Ngāti Tūwharetoa Claims Settlement Bill

I move, That the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Claims Settlement Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider the bill.

I’d like to extend a warm welcome to members of Ngāti Tūwharetoa who have travelled to be here today to attend this first reading of their settlement bill. Nau mai, haere mai. I want to begin by paying tribute to Ngāti Tūwharetoa’s ariki, Sir Tumu te Heuheu, and his forebears of Te Whare o Te Heuheu. Sir Tumu and seven generations of paramount chiefs before him have worked unflaggingly as advocates for the advancement of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa people. I also want to acknowledge all the people who have contributed to this settlement and who have worked for so many years to hold the Crown to account for those acts and omissions that breached the Treaty of Waitangi. Sadly, many of them have passed on and are not here to bear witness to this milestone. Today, let us pay tribute to, and celebrate the dedication of, those individuals.

It is important to also acknowledge the unflagging determination of the members of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa negotiation team throughout the negotiations. The Hon Sir Michael Cullen has been the lead negotiator for the Tūwharetoa Hapū Forum since 2010 and has worked diligently for settlement. His team has included George Asher, Eru George, Te Ngaehe Wanikau, and Gina Rangi as well, as well as Hinemoa Wanikau, Morgan te Heuheu, Merehira Savage, Jacqueline Iorangi, and Karen Feint in crucial supporting roles. Together they have worked long days and many nights negotiating settlement redress with the Crown and made many personal sacrifices in order to build a comprehensive redress package for Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

I would like to acknowledge the work of my predecessor, the Hon Chris Finlayson, as well. I also acknowledge the Crown negotiation team led by chief Crown negotiator John Isles with support from the Office of Treaty Settlements, the Department of Conservation, Land Information New Zealand, the Department of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry for the Environment.

The first reading of a settlement bill is, traditionally, an opportunity to reflect upon an iwi’s relationship with the Crown. I would like to highlight some of the key moments in this history to provide context for this bill. The New Zealand Wars and early Crown purchasing marked the beginning of widespread disruption to the social, political, and economic structures of Ngāti Tūwharetoa life. Later, the introduction of native land laws in the 1860s further contributed to the alienation of Ngāti Tūwharetoa’s lands by undermining their tribal control, and much of this land today forms large portions of the public conservation estate. In the 1880s, the Crown sought to establish a national park around Tongariro maunga. In 1887, Horonuku te Heuheu Tūkino IV made a tuku of the three volcanic peaks to the Crown to protect and preserve the mountains for Ngāti Tūwharetoa, other iwi, and all New Zealanders. Although Te Ariki intended to enter into a partnership with the Queen, legal ownership of the mountain peaks was vested solely in the Crown, and this began a process whereby Ngāti Tūwharetoa’s authority over the taonga and the Tongariro National Park has been greatly reduced.

Throughout the 20th century, the Crown’s prolonged imposition of orders against private alienation of lands owned by Ngāti Tūwharetoa locked up much of Ngāti Tūwharetoa’s land and resources, particularly indigenous timber, and precluded the iwi from developing these assets. Since the 1870s, the Crown has taken Ngāti Tūwharetoa land for a variety of public works, many of which have disrupted or uprooted whānau and communities. Many of these public works projects have been of considerable benefit to the people of New Zealand but have polluted, destroyed, or irreparably harmed many of the natural resources within Ngāti Tūwharetoa’s rohe. Economic marginalisation, unemployment, and underdevelopment have also contributed to the extensive migration of Ngāti Tūwharetoa peoples as they have left their rohe to seek opportunities elsewhere.

This long history of sacrifice and trauma provided a clear rationale for settlement negotiations with Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Ngāti Tūwharetoa had already reached several partial settlements and agreements with the Crown on claims not included in the comprehensive settlement. These include the Ngāti Tūrangitukua claims settlement in 1999, the Lake Taupō or Taupō Moana deed in 2007, the central North Island forests land settlement in 2008, the Waikato River co-management deed in 2010, and the Te Awa Tupua settlement in 2016.

Although Ngāti Tūwharetoa’s journey to the comprehensive settlement of their historical grievances began in 2003 with the establishment of the Tūwharetoa Hapū Forum, it wasn’t until December 2013 that Ngāti Tūwharetoa and the Crown signed a high-level agreement. In March 2015, they signed an agreement in principle and then their deed of settlement in July this year. The redress included in this settlement seeks to provide Ngāti Tūwharetoa with greater influence over the management of a number of historically and culturally significant sites and to facilitate the iwi’s collaboration and partnership with the Taupō community on projects that will build prosperity for the people of the Taupō region. This settlement includes the return of 32 sites to Ngāti Tūwharetoa, including properties at Five Mile Bay, Huka Falls, Parakiri, Taurewa farm, and the Tongariro National Trout Centre. It also brokers a range of new relationships with agencies, establishes a new statutory board, Te Kōpua Kanapanapa, which will provide Ngāti Tūwharetoa with a mechanism to exercise mana and kaitiakitanga over the Taupō catchment in partnership with the local authorities, and establishes a new joint trust to manage and administer the Tongariro National Trout Centre.

Although no settlement could ever fully compensate Ngāti Tūwharetoa for the loss and the prejudice they have suffered, the introduction of this bill heralds our entry into a renewed relationship that will rejuvenate the cultural, social, and economic mana of Ngāti Tūwharetoa. I consider the bill should proceed without delay to the Māori Affairs Committee. I commend this bill to the House. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. Ā, tēnā koutou ngā puāwaitaka a ō tātou mātua tīpuna. Anei rā te mihi hōhonu ki ngā uri o Te Arawa waka, ka huri te titiro ki ngā tapuwae o Ngātoroirangi e takatakahia e ō koutou whenua. Ngā uri o Tūwharetoa i Te Aupōuri, tū mai, tū mai, tū mai koutou. E mihi kau ana ki a koutou Tūwharetoa iwi e tae mai ki Te Upoko o Te Ika ki te tautoko te kaupapa nei, te muru o te hara nā te Kāwanataka i te mahia. Nō reira, a tēnei te mihi ki a koe e te ariki rakatira e Tā Tumu. Nō reira, ka nunui te mihi e mauria mai, e whakaako ki te kaupapa e nunui, e te kaupapa o te Tūwharetoa i te pire. Nō reira, kei a mātou ngā mema o Te Pāremata e mihi nei, e tangi nei ki a koutou ngā taoka whakahirahira, koutou e tūmanakohia ake nei huri noa i Te Whare Mīere. Nei te mihi ki te mema katoa, nō reira e mihi atu, e mihi atu, e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa.

[Greetings to you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Greetings to you, the descendants of our ancestors. I hereby greet you, the descendants of the Te Arawa canoe, and I gaze upon the footsteps of Ngātoroirangi, who tramped throughout your lands. The descendants of Tūwharetoa i Te Aupōuri, stand tall, stand tall, stand tall. I greet you all, the people of Tūwharetoa who have come to Wellington to support this matter, to acknowledge the wrongs committed by the Government. I also greet you, the paramount chief Sir Tumu. I appreciate greatly the learning that has been acquired through this important matter, the Tūwharetoa bill. So we the members of Parliament greet you all, the great treasures who have gathered in the Beehive, as we hoped for, and we also mourn your losses. I greet all the members, greetings, greetings, greetings to you all.]

I want to acknowledge the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations in the 52nd Parliament, the Hon Andrew Little, and wish him well in his new mahi. I also want to acknowledge the former Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Christopher Finlayson. We see a lot of the work that has been done on this important take today—the former Minister had a lot to do with what we are seeing here.

To give this settlement some context, Tūwharetoa is the fifth-largest iwi in the country, with approximately around 36,000 members. The area of interest is centred on Lake Taupō and the Central Plateau. It covers much of the central North Island and the Te Arawa regions. There are also a number of overlapping groups that are part of this settlement.

The historical claims of Tūwharetoa against the Crown relate to the establishment of the Tongariro National Park, the New Zealand Land Wars, land alienations through native land laws, Crown purchasing tactics and public works takings, the loss of access to and control over geothermal resources, water rights, and fishing rights, and environmental issues, especially concerning Lake Taupō.

One cannot begin to describe the profound impact the actions of the Crown have had on the proud people of Tūwharetoa. The Crown has admitted that every generation of Tūwharetoa has been adversely affected by the Government’s failure to uphold its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi since 1840. This is a major acknowledgment of how unjustly the Crown acted.

It is never easy to stand as a representative of the Crown to acknowledge the past wrongs of this House against any group of New Zealanders, let alone Māori. And yet, as a member of Parliament, I am as culpable today as those who stood in the same House to make laws to dispossess Tūwharetoa of their land a little over 150 years ago. These laws I refer to include establishing and imposing the Native Land Court on Tūwharetoa without their consultation or agreement, allowing the courts to begin the process of alienating Māori land held in common through individualisation of title, and imposing the 10-owner rule upon the hapū of Tūwharetoa, to the detriment of a multitude of iwi members at that time.

Unfortunately, it does not stop there. The deliberate warfare waged by the Crown upon the Kīngitanga in Waikato-Tainui left Tūwharetoa hapū with little option but to support their relations in the North. Going to war against colonial troops to assist their northern relations resulted in very harsh recrimination by systematically dispossessing Tūwharetoa of their lands through major raupatu.

But, arguably, the greatest slight to Tūwharetoa was the undermining of the tuku, or the transfer, that their tipuna Horonuku te Heuheu Tūkino IV made when gifting their rakatira mauka, including their tipua mauka Tongariro, to the Crown. The gift was given in humility and in love for all the people of Aotearoa. It was a gift designed to preserve the beauty of these mauka and the surrounding whenua for all New Zealanders to enjoy. It was this gift that created the Tongariro National Park.

This gift is all the more significant as it was given after Tūwharetoa had suffered the indignities of land confiscation for supporting their Waikato-Tainui relations, having their tīpuna unjustly imprisoned on Wharekauri without trial, in very, very harsh conditions, and having suffered the indignities of land alienation through the Native Land Court. But the iwi, through te Heuheu, still took the first step to repair a relationship that was broken by the Crown through these injustices.

How did the Crown respond to this extraordinary and extremely generous gift to the country, a gift the Crown knew was intended to honour the Treaty of Waitangi by enabling true partnership, using a unique collaborative model? Again, unfortunately, by systematically and consciously diluting the role of Tūwharetoa in the administration of the Tongariro National Park; by deliberately appointing a majority of non-Māori members to the national park board; and by intentionally extinguishing Tūreiti te Heuheu Tūkino V’s trusteeship on the board.

There are many ways that we are the embodiment of the saying, “The sins of the father are revisited upon the son.” That being said, the son now has the opportunity, along with all other members of this House, to right a wrong committed in our collective name over a century and a half ago, and I’m proud to see the members of this House on both sides owning our collective wrongdoing and endeavouring to make it right with the people of Tūwharetoa.

The aspects of redress include cultural funds totalling approximately $3.95 million and financial redress of $25 million. The Crown will also begin cultural redress negotiations over the Tongariro National Park with Tūwharetoa and other iwi and hapū with interests in this park within the next 12 months.

As with all other Treaty settlements, the Tūwharetoa settlement is small relative to the loss suffered by them, but it is a settlement, and, once again, Tūwharetoa have been gracious to the people of New Zealand by accepting cents in the dollar owing to them. All of New Zealand should be grateful to Tūwharetoa for once again putting aside its rightful sense of injustice, loss, and hurt to accept a settlement that does not, and never could, reflect the true loss to this iwi.

I want to convey my true gratitude to Tūwharetoa for the ongoing patience and unfathomable aroha that they have shown in all these years of loss that they have suffered. Tūwharetoa humility and manaaki to the whole country stand as a testament to the mana of this truly great and respected iwi, and for that reason I commend this bill to the House. E mihi atu ki a koutou katoa, kia ora.

Kororia, hareruia ki a Ihowa o ngā mano, matua, tama, wairua tapu me ngā anahera pono, me te māngai anō hei tautoko mai āia nei, ake nei, āe. Te maunga Tongariro ka tārehu, e mihi ana ki te rangi, e mihi ana ki te whenua, e mihi ana ki ngā tāngata. Tū winiwini, tū wanawana kia puta ki te whai ao, ki te ao mārama. Whakataka te hau ki te uru, whakataka te hau ki te tonga. Kia mākinakina ki uta, kia mātaratara ki tai. Kia hī ake ana te atākura, he tio, he huka, he hauhu. A, tihewa mauri ora!

Ngāti Tūwharetoa, tēnā koutou. Nau mai, whakatau mai ki Te Whare Pāremata e takatū nei. Te whare o Te Heuheu, te ariki, e Tumu, tēnā koe. Ngā hapū maha, tēnā koutou. Nō koutou tēnei rā, he rā nui, he rā whakahirahira. Kei te tū ahau ki te tū tautoko ki te rīti o tēnei pire. Āe, he rā nui, he rā whakahirahira. He mihi atu ki a rātau kua whetūrangitia, nā rātau i hāpai nei ngā mahi i tēnei rā, te whakatutuki i a rātau ngā wawata i a rātau. Āpiti hono, tātai hono, rātau te hunga mate ki a rātou. Āpiti hono, tātai hono, tātau te hunga ora ki a tātau, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātau katoa.

[Glory, honour, and hallelujah to Jehovah, lord of the many hosts, the father, the son, sacred spirit, the devout angels, and the mouthpiece as my support, now and forever, yes indeed. Tongariro mountain is covered by cloud; greetings to the sky, greetings to the land, and greetings to the people. Stand in awe and fear and move from the world of darkness into the world of light. Cease the winds from the west, cease the winds from the south. It will be icy cold inland, and icy cold on the shore. Let the red-tipped dawn come with a sharpened air. A touch of frost, a promise of a glorious day. Alas, it is life!

Greetings, Tūwharetoa. Welcome to Parliament and those assembled here. To the house of Te Heuheu, the paramount chief Tumu, I greet you. And the many hapū, I greet you all. This is your day, a significant day. I stand here in support of the reading of this bill. Yes, it is a great day, a significant day. I acknowledge those that have departed, those who carried the mantle, and that is why we are here today, to achieve their aspirations. The lines are joined, the dead have been connected. The lines are joined, we the living have been connected, greetings, greetings, greetings to you all.]

I am very proud and humbled to be able to speak at the first reading of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Claims Settlement Bill. I too would like to add my warm welcome to all of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and in particular Te Ariki Tumu, who have travelled all this way for this historic occasion. All first readings of claims settlement bills are very historic occasions, and it certainly is a great honour to be able to speak and pay acknowledgment to you—to our manuhiri tūārangi—and also to address the details that are embodied in this bill, which so much work has gone into. I would like to acknowledge the hapū forum for all of the work that they’ve done that has led up to this point. We are just one step in the process, but this is a very important step that we are doing today.

I’d like to acknowledge the Hon Christopher Finlayson, who, I know, was intimately involved in this settlement, and all the work that he achieved under the 51st Parliament, and prior, with Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Likewise, I’d like to acknowledge the Hon Andrew Little, who has now taken over the baton and is leading the work in this very area of completing these Treaty settlements, but also moving forward all of the Crown - iwi Māori relationships that we have across Aotearoa.

This is a very significant bill. As has been mentioned, Ngāti Tūwharetoa is a large iwi, the fifth-largest iwi in Aotearoa. As I like to mention in my contributions on these historic occasions, to understand Māori history is to understand whakapapa. All of those histories are intertwined and embodied in these settlements. In particular, I always like to reflect on the historical account and the acknowledgments and the apology that the Crown has set out in this piece of legislation. The same is true—we are canvassing a lot of history, a lot of mamae, that has been inflicted upon generations of the hapū, the iwi, of Ngāti Tūwharetoa. It goes right back to pre-1860 days and the desire by the new settler Governments back in those days to devour lands and resources in Aotearoa, and the conflicts that broke out, and the hard decisions that had to be made by hapū, and iwi, and chiefs, who were, in many cases, drawn into conflicts and had to make hard decisions for their people. Those decisions were, no doubt, fallen foul on the chiefs of Ngāti Tūwharetoa. So many of the names that come up in these settlements we have heard in many other settlements. The battles that take place, and the loss of the chiefs, in particular at Ōrākau, at Ōmarunui, at Te Pōrere, chiefs like Te Rangi Tāhau and Maniapoto, and the loss that has been inflicted upon the hapū and the descendants of those great chiefs—it cannot be overstated how deep that runs. So I am pleased that we are able to acknowledge in these bills the historical account of the loss.

And it didn’t stop in the 1860s. It went on and on. The skulduggery that the Crown got up to in its acquisition of land and resources—the decisions that were made to the detriment of Ngāti Tūwharetoa—are all spelt out in the bill. I too would like to acknowledge—as I’ve said, to understand our history is to understand Māori whakapapa. To have Te Ariki Tumu te Heuheu here embodies all what Ngāti Tūwharetoa is—the descent from their ariki—and to have him here to grace this occasion is truly overwhelming, because I know how significant this occasion is to Ngāti Tūwharetoa. So Ngāti Tūwharetoa has been through a lot. I’ve only just gone through the 1860s. I didn’t even get to their great tūpuna that were swept aside and cast over to the Chatham Islands, that joined many others. There were no Māori rebels in those days; they were Māori patriots, and there are many great stories that will be told about those great patriots that ended up in places like the Chatham Islands.

But to return to this bill, I think what sums this bill up best for me is the spirit of gratitude that we must have for Ngāti Tūwharetoa in their generosity—the generosity that they have bestowed on Aotearoa, our nation, through the development of resources: hydroelectric schemes, geothermal, forestry, national parks. So much has been undertaken in their tribal ancestral lands to the benefit of our country, but, alas, to the detriment of Ngāti Tūwharetoa. This bill and this settlement are a means by which we can acknowledge that, offer some means of consideration for that, but it goes nowhere to even recovering one little splinter of the loss that has been inflicted on this great iwi. But, alas, we are here, and this is a great achievement for Ngāti Tūwharetoa. So, just in concluding, I am looking forward to working as chair of the Māori Affairs Committee to examine closely this bill, to work closely with my colleagues, and to hear submitters on this very important bill. I commend this bill to the House. Kia ora tātou.

Can I too begin by acknowledging Sir Tumu te Heuheu, who is in the House today. Over my years as Minister in charge of Treaty negotiations, he was the embodiment of the gentlemanly approach to negotiations. What he said, he meant, and one could always rely on his word. It is great to have him in the House today, along with other members of Tūwharetoa.

Can I also acknowledge the Hon Louise Upston, the MP for Taupō. She sent me a text just before the House started. She’s in hospital because her father is unwell, but she wanted to say how much she was hoping to be here today, and to send her very best wishes to the good people of Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

I acknowledge Sir Michael Cullen, who is in the Chamber. I thank him and Gina Rangi and George Asher and the other members of the Tūwharetoa negotiating team—tough, but principled—and I think they have achieved a great settlement for the iwi.

I acknowledge the chief Crown negotiator John Isles for all his good work. Of course, John’s greatest claim to fame is not the Ngāti Tūwharetoa settlement, but it’s the fact that he—and he alone—witnessed my hole in one at Heretaunga a couple of years ago. He’s also witnessed quite a few treble bogeys over the years. It pains him to have to acknowledge to people that I actually did that while he was stuck in a bunker. But he’s a good fellow, who has done great work for the Crown over the years, and I acknowledge him. He’s in the final stages of finishing his house in the land of Ngāpuhi, and so he’s unable to be here today.

I acknowledge my successor, Andrew Little. Some of my colleagues say I’ve been far too nice about him as we’ve transitioned from one administration to the other, but I think people know that my greatest failing is that I am generous and kind. So I do acknowledge him and wish him all the best. I simply say to Mr Little that Tūwharetoa are fantastic to deal with, and—please, I hope Mr Henare doesn’t take this personally—all the very best with Ngāpuhi.

I think it’s very important to analyse just what this claim is all about, because there are a number of really nasty, mean-spirited people out there who say, “Oh, Tūwharetoa are always coming back for more.” But the reality of the matter is that unlike some settlements, where you deal with all issues at once, there has been a more episodic approach to Treaty settlements with Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and it’s a perfectly legitimate approach that has been taken. Because of where they are positioned in the central North Island, there are, inevitably, overlaps—so, for example, the Waikato River settlement. Ngāti Tūwharetoa needed to be brought into the Waikato River arrangements after Nanaia Mahuta’s iwi, Tainui, began that process, and, of course, Raukawa and Te Arawa and others have also been brought in. There was the forests agreement, which was negotiated by Sir Michael Cullen in the closing stages of the Clark administration, and Ngāti Tūwharetoa were also involved in that.

Then, of course, there was the 2007 agreement that was negotiated by Mark Burton over Tauranga—not Tauranga Moana, please; that’s another one that I’m sure Andrew’s going to enjoy dealing with—Taupō Moana, over the waters of Lake Taupō. That didn’t give rise to legislation, but it’s very much an enforceable agreement—as certain people are going to find out in the next little period—because that gave rise to a little bit of strife before the election. The leader of New Zealand First was making all sorts of his usual volcanic and explosive comments, saying that I’d given away the waters of Lake Taupō to Ngāti Tūwharetoa. He was making all those sorts of allegations, all of which—as is customary with him—were false. A number of the commercial operators were very concerned about those arrangements. I met with them and I offered to arrange a mediation, but, unfortunately, many of the things that I said to them, which I thought were in confidence and were for the purposes of creating a peaceful outcome, were leaked to either Mr Peters or New Zealand fishing, and so it’s on its way to the High Court and all the very best to them.

There will be other settlements that will need to be concluded. My wonderful colleague John Wood has been very instrumental in negotiating and talking to people about the national park and about settlement of the maunga. Those issues are going to have to be dealt with over the next few years, and that is the way it should be.

Can I suggest to those who are cynical about Treaty settlements that they should look at the history of this claim. As Mr Tirikatene has said, it’s clearly set out in the historical account, which is drawn out of the deed, and then the apology that follows. Ngāti Tūwharetoa didn’t necessarily suffer raupatu, but it has had a very rough ride through New Zealand history, because—as Mr Tirikatene observed—of that insatiable desire on the part of the Crown for land. The iwi greeted the new settlers of our land in the years following 1840 and, basically, they were let down. That’s what the settlement’s all about, and also when it comes to the way in which lakes and rivers have been treated. On the western side of the island, we’ve been negotiating with the iwi there, and it’s very instructive to actually see what the Tongariro power development actually did to rivers and the effect it had on the iwi of the central North Island. I’ll never forget a site visit to certain rivers. Basically, they vanish before your eyes and all that water is turned from the south to the north, and irreparable harm has been caused to the environment up there that there needs to be redress for.

So these are the sorts of issues that have arisen over the years with Ngāti Tūwharetoa. That is why there need to be these settlements and why I was so pleased to be the Minister who signed the deed of settlement with my dear friend Sir Tumu earlier this year, and the legislation is now before the House.

I have a couple of concluding comments. Part of the settlement marries, as it were, the settlement provisions into other settlements—so, for example, I refer honourable members to clauses 184 and 185. Some years ago, in the Ngāti Whare settlement, we set up the Rangitaiki River Forum. Ngāti Tūwharetoa becomes a member of that forum, which is, as the term suggests, designed to improve the quality of the Rangitaiki River—which, I think, flows through the Deputy Speaker’s electorate and probably four other electorates as well—and then there’s also the Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee, where there is, admittedly, a lesser interest than other Hawke’s Bay iwi, but none the less Ngāti Tūwharetoa needs to be involved in that settlement as well.

So I very much look forward to the legislation going to the Māori Affairs Committee, which Mr Tirikatene is going to be chairing. I look forward to this bill returning to the House, and I look forward to the negotiation and resolution of the other issues that I have referred to.

There’s one issue that does need to be addressed in the future—and the iwi are alert to it—and that is the fact that the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board is holding some settlement assets from other settlements, as indeed is another body holding assets arising from the forestry settlement. At some stage in the future, there will need to be a rationalisation of settlement bodies, but it seemed sensible to say that those are issues the iwi can work through over the next few years in its own way and in its own time, and I didn’t feel the need to shoehorn them into a particular settlement with one post-settlement governance entity. I think that that’s where, probably, it should end up in the fullness of time, but I’m sure that they’ll be able to work through those issues over the next few years.

So, with those remarks, I join with other honourable members in commending the bill to the House.

Taupō-nui-a-Tia, Tongariro maunga, Tūwharetoa i Te Aupōuri Tupuna, Te Heuheu Tangata, ko koutou mai i te whare tātai i te puku o te motu kua tau nei ki roto i Te Whare Pāremata, nau mai, piki mai, kua tau mai. Waiho mā tēnei reo Māori o tātou hei tuku kupu māku i roto i te huringa o ngā mahara ki te hunga kua whetūrangitia. E kara, e Tumu, hoki ana ōku hakaaro ki tō pāpā, ki a Te Hepi. I te wā kāhore anō wēnei take Tiriti i waenga tonu i ngā kokorutanga o Te Kāwanatanga kia whai matomato i reira tō matua e werowero ana. Me hoki noki ōku hakaaro ki ō koutou mātua, ngā ingoa i whakahuahuangia ai nōku i te tamariki pēnā i a Pat Rua. Me te wā noki i a mātou e tamariki ana i te kura i Tīpene, ko wai te hunga nāna mātou i whakatau ki waenga tonu i a koutou, ko Taxi, ko Nick Wall. Nā reira, i reira i roto i ēnei whakawhitiwhitinga o tātou kei wareware tātou ki te hunga kua wheturangitia. Nā rātou i pupuru i te mauri mō ēnei o ō tātou tō mahi tō rātou wā, ka heke mai ki a koutou ko tō iwi e Tumu. Nā reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Nōku i te kura i Tīpene he mea ako mātou ki tētahi waiata, he waiata i waiatangia nuingia ai e mātou i ō mātou haerenga i waenga tonu i te motu. Nā, me whakamomori au kia hoki mai ētahi rārangi ki a au, engari e kara e Tumu, pēnei rā taku mahara:

Ka hoki au ki taku whenua tupu

Ki te wai koropupū i heria mai

I Hawaiki rā anō e Ngātoroirangi

E ōna tūāhine a Te Pupu, a Te Hoata

E hū mai rā a Tongariro ka mahana taku kiri e

Tūwharetoa, kia mahana te kiri ā-tangata, ā-hapū, ā-iwi i tēnei rā, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Taupō-nui-a-Tia, the mountain Tongariro, the ancestor Tūwharetoa i Te Aupōuri, all of you from the house of the lineage of the belly of the fish who have arrived here in Parliament, welcome, welcome, welcome. I will let our Māori language convey my words to those who have departed. My dear Tumu, my thoughts return to your father Hepi. Before these Treaty issues had progressed in Government such as they are, your father would be there challenging. My thoughts return to your elders, names that were spoken of when I was young, such as Pat Rua. And to the time when we were young at St Stephen’s, who was it that welcomed us amongst you? It was Taxi, Nick Wall. So, as we discuss let us not forget those who have passed on. It was they who held the mantle of our work in their time, down to your people today, Tumu. So I greet you, greet you, greet you all.

When I was at school at St Stephen’s we were taught a song, and it was a song we would sing a lot as we travelled the country. Now, I must desperately hope that some words return to me. As I recall it went like this:

But now I return to my native land

To the boiling pools there, which were brought

From distant Hawaiki by Ngātoroirangi

And his sisters Te Pupu and Te Hoata

To fume up there on Tongariro, giving warmth to my skin

Tūwharetoa, let there be warmth on the skin of the people, the hapū, and the tribe today, greetings to us all.]

I stand to support the remarks and indeed the sentiments expressed by my colleagues about this particular iwi occupying a special place in the firmament of Māori political cultural history. This is not just a settlement about resources; this is an affirmation and a reminder to us as Māori parliamentarians of the role that the ancestors of this tribe have played over the years in not only contributing to the Kīngitanga but keeping alive the ancient Polynesian kaupapa of Te Ariki.

So, in our Māori language, I acknowledge Te Ariki o Tūwharetoa. I acknowledge the hapū that make up Tūwharetoa, and I also affirm what the former Minister said: “The way for greatness as you and I as Māori does not lie in atomisation; it lies in building a sense of nationhood amongst us as Māori, so that we are capable of steering the affairs of this nation, and it never loses sight of the anchorage which we as indigenous tangata whenua offer to Aotearoa.”

So this settlement, in my view, is regarded in that fashion. There will always be concerns over the implementation of the settlement, and it behoves both local government leadership and tribal leadership to ensure, as decisions are made and steps taken to improve catchment and environment, that the leaders take all of the people with them. When all of the people are taken forward, then, over time, there is an acceptance that there is a slightly different way, an improved way, of doing things.

The kaupapa of Te Kōpua Kānapanapa, quite apart from being an extraordinarily beautiful name—it’s a pity that the name was taken by you; it could have made Sonny Tau and the Ngāpuhi look quite clever. But the actual word is an ancient Māori word, and indeed in the North we have a similar expression: Te Au Kānapanapa, being the current that brought our ancestor Kupe to Aotearoa.

But that body is an innovation. That body comprises the leadership of the tangata whenua and local government. These bodies cannot function and cannot succeed unless they capture the imagination and enjoy the mandate of the broader community, because their decisions will pertain to people who hold not only iwi rights but private property rights.

So we know that these things can easily become snagged with unnecessary bureaucracy, extended decision-making, and that in itself can frustrate the economic decisions. But given that this tribe has aspirations—many of them already fulfilled—that they will be an economic powerhouse in this part of Aotearoa and the overarching country, I think I reflect the concerns of all of us: please, when these bills are passed, I say to us, as members of the House, that we must ensure that the processes do not suffer as a consequence of our innovation and our desire to embrace tangata whenua perspectives. But those issues, no doubt, will be teased through in relation to the select committee process.

So, to Mr Chris Finlayson, who may have offended against the Standing Orders today by describing himself as very charitable, kind, and humorous, I acknowledge the mahi that he’s done, and I acknowledge Andrew Little. As he goes forth to deal with the Ngāpuhi nui tonu, he will have no shortage of advice, both up there and here. But he should bear in mind that the old term for Ngāpuhi is Ngāpuhi Kōhao Rau [Ngāpuhi of a hundred holes], and please, Andrew Little, do not get in the way of the firing line, because “Ngāpuhi Kōhao Rau” tends to mean “Ngāpuhi of a hundred muskets”.

So, Tūwharetoa, tēnā koutou. Kua tutuki te kaupapa i moemoengia ai i tōna wā, kātahi ka whakatutukitia i roto i tēnei rā, ka haria ki te komiti uiui, kātahi ka wherawherahia ai ngā wāhanga o te pire nei ka haria mai, ka pīkaua mai e ngā kaitono, ngā kaituhituhi ō rātou māharahara, otira e pai ana. Koia tēnā te huarahi i whakaritea hei haerenga mō ngā kaupapa pēnei.

Nā reira, e Tumu, koutou katoa me ō koutou kaitohutohu pēnei me te ruānuku a Dr Cullen kua tatū mai i tēnei ra, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou. Hoki atu ki Taupō meinga atu ki a rātou e mōhio ana te Tararā nei ki te waiata “Ka Eke ki Wairaka”. Kia ora tātou katoa.

[So, I acknowledge you, Tūwharetoa. This matter that you dreamed about in the past has been realised, has reached this stage today. It will progress to the select committee where the provisions of the bill will be discussed, and the submitters and writers can outline their concerns, as appropriate. That is the process set down for these types of matters.

So, Tumu, and all of you, including your advisors such as the sage Dr Cullen, who have come here today, greetings to you all and all of us. Return to Taupō and tell them that this Dalmatian knows the song “Ka Eke ki Wairaka”. Greetings to us all.]

Tēnā koe, te Arikinui o Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Tā Tumu Te Heuheu, tēnā koe, nau mai haere mai. Ki ngā whānau whānui o te iwi Ngāti Tūwharetoa, ka nui te mihi atu ki a koutou, nau mai haere mai ki Te Pāremata ki runga i te rā whakahirahira, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Greetings, greetings to the paramount chief of Tūwharetoa, Sir Tumu te Heuheu, welcome. To the families of the Tūwharetoa tribe, I greet you and welcome you to Parliament for this special day.]

I’m honoured to stand to make a small contribution to the first reading of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Claims Settlement Bill. Before I start my contribution, I just want to acknowledge some people. I want to acknowledge the Hon Chris Finlayson, whom I believe will go down in the history of many iwi and hapū kōrero as the most effective, no-nonsense Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations that any Government has seen over the many years that this Government has stood here. I want to acknowledge the new Minister, the Hon Andrew Little. I think that the shoes that have been left behind for you are very big, and it’s going to take a wee while, I’d say, before you actually ever get to fit them, but I wish you all the best. I really look forward to working inside the Māori Affairs Committee as we work through these bills.

Many of the contributions today have already touched on the historical events that happened with Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and each time I stand here in this House, after reading the information that we get and listening to the kōrero that I get to hear at a number of hui—I do sit here humbled that so many of our tūpuna have been such courageous fighters, and that for all of us that are in this House and throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, we’re very lucky to actually be here. It has been our tūpuna that have fought vigorously for us to survive.

And so I’m very humbled, again, to stand here on another Treaty settlement bill, one of our biggest and most important for me—my auntie married into Ngāti Tūwharetoa. I just want to say that this is a bill that I look forward to listening to the contributions on from the many submitters, and I would dare to say that there will be many submitters for this bill. I do look forward to actually hearing their stories and to making sure that the Crown does do its duty to redress all of the ills that it caused for Ngāti Tūwharetoa tūpuna and whānau.

Coming back to the select committee, because I came off the select committee at the beginning of the year and I’m pleased to be back with it, I want to say to Rino, the chair, that I look forward to your chairmanship for the rest of this term. I think that we will do a number of great things for iwi, and under your chairmanship I know that we will fight to get as much as we can for our people.

So, without any further ado, I just want to say that I pay tribute to you all up there in the gallery, for all of you coming here today. Some of you would have woken early in the morning. I pay tribute to your tūpuna. To your mokopuna yet to come and that are here already, I think that they will have an amazing piece of history and legacy that you have pulled together today and into the future, and I can see that the treasures that you already have will actually grow exponentially once this process is finished. So, without any further ado, I commend the bill to the House. Kia ora.

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o tēnei Whare, huri noa ki a tātou katoa, ōku hoa kaimahi. Te tuatahi nei rā taku mihi maioha, taku mihi aroha ki a koutou ngā uri o Ngāti Tūwharetoa, nau mai ki tēnei Whare, ki ō Whare o te Whare Pāremata. He mihi aroha tēnei ki ō maunga, ngā maunga teitei, he mihi kau ana tēnei ki ngā moana, ki ngā awa, nei rā te tuku mihi ki a koutou kua tae mai nei i tēnei rā hirahira. He mihi anō ki a koutou ngā mokopuna, ngā tamariki, ngā whānau, ngā kaimahi o tēnei pire i whāriki nei i mua i a tātau katoa: nau mai haramai, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora mai tātau katoa. Anō hoki, he mihi ki a koe e te Ariki Tā Tumu Te Heuheu me te mana me te aroha o ō koutou e tū ana kei muri i a koe. Tēnā tātau katoa.

[Greetings to the Deputy Speaker, and to us all, and to my colleagues. Firstly, I give a warm and loving greeting to you the descendants of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, welcome to this House, Parliament. I greet your mountains, your lofty mountains, and also the lakes and rivers. I greet you all who have come here on this special day. I also acknowledge the grandchildren, children, families, and those who worked on the bill before us: welcome, welcome, greetings to us all. And also, I greet you the paramount chief Sir Tumu Heuheu and the mana and love of all of those that support you. Greetings to you all.]

I’m going to start, as have many of my colleagues in this House, by acknowledging the incredible generosity of Ngāti Tūwharetoa in arriving at this settlement before us—the generosity in the face of what cannot be overstated: in the face of the Crown’s aggression on a number of levels, including physically, including economically and culturally, including violently, and definitely including spiritually. It had aggressive hunger for what Ngāti Tūwharetoa had kaitiaki responsibilities over, including Tāupo Moana, including te maunga, including the cultural connections to all of the whenua and the incredible benefits that all of Aotearoa have gained from the time—and ongoing—that those connections were broken and those responsibilities and kaitiaki responsibilities were broken by the violent acts of the Crown.

On that note, I start my contribution by deeply acknowledging that generosity in light of the Crown breach of what was a Tiriti agreement that we were to have a good faith partnership and that the Crown was to always uphold the mana motuhake of hapū and iwi of Aotearoa.

Te Tiriti, in its essence, supports hupūtanga, and the Green Party has always made it very clear that we want to review the entire settlement process, particularly in terms of its tendency to want to deal with large natural groupings, a particular part of the settlement process that continues to wedge hapū, that continues to undermine hapū, and that continues to create all sorts of raruraru around the motu. I acknowledge all of the raru that Tūwharetoa have faced on this particular matter and that, also, Tūwharetoa have remained open to the communications that continue to need to happen along the settlement process, which pits hapū against each other.

I am going to focus quite deeply on the historical account. I acknowledge that while this is the first meeting that this House is having with your settlement legislation, that for many years, and alongside all sorts of hard work and losses, the kōrero for this negotiated settlement has taken place since long before today. I always want to deeply understand at least the historical account that is presented to us in the bill, which, in my opinion, I welcome and think these are one of the most important parts of the legislation, but I know that they in no way capture all the nuances and all the impacts that the historical journeys have had on Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

In saying that, I do appreciate what iwi are able to have put into the records—into the written records—and into this House as a historical account. I noted that, before 1860, of course Ngāti Tūwharetoa actively opposed the Crown’s aggressive purchasing programme and that, in those actions of actively opposing the Crown’s grab of land, they set themselves up as a target. This happened around the motu. Having set themselves up as a target of the Crown by stubbornly and fantastically wanting to protect their kaitiaki and whakapapa links to their whenua, alongside the later invasion of Crown forces into the Waikato rohe, that brought upon Tūwharetoa a series of aggressive actions and breaches by the Crown of Te Tiriti agreement. So I want to acknowledge that, from the get-go, Ngāti Tūwharetoa have made it very clear that they weren’t going to have a bar of the land negotiations.

It also happened that native land laws were then put in place—all the different mechanisms and tools were used by the Crown to try to usurp and undermine the whakapapa kaitiaki responsibilities that Ngāti Tūwharetoa had over their whenua and their land holdings, and, absolutely, legislation was a part of that mechanism and that strategy, particularly the mechanism of removing collective title into individual title. That meant that, by 1900, the alienation of Ngāti Tūwharetoa had become incredibly significant and damaging and that today, much of this—say, 430,000 acres of Ngāti Tūwharetoa—had been acquired by the Crown, and that today much of this land remains in Crown ownership and has, right back from that time, continued to benefit everybody, except for the detrimental impacts it has had on Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

These are the benefits of colonisation. This is where we need to always remember who has benefited from colonisation. The Crown most certainly has, and parts of the community most certainly have. The cumulative injustice has gotten stronger and stronger every single day that we do not make appropriate restitution for that cumulative impact and breach of Te Tiriti.

I also want to pick up specifically on Ngāti Te Maunga and the mountain peaks and, in particular, Horonuku te Heuheu Tūkino IV and his action of wanting to make a tipu—wanting to grant—in the spirit of generosity. It was a type of gifting whereby those maunga would be protected and preserved for Ngāti Tūwharetoa, for other iwi, and for all New Zealanders.

Consistently, despite an unfortunately and completely untrue narrative that Māori and iwi are greedy, we have in fact done completely the opposite and have wanted to maintain our generosity, manaaki, and aroha to communities with upholding those whakapapa connections and responsibilities to rohe and including the maunga. So I am grateful, and this is just a small example of some of the historical account that is the starting point for me in looking at what has happened.

I’m going to conclude by saying that the Greens have always maintained that these settlements are not full and final, and we will always advocate for a review of the large natural groupings process and how that is dealt with by the Crown. Also, Te Tiriti should be a positive force for social cohesion and a way forward, but that needs to happen by making sure that restitution is full.

Nō reira, tēnei te mihi aroha ki a tātau katoa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, huri noa kia ora tātau katoa.

[So I greet you all, greetings, greetings to us all.]

Thank you, and I do apologise for not giving the two-minute bell.

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare, ka noho tonu ahau ki roto i te reo Māori. “Ehara taku hoa a Kāingaroa he purupuru, he taka ka pā tau ko ahau, ko te tītī, ko te aporei. Ko te tama i āta purupuru mārire ko Ngāti Rangi, ko te angaanga tītī iho i te rangi.”

Ko te take ka tīmata ake au i taku kōrero me te tauparapara o te kāinga, o tōku kāinga o Te Pēwhairangi, ka tuituia te mana o ōku mātua, ōku tūpuna ki runga i te kāinga o Tāpeka ki tō tātou iwi kua pae i te rā nei. Nō reira, e oku rangatira, haere mai rā koutou ki runga i te tāhuhu o tō koutou whare. E tautoko atu ana i ngā mihi kua hōrapa pai ki runga i a tātou ki roto i te roanga ake o tēnei atatū. Ka tīmata ake ki roto i tōku tuakana nei ki a Adrian i whakaritea i tō tātou huihuinga i te ata nei. Kia tau iho mai ngā manaakitanga o te kaihanga ki runga ki tēnā, ki tēnā, ki tēnā o tātou kua tau nei, nō reira, ngā mihi nui ki a ia.

Huri tua atu i a ia nei nā ki ngā tini aituā o te wā kua wahaina mai e ngā mema o tēnei Whare ki roto i ngā kōrero i te ata nei. Ko tētahi o rātou ana ko te tupuna a Tā Hepi. I a au e tamariki ana ka whakaaro ake i te tāima a Tā Hepi me tōku tupuna a Tā Hemi ki roto i tō mātou whare ki roto o Amerika. Mahara atu ana au i te tāima ka totohe te tokorua mō te āhuatanga o te Māori e huri haere nei ki runga i te whenua o Amerika. Ka mutu, ka tū mai ko Te Atairangikaahu ki te tohutohu ki ōna tungane, ki te tohutohu ki a rāua me wā rāua whakaaro pōrangi i taua tāima tonu. Koinā te mana o te wāhine te tohutohu i te tāne, ahakoa te teitei o Tā Hepi, ahakoa te teitei o Tā Hēmi, ka tū mai a Te Atairangikaahu ki te tohutohu ki ōna tūngane me pehea. Nō reira, kō ngā maharatanga ki a rātou, arā heke iho mai ki tō teina ki a Timi e te tupuna e Tā Tumu. Ka hoki atu waku mahara ki tō whānau otirā ki ngā tini aituā kua mau nei e koutou ki runga i tō tātou whare i te rā nei. Tēnei ka tangi, tēnei ka mihi, e auē, e auē e auē.

Ka whakahokia mai ngā rārangi kōrero ki a tātou e Te Whare. Āe, e tika ana ngā mihi nui ki ngā mema o Te Whare nei, ki tō tatou Minita hou a Anaru Iti kua tīmata ake nei i te pānuitanga tuatahi o tēnei pire. Huri tua atu ki te Minita tawhito, a te Hon Chris Finlayson, e mihi atu ana au ki a ia mō ngā mahi nunui i oti i a ia, e pupuru ana i te mana whakahaere o ngā take Tiriti ki roto i Te Whare nei. Nā, huri tua atu ki ngā mema kei roto i te rōpū whiriwhiri i ngā take Māori, arā, ko tuakana nei a Rino Tirikatene me ngā mema o te rōpū whiriwhiri i ngā take. Kāre e kore he mahi nunui kei mua i a rātou.

I te nuinga o te wā e Te Whare, ka tau mai te pānuitanga tuatahi o ngā pire pēnei nā ki roto i Te Whare. Ka pōhēhe kua oti, kua tutuki. Ko tāku e kī atu nei ki a koutou ko te roanga ake o tēnei pire ka whai wāhanga tēnā, a tēnā, a tēnā o koutou, otirā tātou ki te āta kōrero, ki te āta wetewete i ngā take kei roto i te pire. Nō reira, kaua e pōhēhē ka tīmata mai ka mutu mai ki runga i te pānuitanga tuatahi, kāhore! Tā te mea kua rongo atu koutou e Ngāti Tūwharetoa i ngā anipā, i ngā māharahara o tēnā, o tēnā, o tēnā o mātou kua kōrero mai i te ata nei. I roto i te haerenga o tēnei pire tae noa atu ki te rōpū whiriwhiri i ngā take ko reira ka wahaina mai e koutou i ō koutou anipā, i ō koutou māharahara mō te pire nei. Nō reira, kia kaha rā koutou, kia kaha rā koutou ki te ngau i ngā taringa o te rōpū whiriwhiri i ngā take Māori kia pai ai te haere o tēnei pire, kia pai ai te haerenga o tēnei pire tae noa atu ki tōna tutukitanga. Nō reira, kia kaha rā koutou.

Ki tō tātou pire, kua kōrero mai tōku matua te Hōnore Tararā nei a Shane Jones hei tāna mō te āhuatanga ki Te Kōpua Kānapanapa, ki Te Kōpua Kānapanapa, āe, āe. Mīharo te rongo atu me te pānui i ngā kōrero kei roto i tēnei pire e pā ana ki tēnā. Nei ka whakaaro ake ahau ki te mana whakahaere o ngā momo kaupapa pēnei nā, ko tētahi wāhanga ka tukuna atu ki a koutou e Ngāti Tūwharetoa, ko tētahi atu wāhanga ka tukuna atu ki ngā kaunihera ā-rohe, ki tēhea rōpū Karauna, rōpū Kāwanatanga, e hoa ka whakaaro ake ahau ki tērā kaupapa nā runga i te mōhio ko te mana o Tūwharetoa ka kore e neke, ka kore e mimiti noa. Ko te mana o tēnā kaunihera, o tēnā Kāwanatanga, āe ka heke, ka hinga. Nō reira, ko taku pātai atu ki tēnei whare he aha te take ka whakaritea ngā rōpū pēnei nā mehemea ka toitū te mana o Ngāti Tūwharetoa ka heke haere, ka hinga haere te mana o tēnā Kāwanatanga, o tēnā kaunihera. Heoi anō, ka waiho nā atu hei whakaaroaro mā tātou ki roto i te haerenga o tēnei pire.

Tā te mea kua kōrero mai e ngā Minita mō te āhuatanga ki a Ngāpuhi, āe mārika! Kō mātou o te kāinga ko te arohaehae ka pēhea nei te whakatakoto i ngā whakapapa o Ngāpuhi tā te mea i kite atu ahau i te painga ki roto i tēnei pire me te hiahia kia whai karahipi, kia whai take anō waku uri ki roto i ngā nekehanga o Ngāti Tūwharetoa ki roto i ngā tau kei mua i a koutou. Harikoa ana. Harikoa ana te kite atu ahakoa te pāmamae kua tau ki runga i a koutou, nā i te rahi o te pūtea ka tukuna atu ki a koutou mā koutou e whakahaere. E harikoa ana ka whakahokia ngā wāhi tapu, ngā kāinga ki a koutou ki roto i te roanga ake o tēnei pire.

Heoi anō ko tētahi hei waiho nā atu ki a koutou hei whakaaroaro mā koutou. I kōrero tahi māua ko tōku tuahine nei te Hon Meka Whaitiri. Hei tāna ko tētahi o ana mahi Minita nei hei whakahaere i te harbour master ki runga o Taupō-nui-a-Tia, tēnā pea me ngaungau koutou i te taringa o tēnei ka whakahoki atu tērā mana ki a koutou ki roto i ngā tau e tū mai nei, kāti ka waiho nā atu tēnā ki a koutou, otirā ki te Minita e noho mai nei.

E ōku rangatira, ehara tēnei i te takaroa i ngā kōrero, ehara tēnei i te takaroa i ngā kōrero, ko te tikanga o ngā marae puta noa mehemea ka rongo atu koe i tō ingoa tēnā me tū koe ki te kōrero. Kite atu ahau i ngā rārangi kaikōrero mō te pire nei ko ētahi e mea atu ana, kāhore. Kīhai rātou i hiahia ana kia kōrero ki te pire nei. Engari ka kite atu ahau i ngā mata me ngā kanohi o koutou o Ngāti Tūwharetoa he hokinga mahara, he hokingā mahara. Nō reira, e aku rangatira, ka waiho nā atu ki konei. Kāre e kore ka hoki anō koutou i raro i te tuanui o tēnei whare ki te kōrero i ngā āhuatanga o te pire tae noa ki tōna whakatutukitanga. E te pāpā e Martin, e tika ana ko ngā wero i uhia ki runga i tēnei uri o Ngāpuhi ka tau anō ki runga i a koe e Ngāpuhi. Kāre e kore ki roto i ngā rangi e tū nei, arā ko Te Rā o Waitangi ka kōrero anō tātou katoa i ngā take e pā ana ki tēnei pire o Ngāti Tūwharetoa me ngā kaupapa nui kei mua i te ao Māori, ā, taihoa ake nei.

E ōku rangatira, e ngā mema o Te Whare, e Te Māngai o Te Whare, ka waiho nā atu i konei, kāti tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou. Ko te manako kia pai ai tō koutou hokinga atu ki te wā kāinga, kia tau anō ngā manaakitanga o Te Kaihanga ki runga ki a koutou i roto i te wā o Te Kirihimete me Te Tau Hou a te Pākehā. Ā te tau e tū nei ka tūtaki anō, kia ora tātou katoa.

[Greetings to you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will continue to speak in the Māori language. “Kāingaroa is of no account, he is caulking which will fall off, but I am Ngāti Rangi, the adorned one, the stable caulking, the lashing, the head which shines down from heaven.”

The reason I started with a chant from home, my home Pēwhairangi, is to connect the prestige of my elders and my ancestors at my home, Tāpeka, to these people here today. So, my leaders, welcome onto the ridgepole of your House. I endorse the greetings conveyed to us all throughout the morning. I will start by acknowledging my elder kin Adrian, who said the prayer for our gathering this morning. The guidance of our creator has been bestowed upon each and all of us here. Therefore I thank him.

I now turn to the many who have departed over time that are being spoken of by the members of this House this morning. One of them is the elder Sir Hepi. When I was a child, I remember a time when Sir Hepi and my grandfather Sir James were staying together in America. I remember the time when they were arguing about the Māori exhibition that was touring America at the time. Then Te Atairangikaahu stood and instructed her male relatives and ticked them off about their silly ideas. Such was the authority of women to instruct the men: no matter how mighty Sir Hepi was, no matter mighty Sir James was, Te Atairangikaahu stood and told her male relatives what to do. So my thoughts return to them and to your younger brother Timi, Sir Tumu. My thoughts return to your family and to many who have passed that you have brought with you to our House today to mourn and acknowledge, and I weep, weep, and weep.

I now return our discussion to us in this House. It is right that we acknowledge the members of this House, and our new Minister, Andrew Little, who started with the first reading of this bill. I turn to the former Minister, the Hon Chris Finlayson, and I thank him for the huge workload he completed and the credibility he maintained while managing settlement issues in this House. I also speak of the select committee, to Rino Tirikatene and the members of the select committee; no doubt they have a huge task in front of them.

Normally, the first reading is when these bills are introduced to the House. You may assume that is then finished, but it is not. What I am saying to you all is that throughout the bill process everyone will get an opportunity to discuss and analyse the issues in this bill. So don’t assume that the first reading is the beginning and end, no. You have heard Tūwharetoa’s concerns expressed this morning. As this bill progresses right through to the select committee stage you are all able to raise your issues and concerns regarding the bill. Therefore, raise these with the Māori Affairs Committee so this bill progresses well through to completion. So I wish you all well.

Regarding our bill, my uncle the honourable Dalmatian Shane Jones has told me about the new statutory board, Te Kōpua Kānapanapa, yes. It is very interesting to listen and read about this in the bill. I then think about the authority of such affairs. A part is given to you Ngāti Tūwharetoa to manage, another part to a territorial authority, another to a Crown or Government agency, and I think about that, knowing that the authority of Tūwharetoa will never diminish or cease. The authority of this territorial authority or that Government agency will diminish or cease. So my question to this House is: why are we establishing these entities if the authority of Ngāti Tūwharetoa will be forever but yet the authority of each Government and council diminishes and ceases? However, I will leave that idea there for us all to ponder as this bill progresses.

Other Ministers have referred to Ngāpuhi, yes indeed! At home we will be analysing how we lay out our Ngāpuhi genealogy, as I can see the benefits contained in this bill and want to know if we can get a scholarship and benefits for my relatives from the developments of Ngāti Tūwharetoa in the years to come. It’s very pleasing. I am pleased, although I can see the pain on your faces because of the size of the financial redress that you will manage. I am happy that sacred sites and settlements will be returned through the bill.

I will leave you with something to think about. I spoke to my colleague here, the Hon Meka Whaitiri. She said one of her roles as a Minister is to oversee the harbour master on Lake Taupō; perhaps you can speak to her about turning that authority over to you as well in the coming years. So I will leave that there with you and also with the Minister sitting beside me.

My leaders, I don’t mean to prolong the discussions, no, but the custom on the marae throughout is to stand and speak when you hear your name. I saw the list of speakers for this bill and some have declined to speak. But I see the eyes and faces of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and you all bring back memories for me. So my leaders, I will leave it here. No doubt you will come back under this roof soon to discuss the issues of this bill again right through to completion. My elder Martin, the challenges that this Ngāpuhi descendant faces will also be on you, fellow Ngāpuhi. No doubt in the days ahead, at Waitangi Day, we will all talk about the issues concerning this bill and those facing the Māori people.

My leaders, members of this House, Mr Speaker, I will leave it here, greetings to you all. I hope you have a safe trip home, and may the Lord guide and look after you during Christmas and the New Year, and we shall meet again in the coming year. Greetings to us all.]

E Te Māngai he tino hōnore ki te tū i roto i tēnei whare ki te mihi atu ki a koutou, e ōku nei rangatira mai i te iwi o Ngāti Tūwharetoa ki a koutou ngā maha o ngā hapū kua haramai nei i tēnei ata mō tēnei wā ka nui te mihi. Otirā kei a koe e te Ariki Tā Tumu Te Heuheu tēnei te mihi ki a koutou e te ariki. Nō reira ko wai tēnei uri e tū ana? Kei raro rā ko Pīhanga te maunga ko Tongariro te awa, ko Hīrangi te marae, ko Ngāti Tūrangitukua te hapū, ko Haukino Granville Duff rāua ko Whaitiri Manunui ōku tīpuna. Nō reira, kei a koutou e te whānau whānui, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā rā koutou katoa.

[It is an honour for me to stand in this House and greet you all, my leaders from Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and the many hapū who have come here this morning. I acknowledge you the paramount chief Sir Tumu Te Heuheu. So who am I standing before you? Pīhanga is the mountain and Tongariro is the mountain, Hīrangi is the marae, Ngāti Tūrangitukua is the hapū, Haukino Granville Duff and Whaitiri Manunui are my grandparents. So I greet you my kin, greetings, greetings to you all.]

The last time I stood and spoke at Hīrangi Marae to the kaumātua, the dame came up to me afterwards because I left my pepeha right till the end and she said, “Next time you ever speak to our people again, never put that at the end, cos they won’t listen to you.” So I thought, “Oh, I’d better heed her advice this time.” Ha, ha!

It’s an honour to stand here amongst you all. This is the first Treaty bill that I’ve had the opportunity to speak to as a member hou of this whare, and it’s fitting that it is for Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

I want to acknowledge the trials and tribulations that bring an iwi to this point. There are many mountains to climb, there are many lakes to cross, and there are many rivers to swim through to get to this point, and I know that the beginning of this settlement process—well, they probably started back in the 1860s, or before then, when there were a few promises breached by this Crown to our people, and, more recently, back in 2005, when the movement really started to get going in terms of getting the terms right for the settlement. And I know that there were many starts and stops and hurdles that confronted our people.

I wanted to acknowledge, in particular, first, those of our people that tried to usher this bill through who passed during the process: Eruera Wikiriwhi, Pompei Epiha, Emily Rameka, Ngaire George, and Junior Grant. I also too wanted to acknowledge the leadership by yourself, e te ariki.

I always look to settlements that do well—in my view, and I’ve seen a few; I’ve had the opportunity to work on a lot. Settlements that tend to do well and that bind our people take very strong leadership from the forefront. And to be that rangatira that leads at the front—I can only imagine the pains that you go through in the evenings, when it is quiet, wondering whether you’ve done the right thing by our people. So I want to acknowledge you, e te ariki

I want to acknowledge those that stand by your side and help you usher and make those decisions. I also too want to acknowledge the role of the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board, and I acknowledge you, Topia Rameka, “The Bish”—John Bishara, our chairman. In these changing and turbulent times and as our people are required to look at new times as we go through together, there are many more mountains to climb, no doubt, but I have full trust that our whānau, our hapū, and our iwi will come through triumphant.

I too want to just pay homage to my mentor, but also your negotiator, Sir Michael Cullen, for the role that he has played in the Treaty settlement, getting Ngāti Tūwharetoa to this point. There may have been some strong words that this bill had to get through before Christmas, and I don’t know whether that was right or not, but I just want to acknowledge your work there, Sir Michael.

Te Ngaihu Winikau, Eru George, and Gina Rangi: as a young woman, I know that—actually, it’s interesting looking at the young leaders coming through across many of our tribes at the moment. But I did want to acknowledge your leadership, Gina. You’ve had a hard role and—[Time expired]

Order! In the words of my colleague, e noho.

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare, otirā e whakapiri ana ahau aku mihi ki ngā whānau, ngā hapū o Ngāti Tūwharetoa, tae atu ki Ariki Tā Tumu Te Heuheu. Anei ahau e tuku mihi atu ki a koutou katoa kua tae mai ki te whare Pāremata i tēnei rā ki te whakarongo ki te pānuitanga tuatahi o tēnei pire, nō reira tēnā koutou.

[Greetings to you, Mr Speaker. I would also like to acknowledge the families and hapū of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and also the paramount chief Sir Tumu Te Heuheu. I am here to greet you all who have come here to Parliament today to listen to the first reading of this bill. So greetings to you.]

It’s a great pleasure for me to stand and speak to this bill, first of all, as the member of Parliament for Te Tai Hauāuru. The area of interest for Ngāti Tūwharetoa extends all the way into my electorate, as far as the Rangitīkei. So I acknowledge my whanaunga at Ngāti Waewae. I also acknowledge the part of me from Kākahi: Ngāti Manunui. My great-grandfather was from there. I acknowledge all of my connections directly to Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

I always make a point of trying to read the historical account—not just the summary in the bill, but going back to the deed of settlement. There is a 100-page historical account within the deed of settlement. As others have mentioned in this debate, it looks at the events that have taken place over a long period of time. My colleague Rino Tirikatene got up to 1860—it goes a lot further. It talks about every major incident and interaction between the Crown and Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Like other historical accounts, it’s a sad history, but it’s one that needs to be acknowledged.

Within the bill, under the acknowledgments of the breaches of the Crown—I don’t think I’ve ever read so many acknowledgments—there is a total of 32 acknowledgments in this bill, and if I can just read one of them, the very first one: “The Crown recognises that every generation of Ngāti Tūwharetoa since 1840 has been adversely affected by the Crown’s failure to uphold its obligations under te Tiriti o Waitangi”.

That kind of summarises the other 31. The other 31 go into particular detail about the breaches by the Crown of the Treaty of Waitangi, which have impacted on every generation of Ngāti Tūwharetoa. I say it’s only right that this bill comes to the House and that we have this first reading of the bill so that we can specifically acknowledge what is actually in this bill.

I reflect upon the day on which the deed of settlement was signed at the Waitetoko Marae, and I mihi atu to Ngāti Rangiita [I acknowledge Ngāti Rangiita] for their hosting of that event on that date. On that day, I had the privilege and pleasure of speaking to some hapū representatives. This has been a long journey, this settlement process, and for some hapū the journey takes longer than for others, it would be fair to say. I spoke with one representative in particular, whose hapū had only recently made the decision to sign the deed of settlement. I think it would be fair to say that she was feeling a little bit anxious about whether they had made the right decision or not. I hope that I was able to give her some confidence, and I shared some stories with her about what that process means and what it would mean for the future generations of her hapū and for Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

As has been said in this House before, this is an imperfect process, but it’s the one that has been accepted by this House, and, more importantly, it is one that has been accepted by iwi that are settling their historical claims. I shared with her my thoughts that this settlement will provide an opportunity for the future—being future focused around addressing all of these acknowledgments that are in this bill and finding a way to address these issues so that the next generation can have a better life, so that when the Crown, in the bill, says that it recognises that every generation of Ngāti Tūwharetoa since 1840 has been adversely affected: let this be the last generation.

It’s very important not only that we have those acknowledgments but that the Crown apologises for that as well. The apology really means that the Crown will no longer adversely affect another generation. So I find it a real honour to be able to acknowledge that. The test of that will come in the future. The test of that is that we never ever see Ngāti Tūwharetoa having to come back to this House to have any breach of the Treaty addressed ever again. I think that’s a challenge for every single member of this House, regardless of which party is in Government. That’s a challenge for all of us.

I don’t want to take too much time, but I do finally want to acknowledge every single hapū that has agreed to this settlement. I hope, as a member of the Māori Affairs Committee, that I get to hear submissions from many, many hapū and many, many whānau and individuals about what their thoughts about this bill and this settlement are. One thing, I would like to encourage everyone that has an interest in this bill to actually make a submission so that when your descendants come to find out about the history of this, the submissions will be recorded in history for ever, and they will know exactly what their ancestors thought about it.

Nō reira, kāore e roa tēnei tū, otirā e tika ana kia tuku mihi anō ki a Ngāti Tūwharetoa, nō reira tēnā tātau.

[So I will not go on any further, and it is right that we acknowledge Ngāti Tūwharetoa. So greetings to us all.]

E mihi kau ana ki a koutou Tūwharetoa iwi e tau mai ki Te Upoko o te Ika ki te taitoko i te kaupapa nei te muru o te hara nā te kāwanatanga e mahia, tēnā koutou katoa.

[I greet you the people of Tūwharetoa who have arrived here in Wellington to support the acknowledgment of Government wrongs. Greetings to you all.]

It is with great privilege and humility that I have the opportunity to stand and say a few words in support, this morning, of the first reading of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Claims Settlement Bill and to add just some small comments to some very powerful kōrero that I have been listening to.

Can I first acknowledge Sir Tumu te Heuheu and all of your people who are here today to witness this very special occasion. Can I also acknowledge the Minister, Andrew Little. I actually have great confidence that the quality of leadership and perspective and judgment that, I think, most in this House would agree has been the performance of the Hon Chris Finlayson will, in a very real sense, be continued by the judgment and leadership and perspective that you will bring to the role, and I look forward to working with you in that role.

I have been deeply moved reflecting on the historical account. Many this morning have given it greater voice than I can, but when you reflect on the scale of the Crown purchase negotiations, on the impact of the native land laws, on the extraordinary generosity that underpinned the gifting of the Tongariro maunga, and the response by the Crown, and the impact of the mana of Tūwharetoa subsequent to that; to the 1890s and the introduction of trout and other exotic fish into the extraordinary, precious Lake Taupō, through the 20th century and the prolonged imposition orders against private alienation of land owned by Ngāti Tūwharetoa—sir, the list goes on and on.

The thing that I have been struck by, as someone relatively new to this House and certainly new to the Māori Affairs Committee, is, in my case, the complete lack of understanding of the history of your people and what you have suffered at the hands of the Crown. I stand here as a 48-year-old New Zealander, acknowledging that my understanding of our history is woefully limited, but I doubt that I am alone. One of the small but powerful benefits of your generosity in being here and resolving this settlement with the Crown is that it puts in sharp focus for all of the country an opportunity to understand your extraordinary journey of sacrifice and humility and graciousness to this country that you have endured over the last 150 years.

Most people would be crushed by the experience, yet somehow, as a people, it has made you stronger and it has never impacted your generosity of spirit to this country, and I am very proud now to have a very small understanding of that process. I look forward to being in Tūrangi as part of the select committee, with our chair and all parties, to hear personally more of those stories and to lift my understanding and appreciation of your generosity. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Tongariro maunga, Taupō moana, Tūwharetoa tangata, e te ariki Tumu tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou me te pātaka kōrero e poupoungia kei runga i a Pūkawa hei paihere ā tātau waka, ā tātau nei iwi hinganga ki uta, hinganga ki tai ka tū te mana nā koutou i haria mai tērā kei waenganui i a tātau i tēnei wā. Tēnā katoa.

[Tongariro mountain, Lake Taupō, Tūwharetoa people, to the paramount chief Tumu, I greet you and acknowledge the wealth of history embedded at Pūkawa that binds our canoes, our tribes, and dead from the sea to the inland. Your attendance has manifested that authority here. Greetings to you all.]

I want to make a few contributions in light of the first reading of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Claims Settlement Bill. I was at Waitetoko and witnessed the signing, and underpinning that signing was a very long journey, as has been mentioned by previous speakers.

The Treaty settlement process, by and large, isn’t designed to keep unity, because the process in itself is a very difficult one to navigate. But I acknowledge the fact that, in navigating this process and getting to this point, there has been a lot of insight gained, a lot of leadership having to be committed to an enduring solution, and also a vision towards what the future could look like as a result of signing this particular agreement.

I want to make a couple of comments on some contributions that have been made, and in light of the huge contribution that Ngāti Tūwharetoa has gifted to this nation, as a beacon, I think, of how this country may shape its identity. Many know the history of the gifting of Tongariro, and gifting in the context that has been referred to in the House somewhat misses the point, in my view, because, in the spirit of generosity, which certainly the tūpuna in Ngāti Tūwharetoa demonstrated by gifting the maunga, it was, in a sense, a way of acknowledging that there is a higher purpose in power there, in terms of our taonga, our maunga, and that the generosity of spirit is always followed by reciprocity and an enduring commitment to a way of acknowledging each other’s respect and mana for things like the protection of maunga.

We’ve seen that thinking come through over time, not only in relation to Tongariro, but also in relation to Taupō Moana. And I think, in today’s context, that is reflected in the co-management approach that is embedded within the settlement agreement that we are talking about today, but also in the way that Tūwharetoa has demonstrated, in its other domains, how it seeks to assert a sense of responsibility and commitment to a place that they will never leave.

So I want to make comment on that, because often we think about gifting as once you give it, it’s gone. But, actually, that’s not the case in this sense. Once you give something, it’s a magnanimous act to say, “We have a shared responsibility, and it’s an enduring one.” No matter if people come and go, that intergenerational knowledge and understanding of the purpose of that type of gift has an enduring responsibility, which, in the New Zealand context, the Crown and Ngāti Tūwharetoa will commit to for ever and ever and ever and ever.

The second thing I wanted to comment on is that one of the difficult aspects of the Treaty settlement process, which we might not tend to appreciate, is actually holding a mandate throughout a very difficult time. We can often kind of giggle about it, but only in reflection, but when you’re going through the process of holding a mandate and gaining confidence and keeping people engaged in the process, you cannot underestimate the toll it takes on the negotiators—and I want to recognise them—but, more importantly, the leadership, Tā Tumu, that you demonstrated by ensuring that this type of settlement kept faith with what the people wanted. And, ultimately, when you look at clause 13 and the outlining of the names of the hapū that are represented there, the people, essentially, wanted to ensure that their distinct and independent identity within the context of Ngāti Tūwharetoa could still be preserved and retained in a way that might ensure that future generations have a very solid way of connecting not only back to their marae and their hapū but to this bigger sense of self, which is Ngāti Tūwharetoa. It’s not an easy task.

I look to the other aspects of this settlement and the Wai claims that are outlined, many of which I’m sure my colleague Louisa will comment on. Again, there is a lot of vested interest in the way that people have held on to their Wai claims and wanted to ensure, not only on their behalf as their family but really their tūpuna, in the historical context from which those Wai claims emerged, that they can hold on to that sense of integrity around what their tūpuna were trying to ensure would not be lost to the next generation or the next generation. We all know it takes only one generation to lose something, and it takes almost seven to regain it back. That is why holding a mandate and getting to this point is such a significant moment.

But we shouldn’t stop there, because this settlement demonstrates that there is a commitment to co-management and working within the rohe for the benefit of the iwi aspiration in ways that I think, again, provide a leading light and an example to other iwi.

Tūwharetoa’s no stranger to making things happen. So while a lot has been outlined in terms of the historical context for the claim, we have already seen, in terms of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board and the settlement trust, the way in which it’s involved in both forestry and fisheries management. There is huge opportunity in the future to consolidate that effort, and that, as Mr Finlayson has referred to, is something for the iwi to respond to.

Common sense will tell you that while, organisationally, that can happen, it requires leadership still, and that’s no easy task. And I really look forward to the insights and the reflections through this process and what it might lead you to in years to come.

The select committee process will raise a number of opportunities for people to bring their submissions and maybe contest aspects of the agreement. It’s a really hard position for the select committee to be in, because, almost undoubtedly, it’s very difficult to change an agreement once it has been signed. But people should feel that the public nature of that process, again, gives an opportunity for voices to be heard and for the spirits of tūpuna to come to this place so that they are held in trust, and then, hopefully, that there is a way of easing the path forward as the settlement progresses.

The last thing I want to point to is the cultural redress components, because we know, as a place, Taupō is a huge tourist destination for a number of people. The health of the lake is critically important, and the fact that a number of the scenic reserves around the lake are coming back to the iwi will, I think, provide a good model for the council in terms of how they might better manage the influx of tourism numbers, the care of the reserves, and also, more importantly, the impact of that on the lake.

Now, why would I say this? Of course, we hold Taupō at the cornerstone of what we would hope for the Waikato River. Ha, ha! So you would have no problem from iwi further down the river holding up aspirations to ensure that, at its source, Taupō can continue to have the level of water clarity that provides hope and inspiration to us all, as we all want to clean up and improve the quality of our water.

Our ancestors say often, pūrea nei e ngā hau o Tāwhirimatea [cleanse yourself in the winds of Tāwhirimātea] but they also say, haere ki ngā wai tukukiri a ngā mātua tupuna [go to the cleansing waters of your people to be healed in spirit] and that is what Tūwharetoa and Taupō Moana represents, certainly for my people—“Go to the cleansing waters of your people to be healed in spirit.”

And I hope that, as this process continues and the insights are gained, the people of Tūwharetoa make this settlement and your consolidated opportunities all that they can be and should be, but must be, for the mokopuna of the next generation. Nō reira kia koutou katoa, tēnā tātou.

Ko te rōpū rangatahi o ngā maunga

E tū mai rā ki te whenua e

Tongariro, Ngāuruhoe me Ruapehu e

Tauhara me Pihanga, arohaina e

Ko Taupō Nui a Tia te kōpua kanapa

I te rohe o Te Heuheu, o te matua

E te ariki Tumu, e ngā mana, e ngā reo, rau rangatira mā, ngā whanaunga o Ngāti Tūwharetoa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātau katoa.

[To the chief Tumu, to the authorities, orators, and many leaders, my kin Ngāti Tūwharetoa; greetings, greetings, greetings to you all.]

I stand as a proud uri of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and today is our day, and today is a day where we actually recognise and celebrate all those who have brought us to this point in time.

I’d like to begin by acknowledging that Ariki Mananui te Heuheu Tūkino II didn’t sign the Treaty of Waitangi; he refused to. He refused to bow down to another sovereign power, actually. That was irrelevant to the Crown. The Crown treated our iwi and our hapū who signed the Treaty or didn’t sign the Treaty the same. The agenda, from the Crown’s perspective, was the same. It’s been interesting reading through our Treaty settlement, and I will reference some historical contributions that I found quite interesting. But I do want to start with clause 8, “Summary of historical account”, and I will read it: “(1) Before 1860, Ngāti Tūwharetoa actively opposed Crown purchase negotiations for land in their rohe. Following the invasion of Crown forces in the Waikato in 1863, Ngāti Tūwharetoa were drawn into the fighting because of their whakapapa connections and allegiance to the Kīngitanga. The war marked the beginning of widespread disruption to the social, political, and economic structures of Ngāti Tūwharetoa life. A number of Ngāti Tūwharetoa people lost their lives in these battles.”

We actually lost whakapapa. We lost whakapapa. We lost our tūpuna. We lost our whenua. In some ways, it could have led to the loss of our identity, but the reality is that we were too strong, and we are strong and we remain strong. But what it does highlight is the lost opportunity for our tribe. It’s that opportunity cost, actually, why we are here today. It is the opportunity that we lost to develop our lands, to develop our forests, to actually be an economic powerhouse in this country. But through, always, the good grace, a sense of truth and reconciliation, we as hapū and iwi can move forward.

I’d like to highlight, also on page 13 of our Treaty settlement, in clause 8(4), and you’ll see why later: “From the 1890s, trout and other exotic fish were introduced into Lake Taupo and the waterways of Tongariro, which significantly depleted indigenous fresh-water fish species and forced Ngāti Tūwharetoa to rely on introduced fish species for food, hospitality, trade, and koha. In 1926, the Crown acquired the beds of Lake Taupo and its tributaries, which it held for 66 years before they were returned to Ngāti Tūwharetoa in 1992.” On that same page, clause 8(7)—and I really want to highlight this—“Economic marginalisation, unemployment, and underdevelopment have contributed to the extensive outward migration of Ngāti Tūwharetoa peoples as they have left their rohe in search of opportunities elsewhere.”

I’ve got two brothers who live in Perth. I’m sure, like me, they would like to live at home. Why did they go away? They went away because of the lost opportunity for us to develop our own economic base. In highlighting that, I actually want to highlight and acknowledge our ahi kā—our whānau who have stayed at home, who have kept our home fires burning. For me, it’s my baby sister, Janice Wall, in Waitahanui, and it’s also my cousins Ngātoru and Ngāhere, who, like me, will continue to contribute to our identity, our collective identity, as we move into the future.

I’d like to acknowledge the definition and meaning of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, because it’s about our affiliation to the following hapū: Ngāti Haa, Ngāti Hikairo, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Hinemihi, Ngāti Hinerau, Ngāti Hineure, Ngāti Kurauia, Ngāti Manunui, Ngāti Moekino, Ngāti Parekaawa, Ngāti Rauhoto, Ngāti Rongomai, Ngāti Ruingārangi, Ngāti Tarakaiahi, Ngāti Te Kohera, Ngāti Te Maunga, Ngāti Te Rangiita, Ngāti Te Urunga, Ngāti Tūrangitukua, Ngāti Turumākina, Ngāti Tūtemohuta, Ngāti Tūtetawhā, Ngāti Waewae, Ngāti Wairangi, Ngāti Whēro, and Te Kapa o Te Rangiita.

It’s quite interesting—I’m quite obsessive about Wai claims, because I like looking at who the claimants were and when we started this journey. Obviously, in 1975, the Waitangi Tribunal was created. But the first Wai claim that’s listed in our deed of settlement is Wai 18 (Lake Taupo Claim), and it was really interesting doing some research because I’ve found a report dated 15 October 1986, signed by E T J Durie, who was the chair of the Waitangi Tribunal. Wai 18 was actually a claim by H T Karaitiana relating to Lake Taupō fishing rights, and Mr Karaitiana, who lived at Waitahanui, Taupō, “sought ‘the intervention’ of the Waitangi Tribunal on ‘the proposed law changes in regards to the taking of freshwater whitebait or inanga by the Tuwharetoa Maoris from Lake Taupo.” The interpretation of his letter was about “a reference to the Lake Taupo Fishing Regulations of 1984, assented to on 17 December 1984, to regularise certain earlier regulations held invalid by the District Court in dismissing charges against D Tahau and other for spearing trout.”

What I found really interesting in reading through this is that it referenced, “(c) In 1975 N Wall,”—I’m not sure if that was my Uncle Nick—“a Maori, was charged with taking smelt from Lake Taupo. It was held in the District Court that he was entitled to take smelt apparently on the basis that smelt was ‘indigenous to New Zealand’ even although it may not be indigenous to Lake Taupo. That decision was upheld in the Supreme Court in May 1976. (d) The Maori Purposes Act 1981 then ‘rewrote’ the 1926 Act to provide that ‘indigenous fish’ meant ‘indigenous to the Lake’. (e) the Taupo Fishing Regulations 1983 then provided: … only Tuwharetoa Māori can take koura or other fish indigenous to the lake.” I presume that was the morihana.

When you think about days like today, for me, I remember my Uncle Nick, my Uncle Darkie, all of our whānau, my father, who have fought so hard. And all of our hapū have our champions, our rangatira, who have fought for us to be here today. Today is one where we remember the legacy and the pathway that they’ve created for us. So I’m incredibly grateful. I’m incredibly grateful to be proud to be Ngāti Tūtemohuta, Ngāti Tūwharetoa. I know who I am. I know where I come from, and because of that identity, I can do anything. So, in the words of a whanaunga Moana Maniapoto, I want to sing us a waiata that’s one of her waiata, and if you know it, please join me.

We are warriors, warriors

The Māori nation

Across the wide wide creation

We won’t kneel down, we won’t kneel down

Upon the ground, upon the ground

Oh, how I love to hear them say my Māori name.

Ko te iwi Māori

Tātou

Ko ngā taonga piripono a ngā tūpuna

Me te aroha, me te aroha

Me te mana, me te mana

Me te tino rangatiratanga e.

Kia ora tātou.

Before I put the question, I just want to personally acknowledge in the gallery former neighbours, friends—I was going to say people who I taught—people who were in my class. I’m not sure that I taught them much. Especially, Te Ariki Tumu, I want to acknowledge your father, your brother Timi, your sister Girlie, and particularly yourself, for the many years of kind, gentle, and wise advice that you have bestowed on me personally. Thank you.

Bill read a first time.

Bill referred to the Māori Affairs Committee.

Waiata