Taranaki Iwi Claims Settlement Bill

I seek leave for the House to sit past 1 p.m., to the conclusion of the third reading of the Taranaki Iwi Claims Settlement Bill.

Leave is put for that purpose. Is there any objection? There appears to be none.

I move, That the Taranaki Iwi Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time. Can I just begin by thanking the House for its indulgence. It is very important that the three bills are debated together because of the nature of the grievance and the need to progress these bills, given the events of previous weeks.

Can I welcome Taranaki iwi to Parliament and can I thank them very much for making that journey. Today represents the fulfilment of years of work from you and your tūpuna, because it has been almost 30 years since the original claim was lodged with the Waitangi Tribunal, and it has been 20 years since that very important report of the tribunal was released. Just to remind members, it is a report that described the Taranaki claims as some of the most severe in the country, so today is a long overdue event.

I acknowledge all of those people from Taranaki iwi in the gallery who have worked to make this settlement a reality. I acknowledge those who are no longer with us but those who devoted their lives to seeking justice from the Crown. In particular, I recognise the original Taranaki iwi claimants, who carried the claims of their tūpuna but were unable to see their aspirations realised.

Can I acknowledge the Taranaki iwi negotiation team, and in particular I pay respects to Te Miringa Hohaia, who passed away in 2011 while negotiating the settlement. I also acknowledge Peter Charlton, who contributed significantly to the leadership team and set the strategy and the foundations of the negotiations. The efforts of these two have helped free the Taranaki iwi people from the mamae inflicted by the Crown and have paved the way, we all hope, for a future of opportunity, hope, and prosperity.

Special acknowledgment must go to the Taranaki iwi negotiators: Jamie Tuuta; a friend of all of us in this place, the Hon Mahara Okeroa; Toka Walden; and Wayne Mulligan—the “A Team”, as I always used to call them. They were great negotiators. I thank them for their vision, their leadership, and their unrelenting dedication—and I can say this to Mahara now—even when it used to really irritate me. I thought I was there and then the goalposts moved. I went back to my office and screamed, but having got it out in the privacy of my own office, we then moved on. I thank you for your cooperation with your neighbours, Te Atiawa and Ngāruahine, to allow this day to occur.

Can I thank the Taranaki Regional Council and the South Taranaki District Council for supporting the settlement, because they have. Opposition to the particular redress negotiated, I have to say, is not really complicated by any vestige of merit.

Finally, I thank the Crown team, ably led by Paul Swain, who has been such a tremendous negotiator over the years over a number of iwi. I know how hard he worked on the Taranaki claim, knowing that Mahara was on the other side. Can I also thank the officials from across Government departments who worked tirelessly to achieve this settlement. The Office of Treaty Settlements has, as always, been outstanding.

It is my sincerest hope that the bill we are considering today is going to enable Taranaki iwi to move towards a positive future. The settlement redress—and I know I have to read this into the record of the House. I know that it sounds a pittance, and I do not actually enjoy reading it into the House, because I know what happened up there, but I am the face of the Crown in 2016 and so it is my obligation to do so. So I read the redress into the permanent record of the House: financial and commercial redress of $70 million—the opportunity to purchase specific Crown properties through deferred selection, and the right of first refusal—the vesting of 30 cultural redress sites, including the joint vesting of Ngā Motu islands with Te Atiawa; statutory acknowledgments over 25 sites of significance, and deeds of recognition over 14 sites; and the option to purchase specific South Taranaki District Council properties if they become surplus. And, as I have adverted to on a number of occasions this morning, there is a proposed model for iwi representation on two standing committees of the Taranaki Regional Council alongside the other iwi of Taranaki and that well-known iwi Federated Farmers! So I hope that this redress will help mend the Taranaki iwi and Crown relationship into the future.

It is very important that I as the Minister leading off the debate turn to the historical claims. This morning is actually quite a grim morning, because we have had to consider the various ways in which the Crown has failed to uphold its obligations to Ngāruahine and Te Atiawa under the Treaty. Sadly, many of these failures, obviously, were experienced by Taranaki iwi. In their earliest interactions with the Crown, Taranaki iwi sought to take advantage of new economic opportunities, but to do so on their own terms. Prior to 1860, Taranaki iwi were participating successfully in a trading economy and retained control over much of their customary land. However, over the course of the following 5 years, the Crown purchased land at Waitara, leading to war with Taranaki Māori, including Taranaki iwi. In those conflicts the Crown used warships to shell Taranaki iwi coastal settlements, employed scorched earth tactics that destroyed settlements and cultivations, desecrated sacred sites by building military redoubts on them, and caused Taranaki iwi to suffer severe hardship. Then, to top it off, the Crown punished the iwi of Taranaki for their resistance by confiscating 1.2 million acres of land, including every acre—every acre—of the Taranaki iwi rohe not already purchased.

We all know about the flawed compensation process, with the consequent long delays and return of land—the return of almost all land under individualised title, which extinguished customary tenure. So it is a very unhappy history that I recount today, and it simply serves to emphasise why we need to have these settlements. And it is not just the commercial redress, as some people write to me and say; it is getting the history right and properly recorded.

In that regard, I want to now turn and say just a few words about Parihaka, because the devastation wreaked by the Crown in Taranaki is most potently seen through this small rural community at the foothills of the maunga. I have touched on Parihaka a number of times today, but I need to say something more. In 1866 Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi established a settlement at Parihaka. They sought to prevent further land loss. They sought to promote Māori autonomy through peaceful engagement with Pākehā on Māori terms. Initially, the Crown welcomed the peaceful influence of Parihaka in Taranaki; however, as the settlement rapidly grew both in size and influence, the Crown came to view the settlement as a challenge to its authority.

In 1879 and 1880 the settlement’s assertion of continuing rights over confiscated land, articulated through the powerful symbolic acts of ploughing and fencing, were met with a series of responses from the Crown that really are among the lowest points of our nation’s history. Taranaki iwi men and boys were among the 405 who were arrested and transported to South Island prisons—denied their basic human rights to a trial. Taranaki iwi were there to watch more than 1,500 Crown troops march into Parihaka in November 1881, arrest their leaders, pull down their houses, destroy crops, kill livestock, and defile their sacred wharenui. Taranaki iwi women were among those who were left to maintain the settlement in the absence of so many of the husbands, fathers, and sons, and were subject to grievous assault by Crown troops.

So these, for the people in the gallery, are not historical abstractions, not an interesting historical outline; these were real people. These are their tūpuna, their fathers and their grandfathers, their mothers and their grandmothers. So the Crown’s actions at Parihaka created pain and grievance for all the iwi of Taranaki, and that is why we do have unfinished business, and we all know that. That is why we are continuing to work with the Parihaka community to devise a package that will work for them. I reiterate on behalf of the Crown the Crown’s commitment that justice has to be done.

The Parihaka community have received the Crown package, and I hope it is going to go some way towards mending the harm. Over the months that lie ahead, the community will need to consider that package and come back to me. I certainly hope that we can achieve a reconciliation process that really does fulfil the legacy of the two prophets I have mentioned.

In closing, I want to thank Ngāruahine, Te Atiawa, and Taranaki iwi. Today has been a very significant day for the Taranaki region and for all New Zealanders. As I said, the Parihaka issue is yet to be resolved justly and with dignity. Finally, I say to the iwi of Taranaki: let us talk about that mountain some time soon. I commend the bill to the House.

Ā, tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare, otirā, ki ngā whānau me ngā hapū o Taranaki Iwi, anei au e tuku mihi atu ki a koutou kua tae mai ki Te Whare nei. Tēnei ahau e tuku mihi atu anō hoki ki a rātou mā, e whakarongo mai, e mātakitaki mai i runga i te pouaka whakaata, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, ā, tēnā tātou katoa.

[And so thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, but at the same time to the families and subtribes of the Taranaki tribe, here I am acknowledging you, who have arrived at this House. I also acknowledge those others listening and watching on the television, so hello and greetings to you collectively, and thank you to all of us.]

There are a number of things I want to talk about. The first thing I want to talk about—and it is in relation to the Taranaki Iwi Claims Settlement Bill, but also the other Taranaki settlements—is Subpart 5, “Regional council representation”. I just want to give my opinion on this, because we have been told in this House today that this is about elected representation for the council and, in fact, it is not; it is absolutely not.

The governors of the Taranaki region will remain the governors. This is about appointments on to standing committees. And, as the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations pointed out, there are representatives from Federated Farmers. Why would you put iwi on there? You would put iwi on there because there are eight Taranaki iwi that are affected by everything that the Taranaki Regional Council does and the decisions that it makes. It is an acknowledgment of the mana w’enua and the considerable post-settlement contributions that all of the iwi in Taranaki are about to make or are already making. So it is really important that their voice is heard at those decision-making tables.

It has been said that it is about elected representation. Well, no, although I agree that if it were the case, then I would agree with that. But it is not about that. It is actually about the voices of the iwi being heard, and I wanted to make that explicitly clear on this bill, and reference it to the other two bills as well.

I took the opportunity to read the historical account—not the abbreviated version in the bill but the full version that was signed in the deed of settlement. I had it on me. My flight was diverted. It was going to Palmerston North and it was diverted to New Plymouth. I had a copy of that deed on me, and I took the opportunity to read it on a bus travelling from New Plymouth, supposedly to Palmerston North, but I convinced the bus driver to let me off at Wanganui. As we were passing Taranaki maunga, I was reading this. Every historical account that you read is sad, but there is an incredible sadness about all of the Taranaki historical accounts beyond anything else I have read.

So I want to acknowledge the negotiators—all of the negotiators, including the Crown negotiators, because we know that this is a negotiated version of the historical account. That means both the Crown and the iwi have to agree to it. There were some pretty powerful things in there. As already outlined by the Minister, the depth of resilience of the Taranaki iwi people, particularly through Parihaka, is now part of our legal history and our parliamentary history. I want to stand and acknowledge not only the negotiators but everyone who, obviously, would have had to contribute to the telling of that story. I know, through my own experience, that getting that level and that quality of kōrero to be told is not an easy task.

The Minister also mentioned the financial redress. It is a step forward. It is a beginning. It is not the end of the financial and the economic well-being of Taranaki iwi; it is the start. I remember reading some of the statements that were made at the time that the deed of settlement was signed. What struck me was the incredible positive focus of those statements made by Taranaki iwi people.

I have no doubt that Te Kāhui o Taranaki Trust is well positioned to turn what is a fraction of what was lost into a positive asset for future generations. I commend the trust for the work that it has done thus far, and for the challenges that it will meet into the future. And it is great to be challenged, I think. It is important not only that we are challenged in that space but also that we take heed of those who do not have a voice. And I am certain that will happen; I am not saying that will not happen. But I think that is an important thing to recognise within the economic and financial well-being and future of all of our iwi.

I would like to mention the cultural redress of this settlement as well. For me, these are settlements that are made up of those three important parts. The cultural redress, for me, is so important. It can re-establish a reconnection to our land with our culture, and I note the number of different mechanisms that have been used within the cultural redress of this settlement bill. I think that, coupled with the other mechanisms—the financial ones—this will provide the means for Taranaki iwi to move forward into the future.

Can I also commend the negotiators who delayed the signing of the deed of settlement, specifically to address the needs of Parihaka. Parihaka has to be mentioned in this bill and it has to be recognised in the House today, and I support the words of the Minister. It is so important to get that part of this settlement right, and I am really pleased that Taranaki iwi took the opportunity to delay that deed of settlement. In the end, it has not delayed the legislation, because they are all going through on the same day.

I think that is something that the Taranaki iwi should be proud of—that they went through those extra steps to make certain that this bill was everything that they wanted it to be and needed it to be.

Ā, nō reira, tēnei anō te mihi ake ki a tātou, oti noa, ki a koutou e kaha ana kia hara mai ki Te Whare nei. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai tātou katoa.

[And so I once again acknowledge us and, accordingly, you collectively who were staunch in coming here to this House. Congratulations, well done to you, and my appreciation to us all.]

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā rangatira mā, tēnā koutou. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Before I start, I would like to acknowledge Toka Walden, Jamie Tuuta, and Puna Wano-Bryant. I would like to acknowledge you here today and, of course, all the tremendous support that you have around you for this very, very important occasion. I would like to also acknowledge Te Miringa Hohaia and the memory of Te Miringa, and all the work that he has done in supporting where we are today.

I would also like to just acknowledge my colleagues, the Taranaki MPs—of course, Chester Borrows here, Adrian Rurawhe, and Barbara Kuriger, who is here as well. Barbara was involved with the Local Government and Environment Committee in bringing through the urgent legislation around the Kaikōura earthquake, and so she was delayed there.

I have acknowledged these people, and I want to say that these and other members of Te Atiawa and Taranaki and Ngāruahine are people whom I very much admire. I admire their resilience, their tenacity, their incredible patience, and their goodwill. I would like to acknowledge Ruakurī, and I would also like to acknowledge David MacLeod as the Chairman of the Taranaki Regional Council, who is here today, as well.

Because of who these people are, I know that as they go forward from this day onwards, they will go forward with great strength, and I know that they will take the Taranaki region forward as well in that. When I think of the words of Te Whiti o Rongomai, he said this: “Though the lions rage still I am for peace … Though I be killed I yet shall live; though dead, I shall live in peace which will be the accomplishment of my aim. The future is mine, and little children, when asked hereafter as to the author of peace, shall say ‘Te Whiti’ and I will bless them.”

What great words. And such is the mana of that great leader, and the legacy in which Taranaki iwi—in fact, iwi all around Taranaki—walk today. When surrounded by greater odds and greater numbers, and against cannon, horse, musket, and sabre, they resisted, passively, peacefully, when they said—as perhaps the Fitzroy Pole says—this is where it needs to stop.

When you read all of this, what you see is a people who, against all odds, maintained strength of spirit and resiliency, purpose, and mana, and who never lost who they are, even though they lost much. And that is why Taranaki iwi are going to continue to prosper. In fact, out of what this settlement brings to you, being a platform of a stronger future, you will succeed because of who you are. Because of all that you have had to withstand, you have maintained your integrity and your mana, and, more than anything else, I think, that puts the complete region and Aotearoa New Zealand in a very good space.

I want to also acknowledge the Taranaki Regional Council, and I want to thank the regional council for its agreement and its willingness and its embracing of this legislation, which enables Taranaki iwi representatives to be members of standing committees. In essence, Taranaki iwi representatives are being offered what Wīremu Kīngi offered the European settlers, which is to have a part in the decision making. So I do not see it as something that is worthy of objecting to, but I think it needs to be something that is comfortably accepted and embraced, because what is good for iwi is good for everyone. They care for our environment, they care for whānau, and they care for their community, and I believe that we have nothing to be afraid of.

So, with those few short words, I would like to commend this bill to the House. Nō reira, tēnā tātou katoa.

“Mā wai au e ārahi ki Tapu-Wharawhara, te puke i tau ai te matā, kia pai nā taku titiro ki te moana ki Waikare papa pounamu nei ē. Kauria ahau i te waiora o Te Karetū, rere ana ki Ōtūihu, tū ana ahau i Te Ngutu Awa o Taumārere, te awa herehere riri. Me hoki kōmuri au ki Te Whare o Tīhema, Te Whare e arohatia nei ē! He paunga waiho mai nā ō mātua, e huri noa atu rā ki te ākau ē!”

Taranaki Iwi tēnā rā koutou. Ko aua kupu, he kupu nō tētahi waiata nō tōku hapū a Ngāti Manu kei roto o Karetū, kei Te Tai Tokerau. Ko te ingoa o taua waiata, he waiata aroha ki te whenua, e whakaatu ana, e whakamāramatia ana i te kaha o te aroha o te Māori, ngā honotanga o te Māori ki ōna maunga, ki ōna pā, ki ōna awaawa, ki ōna moana, ki ōna kāinga. Nā reira, ka rongo ahau i ngā hara o Te Karauna ki a koutou i wērā tau i mua, i muri, ka koropupū ake te pukuriri ki roto i te whatu manawa i te mea, ko aua hara kua meangia ai ki a mātau hoki, ki ngā iwi katoa. Ka tirohia e ahau i ngā whenua kei roto i Pēwhairangi e ūhia ana e ngā whare rahi o Te Pākehā whai rawa; ka tirohia e ahau ki tōku kāinga o Te Karetū, ngā whare iti, ngā whare taretare o Te Māori, ka āhua pukuriri ahau ki ngā rerekētanga.

Ēngari, kua rongo ahau 1.2 miriona ngā eka kua raupatungia i a koutou—ō koutou whenua katoa! Waimarie ana mātau he paku wāhi nō mātau hei tū ō mātau kāinga. Nā reira, kai te mihi atu ahau ki a koutou. E mahara ake ana ahau ki ngā kōrero, ngā kupu o Te Atua Wera, tētahi o ngā poropiti nō Ngāpuhi, ki tōna hoa a Kāwiti, te tupuna o Peeni rāua ko Pita Paraone: “Ka whakahurihia e Te Pākehā tana Tiriti hei pūngāwerewere, hei kai i a tātau Te Iwi Māori. He rite tātau ki te pāpaka, ki te tātarakihi ōna toto, ōna whēkau kua ngotea, kua kainga. Ka whakarērea ki muri he pāpaka, ko taua pāpaka ko tāua Te Iwi Māori!”.

[“Who will lead me to Tapu-Wharawhara, the hill where the obsidian settled, so that I have a good view indeed of the dark green sea surface at Waikare. It is there that I will wade at Karetū, and then flee to Ōtūihu and stop at the river mouth of Taumārere, the river that binds up aggression. I must return to the house of Tīhema, which I indeed have much compassion for. It is a relic left by our forefathers, and so I turn and nostalgically gaze along the banks of the river and the coastline indeed!”

Acknowledgments to you the tribe of Taranaki. Those words are words from a lament that belong to my Ngāti Manu subtribe in Karetū at North Auckland. That song is a lament about the land, revealing and explaining the powerful empathy that Māori have in terms of their connections to their mountains, pā settlements, valleys, seas, and dwellings. So when I hear about the transgressions inflicted upon you by the Crown in those past years, anger wells up from within the heart, because those violations were inflicted upon us as well, and upon all tribes. I looked up the lands in the book Pēwhairangi that were covered by the large houses that belonged to well-to-do Pākehā; I looked at my settlement of Te Karetū, at the small and dilapidated Māori houses, and I got angry at the differences.

But I heard that 1.2 million acres were confiscated from you—all of your lands! We were lucky we got a small patch of land for us to put our homes up on it. So we congratulate you collectively. I recall the sayings, the utterances, of Te Atua Wera, one of the prophets from Ngāpuhi, to his mate Kāwiti, the ancestor of Peeni Henare and Pita Paraone: “The Pākehā will turn his Treaty into a spider to consume us, the Māori people. We are like the crab and the cicada, whose blood and entrails have been sucked out and consumed. What remains is a crab, and that crab is indeed us, Māoridom!”.]

I will translate that. I just acknowledged the extent of the loss of Taranaki—all the 1.2 million acres, all of their lands—every acre, as the Minister said. And it reminds me of the saying of Te Atua Wera, a Ngāpuhi prophet, to his friend Kāwīti, who happens to be a tupuna of Pita Paraone and Peeni Henare, when he said: “The Pākehā has converted the Treaty into a spider to eat us, the Māori people. We are just like the shell of the cicada. Our blood and our innards have been sucked out and eaten, and all that is left is the shell, and that shell is us, the Māori people.”

Ēngari, ka titiro ake ahau ki a koutou e Taranaki Iwi, ka kite ahau ēhara ko te pāpaka noa iho kua toe. He Iwi kaha koutou. Ka mahara hoki ahau ki ngā kupu o Te Tohu Kākahi, nāna i mea mai: “Kāore ana ahau kia koropiko ki te mana o Te Kuini.”, nā reira, ātaahua rawa atu ana āna korero. Ka kite ahau kīhai koutou i koropiko ki te mana o Te Kuini, ki te mana o Te Karauna. Nā reira, kei te mihi atu ahau ki a koutou e manakohia ana, mā tēnei taunga o tō koutou kerēme, ka āwhinatia i te tātarakihi kia whakahokia ōna whēkau, ōna toto kia tino puāwai, kia tino rere, kia rongo tātau i tōna waiata i roto i ngā ngahere o Taranaki Iwi. Kua rongo ake ahau i ngā kōrero a Jonathan Young i tāna whaikōrero i mua ake rā i ngā kerēme mō Te Ātiawa. Nāna i kī mai ko tō koutou tupuna a Wīremu Kīngi Te Rangitāke nā Colonel Murray i haere atu ki a ia.

[But I look up at you, Taranaki tribe, and I see that it is not just the crab that is left. You are a capable tribe. I also recall the words of Te Tohu Kākahi, who said: “I have not yet bowed to the Queen’s sovereignty.”, and so his words are really lovely. I see you have not bowed to the integrity of the Queen and the Crown. Therefore, I commend you, because in your hearts you know that this settlement of your claim will help the return of the cicada’s entrails and blood so that it blossoms and flows in order that we hear its song in the forests that belong to the tribe of Taranaki. I have heard the sentiments expressed by Jonathan Young in his earlier address in regard to the Te Ātiawa claims. He said that your ancestor Wīremu Kīngi Te Rangitāke was approached by Colonel Murray.]

Colonel Murray said that there was a virtual declaration of war alleging Kīngi was in rebellion, and Kīngi replied: “Friend, Colonel Murray, salutation to you in the love of our Lord, Jesus Christ … You say that we have been guilty of rebellion against the Queen, but we consider we have not,”.

Ko tāku e whakapae ana ko tērā; Te Karauna e whakawātia ana i a koutou o Taranaki Iwi. Nā ka huri ahau ki ngā kupu o tētahi o ōku kaumātua nō Ngāti Hine, arā, ko te taokete o Pita Paraone, a Hirini Hēnare. Wēnei āna kōrero ki Te Taraipiunara o Waitangi i roto i a Ngāpuhi: “He aha kē ahau te tangata kore hara i mua i Te Atua, e tū nei kia whakawātia e koe te tangata tāhae, te tangata hara, te tangata kore tikanga? Ko koe kē te tika kia tū ki konei. Māku kē koe e whakawā i raro i ōku ture o te tikanga; kotahi anake te tatūtanga ko te pono!”.

[That was what I was alleging; the Crown was investigating you the tribe of Taranaki. I turn now to words of one of my aged from Ngāti Hine, namely the brother-in-law of Pita Paraone, Hirini Hēnare. These are his words to the Waitangi Tribunal in Northland: “What indeed am I, a person who is sinless before God, standing here to be investigated by you, the thieving, sinful one who has no principles? By rights, you indeed should be the one standing here. I should be the one investigating you, under my lore; quite frankly, there should have been only one settlement, and that is the truth!”.]

In other words, I was saying that Colonel Murray judged Wīremu Kīngi Te Rangitake, and I just want to refer back to the words of a kaumātua of mine from Ngāti Hine, who happens to be the brother-in-law of Pita Paraone. In his words he said: “Why is it that me, a person without sin in the eyes of the Lord, stands here to be judged by you—a thief, a criminal, a person without customs or tikanga? It is proper that you should stand here before me and let me judge you under my laws, under my tikanga, and there will be one result and that is the truth.” Beautiful words, and I think they apply to not just Taranaki iwi, to be honest, but all of the tribes that have had their land unfairly confiscated. The land was confiscated and taken for the most shallow of reasons, and we were all judged rebels and savages, and all those sorts of adjectives were thrown around about Māori. Yet if we could just let non-Māori see that, actually, if we were able to apply and judge others using our tikanga there would be a different result.

This bill goes a very small way to righting the wrongs of the past: 1.2 million acres were stolen from Taranaki iwi; every single acre that they possessed. As we have said, what we are returning is just a fraction of what was taken. I often refer to what Minister Finlayson says, that we should never actually just focus on what has been returned; we should focus on the extent of what was taken, because 1.2 million acres is enough for every man, woman, and child in New Zealand right now to have their own quarter acre section. That is the extent of the confiscation, and I do not think people realise that, in all, we are getting back—I would not say a lousy couple of million dollars, but, in the greater scheme of things, you know, it is just a mere fraction.

So I acknowledge you and I thank you all. This is a day, I believe, when we need to commemorate the past, when we need to celebrate today, but, most of all, we need to anticipate the future.

Nō reira, huri rauna, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai anō tātou.

[So congratulations, well done throughout to you collectively, and thank you once again to us.]

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. Kia ora koutou. Āe, ko Mārama Davidson, tika tāu, kia ora! Taranaki tūturu, ā, tēnā koutou anō, koutou ko Taranaki whānui hoki. Kia ora.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Hello there you lot. Yes, it is Marama Davidson, you are right, thank you! Greetings to you collectively once again genuine Taranaki and you as well Taranaki at large, thank you.]

I want to thank the Minister, Chris Finlayson, who, at the start of his kōrero in the final reading of this, the Taranaki Iwi Claims Settlement Bill, acknowledged fully—well, I think you can never acknowledge fully the injustice, including what happened at Parihaka, but he put on to the record of the House the scorched-earth confiscation of land, the invasion of Parihaka, and the taking of those tūpuna down to the south without trial, some of them never returning, and, particularly, as a wahine, I want to acknowledge the Minister for reminding us of the assault that those wāhine faced.

I cannot stand here without emphasising and acknowledging the deep takahi of the mana of wāhine that happens when that happens, particularly as I was removed from this House within the first 5 days of my standing in it for wanting to maintain a voice to acknowledge the mamae of survivors, wāhine survivors, of assault. I do thank the Minister for putting that on to the record and actually saying those words. I stand here to recall those wāhine in those moments. It is the assaults that we want to continue to speak out against and not isolate our people who have gone through those similar assaults, and I will stand in this House today to recall those wāhine and all of the whānau of Taranaki tūturu, Taranaki whānui, and descendants of Parihaka. Kia ora.

I want to pick up again the issue of representation. I listened to my colleague Adrian Rurawhe when he distinguished that the settlement has actually resulted in an outcome of provision for iwi representation but on the committees—the Taranaki Regional Council’s policy planning committee and the consents and regulatory committee. I look forward, in particular, to the Taranaki representation on the consents and regulatory committee, on both of those committees, because the representation, the honouring of Te Tiriti, and the representation of mana whenua in making decisions is at its heart about upholding the kaitiaki responsibilities to care for our people and our land.

So we need to pull the narrative away from “Oh, they get a seat here and they get a seat there.” It is not the point. The point is—and this is why whether it is representation on committees or at governance level is not in itself the outcome. The outcome, as it always was supposed to be, was to address the structural injustices that prevented mana whenua from engaging in those decisions in the first place. It is not giving something; it is returning something that was stolen. It is returning the representation at that decision-making level that was stolen.

Here, my Ngāti Hine whanaunga and I will tautohetohe that for ever and a day on our differing positions when it comes to representation and mana whenua upholding their kaitiaki responsibilities to ensure that our whenua, our wai, our tamariki and mokopuna for generations to come can benefit, can survive, can uphold the whakapapa of Taranaki, and for that to happen as our tupuna always wanted when they envisioned Te Tiriti o Waitangi, we need to have our people in those places of making decisions. That has to be guaranteed. And when we are a minority in Aotearoa, in a democracy, then we need those guarantees, and the guarantee of that representation will benefit all citizens, all people of Aotearoa, whether you are Māori or not. That is the point of what was fought for in this settlement, in Ngāruahine, and it is why the Green Party, Catherine Delahunty, and Jan Logie took part in the hīkoi with Andrew Judd and all the people to arrive at Parihaka to stand for that representation and uphold the kaitiaki responsibility. So I want to be very clear about where I and the Green Party stand on that outcome of representation.

I cannot stand in this House without also acknowledging Te Miringa Hohaia, a man whom I have heard much about and whom I never had the honour of meeting, but whose whānau and tamariki and descendants I have the privilege of being involved with, and they, I will say, are unsure about whether or not he would have fully agreed to the settlement that we are talking about today. Through all the settlements that is a recurring theme. Nevertheless, we acknowledge those differing voices. We acknowledge the hard work, the challenges placed upon these settlement processes by the Crown. Tēnā koe, Te Miringa.

I want to acknowledge the hard work in the ratification process that happened, and I note that the deed of settlement was initialled in July and then there followed numerous ratification hui and ballots. I want to acknowledge Te Kāhui o Taranaki Trust as Taranaki iwi’s post-settlement entity for the democratic process for passing the ratification and in particular getting the views of those beyond the mandated negotiators. It is a trying process to try to get any sort of mandate and consensus. I acknowledge that, and I acknowledge the particular efforts in this case that happened and the difficulty, the ongoing difficulty, and that difficulty does not stop here. There will be the ongoing conversations about decisions that are made over certain awa, whenua, papākainga, and over what we involve ourselves in, and what business ventures we uphold. All of that will continue to be an ongoing conversation, and I wish Taranaki all the luck in maintaining that dialogue and reaching beyond just the few voices that are always easier to progress those kōrero with. Tēnā koutou.

Just in my last bit, Taranaki Maunga is such a tupuna that it deserves its own whole process. I am pleased that Minister Finlayson has indeed signalled his commitment for that to come up next. And, again, Parihaka and the injustice of the story too deserves its own entire settlement process and reconciliation process. So I want to put on record that we are pleased. Those will be hard.

One of the things that this process has done, that Te Tiriti settlement deeds have done, is it has brought these stories to the fore for a lot of us who never knew—a lot of us. I am talking about even my own iwi. The tribunal hearings have brought so much of that to the fore, to benefit all of us so that we have a bit of a better understanding of what has happened. That needs to continue. So, as I sum up, for all of the Taranaki iwi settlements that have happened this morning, Ngāruahine, Te Atiawa, Taranaki tūturu, this has been an incredibly humbling position today—to stand here with this enormous responsibility to try to uphold the mana with which you have all held yourselves throughout this process.

Kia kaha, Nō reira, kei te mihi, kei te mihi, kei te mihi ki a koutou i waenganui, i roto i tēnei Whare. Kua tae mai koutou ki tō whenua nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēna koutou huri noa, kia ora tātou katoa.

[Be strong. And so I acknowledge, commend, and congratulate you collectively amongst and within this House. You have arrived at your land, so well done and congratulations to you collectively throughout, and my thanks to us all.]

Tēnā koutou e Te Whare. Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. Whānau, I am going to be brief, I am going to be succinct—well, I will try. Actually, I probably will not be succinct. I just want to make a couple of acknowledgments. I have tried to be a little mana enhancing, and sometimes I give my mate Pita Paraone from New Zealand First a bit of stick, but I want to acknowledge him; he has agreed to switch calls with me, and I am going to tell you why. Thank you, Mr Paraone. I still do not agree with the politics, but I cannot say that you have not been accommodating. So thank you. If you could be a little more accommodating to Taranaki and their whānau and agree with the bill, then we could go the whole way.

I have to apologise again. I have been down here; you might have seen me go in and out. We had a bit of paper and a bit of a conversation and a sneaky phone call over here while these proceedings have been going on. I do not want to be disrespectful to this moment at all, and there is a point to what I am about to say. This here—this big document with all the pretty colours—that is preparing Budget bids for next year. Shh, top secret stuff, that! The phone call I had was about the Child, Youth and Family review and the development of the new model Oranga Tamariki. There was a bit of to and fro, which you might understand is going on at the moment.

Why do I say this? Because, whānau, Māoridom is on the precipice right now of greater self-determination in this nation. We are on the precipice of a greater say in this country over our future. We are on the precipice of a more local, regional government say in decision making and mana. Whether or not you agree, the Resource Management Act, which we have just negotiated, says that you must have a mana whakahono arrangement with your local regional council so that every iwi gets to nut that out before we go down the road of consenting, and so on, and so on.

Why am I talking about this? Because this is exactly why you are here. We have waited far too many generations to get to this point, and we cannot afford to wait for any more generations to go through before we take the opportunity to have that say. Here you are, having your say. You have negotiated this settlement. You have put your best people, your best minds, on it. You have spent years coming to this decision. Most of you did not want to do this, back in the day. You sat with blankets, on the ātea—[Interruption] I am not sure what they are talking about. Shocking! Shocking! But here we are, Māori mā, on the precipice of a bright dawn of hope and future. The mana is in your hands. The mana is in your hands, with this settlement, to determine what that looks like. That is what we are about. And that is why, unfortunately, I am going to take a really brief call, because I have got to get to a meeting. But that is why we are here. That is why we fight every single day in this House.

Never mind what Twitter says, never mind what Facebook says, never mind all the argy-bargy and the game playing, and “Yes, we’ll work with you, and maybe we won’t tomorrow; this one’s OK, but never mind that one.” I mean, it is a bit of to and fro. But that is why we are here—to fight for you, to back you up so that you can have realisation of rangatiratanga in this nation. And it is about time—it is about time. This bill helps you to get there. It helps you to have your say, and I absolutely applaud you for every effort you have made to bring us to this day. I am a proud Māori today; I am. I am proud of our people. It is an emotional day, and it has been a hard day, but I am proud. I am proud of you.

Tū whakahīhī. Tū whakahīhī i runga i te ngākau, i runga i te rangimarie ēngari, tūwhakahī! Tēnā noa iho taku kōrero i tēnei wā ki a koutou me ō koutou ringa kaha. Kai a koutou te ringa kaha ahakoa whakaae mai, ahakoa whakahē mai, kei roto i ō ringa, nā reira e Te Iwi, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai tātau katoa.

[Stand proud. Stand proud upon the heart and upon peace, but stand proud! That is my contribution at this moment to you collectively with your powerful hands. Regardless whether you agree or disagree, it is in your hands, and so to you the tribe, congratulations, well done to you collectively, and thanks to us all.]

Tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. Kei te tautoko i ngā mihi i mihingia ki Te Iwi o Taranaki kua tae mai nei i waenganui i a tātau i te rā nei, ki te whakarongongia ngā kōrero e pā ana ki te pire i mua i te aroaro o tātau i te rā nei.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I endorse the tributes accorded to the Taranaki tribe who has arrived amongst us today to listen to the contributions relating to this bill before us this day.]

I do not know why I must feel like the loneliest fella in this House at the moment, but I just want to remind people that that is the effect of democracy: that people are allowed to have a different point of view. And I must acknowledge, despite my party’s different point of view, that people have taken that on board and have not entered into the vitriol that normally arises on such occasions. I also want to remind members that those who have a different view also lie within the various iwi And although we have not settled in the North, you can see that there is a large proportion of dissatisfaction just in appointing negotiators. We have not even got to the table and we are fighting.

Kia ahatia!

[So what!]

I digress. This bill is the culmination of a very long journey on the part of Taranaki iwi—in fact, 30 years—and it goes some way to righting the wrongs of the past. And I hope that it augurs well as Taranaki iwi, Te Atiawa, and Ngāruahine look to the future, to build a future that the following generations will gain the benefit of. And I make that reference because last week I had the privilege of attending Te Rangi Hīroa Day at Urenui. Yes, I got a lecture—well, I did not get a lecture; I was just part of the class that was there, and we got a lecture from the Rev Tiki Raumati.

As I travelled to that part of Taranaki, I was wondering what sort of reception I would get, knowing that I was the bearer, on behalf of New Zealand First, of a different point of view to the settlements. Might I add that I was really impressed, and I hope that such days continue. I was similarly impressed with the 2 days each month of Parihaka. I just put out a hint that if you still love me after today, I am quite happy to come, but I will make sure that I lose weight, because then you will not want to eat me. Kāti, again.

During the course of this debate, the different view of New Zealand First—we have never said that this bill is about council representation. What we are saying is that there is a clause in the bill that we do not agree with, because I think that we as Māori can do better. And if we look at, for instance, this House, where we have the seven Māori seats, and apart from two other Māori in this House who have won their general seats, there are no more who hold seats in their own right. And the point is that unless you have more seats, you are going to be restricted to that number. And the opportunity is for Māori to stand for general seats.

All we are saying in New Zealand First is that the clause—and in this particular bill, Taranaki Iwi Claims Settlement Bill, it is clause 99(3)—where it says that the council “must appoint” iwi representatives; we are asking why this is different to the Local Government Act, which says that councils “may”. I know why we have “must”: so that it puts it on councils to have to make those appointments. But then the previous speaker made reference to the Resource Management Act amendments. We have not seen the final details, and, obviously, they have been able to negotiate that there is iwi representation, but what about those councils that do not have this clause? That is the question. But then we will debate that issue during the course of the Resource Management Act amendment legislation.

Of course, the passing of this legislation does not complete the claims of all Taranaki. There is the issue of the mountain. As we say with our maunga Hikurangi in Ngāti Hine—and I do not want you to confuse it with the Hikurangi in Tai Rāwhiti—we refer to our maunga as: Mō Tetau Tū Teao Tū Tepō [Our mountain].

Mō Tetau Tū Teao Tū Tepō.

And, similarly, I would like to make that same reference to Taranaki:

Nā reira, kore e tōroa tēnei tū, nā te mea i whakatakoto wā mātau whakaaro kia mōhio mai koutou te āhua o ō mātau tū, nā reira, i tōku kōrero whakamutunga, ngā mihi hoki ki a koutou. Ngā mihi ki tēnā, Te Miringa, nā te mea mahara ana au i a ia i te wā e ora ana, ko ia tetahi i haere mai i waenganui i a mātau, ia tau, ia tau ā Te Rā o Waitangi, ki te totohe ki a mātau o te hau kāinga. I muri mai i tana totohetanga, hoki mai a ia ki raro i tana maunga a Taranaki. Mihi hoki ki a ia me koutou ngā kaikawe o tēnei kaupapa. Tino mīharo ana au ki a koutou kia kawe atu i tēnei kaupapa ki te rā nei. Nā reira, ngā manaakitanga kei runga i a koutou, kia haere koutou i runga i te rangimāria. Nā reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai anō tātau.

[Therefore, I will not prolong this stand, because we set our views so that you would know collectively the nature of our position, and so in my closing remarks, acknowledgments to you collectively as well. Thanks to that Te Miringa because I recall that person when he was alive he would come among us annually every Waitangi Day, to argue with us, the ones from back home. Soon after his argument he would come back to be beneath his Taranaki mountain. I pay a tribute to him and to you collectively the bearers of this matter. I really admire you as bearers of this matter to this day. May acts of kindness be upon you in order that you go harmoniously with peaceful intentions. Congratulations and well done to you collectively, my appreciation to us all once again.]

An act of man meant that this morning my heart was in this room; an act of mother Nature meant that I was physically required to be somewhere else. So for that I apologise. I would have loved to be here this morning, but in order to restore the livelihood of the people of Kaikōura, I was in another place.

He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. This is a very short call. Everything has been said over many, many years. I am late to the piece, not only in terms of this whole process but also in terms of this morning. I do not wish to delay this celebration any further. Marama Fox spoke of a bright dawn, and I just want to finish with a quote from Te Whiti and Tohu, which says: “Just as night is the bringer of day, so too is death and struggle the bringer of life.” Kia ora.

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare, tā te mea nā Taranaki Maunga tōku Reo Māori i homai, ka noho tonu ahau ki roto i Te Reo Māori. E tika ana ka waiho nā atu mā Ngāpuhi, mā māua ko Te Ururoa ngā kōrero hei whakakapi i te rā nei. E ōku rangatira, e tautoko atu ana au i ngā mihi ki ngā tini aituā, kua kōrero nei, arā, ko Te Miringa tēnā, rātau kua ngaro atu ki Te Pō ki roto i ngā tau tata, ki roto i ngā tau maha kua pahure ake nei. Koutou o Te Pō, e moe, e moe, e moe!

I kite atu ahau i ngā kanohi e tiro iho mai nei, ki a koe e te tuakana, e Whare, ko ngā maharatanga ki tērā o tāua kua riro atu, e tangi! Ki a koe e te tuakana, e Hemi, me te wero atu ki a koe me tō tāua reanga, he nui ngā mahi kei mua i te aroaro! Tāpae atu tēnā ki a koe e te tuakana, e Jamie e tika ana - ki te hoe! E Ruakere o tō tāua Reo Māori, ka piki ki runga ki te teiteitanga o Taranaki maunga e tū mai rā! Koutou e ōku rahi, tēnā tātau katoa!

I te matenga o pāpā, i hoki atu ahau ki te pānui i wāna tuhinga, ko ētahi o wāna tuhinga e pā ana ki te tāima ka noho mātau ki roto i a koutou o Taranaki. Ko te kaumātua i tauawhi, i tāwharau i tōku pāpā, ko Sonny Waru. Ka mutu tō mātau mahi i te mahi a pāpā ki roto i a koutou, i wehe atu, i hūnuku mātau ki Amerika. Nā, ka mokemoke te noho a te whānau Hēnare ki Amerika. Tae mai te kaupapa nui a Te Māori, nā, haere mai te katoa o Aotearoa ki runga i a mātau te whānau ki roto o Amerika. Nā, i roto i ngā tuhinga a pāpā, i kapohia ake e ia ngā kōrero me ngā wānanga o ngā tino rangatira o taua wā.

Ki roto i te rūma o tō mātau whare, ko karanipāpā, arā, ko Tā Hēmi, arā, ko Sonny, arā, ko Te Ātairangikaahu, arā, ko Tā Hepi, ko Tā Kīngi te tini o rātau! Anei tana kōrero e ai ki a pāpā, te kōrero a Sonny ki a ia, “ka tuia Te Rangi tāhuahua ki te hekenga o Aotea waka, ko Waimirirangi te tupuna”, ko ngā puna mahara, “ko Te Pārengarenga ki te raki, ko Te Rerenga-tōpuni ki Taranaki”, kāti, ka waiho nā atu tērā kōrero ki reira. Kua rongo atu tātau ki ngā pānga, ki ngā take kei roto i a koutou, ko ngā whakapapa, ko ngā mahi, ko ngā moemoeā e whakahono nei i a tāua, tātau, ahakoa nō hea, ahakoa ko wai!. He mīharo te kite atu i tērā tūāhuatanga!

I kōrero mai tōku tuakana mō te tangi a tō māua iwi, a Ngāti Manu ki roto i Te Pēwhairangi te awa o Taumārere; i roto i a koutou i tērā wiki, i te wā i whakahōnore ai tātau i tērā kaumātua rongonui a Huirangi, anā, ko ngā hononga kei roto i tana ingoa, ko Waikerepuru, kei roto i a māua o Taumārere, nā, ko Waikerepuru kei roto i a koutou o Taranaki, kāti mīharo!

Mīharo te whakaaro ake, ka tupu aku tamariki ka whai karahipi. Ka whai karahipi, ka whai tautoko mai i a koutou o Taranaki. Koinā te pai o te whakapapa! Koinā te pai o te whakapapa! Ko aua take katoa, ka huri tū atu ki a koe e te tuakana, e Bernie, kite atu au i a koe! I a tāua ka noho ki roto o Tāmaki-makau-rau, i kōrero mai koe mō ō moemoeā mō tō wā kāinga. Ka kite atu i tēnei tūāhuatanga ki roto i Te Whare, ā taihoa ake nei ka puāwai, ā taihoa ake nei; mō āu mokopuna, mō ngā uri whakatupu kei roto i a koe ahakoa kei Taranaki e noho ana, ahakoa kei Tāmaki-makau-rau e noho ana, e te tuakana e Bernie, tēnā koe! Kāti, kua kōrero ahau mō ngā moemoeā e haere ake nei!

Ka whakaaro ake ki ngā kōrero me ngā tohutohu o ngā mātua tūpuna, e kī nei, “ka pō, ka pō, ka ao, ka awatea!”. Ka awatea i te rā nei e Taranaki Whānui! Taranaki Whānui kaua au mō te wehewehe i a koutou ēngari, ka kī nei ki raro i te maru o Te Maunga Tītōhea, tēnei ka mihi, tēnei ka tangi! Kāti, ko aku kōrero whakamutunga i te rā nei e Te Māngai o Te Whare, e mōhio ana tātau ki ngā taumahatanga ki runga i Te Kīngi Māori, ko reira ngā whakaaro o tēnei, otirā, o tātau ki roto i tana takahanga ki mua i a ia, me tana whānau. E te tuahine e Nanaia kei roto i a koe, otirā, i a tātau ngā whakaaro nui, me ngā īnoi ki Te Kaihanga mō tō tāua Kīngi, kāti!

E aku rangatira, ka waiho nā atu ngā pahupahu a Ngāpuhi, a Ngāti Hine e tū nei ēngari, he wero tēnei ki ōku ake o te kāinga! He wero nui, tino nui! Tēnā pea ka kore e eke, e aua! E kī atu ana anei te tauira, anei te tauira, whāia! Kimihia, rangahautia! Kei mahue a Ngāpuhi ki muri! Koinā te take ka tūhono waku tamariki ki a koutou, kia kaua e pōhara waku tamariki, ā taihoa ake nei! Kāti, e aku rangatira kua nawhe ngā kōrero i te rā nei! Ātaahua ngā mahi, ātaahua ngā kōrero! Mā Te Atua koutou, tātau e manaaki, e tiaki ki roto i ngā nekehanga o te wā, ka tau, ka tau, kia ora tātua.

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Because Mount Taranaki gave me my Māori language, I will continue and remain speaking in the Māori language. It is fitting that the closing contributions on this day would be left to Northland, and to Te Ururoa and me to deliver. To my esteemed ones I endorse the tributes accorded to the numerous deaths, and, as alluded to, namely Te Miringa and all of them who are lost to the void in recent years, and the many past years. To you of the void, sleep, rest, slumber on.

I saw faces looking down here your one elder sibling Whare, and memories went back to that one you and I know who has gone, let us shed tears. A challenge to you elder sibling Hēmi and to our age group; there is a great deal of work ahead of us. Further to that, quite right elder sibling Jamie—to the paddle! And as far as our Māori language is concerned, Ruakere, it has reached the height of Taranaki Mountain standing over there. As for you, my numerous, well done to all of us.

When dad died I went back to reading his writings, some of which related to the time we lived amongst you of Taranaki. Sonny Waru was the elder who embraced and groomed him. Our role was to help dad’s work amongst you, and when it was done eventually, we left and shifted to America. And so life in America for the Hēnare family became a lonely one. The great Te Māori exhibition arrived and then we, the family in America, were overwhelmed by the whole of New Zealand. Now, in dad’s writings narrations and deliberations by real leaders of those times were snapped up by him.

In the room of our house was grandad, namely, Sir Hēmi, Sonny, Te Ātairangikaahu, Sir Hepi, Sir Kīngi, and a host of them. According to dad, here is Sonny’s statement to him: “Lumps of the sky were lashed to the Aotea canoe when it migrated, Waimiringa was the ancestor.” and according to the pools of memory: “Te Pārengarenga was to the north and Te Rerenga-tōpuni was to Taranaki.” Enough, I will leave that statement there! We have heard the impacts and issues within you collectively, and the genealogies, tasks, and dreams that connect you and I, us, regardless where we are from and who we are. It is wonderful to see that situation.

My elder colleague mentioned to us about the grief that our people of Ngāti Manu have within Te Pēwhairangi at the river of Taumārere; within you last week when we honoured that well known elder Huirangi. Now then, the Waikerepuru connection in his name is in the connections that my elder sibling and I have of Taumārere. So there it is, then, Waikerepuru is in you of Taranaki. Enough, it is wonderful.

What an amazing thought that when my children grow up they will get a scholarship, they will get one from you of Taranaki. That is why genealogy is so wonderful. That is why it is so amazing. In terms of all matters like those, I turn and face you elder sibling Bernie; I see you! When we lived together in Auckland, you told me about your dreams for your place back home. I visualise this situation in the House, and in time it will come to fruition, by and by for your grandchildren and those to come in you, even if they are living in Taranaki and Auckland. I really commend you elder sibling Bernie. Enough, I have alluded to forthcoming dreams.

I reflect on the conversations and instructions by the ancestral forefathers that state: “It is night, it is night, it is daylight!”. It is daylight today Taranaki at large. I will not separate you Taranaki at large, but under the shadow of Mount Tītōhea, I applaud and lament. So my closing remarks on this day, Mr Deputy Speaker, is that we are aware of the difficulties upon the Māori King and that is where the thoughts of this one and indeed our thoughts are in terms of the transgression before him and his family. There are numerous thoughts and prayers within you sister colleague Nanaia, and indeed within us to the Creator about our King. Let us leave it there.

And so my esteemed ones, I leave the ravings-on there of this one of Northland and of Ngāti Hine standing here. But this is a challenge to my own ones of home. It is a big challenge and a huge one. Perhaps it is unachievable; I do not know. I say, here is an example and a model; pursue it! Seek and research it. Northland might get left—right at the back. That is the issue—my children are connected to you and they will not become impoverished in years to come. Well, then, my esteemed ones, that is enough discourse for this day! The operations are wonderful and so is the discourse. May God take care and look after you and us collectively through the movements of the period. I alight and rest; my appreciation to us.]

Tēnā koe, Mr Deputy Speaker. “Titiro, titiro ki Te Maunga Titōhea, runga o Parihaka, Waitoto-roa, nā ki Moea-u, Ngāti Haupoto! Ko te tākiritanga i Te Kahu o Wikitōria, ā, kaitoa! Ko Tohu, ko Te Whiti ngā manu e rua, i patu te hoariri ki te rangimārie, kss auē, kss auē! Ahakoa te pāhuatanga o Parihaka, uē, uē, uē, hā!” Kia ora tātau katoa! Te āhuatanga o tērā waiata, he whakatau i te āhuatanga o Parihaka ka tahi, o te ekenga o te hōia o te rangimāria ahakoa ngā pēhitanga ki runga o Taranaki whānui tonu. Nō reira ka whakairia tērā kōrero ki te pakitara ā-Whare hei tīmatanga kōrero māku i tēnei ahiahi.

Kua riro māku anō rā ngā kōrero hei whakakōpani. Kei ngā huanga, kei ngā whanaunga, kei ngā taokete, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātau katoa! Me whai wāhi au i te tuatahi ki te kōrero ki a koutou nā koutou te kaupapa nei i ārahi ki tēnei Whare! Kei taku rangatira e Mahara, koutou ko Jamie, e Toka, Wayne, koutou i kawe nei i te kaupapa nei, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātau. Waiho te hunga mate ki te hunga mate mō te wā! Kua kōrerohia rātau, ko Peter Charlton mā, ā, engari anō a Te Miringa taihoa ake nei ka hoki mātau ki a Te Miringa!

[Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. “Look, look at the Barren Mountain over Parihaka, Waitoto-roa and there over Moea-u and Ngāti Haupoto! It is the unloosening of Victoria’s cloak, serves her right! It is the two birds, Tohu and Whiti that slew the enemy with peace, heck kss! Oh dear, kss! Despite the pillage of Parihaka, push, shove and shake it!” Acknowledgments to us all. The circumstances in terms of that chant: one, an acknowledgment of the Parihaka situation, the arrival of the soldiers, and peace despite the oppressions imposed upon greater Taranaki. And so I hang that talk upon the wall of the House as a way for me to commence my address this afternoon.

The closing address has also been left for me to deliver. And so to my relations, relatives and in-laws, acknowledgments and accolades to you collectively, and thank you to us all. I should find an opportunity in the first instance to address you collectively. You are the ones who guided this matter to this House, you my esteemed ones, Mahara, Jamie, Toka, and Wayne. You are the ones who bore this matter here. Congratulations, well done, and thank you to us. Leave the dead to the dead for the moment. They have been referred to, Peter Charlton and others, but as for Te Miringa, we will come back to that one shortly.]

To wrap up our day, can I just start by saying that I told a story a little bit earlier about some of the people up in the gallery marching on Waitara marae over the fiscal envelope, but I left out one part of the story that is actually quite interesting. One part of the story is that as we were going on to the marae, one Ngahina, only about 16 to 18 years old, ran on to the marae with a New Zealand flag—and it was burning. She was tackled by a New Zealand Māori warden, who happened to be an Anglican minister. I do not know whether that fella has still got his warrant or not at the moment—because I sign them off—but I say that because

Ngahina is the daughter of Te Miringa Hohaia. I think it is a symbol of the fact that father, son, daughter—those ones, in particular—had a huge connection to this kaupapa. The first time I arrived in Taranaki, I went with Te Miringa to the first of the hearings held out at Ngāti Tama, and there I saw the tribunal sit in front of Taranaki as they told their story. I think about the meeting today, because he gave so much to this particular kaupapa, and it is so sad that he is not here today. I am sure he is ā-wairua nei [spiritually].

I remember him in his—I think it was—Mark II Zephyr car. He travelled backwards and forwards from Parihaka daily to try to advance his case. I remember him taking me to the Pungarehu post office—a little place, a working space. He did it on nothing; he did not get a lot of money out of that kaupapa. I just think of him. I remember one protest. I happened to be broadcasting on the hottest talkback show in Taranaki, broadcast on Te Korimako o Taranaki 94.8 FM. It was the hottest talkback show that you will ever hear. There was me, and there was Takawai.

We had a plan. What we would do is say: “Te Miringa, you get out there.” So there was a protest out at Motunui, I think: the plan was that he would ring in to the radio station and we would appear to be startled by the fact that he was having a protest. So he rang up and said “We’ve got a protest out here. They’re trying to sell land.”, and the idea was to try to tell everybody that there was a protest going on. That was how we worked—it was great fun. It was great fun that Te Miringa could ring straight in to the radio station, unbeknownst to us, of course—no!—and say “Hey, there’s a protest going on.”, and our people would head out there. Those were good times. I think it was all about, as I said, awakening the sleeping giant. I do pay tribute to those who have advanced this kaupapa, and I think about Te Miringa today.

I do want to put out a particular message as we, sort of, close off. I fear that 150 years after the Crown unleashed military warfare on Māori in the Taranaki region our nation has not learnt too much. Closer to home, the majority of Pākehā in Taranaki have not learnt much about the history that once unfolded in the very place that they call home. Needless to say, it is time for Pākehā in New Plymouth to wake up: Taranaki iwi, Te Atiawa—the patient, hugely humble people are waiting. I think most of us have heard about Parihaka and how the Crown invaded the people about 135 years ago. I know that story because I have been there, as I said earlier. My in-laws tell me constantly, and I have felt that passion and that sadness felt by many of our people, who go to Parihaka—and, indeed, to Taranaki.

In my first speech ever in this House, back in 2005, these were some of the questions that I posed. Do people know what it is like to face the people of Parihaka and talk about the 1880 Māori Prisoners Act in which more than 200 Taranaki Māori were placed in prison without trial? Do people know that the 1881 West Coast Settlement Act made it legal to arrest Taranaki Māori without a warrant, with a further penalty of 2 years’ hard labour if they hindered the surveying of land? Do people know of Dunedin? Do they realise that the harbour that has, basically, cut through and joins pieces of land down there was built by people imprisoned without charge? Many of them died because they froze to death in the caves that they were left to sleep in.

While I lived in Taranaki I heard the people of Parihaka talk about the soldiers who came into the village while the children played. I heard them talk about their people being taken away, their villages being burnt. I heard about the women bringing out kai. I heard them talk about a kōrero that said “E tu tama wāhine i te waa o te kore.”—a reference to our women to stand strong when no one else is around, when the men have gone and they have been taken to prison. I see them wearing the raukura, the white feather, as a symbol of peace. I hear them say: “He hōnore, he korōria, he maungārongo ki runga te whenua he whakaaro pai ki ngā tāngata katoa.”

[“Honour, glory, and peace upon the land, and goodwill to all mankind.”]

I hear them sing, “Piki mai Pungarehu, waiho tērā kōrero ki reira. Mā koutou tēnā kōrero e waiata!”

[“Ascend Pungarehu, leave that statement there. You can sing it!”]

I hear them sing about the about blowing of the trumpet at Pungarehu—a bugle. There were others, as I mentioned before. E Rere Rā Te Motu nei, i te rā o Māehe. Titiro, titiro.

[Flee indeed this here nation on the day of March. Look, look!]

That is Taranaki history, and they sing about it every day. So when the former Mayor of New Plymouth Andrew Judd came out recently calling on his fellow Pākehā in Taranaki to learn about the historic battles between the Crown and Māori he won the hearts and minds of a heap of Māori throughout the country, but he lost the votes of most Pākehā.

I want to say to the Pākehā people of Taranaki: you have nothing to fear. You have nothing to fear about learning the history of your area. My brother-in-law, Mr Tamati, talks to me often about how hard it was getting a fair deal for our people at that council; it was such an uphill climb. So Mr Paraone believes that two people in this Parliament who win general seats out of 63 is really going to make a difference? Give me a break!

Ka nui te aroha ki tērā whakaaro, kāore au i te paku whakaae atu ki tērā momo whakaaro! Me whai wāhi tonu tātau ki runga i ngā poari, pai mai, kino mai, nā runga i te āhuatanga o Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

[There is much empathy with regard to that thought; I do not agree with that kind of view, not one bit. We must have a place on boards, be it good or bad, because of the Treaty of Waitangi situation.]

But my brother-in-law, Mr Tamati, also tells me that Andrew Judd’s journey of becoming a recovering racist has inspired many Māori in New Plymouth to believe that change is coming. Slow it may be, but, nevertheless, it is coming. Although the New Plymouth District Council has voted down the proposal for guaranteed Māori representation, I know it will come soon, and they will be able to sit at the table—Taranaki iwi, Te Atiawa—with the council. Taranaki iwi and Te Atiawa will become an economic force in the region. The mana, not the money, of Taranaki iwi, and the history they share with all peoples in the region should be the driving force behind such a relationship. So, whether the council chooses to go there or not, we in the Māori Party hope that they will continue, and there will be some advocacy so that battles fought amongst our people and against the Crown throughout the country, including Taranaki, are taught in the schools of this country and that those battles are commemorated and shared with the nation. We must educate the next generation about those battles that sit right on our back doorstep.

Rangiriri, Rangiaowhea, Te Taratara, actually Parihaka and today, ko tāku ki ōku hoa anō i tēnei rā, ā, tēnā koutou i hara mai tawhiti i tēnei rā. E aroha atu ana ki a koutou me te āhuatanga o ngā whakaaro mō te hunga kua ngaro ēngari, i tēnei rā ka pai, kua tutuki, kua tutuki i tā koutou i wawata nā. Ko tā mātau ko te tautoko ake i ēnei kōrero. Nō reira, huri, huri, huri noa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātau katoa.

[Rangiriri, Rangiaowhea, Te Taratara, actually Parihaka and today, my advice indeed once again to my colleagues on this day, and so I acknowledge you, collectively, who have come from a distance today. I sympathise with you about the situation concerning those who have gone, but on this day it is fine, it is done. What you yearned for has been fulfilled. Our part is to merely endorse these speeches. Therefore, congratulations and well done to you collectively throughout, and my thanks to us all.]