endorse this settlement in its entirety. My kōrero today is to really celebrate, along with you all, this settlement. My hope for the future is very much the same as has been expressed in the House already today, and that is that this settlement is less about my generation and the generation today, but is for generations to come. Those rangatahi in the Whare today will bear witness, on behalf of all future generations of Ngāruahine, that they have witnessed today the passing of this bill into law. So I congratulate all of them. I want to acknowledge, also, the presence of the New Plymouth District Council in the gallery and other members of the public who have also come to witness this day.

I do want to briefly touch on the cultural redress mechanisms within this bill. They are a very important part of acknowledging the mana whenua of Ngāruahine within their rohe, and in particular the statutory acknowledgments, of which I think there are around 20. These are really significant mechanisms that allow whānau, hapū, and iwi, and even individuals, to go into the likes of the Environment Court and quote from these statutory acknowledgments about their connection to these lands. This is no small thing for the people of Ngāruahine.

It is a real pleasure for me to stand here to speak to this bill today. Taku mihi w’akamutunga atu ki a koutou, tuatahi ki a koutou ngā rangatahi kua tae mai, ko te tūmanako kia ūhia mai e ngā tūpuna i te wāhi ngaro ō rātau aroha, ō rātau manaakitanga ki runga ki a koutou, nō reira koutou mā me ō koutou mātua me ō koutou tūpuna, tēnei te mihi ake ki a koutou katoa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai tātau katoa.

[My concluding tribute to you, firstly to you, the young people who have arrived, the hope is that the ancestors at the place out of sight bestow their love and care upon you, and so my congratulations and accolades to you, and particularly to all your parents and grandparents. My appreciation to us all.]

E Te Mana Whakawā tēnā koe i tēnei ata, ka mihi rā ki a koe Peeni mō te āhuatanga o tā tātau whakarite i tēnei rā, ka mutu, ki ngā kōrero kua puta i tēnei rā. Kai ngā huānga o Taranaki Maunga, Te Maunga Tītōhea, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, e rarau ki roto i Te Whare Pāremata. Hara mai ki Te Whare Pāremata, ā, hāunga āhua tūreiti tā koutou haramai, waiho tērā take ki reira!

Kia whaiwhai haere i te kōrero o taku tuahine, kia tau te rangimārie ki waenganui i a tātau. Ko te kaupapa nui, kua tae mai koutou i tēnei rangi, ka pai, ka pai, ka pai. Ko tāku he whakapiri atu ki ngā kōrero kua kōrerohia e aku tuākana, e aku tuāhine ki a koutou, haere mai, haere mai me ngā mate huhua kua pā mai ki a koutou o Taranaki, a Taranaki Whānui tonu.

I rongo nei i ngā kōrero o Te Minita i tēnei ata mō te hunga kua ngaro atu i te tirohanga kanohi, ka tangi ake! I rongo i ngā ingoa, i kitea, i rangona e au i te wā i a au e noho ana i Taranaki. Ko John Almond mā, ko tērā momo, ko Mate Kaa, Josie Bingham, tērā hunga i kaha nei ki te hāpai i tēnei o ngā kaupapa. Ko ētahi kua ngaro, ēngari anei koutou kua tae mai i tēnei rā, Daisy, koutou ko tō tira,Wīremu, haere mai! Whaiwhai haere i ngā tapuwae o rātau mā.

Ko te kōrero tuatahi kua tīmata te tangi, ā, he oranga ngākau kua tae mai koutou i tēnei rangi ki te whakatutuki i tēnei kaupapa. Kua oti kē i a rātau te whakatakoto kōrero, ko te wāhi ki a au i te whakaaro ake me pēhea e taea ai te whaiwhai haere i ērā kōrero i te mea, i ruku hōhonu nei rātau ki te hōhonutanga o tēnei kaupapa. Nō reira ko tāku e pēnei ana kua huri ki Te Reo Pākehā he māmā ake taku kōrero.

[Thank you, this morning, Mr Deputy Speaker, and my appreciation to you, Peeni Hēnare, for opening our proceedings with a prayer today. To you, the relatives of Taranaki Mountain, Barren Mountain, salutations and acknowledgments to you collectively captivated here in Parliament. Welcome to the Chamber, despite your being somewhat late, but we will leave that matter there!

I will follow up on my sister colleague’s statement that peace must prevail amongst us. The main thing is that you collectively have arrived here today—well done, wonderful, great stuff! Mine is merely to add to the contributions made by my elder and sister colleagues to you. Welcome, come forth with the many deaths that have affected you, collectively of Taranaki, really broadly.

I heard the Minister’s references this morning to those whose faces are lost from view and no longer seen, and so I mourn them. I heard the names I recognised, and heard about them when I lived in Taranaki: John Almond and them of that ilk, Mate Kaa, Josie Bingham; those ones who worked hard to take up this one of the issues. Some have gone but you are here and have arrived today—Daisy, you and your travelling party; Wīremu and their travelling party, following in the footsteps your ancestors. Welcome.

It is the first contribution, and I begin to cry, reassured that you have arrived today to complete this matter. Others have already set down their views and my part is to consider how I should follow up those statements, because they have delved deeply into this matter. And so from my perspective, I will turn to the English language to make my address less restrictive.]

Mr Deputy Speaker, as someone who lives sort of close to Taranaki maunga, or at least can see it from Whanganui, I am sure you will join with me in welcoming our visitors to Whare Pāremata. About 30 years ago, maybe 40 years ago, young as I look, I went across to Taranaki, having been chased by my wife to head across to Taranaki to try to contribute, on my wife’s side. I have got to say that when I arrived in Taranaki, as someone who went from Rotorua, I was taken aback by the few speakers of Māori whom they had amongst their people. I was taken aback by the understanding of history.

I was taken aback by, I suppose, almost a depression that you sometimes felt when you went out to Parihaka on the 18th and 19th of every month. I never got to grips with it until I actually understood that when you have your land taken from you, you are bound to be depressed, you are bound to be angry, and you are bound to be deeply sad. And would you put it out there? Probably not. These people are very understanding. These people are very understanding, and they decided “No, no, we won’t go the war approach.”—well, yeah, they did, actually. But there is another way. There is another way.

So I want to talk about three people, not just because—well, actually, they are people whom I sort of know about. But I thought rather than duplicate some of the other information that has been around, they, for me, sort of give me an idea about how Taranaki feel about certain issues. When I was there, we tried to wake that sleeping giant. What we call “proactive initiators”, others will call “protesters”; but for us we call them “proactive initiators”. The idea was to try to give information to people, and, boy, did we awake a bit of a giant. We will talk about that later on in the Taranaki and Te Atiawa bills.

But there are three people, I think, who really gave it to me in terms of a real understanding about Taranaki history and about how they feel about confiscation and what happened to their people. The first person goes by the name of Tohe Pakanga Ngātai. I met that koroua—he gave me the willies. Why? Because he was a direct sort of fulla, he just came straight—bang. And you would understand it, because his name was Tohe Pakanga, tohe meaning to fight and pakanga meaning a battle.

His whole life was understanding the confiscation issues of Taranaki, and his tūpuna before him obviously knew it was a big issue, because they called him Tohe Pakanga. He did not let them down, because he lived by “tohe pakanga”. Everything he did was about tohe, even how he talked. Actually, at his heart, he was a very humble man—but, man, talk about confiscation and you wake a sleeping giant. Why? Because he learnt from his elders about the effects of confiscation on Taranaki people, across the board. So I pay tribute to Tohe Pakanga. Actually, there are a couple of other people in this gallery whose names are called Tohe as well—even not officially, some of them are still Tohe.

The second person I want to pay tribute to is a person by the name of Hōri Manuirirangi. Hōri Manuirirangi—I do not know whether he is in the gallery today; probably not. Ha, ha! Hōri Manuirirangi is probably not in the gallery because he does not necessarily agree with what is happening here. And you would understand that as well, because when I was there 30 to 40 years ago, Hōri Manuirirangi used to haul me up, especially after we got these courses going and say: “Righto, what are we going to do? Let’s march. Let’s do something. I want my land back. Give it back to Ngāti Tū.” That is all he has ever been on about.

Even 30 years on, when I see him in Taranaki: “Te Ururoa, let’s have a talk. I want my land back. Get it off PKW.” And you would understand that, because Hōri Manuirirangi is of that generation, like Mate Kaa, who heard about and talked about confiscation on their marae at almost every opportunity. You would understand that, because most of the waiata—this is from Te Arawa fulla—are all about confiscation. They are all about the effects of the Crown on Taranaki people—pretty much most of them.

I think that when we hear the waiata from Te Atiawa it will be “E Rere Rā”—maybe not. But that is all about the arrival of the soldiers into Parihaka. When Taranaki come in, we might hear about the piukara, piukara meaning the trumpet, the bugle—maybe not. They might sing another waiata, but it does not matter, because whatever waiata they choose—“I Te Rā o Māehe”—pretty much all of them are all about confiscation. Pretty much all of them, and that is how deep-seated confiscation is in the hearts and minds of Taranaki people.

For me, as somebody who went and stayed there, you cannot understand the issues of confiscation until you go to the people, you sit with the people, you actually live with the people, and you understand their hurt. There must be something to it, because for the last umpteenth hundred years—well, maybe not a hundred years, but certainly for a fair while—people have gone to Parihaka on the 18th and 19th of every month, not broken. Why is that? Why, because they have an opportunity to talk to their issues. What are their issues? Confiscation, land, disempowerment—the whole shooting match.

So there is the second person I want to talk about, Hōri Manuirirangi. I love him to death. I do not mind those ones—I do not mind those ones. It is important that they have a voice. It is important that they have a voice to keep us all rock solid. It is a bit of a hōhā at times, but that is all right. Hōri Manuirirangi, no one can question his commitment to his people—no one. He might have a different view about the world, but that is all right. Koinā te āhuatanga o te tangata.

[That is the trait of the individual.]

The last person I want to talk to is somebody I never had the fortune to meet—well, I wish I had done. His name was Tītokowaru. I say Tītokowaru because, again, Tītokowaru is somebody who is in the hearts and minds of, certainly, the people who are here today, Ngāruahine. Why? Because you have got to ask yourself how a person can have their land lost from them, get into scraps, deal to the settlers, have battles, and, against all of that confiscation, flip to the absolute opposite of passive resistance. How is that possible? With all that pain, you lose your land, you are scrapping all the time, year in year out. I have got a whole blimmin biography of Tītokowaru. Over years, he had five conferences to try to pull everybody together, he formed alliances up in Waikato, and then for some reason he goes flip—over to the other side. Christianity, a faith and hope for his people, and, again, he called people together to, in a sense, stand with Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi in a whole new way of thinking about the engagement with Crown forces. Peace, for goodness’ sake! Peace, after what happened to them and the loss of their land!

I do not know that I will ever get a full understanding of the loss, of what that feels like for somebody to just come in—actually, I have seen the map. You see the confiscation line. Actually, probably somebody in here at the time did some lines. They were lousy drawers, because it went crooked now and again, but that was the confiscation line that just went down the page on a map, a few kinks here and there, and said that everything to the left was now the Crown’s. I mean, can we really get any understanding of that happening in here. Somebody did it—put a line on a map, said “Oh, a bit hard that way; too much bush. Let’s go a little bit left.”, straight down, and said that everything to the left now belonged to the Crown. I mean, there must have been something seriously wrong at that time. There must have been some—who knows? That somebody could do that and say: “Righto, go make it happen.”

So I talk about names because some names in Taranaki history are celebrated on some of those street names in Hāwera, Ōkaiawa—oh, I do not know about Ōkaiawa; there are only a few streets there. I am just saying—Ngāraina Brooks, there are only a few streets there. But names are important, because, despite the fact that we are doing a settlement today that will hopefully be the light into the future, the names of those people who are involved in that issue are still in the hearts and minds—and the worst part is that they always will be. Why? Because they are the street names of a number of streets in Taranaki and Hāwera and New Plymouth and Ōpunake and, possibly, Ōkaiawa. That being the case, let us think about history. I hope that the journals that come from the Taranaki settlement are available to every school in this country. In fact, people should read them—in particular, people associated with Hobson’s choice—to understand what happened in this country’s history.

The final point I will make—talking about names, and just to wrap it up—is that I want to name the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Christopher Finlayson, for the work that he has done to advance this kaupapa. We could have been coming back next year to do this. Ki a koe e Te Minita, ka nui te mihi ki a koe i akiaki nei i tēnei kaupapa ki tōna taumata, me mihi rā Te Ao Māori ki a koe. Ko te wāhi ki a au ā-Minita nei kia tū i tō taha ki te whaiwhai haere i ēnei kaupapa.

[As far as you are concerned, Minister, I applaud you greatly for urging this matter on to its pinnacle. Māoridom must commend you for that. The part for me as a Minister is to stand beside you and to follow up these initiatives.]

I want to acknowledge you and the work that you have done. E te iwi, it is going to be a long morning. I have got other good things to say this morning, but for now, ko tāku ko te kī atu, hara mai me te pare kawakawa o te hunga kua ngaro, kia tangihia e tātau i tēnei rā ēngari, waiho tērā ki reira. Āpōpō he rā anō, kua whiti mai te rā, kua kite mai ai te māramatanga o ngā kaupapa kōrero i kōkirihia i tēnei rā tonu nei. Kia kaha, kia toa i roto i ngā tau kei mua i te aroaro! Kia kaua tātau e hoki whakamuri ēngari arā anō te paerangi, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātau katoa.

[I say to you, welcome with the garland of grief of those who are gone for us to mourn on this day, but leave that there. Tomorrow is another day when the sun shall rise and the significance of the initiatives discussed on this very day will be recognised. Be strong and brave in the years ahead. We must never go backwards, but there indeed is the distant horizon ahead. Well done and congratulations to you collectively and to us all.]

Ā, tēnā koutou e Te Iwi o Ngaruahine, e ngā Iwi o Te Maunga o Taranaki, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Acknowledgments to you, the tribe of Ngaruahine and the tribes of Taranaki Mountain. Accolades to you all.]

At the first reading of the Ngāruahine Claims Settlement Bill I got up and gave a speech, and said that I am not allowed to give a speech, so if I am not careful I will have to boot myself out of the Chamber. As I stood, I heard my cousin say: “Oh, God. Is he going to speak? We’ve gotta move on.” Just to acknowledge, too, that everything I wanted to say, Te Ururoa Flavell has just said.

It was recently—30 years ago; it was 18 December 1985—when I started knocking around with you guys, when I came to Pātea to be the local cop. I met up with Ngāti Ruanui, and Ngā Rauru not long after that, and then the rest of you all around the mountain. In that time we have become pretty good mates. We have been in and out of trouble together; sometimes on the same side and sometimes on opposing sides. Nevertheless, you have inspired within me a renaissance, as a citizen of this country. I believe our future is bright.

I thank you for the struggle that you have had. I hope that we are soon going to see the end of that as we move towards a brighter day and these things get dealt with. Nevertheless, today is a day of celebration. I look forward to being in the Chair through a big chunk of that. Although you will not hear me speak again—

💬 Kelvin Davis: He wai!

God bless. Tēnā koutou katoa.