Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill

I move, That the Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill be now read a second time.

This bill gives effect to the deed of settlement between the Crown and iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, signed near Wairoa on 26 November 2016, just over a year ago. The deed of settlement settles all the historical Treaty of Waitangi claims relating to the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa. The settlement comprises historical redress, recording the Crown’s breaches and past injustices; cultural redress, acknowledging connections to land and resources of significance to the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa; relationship redress, building new connections with the Crown, local authorities, and other groups; and financial and commercial redress, providing a strong economic base for the future.

I acknowledge the work of the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa negotiators, Te Tira Whakaemi o Te Wairoa, and the governance entity, Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust. I also acknowledge the work of the previous Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Christopher Finlayson, whose mahi in this area has been phenomenal and will be a legacy to this House for some time to come. I acknowledge also the Government agencies and local authorities for their contributions to the bill. I’d like to thank the Māori Affairs Committee, which considered the bill, for exploring the issues raised in submissions and ensuring the bill has been progressed. The bill was referred to the committee on 14 March 2017. The committee received 29 written submissions from interested groups and individuals, and heard 17 of these at a hearing in Wairoa on 12 May this year. The committee reported the bill back to the House on 25 July this year, and recommended it be passed with a small number of amendments.

The committee’s commentary on the bill focuses on issues raised in the submissions that were made on the bill. A key issue for submitters was the claimant definition of “iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa”. Several submissions requested changes to the schedule to the claimant definition so that hapū could be more appropriately acknowledged. Some submitters also thought that some hapū had been left out of the claimant definition, because they were not specifically listed in the schedule. During Treaty negotiations, the claimant definition was researched, negotiated, agreed by the parties, and ratified by the claimant community. Furthermore, hapū that were not specifically listed in the schedule to the claimant definition may still benefit from the settlement, provided they fit within the claimant definition at clause 13. The committee accepted this advice.

Another key issue for submitters was the historical redress included in the Treaty settlement. In particular, submitters expressed concern about the scope of the historical account and the process used for writing the historical account. The historical account is an important element of the settlement, as it records the history of the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa’s interactions with the Crown, and the Crown’s actions and omissions that breached the Treaty of Waitangi. It’s not a general history of the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa. The committee examined the process used for writing the historical account, and were satisfied that this was robust.

Finally, some submitters considered that the relationship redress for Te Urewera, in the form of a partnership with Te Urewera Board, was unfair or inequitable. The committee examined these submissions, as well as a report prepared by Sir Wira Gardiner on Te Urewera redress. Sir Wira Gardiner’s report found that redress in the form of a partnership agreement with the board was in line with the level of the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa’s interests in Te Urewera. The committee was satisfied that agreement on Te Urewera redress had been reached after a robust consultation process.

The committee did recommend some minor and technical amendments to the bill. These ensure consistency between the bill and the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa deed of settlement, and add greater specificity. This second reading brings us closer to the concluding stages of settling the historical claims of the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, and I look forward to talking in more detail at the third reading, when we fully celebrate the settlement. Until then, I commend this bill to the House.

Ā, tēnā rā koutou o ngā pūāwaitanga o ō tātou mātua tīpuna. Nei rā ngā mihi hōhonu ki ngā uri o Takitimu waka. Ka tū au hei uri o Tamateapōkaiwhenua nāna i whakaingoa tōku mauka, Te Poho-o-Tamateapōkaiwhenua, kei te wāhi o Rāpaki o Te Rakiwhakaputa i Whakaraupō. Nō reira, ka tū te mihi ka ōku whanaunga o ngā iwi, hapū o Te Rohe o Te Wairoa.

[Greetings to the descendants of our forebears. My heartfelt greetings to the descendants of the Takitimu canoe. I stand as a descendant of Tamateapōkaiwhenua, who named my mountain Te Poho-o-Tamateapōkaiwhenua in the region of Te Rāpaki o Te Rakiwhakaputa i Whakaraupō. So I stand to greet my relatives of the iwi and hapū of the Te Wairoa region.]

I do stand to acknowledge the iwi and hāpu of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa and ngā uri o [the descendants of] Rongomaiwahine and her husband Kahungunu. These tipuna are acknowledged and respected by my Ngāi Tahu iwi as our tipuna as well. To the iwi and the hāpu of te rohe o Te Wairoa, I extend my humblest greetings.

I had the privilege of chairing the Māori Affairs Committee during the submissions phase of this bill. On that note, I want to again acknowledge the new Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Andrew Little, but also the new chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, Rino Tirikatene. I think the good thing there is that we have a continuation of like-mindedness when it comes to the Māori Affairs Committee, and the fact is that we continue the congeniality, the collaboration across the House. Earlier we spoke very much about that collaboration and how important it was that we work, as Māori members of Parliament, for the benefit of Te Iwi Māori and the wider New Zealand.

So, on that note, I want to cover off some of the things. We travelled to Wairoa, and I acknowledge the manaaki that we received in Wairoa. Also, we travelled there, as the Māori Affairs Committee, to hear 17 of the 29 submissions—20 of which supported the bill and gave no position, and one gave conditional support. A number of the issues that were raised I think I want to just highlight here in the second reading. There was one around Morere Springs. The other one was the Hereheretau Station, as well. Then, also, there was the issue that the Hon Andrew Little has actually covered, which is the Te Urewera and the Waikaremoana situation.

We did consider the Hereheretau Station in some detail. In September 2016, the then Minister, the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell, and officials from Te Tumu Paeroa, the Māori Trustee, visited Whakakī Marae to discuss the future of the station with the iwi there. I think the outcome was that the redress in relation to the station would not be considered in this Treaty settlement because it was actually under private ownership. Talking about the Hereheretau Station, what we actually hope is that there is continual kōrero so that that particular issue can be sorted, not within this Treaty settlement, but outside of that. But what this Treaty settlement did is it actually created a catalyst for ongoing kōrero about Hereheretau Station to actually happen. So we wish them well there.

I think the other part was around the Morere Springs. The committee actually considered the request from the mandated negotiators that the springs be taken out of the cultural redress in the agreement in principle and changed to a vest- and gift-back property instead. The committee was happy to agree to this change. The negotiators preferred that the cultural properties not be invested as part, actually, again, of any settlement. So that was agreed, actually, by the committee.

In the final part of this highlighting of the submissions process, I think one thing that’s really important here is that when submitters come to the committee to submit or when we go to them to hear their submissions, the important thing is that you not only listen to all submissions but listen very hard also to those that actually dissent, particularly within the Treaty settlement process, because there are very important messages that actually come out of that.

What I want to highlight in this particular settlement is around the Te Wairoa Tāpokorau Cluster 1, because they opposed the bill unless various conditions were met. One of the conditions that actually stood out for me was—OK, there is the real loss in dollar terms. What they actually wanted, though, is they wanted recorded in the Treaty settlement the actual loss, the monetary loss that they believed they had been subject to, or are subject to. They actually put a number on it of $1.5 billion. It is actually quite a unique thing that there is a particular group within the Treaty settlements—since I’ve been here anyway—that have actually required or asked for a figure to be put on what they actually lost.

Look, there’s no doubt that the real loss here in this particular settlement, like most or all of them, is substantial. I’m not going to quibble over the figure, but, rather, point out that virtually no settlement can fully address the harm that Treaty breaches have caused iwi throughout the country. We all acknowledge that; we know that, particularly as parliamentarians. I think the fact that the iwi are prepared to settle for cents in the dollar speaks to the level of forgiveness that Māori actually continue to offer in this particular country, in our country.

I note the various conditions and I wanted to highlight them here, around Te Wairoa Tāpokorau Cluster 1 and what they’ve put forward. In essence, what they also recorded was that all their land should be returned to them and that a true partnership should not leave the hāpu subject to the whims of the Crown. The other part was that the Crown should provide all the resources required for the hāpu to create their own social services, to better provide for their people in need. So the committee, and also myself, had really great sympathy for this, particularly for them coming as dissenting voices within the submission process. But, at the same time, the responsibility to the Crown is to settle with the iwi. So this bill before the House is our effort to discharge that duty under the Treaty of Waitangi. So there, I think: acknowledge it, but we need to continue to move on so that we can continue to move to the third reading to settle this particular settlement once and for all.

On that note, just to acknowledge then all of the fine work that’s gone into this Treaty settlement to date; also, the understanding and working in the spirit of kotahitanga with the negotiators, both on the Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa side and also the Crown negotiators as well. On that note, also to acknowledge those who came to submit, because they actually represented a huge part of those members right across the board. On that note, again, to the Māori Affairs Committee of the 51st Parliament: a lot of the kōrero, the discussion, that took place; the input, particularly from the local member of Parliament there, the now Hon Meka Whaitiri, to also give us that local view as well on how people were feeling and what they were doing. Acknowledging also the work that Tā Wira Gardiner did, particularly around the Waikaremoana issue as well. On that note, look, I really do look forward to this bill moving through this particular process and then on to the third reading. Nō reira e koutou rā, e mihi, e mihi, e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa, kia ora.

[So I thank you all.]

E te Māngai o te Whare tēnā koe, otirā ngā mema o Te Whare nei, tēnā tātou katoa. Ōku rau rangatira mā, ngā hapū, e te iwi o Te Wairoa Hōpūpū Hōnengenenge Mātangi Rau, Māhia, Waikaremoana hoki, nau mai, nau mai hoki mai. Nau mai hoki mai i runga i te kaupapa whakahirahira, te pānui tuarua o tō koutou pire, nō reira kei te mihi, kei te mihi, kei te mihi.

[Thank you to Madam Deputy Speaker as well as to the members of the House, greetings to you all. To my leaders, the hapū, and iwi of Te Wairoa Hōnengenenge Mātangi Rau, Māhia, and Waikaremoana, welcome, welcome. I welcome you on your return for this very important occasion, the second reading of your bill. I greet you and acknowledge you.]

I’m pleased to rise and make a contribution in the second reading of this bill. Can I just say that in this House I have stood and spoken with a lot of passion around legislation to do with Māori land alienation, and no better can I reflect on the passion of talking about that than in this particular iwi’s situation. Approximately 600,000 acres, according to the negotiator Johnny Whaanga in the Te Arawhiti Truth and Reconciliation Report, was lost by these people, and I want to take the time of the House to just give a chronological order of the land loss that these people suffered.

Between 1864 and 1868, the Crown purchased 83,000 acres. In April 1867, some Wairoa Māori agreed, under duress, to cede 42,000 acres to the Crown. In 1867 and 1868, the Native Land Court awarded ownership of numerous Wairoa blocks to a maximum of 10 individual owners. Since 1870, the Crown has compulsorily taken more than 500 acres for public works purposes from the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa. In 1875, the Crown acquired 178,000 acres of land near Lake Waikaremoana, and then, by 2001, we have it recorded that approximately 90 percent of the population of Wairoa did not live in that rohe. Over 600,000 acres were taken from these people by the actions of the Crown, and so there is a story behind why I have stood so passionately against law that this House passes that may lead to further land alienation from Māori people.

Despite the people losing so much land, I want to acknowledge the huge contribution they have made to the fabric of this country in terms of leadership and in terms of their tīpuna going to war for this nation, and that is no better reflected than in Sir James Carroll, a noted leader from these people. Despite land loss, they were able to contribute under his leadership, and he will go down in the annals of this House for the extensive contribution he made to the fabric of New Zealand.

I just want to reflect on Sir James Carroll, or, as he was commonly known, Tā Timi Kara. I want to talk about him being an interpreter and a land agent, first and foremost. He was first elected to the Eastern Maori seat in 1887. He was the Acting Colonial Secretary—which is now known as the Minister of Internal Affairs—from 1897 to 1899. He was the first Māori to hold the Cabinet position of the Minister of Native Affairs, from 1899 to 1912. He was highly regarded by the Liberal Party and was also the Acting Prime Minister in 1909 and 1911. So, unfortunately for our Hon Winston Peters and our Hon Kelvin Davis, we had the member in this House who was the first and foremost Acting Prime Minister. Sir James’s legacy will go on, and it’s important that I reflect and acknowledge him as we read the second reading of this bill.

I want to also reflect, despite this iwi losing so much land, the contribution they gave in the war efforts of this nation. Despite losing land and becoming literally landless in their own rohe, they were also contributing to the war effort in the First World War and the Second World War. I want to acknowledge those who are in the gallery whose tīpuna went away and fought on behalf of this nation.

I want to acknowledge Nuk Korako, the former chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, who talked about the Hereheretau farm. We need to take ourselves back and say that here was a people, particularly the people of Whakakī, and their land was taken to be a Māori Soldiers Trust for all the Māori soldiers that came back to this country as they returned from the war effort. At no time did the people of Whakakī enjoy any benefits from the land that was taken from them, and, to this day, it’s still a burning issue for the people of Whakakī. I want to acknowledge the former chair saying in his address that it is still an important issue that must be sorted out for the people—the hapū—of Whakakī but also with the Māori Soldiers Trust, to ensure that they at least have representation on that trust, because I know that is a very dear matter to the people of Whakakī.

I also want to thank the submitters that came to the select committee that we had in Wairoa. I don’t want to repeat what the former chair acknowledged, but I do want to ensure that the Hereheretau farm is addressed—though, obviously, not in this bill. It’s one of those ongoing issues that we do need to come to, and, I’m sure, with the newly appointed Treaty Minister, we’ll get that opportunity, or—I don’t know—we might kick it to the new Minister for Crown/Māori Relations, potentially, so that we can get that matter sorted.

I want to acknowledge the new Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Andrew Little. I want to acknowledge the former Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Chris Finlayson, for the work in ensuring that we get this bill here. There was a challenge there, I heard, in the Hon Chris Finlayson’s earlier contribution, Minister Little, and it may be that we have to get you on the golf course to see if you too can get a hole in one. Maybe we’ll get two holes in one, because we have higher standards over here on this side of the House. But I do want to acknowledge the work of the former Minister, and I look forward to the work that the current Minister is going to do.

So there are a couple of issues around the hapū definitions. I want to say that we have to be very careful, as Crown officials, that we don’t take the onus of interpreting who makes the hapū cut and who doesn’t make the hapū cut. In this particular settlement, that was very clearly expressed to us at the hearings of the hapū wanting to be included, and of course the post-settlement group had no issue with those particular hapū being included. It’s a cautionary note to all us members in this House that whakapapa is the domain of hapū and iwi, and the Crown needs to be guided by that.

Look, I’m pleased that we are getting to the final readings of this important bill. I want to acknowledge the negotiators, particularly John Whaanga and Tāmati Olsen. I want to acknowledge our chairman of the post-settlement group, Leon Symes—who is in the gallery—and, of course, Pieri Munro, and I also want to acknowledge the aunties who have travelled all the way down from Māhia to join in this second reading. It is indeed an honour to stand here in support of this important bill but, more importantly, to stand as the local member for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti to acknowledge you here today. I do commend this bill to the House and look forward to its third and final reading.

No reira e te iwi tēnei te mihi aroha, tēnei te mihi maioha ki a koutou katoa. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[So, to the iwi, I express my compassion and appreciation to you all. Greetings, greetings, greetings to you all.]

Those who snipe about Treaty settlements really ought to familiarise themselves with the facts that gave rise to this negotiation. Even a cursory reading of the acknowledgments and the historical account indicates that what was lost here by the good people of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa was very, very extensive. That is why this is, I think, the fourth-largest settlement in the history of Treaty negotiations.

It was a great day when we signed the deed of settlement at Wairoa. I think Mr Korako was there, and Jo Hayes. I don’t know that Meka Whaitiri was there; I think she had a tangi or some other commitment as the MP for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti. But it was a great settlement, and I commend the negotiators for all the very good work that they did.

I’ve got only a few comments I want to make, because this is, after all, a second reading speech and, consistent with the Standing Orders, I will focus on the bill as it emerged from the select committee, so as not to incur the Deputy Speaker’s wrath.

The first thing I want to talk about is the Hereheretau Station. For myself, I’m not all that happy with the outcome here. I can’t, for the life of me, see why the bare title couldn’t be held by the relevant hapū of Te Wairoa, and I hope that the administration will look into that, because I would have thought that that was a perfectly acceptable outcome, with the income going to the scholarships as set up by the trust.

I’m always very wary, as some of the members of the Government know, about those who say that an asset is a strategic asset. I recall very well, a couple of years ago, Michael Cullen had been told, in relation to Flock House and the farm around Flock House, that it was unavailable for a settlement with Ngāti Apa because it was a strategic asset. Then, a couple of years later, after the legislation had been passed, the relevant Crown entity—I think it was AgResearch—put Flock House and the farm on the market. It took Adrian Rurawhe and his team at Ngāti Apa to threaten to occupy the land for there to be a useful discussion, and, of course, that farm has now been transferred to Ngāti Apa and they are doing amazing work there with a neighbouring farming family called the Dalrymples. They’re doing great work. I inspected it a couple of months ago with Ian McKelvie, the local MP, and I said to myself: how was it that this farm was ever considered to be a so-called strategic asset? This issue needs to be interrogated fairly carefully over the next little period because, as I say, I can’t see why the land cannot be held by the hapū and the proceeds go to the beneficiaries of the trust.

The second issue I want to talk about is the Te Urewera partnership agreement. I note that the select committee received submissions on it, and some people thought the redress was unfair or inequitable. But I beg to differ; I think it’s very good redress—that there are these overlapping claims. As the report says, there are six iwi who have overlapping interests in this area. There’s Ngāi Tūhoe, which I settled; Ngai Tāmanuhiri, which I settled; Ngāti Pāhauwera, which I settled; Rongowhakaata, which I settled; and then you’ve got Māhaki—well, it’ll settle when one particular person gets his act in order—and Ngāti Ruapani, which should be able to be settled in five minutes, as soon as Tūhoe give Mr Little the instruction.

But there are overlapping interests, and they need to be looked at. I think that the partnership agreement set out in Subpart 8 of Part 2, which provides for the establishment of a partnership agreement between Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust and Te Urewera Board, will actually do a very good job. I think it’s a very good solution to dealing with these overlapping claims. I say to Wairoa: all my dealings with Ngāi Tūhoe have been more than satisfactory. They’re excellent people, and I am sure they are going to deal with Wairoa in a very practical and just manner.

I have every confidence that the partnership agreement is going to work well. People would expect me to say that, because it’s well known that Tūhoe have adopted me, much to the chagrin of Sir Tīpene O’Regan, who thought he had me. But I’m probably the Pākehā son of Ngāi Tūhoe and also Ngāi Tāhu, to settle down Nuk Korako.

The final issue concerns Ngāti Kahungunu’s interests in Lake Waikaremoana. This was a deed that was drawn up, I think, a long time ago by a great friend of both Wairoa, or Ngāti Kahungunu, and Ngāi Tūhoe, the former High Court judge Sir Rodney Gallen. I know that the interests are being renegotiated at the moment. The background to the lake bed issue doesn’t reflect very well on the Crown at all, and there was a resolution of sorts in 1970, I think, but generosity of spirit meant that both Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāi Tūhoe compromised, as they always do, for the Crown. I know that those issues are being looked at now. I am sure that the Wairoa Waikaremoana Māori Trust Board will have plenty to say about that in the fullness of time.

So it’s a good settlement. I commend the committee for the work it has done. It always amazes me when you hear members of the Māori Affairs Committee speak—anyone would think you walk in the room and there’s an outbreak of aroha, and that they work together famously, in comparison with the other select committees. All I can say is, yeah, right! We know that it was daggers drawn on Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill, and it looks as though that’s going to be botched up by the Government, and I’m very disappointed about that. But there you have it. That’s the way it goes. We’ll just have to re-enact the reform when we get back in in 18 months’ time. But, with those comments, I commend the bill to the House.

Reo Māori i te tuatahi. Ko Takitimu te waka, engari ko te ingoa rangatira ko Te Wairoa Hōpūpū Hōnengenenge Mātangi Rau, ko koutou ngā uri kua tatū mai ki waenga tonu i a mātou ngā kaitōrangapū, e noho, e whakawhitiwhiti, e whakahāngai nei i ō mātou whakaaro kia whiwhi ai koutou. Nā reira, Kahungungu ki Wairoa, ngā hapū katoa, Rongomaiwahine, koutou katoa kei roto i tēnā pito o te whare tapu o Takitimu, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātau katoa.

Kei ahau kei a Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu he waiata. Ko tētahi whiti o tēnā waiata e pā ana ki tō koutou tupuna ki a Timi Kara; he pēnei kē tēnei waiata: waiata. Te kaupapa, te tikanga o tēnā waiata te haerenga mai o tō koutou matua a Timi Kara ki waenga tonu i a mātau o Te Whare Tapu o Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu. Ko te take ōna i tatū mai ai tēnā hautupua o te ao tōrangapū i taua wā, he whakahoki i te tūpāpaku o tō mātau tupuna a Hone Heke Ngapua ka mate ki Te Whare Pāremata i a ia e mana ana hei mema mō Te Taitokerau ki tēnei Whare. Ka mate ka whakahokia, ka takoto ki tētahi wharehui ko tōna ingoa ko Te Kotahitanga. I reira e auē ana, e uhunga ana a Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu. Nā, ka tanumia te tūpāpaku ka tū mai te māmā o Hone Heke Ngapua, he wahine taipairu nō Ngāpuhi, tana ingoa ko Niurangi Pūriri. Nāna i kī mā wai te pouaru e manaaki, kāhore he wahine wā Hone Heke Ngapua, kotahi anake tana wahine ko te tūru Māori, ko te tūru o Te Taitokerau.

Tere te tū mai o te kaumātua rā a Timi Kara me te nui o tana mana ka ngohengohe mai a Ngāpuhi ki a ia. Nāna te kī, kei ahau te tangata hei whakakapi i tēnā tūranga, ko tōna ingoa ko Te Rangihīroa. Ko Te Rangihīroa o Taranaki, he rata i tērā wā. Me i kore a Timi Kara mai i Te Wairoa i hari i te tūpāpaku ki waenga tonu i a Ngāpuhi ngaro ai, kua kore a Te Rangihīroa e tū hei māngai Māori mō te tūru o Te Taitokerau ki tēnei Whare huango. Nā reira ahau ka mihi atu ki a koutou ngā uri o ngā hapū katoa i puta ai tēnā kaumātua rongonui a Timi Kara. Nā reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou, kia ora tātou katoa.

[I will speak in Māori first. Although the waka is Takitimu, the name of significance is Te Wairoa Hōpūpū Hōnengenenge Mātangi Rau, you are the descendants that have arrived amongst us, the politicians, as we sit, dialogue, and focus our thoughts so that you may benefit. Therefore, Kahungungu ki Wairoa, all of the hapū, Rongomaiwahine, and all those from the many places of the sacred house of Takitimu, greetings, greetings to us all.

I, Ngāpuhi, have a waiata. One verse of that waiata addresses your ancestor, James Carroll; the waiata goes like this: waiata. The purpose and meaning of this waiata is of the time that your elder James Carroll travelled to be amongst us, the people of the sacred house of Ngāpuhi. The reason that this great man of the political world travelled there was to return the body of our elder Hone Heke Ngapua, who died in Parliament during his time as a member of Parliament for the North. Upon his death, he was returned and laid in state at a meeting house called Te Kotahitanga. All of Ngāpuhi had congregated there to mourn and weep for him. After the burial, the mother of Hone Heke Ngapua stood up, her name was Niurangi Pūriri and she was a woman of high rank in Ngāpuhi. She asked who will now look after the widow, as Hone Heke Ngapua had no wife, the only wife he had was the Māori seat, the Northern seat.

James Carroll was quick to stand and respond, he was respected in Ngāpuhi and they had a lot of time for him. He informed them that he had someone who could fill the vacant seat, whose name was Te Rangihīroa, Sir Peter Buck, from Taranaki, who was a doctor at the time. If it was not for James Carroll from Te Wairoa who returned the deceased back to Ngāpuhi, Te Rangihīroa would never have become the Māori representative for the Northern seat of this House. So I thank you all, the descendants of all the hapū that gave us this renowned elder, James Carroll. Greetings, greetings to all.]

This is the second time that I have followed the former Minister of Treaty settlements, the Hon Christopher Finlayson. Much of what he has done has been truly profound, and nowhere did he do anywhere as well as what he did with Tūhoe. For those of us who have been on this journey since we were teenagers—of the Treaty, Māori rights, activism, and on and on it goes—what he managed to get the then National Government to do for Tūhoe was truly staggering.

But I can assure him, if he has been adopted by Tūhoe, that pleasure will never await him in the land of Ngāpuhi. It’s highly likely that “Ānaru Paku”, our new Minister, may achieve that status, but, as I said in my last speech, that would require him to duck and be very agile.

Naturally, I stand to support this bill. These settlements amongst our iwi in the more isolated parts of Aotearoa New Zealand are very challenging. I say that as someone who comes from north of Kaitāia, equally as isolated as Te Wairoa. But for the people of Wairoa who have whakapapa to this area, I want to make you a promise. The provincial fund - regional development Minister with delegated authority for KiwiRail is coming to work with your regional council and reopen the railway from Wairoa to Napier. Now, when that happens, I expect the Rātana band to be in Wairoa to welcome me. And when that happens, we will make a tremendous day of it, because the challenges for these groups in provincial New Zealand don’t diminish just because we are affirming both the ills and the course of our history but they carry on well after the passage of this legislation.

Recently, I had occasion to go to Wairoa and to meet with the mayor—I think his name is Mr Craig Little, if I’m not mistaken. Am I correct, Madam Deputy Speaker?

💬 Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes.

Right. He described me as the first politician who had been there with the right spirit since Muldoon—both a curse and a blessing. But to the whānau from Wairoa, please seize the opportunities to work with whoever is in Government—whoever is in Government—to work in such a way that we build upon these historical redresses and that we collaborate and work with our neighbours.

As you know, formerly I was the chairman of the fisheries commission, and there were two elements that were never fully dealt with when we settled the historical fisheries claim. One was the interests of Rongomaiwahine and second was the desire of the Ngāti Hine hapū to become their own people, like Ngāti Wai as a broader part of the Ngāpuhi. The Rongomaiwahine, to the best of my knowledge, was finally settled between the Kahungunu people themselves. To the extent that that’s actually the truth, I salute you, because there are huge challenges when you look from Te Wairoa up to Tūtira, from Wairarapa through to Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa.

We are very keen to see these developments take place on the back of historical redress, but we cannot provide the leadership as parliamentarians. We can highlight things, we can advocate for things, but after the settlement is done, the leadership lies fairly and squarely with the people who are the descendants of the tūpuna, who were wronged and are the owners of the resources. That leadership will grow in its richness when we think beyond the shadow of our own mountains and we take a wider, more expansive view about how these settlements can actually enrich the broader area. So I salute the mahi that’s been done, acknowledge the leadership of the former Minister, and acknowledge also our new Treaty Minister, Mr Andrew Little.

These things—occasionally, we do get excited as politicians. Certain things might annoy us about them, but, broadly speaking, all parliamentarians realise that it’s coming to the end of an era that can be traced back to when Dame Whina Cooper led the great hīkoi called the matakite. After that, the Treaty of Waitangi legislation emerged and it was gradually improved, and once one of three of the big remaining groups are settled, that portion of our recent legal, social, cultural history will not so much come to an end, but morph into something else.

We are adamant that as Māori endeavour grows on the back of these settlements, it has to enrich not only us as Māori but the overarching country. That’s why we’re doing this, and that’s why it’s important that Māori leadership, through these settlements, contribute to enriching our overall identity. If we don’t do that, what was the purpose anyway? It’s certainly miles away from what I’m sure the ancestor Timi Kara—who I’ve just referred to in our Māori language—would have had in mind, or Sir Apirana Ngata or, indeed, my matua the Hon Matiu Rata, who was the architect of the original Treaty of Waitangi tribunal legislation.

We salute the people, the hapū, of that part of Tākitimu waka. We wish you well, and acknowledge the work that was done by the Māori Affairs Committee and, in particular, the former Minister. Tēnā koutou, kia ora tātou katoa.

Thank you. Ka nui te mihi atu ki a koutou katoa ngā whānui o ngā hapū, o ngā iwi o ngā hapū o Te Rohe o Wairoa. Nau mai, haere mai ki te Pāremata i tēnei rā. Tēnā koutou katoa.

[Greetings to you all, the hapū and iwi of the Wairoa region. I welcome you to Parliament today. Greetings to you all.]

I’m pleased to stand to take a brief call in the second reading of the Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill. As the previous Minister, the Hon Chris Finlayson, said, yes, I did accompany him to the signing of the deed at Tākitimu Marae in Wairoa—it was last year. The day was hot and dusty, but, I tell you, within the area that we were signing your deed there was just such warmth and aroha for the occasion. So I thank you for that.

Most of the things that came out of the submission process—because I was not privileged enough to travel to Wairoa to listen the submissions that were spoken to. All of the main areas that there were issues on were debated at that submission process. Really, at the end of the day, as I stand here, I just want to acknowledge the work, as the previous Minister has just spoken about, that has gone on to actually get you here and to this second reading. I noted in my first reading speech that I felt that the process was running pretty quickly, and I think that if we’d had more time we would have actually been able to cut it straight to a third reading fairly quickly as well. But, no doubt, come 2018, your bill will reach the Royal assent and you will be able to just carry on growing your economic development—social and cultural areas as well.

I think it’s really great that the Minister for regional development is committed to opening up the railway line between Wairoa and Gisborne. I just want to say to that Minister that while he’s there he may as well set up a forestry tree-growing company with you as well, maybe in partnership with you, while you get some of your people back from the cities and back home to actually start growing that side of your economic development—forestry.

Without much further ado, at the end of the day, as I said when I started, a lot of kōrero has happened around the issues through the submissions process. I acknowledge all the work that’s gone on before we got here, and I really acknowledge the work that will go on into the future. Really, at the end of the day, it is about future leadership. It is about nurturing the future leadership of our iwi and making sure that you have enough really good people, not only from within the iwi but from outside the iwi as well, to come along and actually help you to grow your economic development once the claims are settled. I’ve noted that most of the iwi have used outside influences—those who are skilled—to bring in those skills and to help you to actually train from within.

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

Tēnā koe, Madam Deputy Speaker. He mihi kau ana tēnei ki ngā uri o ngā hapū o Te Rohe o Wairoa: tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[I acknowledge the descendants of the hapū of the region of Wairoa: greetings, greetings, greetings to you all.]

It’s a great honour for me to be able to stand and speak on behalf of the Green Party in this, the second reading of the Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill. I’m our new Te Tiriti spokesperson for Pākehā, and I’ve got to say that I think that when these settlement processes come through the House, I see the House at its best. It is a great honour and a privilege to be able to participate in this process, which has been the result of such a long struggle for iwi and hapū and which presents such an opportunity for learning and understanding for Pākehā and for the Crown.

I would just like to say that for the Green Party, we always—at each stage of this—acknowledge that the settlements, which are being so hard fought for and debated, are debated and negotiated under the pressure of economic and social hardship and within the constraints of a Crown-imposed process to make the best deal possible in order to re-establish an economic base for your people. You’ve done well to get the fifth-largest settlement. I know the previous Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations said it was the fourth, but my understanding is that it is the fifth—and I know it’s a brave thing to contest the previous Minister. It is a very significant outcome, and I want to acknowledge you for that.

I also acknowledge the limitations, which I think were so clearly put and have already been mentioned by the previous chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, around Te Wairoa Tāpokorau Cluster 1 submission of the actual value and what was taken. I really want to thank that group for bringing that submission, which really outlined to us the limitless possibility of this process, as opposed to the possibility that has been constrained by the ongoing restrictions of the Crown—the full return of the land and the actual full financial redress, which this is not. But this is a phenomenal achievement within the system that you have been given. I do want to acknowledge, as a person standing in the place as tangata Tiriti, that we have a responsibility in relation to the constraints that have been put on you and on all other iwi around the country, and that is for us to be engaging with, in this House and in the country as a whole, to shift those boundaries and to open up those constraints.

For me, in these debates, I always come back to the comparison with South Canterbury Finance when they went into receivership and to the Government bailout of $1.6 billion to I don’t know how many people for a harm that was in such a short period of time, compared to this, the pain of generations and so much loss and so much harm. Relative to that is the $100 million, which is a phenomenal result in this context. I feel aroha in speaking to this.

I do also want to acknowledge the fact that this has been an over 30-year journey in the negotiation to get to this point. You know, we’re going back to the 1850s and 1860s for the original harm, but the actual negotiation to get us to this point has been over 30 years, and that is from when the claim was first lodged as part of the Waitangi Tribunal Wairoa inquiry district. You know, that’s more than my adult life that people in your iwi have been locked in negotiation and unable to move forward. That in itself, to me, is a wrong that I want to acknowledge here in this House.

I also want to acknowledge the negotiators and all who supported them through this arduous process, particularly those who have passed before seeing this outcome. That too is a pain in itself that has, again, been inflicted by the Crown’s processes.

So I would like to—and I guess this, for me, is more speaking specifically to any Pākehā that may be watching these speeches or looking at them—just want to go over a little bit of that history, because it is not taught in our schools. It is so inherent and felt by tangata whenua in this country and is often not even known about by Pākehā, so I do just briefly want to speak to some tiny bits of that history and what was done, to help further our understanding, which is an opportunity in this process.

Firstly, I want to acknowledge that the Crown didn’t take Te Tiriti o Waitangi to Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, so the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa did not sign Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Even those who did sign, we know through court rulings, did not cede sovereignty, but that is particularly true for Te Rohe o Te Wairoa. Despite the Crown being able to have not seen iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa at that time, somehow they managed to notice them when there was land to be taken. Between 1864 and 1868, the Crown purchased—and I do love that use of language in these settlements, which again, to me, is another sign of that colonisation process still happening; it is the limitations on language and the “re-truth”, or the new truth, that is being created by the Crown—83,000 acres. They didn’t survey the blocks to investigate who actually owned that land and who had customary rights, and they didn’t set aside the adequate reserves that they were supposed to. I think another way of describing that process is that they scammed and they stole.

Then, when there was fighting in other regions in the 1860s, the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa actively maintained peace within that region. We have that history in other parts of Aotearoa, which I think is often forgotten, where the violence of the Crown was countered by peace in the iwi and hapū groups. They struggled to maintain that peace, and war in this region began only when the Crown attacked Omaruharakeke kāinga on Christmas Day. As we are on our last day of this House sitting before rising for Christmas, I think it is for me quite present that thought of an attack on that day. Those who were then engaged in defending themselves, in the mid-1860s, were captured and summarily executed or detained without trial on the Chathams.

This was done by the Crown, who, traditionally, in this country and around the world has spoken of itself as the upholder of justice. That was a particular breach, and in the myth of that, it has continued that breach, and more and more land was taken.

This settlement is an acknowledgment of that and recognition of your pain and loss and struggle. While that economic base was removed, there was harm and there was attachment that was way beyond the economics of it—a huge impact on the potential of the people, to the point that 90 percent of the tribe and hapū now live outside of the area. That severing of relationship, which was a result of this, has continued, and we hope that as the settlement goes to the next stages, some of that is able to be turned round. I do remember, in the submissions, that there was the hope and acknowledgment that in accepting this, it’s the opportunity to move forward, and the Green Party wishes you all the luck in that. Kia ora.

Kia ora e Te Māngai. E tika ana ki te tautoko te kōrero o te tuahine, ngā mihi ki a koutou te Rōpū Kākāriki. Me hoki e tika ki te tautoko te kōrero a Shane Jones i tēnei rā. Nō reira ko tēnei te mihi ki a koutou ngā uri o Te Wairoa, he nui te mamae me te pōuri nā te ringa kaha o te Karauna e pā mai ana ki a koutou i ngā tau kua hipa atu nei. Kei konei koutou ki te rongo atu i ngā waha kōrero o Te Whare Pāremata ki te whakarite, tū, tautoko hoki, te whakatau i te nawe me te mamae e pīkautia e koutou. Nō reira tēnā koutou.

[Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I want to support what my colleague has just said and thank the Green Party. It is also appropriate that I endorse Shane Jones’ comments today. I acknowledge the people of Te Wairoa, who have experienced great pain and sorrow due to the heavy handedness of the Crown over the years. You have come here to listen to the speakers of Parliament deliberate, support, and settle the grievance and pain that you have carried. So I greet you all.]

I am not sure if I can add a lot. I think some of the kōrero today from both sides has been terrific, particularly contributions from the Hon Shane Jones and the Hon Meka Whaitiri, in giving the outline, the background, and the history—and the previous kōrero too from our Green colleague there. It’s excellent to hear that type of kōrero from Pākehā members, so ngā mihi ki a koe e te tuahine [thank you, sister].

In terms of the mihi to the former Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Chris Finlayson, from the Hon Shane Jones, it was excellent. Thank goodness the Hon Winston Peters wasn’t in the room when that mihi was given, given the scandalous type of kōrero that’s been put out there from the former Minister about our Deputy Prime Minister. But it is true to compliment the former Minister for what he did in Tūhoe, because getting our people to agree on anything in these areas is particularly tough. I know that we’ve had a number of people, particularly from Ngāti Ruapani, who are very, very upset with that settlement, but what do you do? The Treaty settlement process in many ways is flawed. It’s a flawed process that we’ve all bought into. In fact, former top businessman Hugh Fletcher said some years ago that to negotiate a deal for less than 1.5 percent is a deal that he would never enter into.

So it should be noted, the generosity of Māori with regard to these types of settlements. It’s a generosity that New Zealanders many times ignore. You had Ngāi Tahu—as my colleague and whanaunga here, Rino Tirikatene, knows—settle for $160 million. Tainui settled for $160 million. If you looked at the economic cases around Tainui and Ngāi Tahu, the economists valued those settlements at $20 billion—$20 billion. And our people are settling these deals at $160 million? So the gratitude from the nation to Māori, in my view, has been minimal—minimal—through the years, given the substantial contribution and sacrifice that our people have made. But our people have no choice. Our people have no choice. You settle or you get nothing. You talk or you go to the back of the queue, like Whakatōhea did some years ago.

So it’s an unforgiving process, and I’m not here to condemn any side. We’re all part of this process, and if there was a better process, we’d get into it. But I just need to commend our people for what they do: for getting down to Wellington and for going through a process where an apology is everything to a people. An apology honours those who have gone and honours those who’ve contributed. So many of our people don’t see the benefits from these settlements, but we’re getting there—we’re getting there. So I say well done—well done to people who’ve contributed to this, on both sides: the former Māori Affairs Committee chair, the current select committee chair, the former Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiation, and the current Minister. I know, particularly, when we go through the select committee process, the Māori Affairs Committee does stand out in terms of the collegial work on both sides, and the kotahitanga that is worked through from both sides. So I just want to commend everyone in terms of the contribution made and the support made. Well done to the negotiators. E tika kia mihi ki a tātau i tēnei wā, ā, tēnā tātau katoa.

[It is appropriate to acknowledge everyone today.]

Rino Tirikatene—this is a five-minute call.

Tēnā koe, Madam Deputy Speaker. Ka pai. I’m pleased to speak on the second reading of this bill, the Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill, and I’ve enjoyed the contributions thus far. I wasn’t a member of the Māori Affairs Committee in the 51st Parliament, but I do want to acknowledge the work of the previous chair Tutehounuku Korako and all the members of that committee, because I think what was evident in the debates today was the effort and the detail that they go into in scrutinising the legislation and in considering all of the submitters and the issues that have arisen through that process.

If we look to this bill, there are some issues that did arise, and I’m hopeful that we can see some progress on those matters, if not in this legislation, then certainly some way, somehow, in the future. In particular, I’m referring to the Hereheretau Station. One can only imagine how the Whakakī hapū must feel—the magnanimous gesture that they made in gifting that massive, massive sheep and beef station for the benefit of returned soldiers, but with very little, if any, benefit coming back to the descendants of the owners of that mighty agribusiness, Māori agribusiness. So I certainly hope that Te Tumu Paeroa, the administrator of the trust, and the hapū can come to some resolution of that, because it just doesn’t seem right that the hapū right at the heart of Whakakī are denied any real rights to their own farming businesses, which are a massive, massive farming enterprise at Hereheretau.

I just wanted to add my remarks on that particular point, because I understand that Whakakī is renowned for their eels—their tuna—and I certainly hope that there can be a big hākari at some stage with plenty of those tuna served up. Perhaps it may be when the Hon Shane Jones opens that rail line from Wairoa to Gisborne. I might even pull out my horn and my old Rātana blazer and blaze away with the band at that occasion.

💬 Hon Meka Whaitiri: You heard it, folks.

It will be a treat. But I do want to refer back to what we’re here for. Yes, we are putting through this legislation at a second reading, but I like to think of the sense of anticipation that is in store for the hapū and the iwi of Te Wairoa in the future and that will unfold as a result of not only this piece of legislation but all of the collective efforts that have been going on. I think that’s evident from the collective group that forms te hapū me te iwi o Te Wairoa.

I’m not too familiar with Te Wairoa, but I do want to acknowledge, just in my remaining time, my uncle Kukupā Tirikātene, who was actually whāngai-ed to a whānau in Wairoa, and his grandmother was Pani Paata, whose husband was an August—Ākuhata. He’s māuiui at the moment, up there in Tāmaki, but I know that he has very strong ties to Wairoa and he always acknowledges his upbringing with his nan, as he called her, who raised not only him but many others from infancy.

So I guess through that connection there—it’s always nice to have a connection to the subject matter of the bill and to the illustrious iwi and hapū that this bill belongs to. So with that, I really commend this bill at its second reading and look forward to its progress. Kia ora tātou.

It gives me pleasure to rise and speak to the Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill. I do so as a National member of Parliament, a new member of Parliament but a member of Parliament to the south—that is, part of the mighty Hawke’s Bay. I do speak today as a member from the south, bearing in mind that you, Madam Deputy Speaker, are the member from the north, and there is a part in the middle that is not blue politically, although I do acknowledge the Hon Meka Whaitiri for her rohe, which covers the East Coast. I acknowledge the Hon Andrew Little for shepherding this second reading into the House, the Hon Chris Finlayson for the work that had been done previously, all the officials that have been involved, and the people that are here today from Wairoa, Māhia, and Waikaremoana. They’ve all come here today for this second reading because it’s incredibly significant to them and it’s incredibly significant to Hawke’s Bay.

In my previous roles, I had watched the settlements proceed through this House of Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Hineuru, Maungaharuru-Tangitū, Heretaunga Tamatea, and Mana Ahuriri, which is still going through some processes. But it’s fair to say that, throughout that whole process, I’ve been incredibly impressed with the honour, respect, and dignity with which all claimant groups have put their case. We now have this particular bill in a process, really, of no return. It is going through—it’s being shepherded through the Parliament.

I am particularly impressed—and, obviously, members behind me will probably acknowledge and understand this—with the role that the Wairoa District Council is playing as part of this settlement and the role that the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, as well, is playing as part of this settlement. I also want to acknowledge—and I specifically refer to the Hon Willie Jackson, who spoke previous to me—the generosity of spirit that is also being shown here by the people of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa. The generosity of spirit, where they would have land vested back to them and then gift it back to the Crown. I actually do not know of many non-Māori in New Zealand that would actually do that. It’s been my experience, as we work through the settlement process, that the apology is one thing, the forgiveness is another, and the financial and cultural redress is another. But there is a generosity of spirit right throughout all these processes, which all of us could learn from, and which many people in this House are experienced in. It’s a special part of being a New Zealander.

I also acknowledge the significant contribution that $100 million will make to this part of Hawke’s Bay—this part that probably has got some bigger challenges than many other parts of Hawke’s Bay. But $100 million, in partnership with local authority money, in partnership with some of the growth projects that this new Government is putting up, will make a significant contribution to Wairoa, and not before time.

There are a number of things that are not in this bill, but they are referenced in the documentation: a social and economic revitalisation strategy; letters of introduction to Wairoa District Council and the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council; a tripartite relationship between the Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust, the Wairoa District Council, and the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council; a relationship agreement with the Ministry for the Environment; a partnership agreement with the Department of Conservation; and a letter of commitment to the Department of Internal Affairs and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, as well as the $100 million. This is a massive opportunity for the northern part of my region, and I want to support colleagues right across the House in supporting the shepherding of this bill through its second reading.

Many members of this House will know that I was an avid supporter of amalgamation. It got thrown out. It got thrown out in spades by this part of Hawke’s Bay. I was trying to seek a way of addressing a whole lot of things, including economic prosperity in Wairoa. The stars have aligned between this settlement and some of the new initiatives that have been developed, and, as a member of the National Party, I’m hugely proud to support the second reading and its passing of this stage. Thank you.

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. Ka tīmata ahau ki roto i te reo Māori ka mutu ko te hiahia kia huri atu ahau ki te reo Pākehā, ā, taihoa ake nei. E tautoko ana i ngā mihi kua utaina ki runga i Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, ōna hapū, ōna mana, ōna kāwai hekenga kua tau ki runga i te tāhuhu o Te Whare i te rā nei.

E te pāpā e Piere, e hoki atu ngā mahara ki a rātou kua ngaro atu ki te pō ki roto i te tau kua pahure ake nei, mai i te pānuitanga tuatahi o tēnei pire tae noa mai ki tēnei wā. Tangi hotuhotu te whatu manawa ki a rātou kua ngaro atu ki te pō, haere, haere, haere.

Ka whakahokia mai ngā rārangi kōrero ki a tātou te hunga ora e ōku rangatira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātou katoa. Pai te whakarongo atu ki ngā kōrero a tōku matua nei a te honore Tararā nei a Shane Jones. E harikoa ana te rongo atu i ngā whakapapa me ngā hītori hei tuitui i a tātou katoa i runga i te whakaaro nui o te whakapapa. Ka kī atu ahau ki a koutou, e ōku whanaunga, anei te uri a Te Wera Hauraki kua roa rawa e noho ki roto i a koutou. Ka pupuru tonu e tōku whānau i Te Nihoniho, te taonga hohou rongo i tukuna atu e koutou ki tōku tupuna a Te Wera Hauraki e hia tau ki muri. Nō reira, haere mai, haere mai, haere mai, kati. Ka huri atu ahau ki te reo tuarua.

[I acknowledge you, Mr Speaker. I will begin by speaking in Māori and it is my wish to conclude in English soon. I endorse the acknowledgments given to Te Wairoa, its hapū, its mana, and lineage who have graced this House today.

Piere, my thoughts return to those who have passed during this year, since the first reading of this bill up until this moment. My heart grieves for them, farewell to you all.

I return my discussion to us, the living; to you, my leaders, I acknowledge you all. It was pleasing to listen to my uncle, the honourable Dalmatian Shane Jones. I enjoyed listening to the origins and history that connects us all together through our whakapapa. I say to you, my relatives, here I stand before you as the descendant of Te Wera Hauraki, who for a very long time has been amongst you. My people still hold the treasure Te Nihoniho, the treasure of peace that you gave to my ancestor Te Wera Hauraki those many years ago. So welcome, welcome, welcome. I will now speak in the second language.]

It is probably more for the benefit of the new members of the House that it’s important that we actually take the full calls on these bills, in particular in the second reading, so that new members see we are duty-bound to give rigorous debate and analysis to such an important issue for the people of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa and, of course, for the House here and members across the House. It’s in that vein that I want to turn to some of the matters that were raised to the Māori Affairs Committee in the process of the hearing of submissions. I was, unfortunately, unable to attend the ceremony that was attended by the member Jo Hayes and, of course, the former Minister, the Hon Christopher Finlayson, in the year just gone. I was, in fact, with my good colleague here, the Hon Meka Whaitiri, at the unveiling for her father, who passed the year previous.

I want to acknowledge the member the Hon Meka Whaitiri for her work on—and she mentioned it in her contribution—Māori land ownership and the ability to use the resource for our own means, to make sure that the benefits that come from such lands and such resources actually go to the people who are the descendants of those who either held the land or gifted the land for a particular reason, and it’s in this vein that I talk about the station Hereheretau. Members across the House talked about the need to nurture leadership, to grow leadership to make sure that the seeds, first of all, that are sown with bills such as these, the fruits of those seeds can actually be harnessed, be utilised to grow for future generations.

I found it interesting in my discussion with the Hon Meka Whaitiri how, for many years, scholarships that came from the station of Hereheretau actually, for the most part, didn’t go to the descendants of those who held the land before it was given to help the soldiers who returned from World War I. That’s an important fact to remember—which is why the contention, which is why the submissions on this particular matter, and the urging of this House, if I can, to make sure that whatever happens with te Hereheretau into the future, long after we’re gone, we actually remember that it is there for the benefit of the descendants of those who actually gifted the land. It’s an important point to remember.

I also want to turn to the issue that I’ve raised many, many times in this House, and I think it’s just as relevant in my time in Opposition as in my time in Government, and that is the pitfalls of legislation in dealing with whakapapa. My colleague the Hon Meka Whaitiri mentioned the pitfalls when we look to legislation to define who we are—to define who is a hapū, to define who is an iwi—and the member the Hon Shane Jones mentioned it in his former life as the fisheries commissioner and as a man who did a great deal to get the fisheries settlement across the line. He mentioned, of course, my people of Ngāti Hine. And I’m proud to say that after many years of litigation, we now find ourselves on the census and on the pathway to becoming our own iwi, which, by definition—by the way, that’s the census next year. So all of you Ngāti Hine out there, please get on and tick that Ngāti Hine box.

But if you look at the purposes of the legislation and the definition of what a hapū and what an iwi are, you’ll find that most of us, and in particular in my case of Ngāti Hine, met that particular set of terms many, many years ago—many years ago. You needed to have marae, you needed to have an eponymous ancestor, you needed to have a large natural grouping, and you also needed to have the agreement of surrounding iwi. Well, I’m sure most Māori in this particular House today will say, “Aye, I’ve got a marae. Yes, I’ve got a marae. Yes, I’ve got a natural grouping. Yes, I’ve got an eponymous ancestor. And, by crikey, my neighbour had better agree.”

These are the pitfalls that legislation forces Māori into, and it’s a shame. But I am encouraged by the work of many of the people of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, and other tribes across the country, who actually want to work together and reconnect, legislation aside. And that’s an important thing to remember. We do that by way of waiata, wānanga, mahi tahi, working together for the benefit not of our generation but of our tamariki mokopuna. I’ve seen a pēpē up in the gallery, and it’s for them we do this particular job.

I won’t go on too much longer, because the House has already canvassed many of the issues that have come from this, but I want to reiterate my point, in particular in the second reading, for new members: let’s make sure we give these bills the rigorous debate and the respect that they deserve, acknowledging too that Te Rohe o Te Wairoa and the whānau from Te Wairoa have come a long way to hear the House debate these particular bills, and make sure that at the third reading, the bill that we started with in the first reading will be stronger, will be more robust, to ensure that future generations will reap the benefits sown in these readings.

So, without further ado, I look forward to this bill progressing and, once again, acknowledge all of those whose fingerprints are over this bill, both in this House and, of course, in and amongst the people of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa. Kāti ki konei. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou.

[I conclude here. Thank you all.]

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Bill read a second time.

The House adjourned at 12.13 p.m. (Wednesday)