Heretaunga Tamatea Claims Settlement Bill

I move, That the Heretaunga Tamatea Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time.

E Te Kaiwhakarite o Te Whare tēnā koe, e ngā hoa mema tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou Tākitimu waka, e ngā uri o Heretaunga Tamatea, rau rangatira mā. Tēnei taku mihi atu ki a koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Thank you, Mr Speaker, greetings to my parliamentary colleagues, greetings to Tākitimu waka, descendants of Heretaunga Tamatea, and distinguished guests. I bid you a warm welcome, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.]

I turn first to express my warm greetings to the people of Heretaunga Tamatea. Thank you to those of you who have travelled from your rohe and from other parts of the motu to be here today to support the third reading. I welcome you. This is a very significant day for Heretaunga Tamatea and the Crown, and I am pleased that so many people are here to witness it. It is a privilege for me to stand in this House today in the final stages of our settlement process and to commend this bill to my colleagues.

This reading marks the final moments in the long journey towards settlement for Heretaunga Tamatea. I’d like to pay special respect to the Heretaunga Tamatea negotiators, especially Liz Munroe, David Tīpene Leach, Peter Paku, and Brian Morris. There can be few heavier responsibilities than negotiating a settlement that seeks to address historical grievances that your people have borne for generations, yet you have met that responsibility with integrity, determination, and considerable grace. At all times you have been guided not only by the wishes and aspirations of your people but by the principles of cooperation, good faith, and trust that the Treaty of Waitangi embodies.

I also recognise that your hard work is but a continuation of the efforts of your ancestors, who have, since at least the 1850s, pursued justice for Crown failings that have, unfortunately, characterised our relationship almost from the beginning. While the Crown deeply regrets that it has taken so long to address your historical grievances in an appropriate way, we join with you today in remembering and honouring the many Heretaunga Tamatea people who have struggled for justice. Today is the culmination of those efforts.

I also acknowledge the Crown officials, who have also worked very hard to achieve this settlement, and, of course, naturally, I acknowledge the mahi and the stewardship of my predecessor, Chris Finlayson, who did so much to bring so many Treaty settlements to a just conclusion, including this one.

It’s important that we acknowledge the troubled history that makes this settlement necessary. From the time of their first interactions with European settlers in the early 1840s, the people of Heretaunga Tamatea were keen to embrace the opportunities that the new arrivals brought. By the end of the decade, the people of Heretaunga Tamatea were growing and trading pork, flax, maize, and other agricultural produce with Europeans and were taking advantage of new employment opportunities, particularly in the whaling industry. Initially, Māori in the area chose to lease land to settlers so they could encourage economic development without losing ownership of the land, but, in the late 1840s, some expressed a willingness to sell some land to the Crown to further encourage settlement.

Initially, the first Crown purchase was a model for how the Crown should have conducted its land purchases. For almost a year, Crown officials met with local chiefs, discussed boundaries, and negotiated prices. A broad consensus was reached. However, the night before the Waipukurau deed was signed, things began to go wrong. In a private meeting, the chief Crown purchase agent told a prominent local chief that he would only pay the agreed price if more than 20,000 more acres were added to the purchase. The owners of that land were not consulted, and six weeks later the deed map was redrawn, permanently depriving the owners of the land they had occupied for centuries.

Unfortunately, this established a pattern that characterised Crown purchasing for the next 10 years. Crown agents bought land without consulting all the owners and signed deeds for huge areas of Hawke’s Bay and Wellington, sometimes with just a single Māori signatory. Rangatira in Heretaunga Tamatea increasingly opposed further sales, only for Crown agents to note that the growing tensions between chiefs were leading to further sales. By 1857, just six years after the first Crown purchase in Heretaunga Tamatea, about half of all the land in the rohe was gone. At the end of that year, tensions over Crown sales erupted into armed conflict between hapū, resulting in seven deaths and a number of injuries. In the wake of this conflict, the people of Heretaunga Tamatea made a commitment to political rather than armed opposition. From that time, Heretaunga Tamatea leaders were prominent in a number of local and nationwide movements that sought to halt further land loss and retain a measure of political autonomy, including Te Whata a Te Herunga, the Rūnanga, the Komiti or Repudiation movement, and Kotahitanga, which led to the first Pāremata, or Māori Parliament, sitting at Waipatu, near modern Hastings, in 1892.

These movements illustrate Heretaunga Tamatea’s longstanding commitment as Treaty partners and their dedication to peaceful political organisation. However, these efforts were undercut by the Crown’s introduction of native land laws, which individualised landownership and led to further sales. By 1930, the people of Heretaunga Tamatea were a tangata without a w’enua. In the span of a single lifetime, your people had become landless, marginalised, and impoverished. Between 1851 and 1854, the Crown purchased 7,200 acres of Aorangi lands; an unreasonably small amount of compensation was provided for this in 1950, almost a century later. This has since been addressed but has caused continuous distress for Aorangi. I acknowledge the Aorangi Māori Trust Board for agreeing to have their claims settled as part of Heretaunga Tamatea.

It’s impossible to overstate the devastating impact Crown purchasing practice had on the economic, social, cultural, and spiritual condition of the hapū of Heretaunga Tamatea. However, it is possible to begin to understand how it happened, and I encourage every New Zealander to read the historical account that is included in the Heretaunga Tamatea deed of settlement, which sets out this history in more detail. It is a sobering document, but like all other historical accounts, it has an important role to play in helping us all to better understand this country’s past and to understand its present. The bill we are voting on today also includes the Crown’s formal acknowledgements of its historical Treaty breaches and its apology to the people of Heretaunga Tamatea, past and present.

The path to this settlement has been over eight years. In 2011, He Toa Takitini gained the mandate to represent Heretaunga Tamatea in the settlement process, and the terms of negotiation were signed. The agreement in principle was signed in 2014, and the deed of settlement was signed in September 2015 at Te Aute College. To date, this settlement is the fifth-largest in New Zealand’s history. While the settlement is substantial, I acknowledge that no redress can ever fully compensate the people of Heretaunga Tamatea for what has been lost and for what they have suffered. However, the settlement given effect to by this bill will provide Heretaunga Tamatea with a powerful platform for future growth: $100 million in financial and commercial redress will help Heretaunga Tamatea to again become key participants in the Hawke’s Bay region’s economy, and a further $5 million will support the long-term sustainability of Te Aute College.

The Heretaunga Tamatea Settlement Trust has proposed that $1.1 million be distributed to each of the 23 marae in the Heretaunga Tamatea rohe, which will provide immediate benefit to marae and hapū around the region. This illustrates the dedication of Heretaunga Tamatea to sustainable development and collaborative decision-making across their whole community. The settlement package includes five significant site vestings to reconnect Heretaunga Tamatea with lands of cultural significance. Additionally, there was the gift and then the gift-back to the people of New Zealand of Cape Kidnappers Gannet Reserve and Cape Kidnappers nature reserve. These gift-backs at Cape Kidnappers provide an insight to the mana of Heretaunga Tamatea and the spirit of the negotiations throughout their settlement process.

Today is a day of new beginnings in many respects, and today signifies an important moment—an historic moment—for Heretaunga Tamatea and the Crown. We draw on our history; we reconcile ourselves to it. Through this, we make peace and we gain strength. Today, we take the final step toward a new beginning, a new relationship built on mutual respect, trust, cooperation, and partnership. I wish Heretaunga Tamatea and the Heretaunga Tamatea Settlement Trust all the best as you succeed in continuing this process. I commend this bill to the House.

On behalf of the National Opposition, I indicate that we will be supporting this legislation with great pleasure. It was tremendous to be at Te Aute College on 26 September 2015 to sign the deed of settlement, and I welcome to the gallery today some representatives of Te Aute College, about which I’ll say something in a short time. It’s a great college, almost as great as Hato Pāora. My gym instructor, who’s an old boy of Hato Pāora, asked me to drop that into my speech and I have obliged.

There are a couple of points I want to make. The first is to emphasise what the Minister said about how important it is for people to read the facts. The facts are set out in the bill and form an important part of the apology, because what happened here, it wasn’t raupatu but it was a very serious breach of the Treaty, and huge tracts of land across the magnificent Heretaunga Plains were lost. That is why this settlement is such a significant settlement, and that’s why the Crown really has to do its very best to make sure, in a post-settlement world, that this settlement is successful.

Can I acknowledge, as the Minister has, the tremendous contribution of the negotiators. Time and time again, I have said in this House that to be a negotiator on behalf of an iwi in its Treaty settlement negotiations requires huge courage and commitment, and that was certainly the case here, because the negotiators are people who work on their day job and then at the end of the day, instead of going home and resting, are called to meetings to deal with the negotiations, and that applies also over the weekend. The young folk here who are witnessing this third reading should take some time to thank people within the tribal leadership for their contribution to the negotiations, because what they did, as I said, has required great courage and commitment.

In any Treaty settlement, negotiators have to deal with important mandate issues. Because Heretaunga Tamatea was very well organised, mandate disputes here were minimal, but none the less they can be very trying and time-consuming pieces of work, and it can really be very testing for negotiators. So they had to deal with that, and they did it well.

Inevitably, there are going to be overlapping claims, and the negotiators dealt with those issues very well, and, above all, they have to recognise and accept that what is offered is something that’s bankable for the iwi. I always remember the final stages of the Ngāti Porou negotiation, when my old friend Apirana Mahuika got up at the crack of dawn and wandered around Wellington, wondering whether he would initial the deed of settlement. Was it an appropriate settlement—what would Ngāta have said about it? So those are the kinds of huge issues that weigh on the negotiators as they come to decide whether to accept the deed of settlement, and that is why to acknowledge the negotiators is not a formulaic recitation of thanks or a formulaic acknowledgment but a sincere tribute to them for their outstanding contribution.

The Minister finished his speech by saying—as I have said in the past—today marks the beginning of a new relationship, and he’s absolutely correct. But whether or not these settlements succeed is dependent on how the Crown reacts. Iwi and their members never forget, but the Crown all too often forgets, and so these settlements will be successful if the Crown acknowledges and acts on the basis that it is a new day, a new relationship—a relationship based on equals, not paternalism.

Earlier this week, I was asked a number of questions by journalists about a certain settlement where there are some issues that have arisen, and they said to me, “Should the Minister be taking a closer look at it?”, and so on. These are funds that were provided by the Government, and the questions themselves seemed to me to suggest that there’s still an understanding out there, or a feeling out there, that the relationship between the Crown and iwi is paternalistic. Well, it’s not.

When there’s a settlement, then the relationship does change. Iwi have the resources to grow and develop their area, and it’s not for the Crown to be adopting some kind of overlord or paternalistic relationship toward them.

So I always, when it comes to Treaty settlements in the third reading, cross my fingers and hope for the best that the Crown won’t let the side down. I’m always mindful—and the member for Te Tai Hauāuru knows this—of what happened with Ngāti Apa. They’d been told during negotiations with Michael Cullen that a certain piece of land was not available for settlement because it was a strategic piece of land, and then, a couple of years after the settlement, it was put on the market. That’s the kind of thing that destroys trust and it does need to be avoided at all times.

There are two points that the Māori Affairs Committee was concerned with and that I want to refer to. The first one deals with the Te Aute College Glasgow leases—something that I am very personally interested in, because I know the contribution that this great college has made to New Zealand—and those leases, to put it bluntly, are an abomination and there needs to be a resolution of them for the future.

This college has produced some outstanding people over the years. And just to go through a few of them: Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu, the soldier of the Māori Battalion who was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1943; the great Te Rangi Hīroa—Sir Peter Buck—who was a member of Parliament for Northern Māori; Sir Howard Morrison; Sir Sidney Mead; the great Sir Āpirana Ngata, a good Nat, who was the MP for Eastern Maori for many, many years, an outstanding Minister of Māori Affairs; Sir Māui Pōmare—[Interruption]—they hate it when we say these things. Sir Māui Pōmare, another great Nat who was the member for Western Maori and Minister of Health; Sir Pita Sharples, who wasn’t a great Nat but he was a great guy, and is a great guy and a person I worked with very closely when he was Minister of Māori Affairs and co-leader of the Māori Party. He’s the one who launched the reforms of Te Ture Whenua which the Labour Party has ditched, and shame on them. William Brown Turei, archbishop and primate of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa; Piri Weepu; Norm Hewitt—you’ve got to get the All Blacks in there—Manu Bennett; and so many others. This is a school that should be flourishing, and it’s not flourishing because of those hideous Glasgow leases. So I hope that over the next little period, we will, as a Parliament, be able to look at that issue, because it does need to be resolved.

And the second issue relates to the Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee. There’ve been some concerns about that. Look, it’s early days, but I strongly say to all iwi who are involved with the Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee: get involved in it. It is going to take time to bed in. It was the subject of a very careful negotiation led by Dame Fran Wilde when she was negotiating the Ngāti Pāhauwera settlement. It is the right model for the Hawke’s Bay. There are going to be teething problems because the new Jerusalem doesn’t arrive in five minutes, but it’s worth working hard on, and I am sure that if everyone does their bit that’s the model that will work very well for the Hawke’s Bay.

So, in conclusion, it’s been great to work with Heretaunga Tamatea over the years. They have got some wonderful, wonderful people who have been involved in the iwi for such a long time. The one person I particularly want to mention is Liz Munroe, who is a good friend of mine and she and I worked together in a law firm many years ago. With the kind of leadership that Heretaunga Tamatea has, I believe it’s going to go from strength to strength. And so I, too, commend the bill to the House.

Tēnā koe, Madam Chair. Tihewa mauri ora ki te whei ao, ki te ao mārama. E mihi ana ki te rangi, e mihi ana ki te whenua, e mihi ana ki ngā tāngata.

E ngā hapū maha o Heretaunga Tamatea, ōku whanaunga o Ngāti Kahungunu, nau mai, whakatau mai, nau mai whakatau mai ki te ana o te raiona ā ki te Whare Pāremata e takatū nei.

Harikoa te ngakau e whakatū ana au ki te tautoko i tēnei pire, i tēnei pānuitanga tuatoru.

Ka huri too me mihi atu ki a rātou kua whetūrangitia, ngā mate huhua o te wā, haere koutou, haere koutou.

Hoki mai ki a tātou te kanohi ora pai nei tēnā koutou ōku whanaunga, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Thank you, Madam Chair. Life bursts forth through the dawn to the world of light. I greet the heavens, I greet the land, I greet the people.

To the many tribal groups of Heretaunga of Tamatea, to you my Ngāti Kahungunu relations, welcome, welcome to the lair of the lion; that is, to this House of Parliament which stands here.

I am thrilled to stand and support this bill on its third reading.

I must make mention too of those who have departed this world; to you I say farewell, farewell.

Coming back to us, to the land of the living, to my relations, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.]

I am truly delighted to stand and speak in support of this very important bill, the Heretaunga Tamatea Claims Settlement Bill, at its third reading. I too would also like to add my welcome to our manuhiri tūārangi, to all our esteemed guests from Heretaunga Tamatea who’ve travelled from far and wide. It was wonderful to hear the kōrero in the Banquet Hall to welcome them to Parliament. This is truly a significant day, and it’s always an honour to speak on Treaty settlement bills, but this is significant—the fifth-largest settlement, among my whanaunga of Heretaunga Tamatea, Ngāti Pāhauwera, and Ngāti Kahungunu. So it’s always an honour to welcome whanaunga to the House of Parliament.

I know it’s been said in many other readings—and I acknowledge my tuahine Meka Whaitiri, the Minister and member for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti—in terms of the people of Heretaunga Tamatea, of the wonderful marae that they represent all throughout their takiwā. But I wanted to just take this opportunity, for the record of Hansard, to announce and to list all of the hapū that make up Heretaunga Tamatea. It hasn’t been done, and there’s quite a few, but I want to make sure that they’re all included in my kōrero today.

The first one starts off Ngāi Tahu ki Takapu—oh, Takapau, sorry. Not a good start. Let’s start again—let’s start again. Ngāi Tahu ki Takapau, Ngāi Tamaterā, Ngāi Te Ao, Ngāi Te Hauapu, Ngāi Te Hurihanga-i-te-rangi, Ngāi Te Kīkiri o Te Rangi, Ngāi Te Ōatua, Ngāi Te Rangikoianake te tuatahi, Ngāi Te Rangikoianake tuarua, Ngāi Te Rangitekahutia, Ngāi Te Rangitotohu, Ngāi Te Ūpokoiri, Ngāi Te Whatuiāpiti, Ngāi Toroiwaho, Ngāti Hāwea, Ngāti Hikatoa, Ngāti Hinemanu, Ngāti Hinemoa, Ngāti Hinetewai, Ngāti Hotoa, Ngāti Honomōkai, Ngāti Hōri, Ngāti Kautere, Ngāti Kere, Ngāti Kotahi, Ngāti Kurukuru, Ngati Mārau o Kahungunu, Ngāti Mahuika, Ngāti Manuhiri, Ngāti Mihiroa, Ngāti Ngarengare, Ngāti Papatuamāro, Ngāti Pīhere, Ngāti Pōporo, Ngāti Pukututu, Ngāti Rāhunga, Ngāti Takaroa (Ngāti Tākaro), Ngāti Tamatea, Ngāti Te Rehunga, Ngāti Toaharapaki, Ngāti Tukuaterangi, Ngāti Ura ki te Rangi, and Ngāti Whakaiti. Those are the hapū of Heretaunga Tamatea, and we welcome you to Parliament today for this significant occasion.

Can I acknowledge the Minister, Minister Little; his predecessor, Minister Finlayson; the former chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, Tutehounuku Korako; and, I guess, I acknowledge myself, as the current chair. Ha, ha! Kia ora. I’ll take the opportunity. But I’d like to acknowledge all those who have been involved in this phase of this settlement. But, of course, we know that this stretches a long way back, further than our particular mahi. This goes all the way back to the signing of Te Tiriti, to the hapū of Heretaunga Tamatea, who were thriving, independent hapū communities who wanted to engage with the Crown and who wanted to engage with the settlers, and who were, unfortunately, let down terribly. As we’ve heard in many settlements in this House, the dispossessions of land—I’m always saddened to hear the stories of that modus operandi of the Crown, the insatiable appetite for land.

They went to all sorts of devious means to devour those lands from our hapū, as Minister Little outlined in his speech, whether it was secretly adding on a whole chunk of additional acres—thousands of acres of land—to a deed without any consent, without any consultation; whether it was the passing of the Native Lands Act in the 1860s; whether it was breaking down the Māori tenure, our tenure of communal ownership, breaking it down into ten individual names and then, through all sorts of means, ensuring that that land was dispossessed, whether it was putting our whanaunga into debt, whether it be by survey titles and the like—all those sorts of means which were inflicted upon these people and which led to them having just a tiny fraction of their ancestral lands.

We know that this takiwā of Heretaunga Tamatea—some of the richest, most fertile soils. Anyone who drives through the Hawke’s Bay and admires it, from the mountains to the coast, all the way through, can see the abundance of wealth and prosperity that has been generated from those lands. Many of the descendants of these owners have worked hard to help the prosperity of that region, and now, finally, we can use this settlement as an opportunity for Heretaunga Tamatea to recapitalise themselves and to reassert and to engage more fully, whether it’s in Hawke’s Bay regional planning processes right across their ancestral landscape—whatever—in the commercial sphere, in the resource management, this settlement provides a platform for that.

I see that time is running short, but to conclude my speech I wanted to just acknowledge Mrs Tānira Te Au, who told the special kōrero about the haka “Tika Tonu” from Houngarea Marae. Heretaunga Tamatea, Kahungunu—famous for their waiata. Famous. I certainly hope we get to hear some of the top ten, and that haka, reverberate in this House at the conclusion of this debate, because this is certainly one of those occasions which is cause for celebration and remembrance, and we do both on this special, solemn occasion. So, without further ado, can I once again mihi to all of those who have led this, including all of your tūpuna who paved the way before, and can I wish Heretaunga Tamatea all the very best for the future. I commend this bill to the House.

Kia orana tātou katoatoa i te aroa maʻata o te Atua.

[Greetings everybody, in the name of the Lord.]

Ko au tangata no te Moana nui o Kiva no te moana, te ʻenua no Rarotonga, no Aitutaki, no Mangaia. Ko au e tu nei e tangata ki roto i teia are e tu nei te Paremata e tu tātou ki roto i teia ra.

[I am a man of the Pacific Ocean, of the ocean, the land of Rarotonga, of Aituaki, of Mangaia. I am man standing here in this House of Parliament we are all in today.]

There is a pe‘e [chant] from the islands of Aitutaki that goes something like this:

Taku manu nui taku manu raʻi,

Taku manu ka rere tau ʻitiʻiti ki runga ki Tokerau,

ʻOki mai ʻoki mai ʻoki mai.

[Oh big bird, oh little bird,

Birds who have flown to the four corners of the earth,

One day you shall return and when you do, tell us your song.

Tell us your words that you have to share.]

I am honoured to be here to be able to speak on this bill. The truth be told I think I was the only Māori-looking guy that was left on our side, had that opportunity, I was about to walk outside the House and was given the bill. The only time that actually I was in the Māori Affairs Committee was once when the Hon Tau Henare was the chairperson, the late Hon Parekura Horomia was in there, and many others.

I can remember it was very feisty, it was alive, it was engaging, and one of my Pākehā colleagues who was sitting next to me said, “Geez, is it like that all the time?” I said, “Well, that’s the way it rolls in the Māori Affairs Committee. You either go hard or you go home.” And at the end we had a karakia and we had kai. So if you really want a true experience there’s only one select committee to go to; that’s the Māori Affairs Committee.

To tatou tupuna i roto i teia are e tu nei [to our ancestors in this House standing here], I’m honoured to be able to be here. I have to say in the nearly seven years that I’ve been in this House this would have been the first time that I’ve been honoured to be able to speak on a Treaty claims bill. So here it is, the Heretaunga Tamatea Claims Settlement Bill. Our old people often would say that nothing happens just by accident; sometimes things happen for a purpose. And so as I sat here starting to listen, I heard what the different kōrero and the different speeches were saying and I thought to myself, “So what is it that this boy from Rarotonga could actually comment on and contribute today?”

What happened is that in the kōrero when I heard the Hon Chris Finlayson talking about that and from Te Aute College—you see, I was just a State school boy from Henderson High School in West Auckland. The closest that we came was playing Hato Petera, which we won, Tipene, which we lost. We had many exchanges but we always heard of Te Aute College. They won the Moascar Cup. They’re actually well-known for their feats in that, but the name that stood out to me was the name of Sir Māui Pōmare. The reason for that is that because in the First World War it was Sir Māui Pōmare who actually came across to Rarotonga and it was through his kōrero and through his engagement that began the migration of over 500 Cook Island soldiers in World War I, who fought alongside the Māori Pioneer Battalion. So because of that I also realised that there is an importance to acknowledge the connection that we have as well.

The other connection that they have to Hastings and the Hawke’s Bay is that in our Cook Island communities up and down the motu [country] we would have a thing called the Uapou Fellowship, which is a gathering of all the churches. We would have services and cultural activities and from the Hawke’s Bay they always had a group, a very strong group, but they also had the best-looking girls that would often come, so that’s what they were also known for as well.

But more importantly, this is an opportunity for the Heretaunga Tamatea claim to put at rest a treaty settlement that has been long waited for. Here it is. It is a full redress. It is both an apology and a final settlement. I want to acknowledge all of the tūpuna who have gone before, those who have been the negotiators, those who have, unfortunately, not able to be here with all of us today, but would see that this is a day they wished and in their moemoeā and in their dreams had desired would come. And so it comes today to all of us for the betterment so that all people can move on as well.

When we think about the Treaty claims and the negotiations, I remember reading a piece where in 1840 when part of the translation happened with Henry Williams, he had to try and understand and translate into Māori and English and English into Māori what this relationship was meant to be about. They used the word “kāwanatanga”, which is about governorship, still retaining a sense of sovereignty. But there was another word that he used which was “kawenata”, which is about a covenant, and actually that’s what people understood—a covenant that binds parties in a permanent, moral, and irrevocable relationship. That’s what it understood. Unfortunately, it’s not what the reality was.

So today I think it’s important to go back to that place, to say that when it was first agreed to, when a covenant was signed, it was signed that there would be a permanent moral and irrevocable relationship. Today, I think it is the hope of everyone here that this redress will not only be an apology for what was done before to put the wrong right, but also create a settlement that in the days before previously in the signing of this Treaty settlement was to be able to ensure that the future of all our rangatahi, our tamariki, for the future generations, will continue to see the prosperity and success that we all desire as well.

So I bring these brief words. I actually then commend this to this House—this settlement. It is an important and appropriate way to be able to do that, that all of us are here to be able to celebrate and commemorate this. That then will be the beginning of a new future, a new future and a new hope as well. I want to acknowledge all of those who have gone before us in this time and for all that they have desired to achieve.

Kia orana e kia manuia.

[Greetings and best wishes.]

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is an honour for me to rise and to speak on behalf of New Zealand First in support of this bill, the Heretaunga Tamatea Claims Settlement Bill.

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangaranga maha; tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

E mihi ana ahau ki ngā uri whakaheke o ngā tīpuna o Heretaunga, o Tamatea. He mihi aroha, he mihi maioha ki a koutou. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[To each representative entity, to each spokesperson and delegate, greetings to one and all, indeed greetings to everyone assembled here.

May I acknowledge the descendants of Heretaunga, of Tamatea. I bid you a warm and sincere welcome. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.]

I would like to start off by acknowledging Heretaunga Tamatea and those who are not here in this House today that should be here with you, by your side: the claimants who have walked this path who are no longer here because they have passed away, because it took just too long to get here today, to this final reading. I acknowledge those people and the commitment and the contribution that they have made on this Treaty settlement journey on your behalf.

To all of those here today from all of the hapū that my fellow colleague Rino Tirikatene mentioned in number, thank you for being in the House today. It is a very significant day for you, and I would like to acknowledge you. To He Toa Takatini, the mandated body who negotiated your settlement—and I just really like your whakataukī, which says our strength is in our unity.

Also, I’d like to acknowledge the two Ministers: the current Minister, the Hon Andrew Little, as well as the Hon Chris Finlayson for the words that they have already said in this House today. Minister Little discussed the negotiators who negotiated with integrity and grace and the principles of cooperation and trust that were undertaken throughout the course of this negotiation. The Minister also outlined the historical time line of your grievances and how you become landless and marginalised and impoverished. I acknowledge the Hon Christopher Finlayson for the work he did at the beginning of this Treaty settlement path on your behalf. He said the Crown had seriously breached the Treaty with the loss of a large tract of land in Heretaunga and spoke of the great courage and the commitment from your negotiators, and I acknowledge the sincere tribute he made to them.

You know, it’s an honour for me. I’m a first-time member of Parliament and a brand new member of the Māori Affairs Committee. So, for me, this is my very first Treaty settlement final reading that I have made, and I am honoured to be here today. It is a privilege for me.

It was also a real privilege for me to travel to Hawke’s Bay to meet with you and to hear you with your hearings of evidence. There were 40 submissions on this bill and 33 of them were oral. We heard them in Hawke’s Bay, as well as in Wellington, and I was really impressed with your manaakitanga that you showed—how you enveloped us with your stories and how you immersed us with your waiata, your stories, and the photos you brought of your tīpuna, and how you laid out your whakapapa in front of us. I would like to thank you for that. I’m enriched because of this.

You painted us a history of your story. It was a history that I was not aware of until that time, and you laid out your mamae for us to see it, and for us to feel it as well, and so I thank you for that.

I’d just like to note a couple of the historical grievances. They are written in this bill, but it’s also to hear them—to hear them said out loud. There is power in words when we hear them out loud, so I’d like to acknowledge that by 1900, approximately 1.2 million acres of your land, out of the 1.4 million acres of Heretaunga Tamatea land, had passed from Māori ownership through to Crown ownership. In the early 20th century, the Crown continued to purchase Māori-owned land in Heretaunga Tamatea, so that by 1930, approximately only 6 percent remained. By 1930, the whānau and hapū of Heretaunga Tamatea were virtually landless.

There is an apology that goes with this settlement bill, and I’d just like to read a small part of it: “The Crown unreservedly apologises for its repeated breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi, and for the ‘ngā mamae me ngā tūkino’ ”—the pain and the damage. The Crown regrets what it did, how it contributed to the whānau and hapū of Heretaunga Tamatea being left virtually landless. In the 1850s, the Crown used secret transactions and other divisive tactics to purchase huge areas of Heretaunga Tamatea land. The Crown is deeply sorry for its purchasing tactics that created tensions among your people that culminated in war, injury, and, ultimately, death.

At the end of our hearings day in Havelock, I went back to stay in Napier for the evening. I decided it was a good opportunity to spend time in your rohe, but it was almost like walking through sliding doors of a parallel reality because it was the Art Deco weekend in Napier. I had been spending time with you, hearing your stories, hearing about your past and your grievances, and then I went to Napier and there was this celebration of the 1930s. Fox furs and boaters, ostrich feathers, vintage cars, and The Great Gatsby swagger were in full swing in Napier, and I couldn’t rectify within myself the feeling of stepping from one world into another. So contrasting was it that I was not able to look upon that Art Deco Festival and feel anything of pride about it, because it was at that same time that you lost your land and became landless.

Just briefly mentioning the deed of settlement being signed at Te Aute College, and I won’t go into great detail about that because it has been mentioned by other speakers already. But I do note that that $5 million will ensure the long-term sustainability of the school, and that is something to celebrate.

But now is a time and an opportunity to look forward—to look to the future. We acknowledge our past, and we can learn from it.

Ki te kāhore he whakakitetanga ka ngaro te iwi.

[Without foresight or vision, the people will be lost.]

I’d just like to talk a little bit about my whānau connection to Hakikino. A few years ago, it was the Kershaw whānau reunion. My sister is now married into the Winiana whānau, and they were having the reunion at the Waimārama marae. Now at Hakikino, they have developed a really great little tourist venture. It’s called the Walk with the Ancestors Tour, and I think this is a fantastic opportunity to keep holding on to your stories. One of the things I heard in the hearings was that when you lose your land, you lose your stories. But it is time to reclaim your stories back.

So, my whānau—my brother-in-law, Michael, was there with his son, who’s named Tamatea because he is from there. They went up to the caves—the burial caves—and with their kuia, who was their guide, they went wandering around the caves. My young nephew at the time—a little bit like those large eels in the stream at Hakikino, he was a bit of a slippery young character. He managed to wriggle around through those tomo, and he managed to get lost. But he popped out through a tunnel that they had never known had existed before. He managed to find that passageway that had been undiscovered.

It is time to discover new futures and, with that, a new beginning. It is a new day, as Minister Little has mentioned. It is a time for a new relationship of equals.

Heretaunga haukū nui, Heretaunga, ararau, Heretaunga haaro o te kaahu, Heretaunga takotoa noa.

[Heretaunga of life-giving dew, Heretaunga of Arcadian pathways, Heretaunga—beauty of which can only be seen by the hawk, Heretaunga that has been left to us the humble servants.]

I commend this bill to the House.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to be speaking on this bill, the Heretaunga Tamatea Claims Settlement Bill third reading.

I’d like to acknowledge a number of people. First of all, the people who are not here: the people who have done work on this bill over the ages, over the decades—not just a few years, not just a few days, but over the decades—that are, of course, in our hearts and in our minds as we stand here together today. So I firstly acknowledge those people who have passed. Of course, I’d like to acknowledge the older people in the gallery. They have been through and observed, for their whole lifetime, the process that is concluding today. So I’d like to acknowledge those older people in the gallery for their patience, their tenacity, never giving up, always seeing the positive aspects that this third reading gives to the people of Heretaunga Tamatea.

The next group of people I’d like to acknowledge are the young people—the young people who I see in the gallery, mostly in front of me from where I stand this afternoon, because the young people who are here today have the challenge put in front of them. The challenge is now in front of the young people. The challenge is now to take this third reading, to take this settlement and move it forward and grasp the opportunity that this settlement gives to you, the youth of Heretaunga Tamatea, because it’s not all over. This is not a silver bullet. This is not going to solve all the issues or the problems or the challenges that we all face, but it is a step—and a significant step—and it passes the baton on to the young people of Heretaunga Tamatea, and particularly those who have shown the interest and the courage and who have given the time specifically to be here in this House today.

Minister Little outlined a lot of the history, a lot of the story, and how we got here today, so I’m not going to go over that, but I do want to encourage people to read the historical account that is attached to the deed of settlement. I’m not talking about the people in this House particularly but the people out there who still do not understand the processes and the trials and tribulations that have led us here today. They need to read these historical accounts. They need to read these historical accounts not just of this claim but of any claim that has come to pass in its third reading in this House, because one thing that they will find, if they bother reading it, is a common theme. That theme is that the Māori people of Aotearoa in those days were simply ripped off—ripped off and ripped off bad—there’s no doubt about it. So all it takes is some time from those who doubt that there is such an issue. I encourage those people out there in New Zealand to read an historical account for themselves.

So we get a financial redress—we’ve got 100 million bucks in the bank. That’s good. That gives us a good, strong financial base from which to work. But I’d like to focus on some of the cultural redress—in my mind as important, if not more important—that this settlement gives to the people of Heretaunga Tamatea. The cultural redress gives land—well, not so much land, but a place, a tūrangawaewae—and it restores mana and credibility and strength to the people of Heretaunga Tamatea. I’d like to acknowledge some of the sites, specifically, that have been vested in Heretaunga Tamatea in fee simple. There’s a Blackhead property, an Omahu property, a Parimāhu Beach property, and a Lake Hatuma and Pūrimu Lake property.

Of course, we’ve heard from the Minister that Cape Kidnappers Gannet Protection Reserve and Cape Kidnappers Nature Reserve are being gifted back to the Crown, and that is absolutely appreciated and acknowledged by all New Zealanders, I’m sure. But there are these other things that are called an “overlay classification”. What these classifications do is acknowledge the traditional cultural, spiritual, and historical association with Heretaunga Tamatea to these sites of significance. By the way, I think it was excellent that Rino Tirikatene named the hapū associated in the claim. And I’d like to mention some of these sites of significance because, as I say, these sites are important: A’Deanes Bush Scenic Reserve, Cape Kidnappers Gannet Protection Reserve, Cape Kidnappers Nature Reserve, and Gwavas Conservation Area.

There are also these things called “statutory acknowledgments”. So when it comes to resource consent, these acknowledgments are things that the authorities must consider when giving resource consent to anyone in a particular area. These acknowledgments are statements that were made through the process, and the deed of settlement provides 27 of these statutory acknowledgments. They cover a very, very large area of the Hawke’s Bay: Clive River and its tributaries, Elsthorpe Scenic Reserve, Hiranui Scenic Reserve, Inglis Bush Scenic Reserve, Kāhika Conservation Area, Karamū Stream, part of Kāweka State Forest, Māharakeke Stream, Mākāretu River, Maraetōtara River, Maraetōtara Scenic Reserve, Maraetōtara Gorge Scenic Reserve, Mātai Moana Scenic Reserve, McLeans Bush Scenic Reserve, Mohi Bush Scenic Reserve, Monckton Scenic Reserve, Ngaruroro River and its tributaries, Parkers Bush Scenic Reserve, Pōrangahau and Tāurekaitai River, and Ruahine Forest Conservation Area. These are big, huge areas for which the interests of Heretaunga Tamatea must be considered when giving others resource consent over any of these particular areas, and that is a good thing. That is a good thing.

The other point I’d like to make is there’s these deeds of recognition. They happen when—it basically says the Crown must consult with Heretaunga Tamatea when they have regard to Clive River, Elsthorpe, Hiranui, Inglis Bush, Kāhika Conservation Area, Karamū Stream, and part of Kāweka State Forest Park, and other areas—I don’t have time to go on, but my point here is to be sure that the Heretaunga Tamatea claimants are deeply involved and must be consulted, must be considered. Their statements must be discussed when resource consent or anything over the land is to be considered.

I would like to wrap up by challenging, once again, and acknowledging the work that still has to be done regarding this settlement bill. Minister Finlayson—the Hon Finlayson—talked about the Glasgow leases. That is a challenge. That is a challenge that will be ongoing, and I know that all your efforts will be put to that issue: the Wai 401 overlapping claim relating to Taihape—that’s a good result, which has allowed that claim to be partial; also the Wai 574, Karanema Reserve, claim. I know, again, there must be empathy and understanding amongst the Heretaunga Tamatea people for that issue to be resolved, and I have absolute confidence that those in the gallery are absolutely up for the challenge, and I acknowledge you all here today. Thank you.

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha, e ngā hapū o Heretaunga Tamatea, e Ngāti Kahungunu, nau mai hoki mai. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Kia ora.

[Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker. To each representative entity, to each spokesperson and delegate, to the descendants of Heretaunga, of Tamatea, to Ngāti Kahungunu, I say welcome back. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Kia ora.]

The Green Party stands here, absolutely in full support of the people of Heretaunga Tamatea and this settlement, which is long overdue, which many in this House have acknowledged has taken some time to get to this point. Along with that time, it has taken some people who have not been able to be here to see this third reading of the Heretaunga Tamatea Claims Settlement Bill today—an auspicious day, a day that acknowledges the incredibly hard work that has happened and the sacrifices that have been made and the generosity of Heretaunga Tamatea. So it is on this generosity of Heretaunga Tamatea that I am going to focus much of my contribution in this House today.

I’m going to start off by picking up a couple of points that previous members of this House have mentioned. I want to continue the theme of the Hon Chris Finlayson, who made specific mention of the Crown not holding up its part of the Treaty of Waitangi, of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It’s a big focus of this particular settlement bill. I will expand a little bit more on that later.

I also quickly wanted to pick up on the Glasgow leases issues, which, as the previous speaker mentioned, are absolutely a challenge. I am honoured to be on the Māori Affairs Committee. That did prove quite a big topic of conversation in our select committee. It was quite technical, what has happened, where the Glasgow leases generally have long fixed terms and perpetual rights of renewal have limited the return that has been able to be made on that land. It went through a whole lot of divisions, of dividing up the land into pockets, and that has made it quite difficult for Te Aute College and for Heretaunga Tamatea hapū. The Crown policy is that Treaty settlements cannot interfere with the rights and interests of private parties, such as lessees—that, in itself, is incredibly problematic. I just wanted to acknowledge that where we got to is that the Crown has attempted to address Te Aute Trust Board’s concerns without overriding that settlement policy regarding private property rights.

So the committee considered the bill to not be the proper form for addressing the issue of Glasgow leases more generally. But I pick up on Te Aute to put on the record for the Green Party how challenging that particular issue is and also just to pick up on a bit of a quip comment from the Opposition benches from Mr Alfred Ngaro, who made some suggestion about some competition between boarding schools. I have no idea what he’s talking about, but I’ll just say quickly that I’m a Queen Victoria School old girl. But I’ll also just say that Mr Alfred Ngaro, he happened to mention some preference about where the best-looking girls are, and I just want to say that I have no judgment on the attractiveness of the girls who may have attended Queen Victoria School at the time that I was there, but I can tell you for sure we are staunch, we are committed to decolonising Aotearoa, and we’re pretty smart.

I cannot stand to speak on this bill without acknowledging in some detail the historical account, the dirty dealings, really—the shady, dirty dealings—that happened that resulted in Heretaunga Tamatea having its land taken off. So I wanted to start by—in the bill, as it outlines it in the late 1840s, rangatira invited the Crown. They saw some economic opportunities. They saw some ways to be able to benefit generations to come, and they said, “Come and have a look at some of our whenua. How can we work together? How can we have a partnership?” So that did happen: the Crown did come. The Crown encouraged customary owners to accept an incredibly low price for that whenua in order to gain access to these anticipated benefits. So the Crown officials also arranged for a large area to be added to that block sale, without the knowledge of the whenua’s occupants, of Heretaunga Tamatea. Again, during the 1850s, we see that the Crown acquired land secretly—underhanded, shady—without seeking the consent of all customary owners. Now, this sort of carry-on, which continued and continued and continued—is bound to cause tensions in the relationship internally, within Heretaunga Tamatea, and, absolutely, with the Crown. So that led to violence, and it led to rangatira being killed. That is an incredible price to pay for the Crown not holding up its part of the deal.

So this continuation of shady, dirty deals happened and happened and happened, including the breaking up of land title into individual title. Now, I wanted to pick up—this has happened around Aotearoa since the signing of the Treaty, but I realise we don’t often concentrate on why that is a bad thing. What actually happened when we broke up collective ownership, when the Crown broke up collective ownership into individual title, is it actually broke up the core of Te Ao Māori relationship to each other and to the land. It didn’t just enable land to be taken. It didn’t just do that. Breaking up whenua into individual title attacked the very psyche of how we behave and how we operate and our connections and accountability to each other, to mokopuna that aren’t even here yet, to our tūpuna behind us, and to each other internally, and, most importantly, to Papatūānuku and to taiao, to our whenua and our wai. That’s what breaking up title did, as well as making it easier for the land to be ripped off.

So I did want to spend a bit of time today, probably for the first time ever—and I’ve spoken on many third readings—actually putting a focus on what was being done to us when the Crown broke up our land titles. They didn’t just sell off our land; they were attacking who we are and what we stand for. They were imposing on us the Western focus on individualism, which says that you must run roughshod over everyone else around you and over your land to do well for yourself. That’s what it did. So I want it to be very clear on the House today that it went to the core of Te Ao Māori and the way we behave and our belief in terms of upholding the mana of each other and our whakapapa.

I only have a short time left and so many things to say, so I’m going to include in my contribution today some of the environmental issues. Oh no, first I want to be very clear about the specific sacrifices that were made, where Heretaunga Tamatea was a good Treaty partner, was an honourable and dignified partner in this relationship of attempting to work together with the Crown. What happened was a lot of sacrifices were made; in particular, it’s acknowledged in the bill, the significant contribution the hapū of Heretaunga Tamatea have made to the wealth and development of Hawke’s Bay and, indeed, around Aotearoa, and that includes in the areas of the economy, education, farming, politics, culture and arts, public service, and business—only everything; that’s all. That’s all you contributed to, and also to the war service efforts of tūpuna from Heretaunga. That is also acknowledged in the bill. The Crown acknowledges that it has failed to address these longstanding grievances.

I’m going to finish off with mentioning your wai and that you get access and rangatiratanga back over it, including Whatumā and Rūnanga; Poukawa, Tūtaekurī, Ngaruroro, Maraetōtara, Tukituki, Waipawa, Mākāretu, and Porangahau-Tāurekaitai rivers; the Pekapeka swamplands; and our mahinga kai that are central to the well-being of the hapū of Heretaunga Tamatea. If you had been able to maintain your rangatiratanga over your wai, they wouldn’t be in the degraded state they are in today. And this is why the Green Party is absolutely clear that we uphold the rangatiratanga proprietary and customary rights for mana whenua over water, because that will be for the benefit of all of us. Kia ora.

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai. Ka noho tonu ahau ki roto i te reo Māori mō te roanga ake o taku kōrero i te rā nei.

Ka papā te whatitiri, hikohiko te uira, kahukura ki te rangi. He ai tū ka riri, ka rongomai ka hē ko Ngungunu, ko Ngangana, ko Apārangi; ko te titī o te rua, ko te tao whakahoro, ko te tao whakawahine, ko te tao o tōku tupuna a Hineāmaru. Tihei wā mauri ora!

Ka tāpae atu ahau i ngā kupu whakamihi ki te tāhuhu o tō tātou Whare hei karanga atu ki te tini, ki te mano ka tau ki runga i Te Whare i te rā nei. Ka karanga tonu ahau ki ngā aituā maha ki runga ki tēnā, ki tēnā, ki tēnā o tātou e tau nei. Kotahi tonu te kōrero mō rātou kua ngaro atu ki Te Pō, haere mai, haere.

Ka whakahokia mai ngā rārangi kōrero ki a tātou te hunga ora. E ōku rangatira, ngā tini whanaunga heoi anō koutou, e ōku rangatira e Ngāpuhi ki Heretaunga, ko tēnei a Ngāi Tamatea ki roto o Te Tai Tokerau e mihi atu ana ki a koutou. Kāti, i rongo atu aku taringa i ngā kōrero a ētahi o Te Whare nei e kimihia e rapu ana e aha nei te whakapapa ka taea e te tangata o tēnei Whare te piri ki ngā mahi i oti i a koutou ki roto i ngā tau maha ka whakatutukihia e tātou i te rā nei. Kua kōrero mai te mema o tērā taha o Te Whare mō te āhuatanga ki te waka o Tākitimu; ka mihi. Ka kōrero mai wētahi mō te āhuatanga o te tākaro whutupōro i roto i ngā kura; ka mihi. Ka hoki atu anō au ki ngā whakapapa o tōku kāinga, me te kōrero e kīia nei, “He rāngai maomao ka taka ki tua o Nukutaurua e kore a muri e hokia.” Nō reira, koutou e ngā maomao ka taka ki tua o Nukutaurua, e mihi atu ana ahau ki a koutou.

Ko ngā tātai whakapapa ki runga i a au Ngāi Tamatea, ko te tupuna i tīmata mai i roto i a au o Te Tai Tokerau. Ko tana mahi hei rapu i tana tamaiti, anā i tana wehenga atu i Te Tai Tokerau ko tana kōrero ki tōna iwi a Ngāi Tamatea ki roto i Te Tai Tokerau, “Tēnā, tirohia ki tua o Rēao, ki tua o Rēpō ka kite atu koutou i tōku wairua, ka mōhio mai koutou e ōku whanaunga ka kore au e hoki mai.” I te rā nei ka tutukihia e tātou i roto i tēnei Whare te tūhono o ngā tātai whakapapa ki runga i a au; otirā ki runga i a koutou e ōku rangatira, haere mai, haere mai, haere mai.

E ōku rangatira kua kōrero mai ētahi o ngā mema o Te Whare Pāremata i te rā nei mō te āhuatanga kei roto i te pire. Nō reira ka tautoko atu ahau i ngā kōrero a te Minita Te Hōnore “Anaru Iti”—“Paku”, kei a koutou te tikanga—ka kōrero mai te Minita tawhito, te Hōnore Te Whinireihana, ā kei a koutou taua whiriwhiringa, ka kōrero mai ngā mema mō te āhuatanga o te pire nei. Āe, e tika ana, i tūkino Te Karauna i a koutou; me whakapāha ka tika. Ka whakakōhatungia, ka whakamanahia ki roto i tēnei pire āianei, tata ake nei ka whakamanahia i waho atu i ngā pātū o tēnei Whare.

Nō reira ko tāku atu ki a koutou, e te Pāpā e Gerry, koutou ko ōku rangatira, tuhia ngā mamaetanga ki runga i te pepa; ā taihoa ake nei ko ngā mokopuna e noho mai nei ka hakaina, ka tukuna atu i te reo waiata, kia kore e warewaretia e koutou, otirā e te motu whānui. Ahakaoa te whakapāha a Te Karauna, tēnā, me rongo tonu wā tātou uri whakatupu i ngā mamaetanga i pā kino ki a koutou ki roto i ngā tau, tēnā, kia kaha rā koutou. Ko te whakapāha tēnā.

Ka huri tua atu iāianei na ki te wāhanga, ki te rahi o te pūtea. Āe mārika, te koretake o taua rahi. E mōhio ana koutou i te rahi whenua i tāhaengia e Te Karauna i roto i ngā tau me te mana i tāhaengia, i tūkinohia e Te Karauna i roto i ngā tau. Ahakoa te pūtea o te ao ka kore e ea—ka kore e ea. Nō reira, mō ngā mahi whiriwhiri ki waenganui i a koutou me Te Karauna, anā, ka whakaritea nei tētahi rahi pūtea hei kīnaki i te whakapāha i tukuna atu e Te Karauna ki a koutou, i roto i tēnei pire. Kia kaha rā koutou. E mea nei te kōrero a tōku tupuna a Tā Hemi, “Kua tawhiti kē tā koutou haerenga mai ki te kore e haere tonu ai.” Ko te manako, ko ēnei pūtea he kākano nahenahe nei me te hiahia kia tupu mārika, kia tupu pai, kia mahuta toa, i roto i ngā tau kei mua i a koutou. Kia kaha rā koutou.

Iāianei na ka huri tua atu ki wētahi o ngā wāhanga kua haina mai e ōku hoa mahi i roto i Te Whare nei e pā ana ki ngā wai, ki ngā whenua rangatira, ki ngā wāhi tapu kei a koutou. E harikoa ana kia kite atu ahau i roto i te pire nei, ka whai niho ngā uri o tō koutou tupuna a Tamatea i ngā mahi whakahaere ki runga i ō rātou ake whenua. Ko te wero tēnā ki ngā kaunihera i waho atu i ngā pātū o tēnei Whare. Ahakoa ngā kōrero a te Whare Pāremata, e mōhio ana tātou katoa i kōrero atu ahau ki tōku tuakana ki te Hōnore a Kelvin Davis i a ia e huri haere ana ki te whakatutuki i tana mahi e pā ana ki tana pōtae mahi arā ko te Crown/Māori relations, hei tāna ko te ngau kino i rangona whānuitia e tōku tuakana a Kelvin Davis i a ia e huri karore haere ana ki runga i te motu whānui ko ngā tūkinohia a ngā kaunihera ā-rohe. Nō reira, he wero tēnā kei roto. Āe, ka whakamanahia te reo o Ngāi Tamatea ki roto i ngā mahi e pā ana ki a rātou – āe, ka whai niho, engari e mōhio ana tātou ko wētahi o ngā tāngata kei roto i ngā kaunihera, e hoa, he taringa turi ki ngā take motuhake o te ao Māori. Nō reira kia kaha rā koutou.

Āe ka kite atu ahau ko wētahi o ngā wāhanga kei roto i te pire, ka whakamanahia ngā ingoa tūpuna, ngā ingoa motuhake o ngā wāhi whenua kei runga i a koutou, kia kaua tētahi atu e mea atu ana, anā ko te ingoa o tēnei wāhi anā he ingoa Pākehā, kāhore. Ka whakamanahia e te pire nei ngā ingoa tūturu o ngā whenua kei roto i a koutou e harikoa ana. Ko te wero nui iāianei na, kia whakatikatika i te reo o tēnā, o tēnā, ka whakahua tika ai i ngā ingoa tupuna kei roto i a koutou. Kua rongo atu ahau i ngā kōrero a ētahi o Te Whare nei, ka aroha atu ki tō tātou reo me ngā ingoa tupuna. He wero nui tēnā kei mua i a koutou, kei mua i a tātou.

[Bell rung]

Kua rongo koutou, anō nei ko Ngā Manu Kōrero tēnei. Kua rīngi te pere. Nō reira hei whakarāpopoto ake i taku kōrero e ōku rangatira, kei te kite atu ahau i a koe e te tuakana e Kiwa Whatarau, ko ngā whakaaro ka aro tōtika atu ki tō tamāhine, ki tō pōtiki, ko reira te oranga o tēnei pire, ko reira te oranga o tēnei pire. Mō ngā uri whakatupu te take. Kāore au e mōhio ana ki tētahi tupuna kua mate ki roto i ngā tau i mahi i wā rātou mahi, ko rātou te take—kāhore. Ko wā rātou kōrero ka heke iho mai nei ki runga i ngā pokowhiwhi o ngā uri whakatupu ā taihoa ake nei. Nō reira, ki tōku tamāhine ki a Te Ataroa, ko te wero nui ka tau ki runga i a koutou; kia hāpai tonu i te mana, o ngā mātua, o ngā tūpuna ka wahaina mai ki roto i tēnei pire ka wahaina tonu ki roto i a koutou. Kia kaha rā koutou e ngā uri whakatupu, ki roto i ngā tau e tū nei.

E harikoa ana tēnei whanaunga o ngā hunga e noho mai nei ki runga, ki te tautoko i tēnei pire, kia haere tōtika, me te hiahia ka tatari mai ngā mema o tēnei taha o Te Whare mō te tono a Heretaunga kia anga atu ngā mema o te Whare Pāremata nei ki roto i a rātou; he aha te take, he whakanui ake i te kaupapa e kōrerohia nei e tātou i te rā nei, me te kai tahi, me te kite atu mehemea e rahi nei ngā pāua o Ngāti Kahungunu ki ngā pāua o Te Tai Tokerau. Kāti, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, e ōku rangatira, kia ora tātou katoa.

[Greetings, Mr Assistant Speaker. I shall deliver my entire speech in Māori today.

The thunder crashes, the lightning flashes, as there is a rainbow in the sky. It is flashing an ill omen, as a war party is heard by Ngungunu, Ngangana, and Apārangi; at the opening of the pit, as the incantations releasing the warriors from tapu are recited, the incantations of my ancestor Hineāmaru. Behold, the breath of life!

May I offer up to the rafters of our House some small words of welcome to the many who have graced this House with their presence today. In keeping with tradition, I also acknowledge the bereavements that are borne by each of you. All that remains to be said is, I embrace you, farewell.

My focus now returns to us, the living. My illustrious leaders, my many relations, my chiefs, that is to say, Ngāpuhi who reside in the Hawke’s Bay, this is Ngāi Tamatea from the North, who bids you welcome. Well now, these ears have listened to various ones of this House fossick around for some tenuous connection that will associate them with the wonderful work that you have accomplished over the years, and which will bear fruit today. The member from that side of the House mentioned the Tākitimu canoe; that’s fine. Some made their connections through school rugby teams; that’s fine, too. For my part, I must go right back to my homeland and to the guidance provided by a maxim of ours that says, “Once the shoal of maomao passes the point of Nukutaurua, it will never return.” I therefore greet you, the shoal of maomao that has reached the point of no return.

My own connection to Ngāi Tamatea begins with an ancestor from the North. His mission was to find his son, and as he was leaving the North he turned to his people, those Ngāi Tamatea living in the North, and said, “When you look for me beyond this world of light and dark, should you find my spirit you will know that I shall not return.” Today, in this House, my genealogical bonds find a natural place alongside yours; my eminent leaders, I bid you welcome.

Distinguished guests, some members of Parliament have spoken today about various aspects of this bill. I record my support for what was said by the Minister, the Hon Andrew Little—“Iti” or “Paku”; your choice—the speech by the former Minister, the Hon Mr Finlayson, and by various other members. It is true you were badly treated by the Crown; an apology is certainly due. This will soon be formally set down for all to see.

Therefore, I put to you, sir—Gerry and to all of you elders here—record those hurtful memories on paper; in time these little ones who are sitting here today will remember it all in haka and in song, and you, along with the rest of the country, will never forget. Notwithstanding the Crown’s apology, coming generations need to know the injustices that you have suffered over the years; may you remain strong. Let us leave the apology there.

I now turn to the part which deals with financial redress. Yes indeed, it is a piffling amount. You are well aware of the enormous tracts of land that were stolen by the Crown over the years, as well as the way your tribal reputation and dignity was laid waste and disparaged by that same Crown. No amount of money can ever erase that. Nevertheless, negotiations between you and the Crown have taken place and there is agreement on the amount of compensation that will accompany the apology by the Crown, in this bill. Just keep going. My grandfather, Sir Hemi, once said, “You have come too far not to go further.” It is our earnest wish that this settlement is merely seeding money to be used to produce profuse growth, development, and advancement in the years to come. Be bold.

Let us now look at other sections that have been signed off by my colleagues in this House, and they relate to water, land blocks, and burial grounds in your territory. I am very pleased to see in this bill provision for the descendants of Tamatea to have actual authority over what happens on their land. That will be a challenge for the councils that work outside of the perimeters of this House. Despite what is said in Parliament, we are all familiar with the challenges—which, by the way, are confirmed by my senior colleague the Hon Kelvin Davis, for, as he travels around the country attending to his Crown/Māori relations portfolio, he contends that some of the most frustrating challenges throughout the land are the abuses that stem from local or district councils. Take note: you will be challenged. Yes, Ngāi Tamatea will have a voice in matters pertaining to them; yes, it will be an authoritative one, but we also know that councils, unfortunately, are sometimes populated by people who are deaf to the unique circumstances of the Māori world. Stand firm.

I see amongst the provisions of the bill that ancestral names and place names that are highly significant to you are to be recognised, so no one will be able to say that the name of one of these places is a Pākehā name, no. This bill recognises the real names of places that are in your domain, and that makes me glad. The big job ahead now is to ensure that people will be able to properly pronounce your various ancestral names. I have heard the pronunciation of some people in this House, and I am despondent for our language and for the names of our ancestors. You will need to set your minds to the task, as will we.

[Bell rung]

You have heard it—anyone would think this was the Manu Kōrero. The bell has rung.

In conclusion, therefore, ladies and gentlemen—and I see you there, my brother Kiwa Whatarau. My comments go directly to your daughter, to your youngest, for therein lies the lifeblood of this bill. It is for the generations still to come. I cannot think of a single elder who died during this long, arduous haul who did it all for himself—not one. The elders’ words have passed down to now rest on the shoulders of future generations. So, I say to you, my girl, Te Ataroa, the responsibility now rests with your generation; the restoration of the dignity of your elders and ancestors is contained in this bill and must be enacted by you. You, the younger generation, must take hold of the challenge in the coming years.

As a relative of the good people who are sitting up there, I am pleased to commend this bill to the House and to a speedy conclusion, and I further wish that the members on this side of the House are standing by to receive the invitation from Heretaunga to join them. For what, you may ask: to celebrate what has been our sole focus today, to eat together, and, of course, to see whether Ngāti Kahungunu pāua are as big as pāua from the North. To close, thank you, thank you, my esteemed ones, best wishes to us all.]

Members, this is a split call. Rima mineti ka karanga e hō kia koe [Five-minute call]—Tim van de Molen.

Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. Ki ngā hapū, ngā whānau o ngā uri o Heretaunga, Tamatea, nau mai ki tēnei Whare.

[To the tribes and to the families of the descendants of Heretaunga and of Tamatea, welcome to this House.]

As a new member of this House, this is my first opportunity to speak to a Treaty settlement bill, and I am both excited and, I admit, somewhat nervous taking this opportunity. But I would just like to start by acknowledging the importance of gaining closure in these matters, both for Heretaunga Tamatea and, indeed, for all New Zealanders. I’d also like to claim a link, if I may, through my own history as a member of Ngāti Tūmatauenga, which, I believe, is shared by many members of Heretaunga Tamatea, and also a shared link through, I believe, a shared desire to strive for a better future for all of our tamariki.

I’d like to acknowledge the commitment from the former Minister, the Hon Christopher Finlayson, with the many years of hard work he has put into Treaty negotiations under the former Government, and, of course, the current Minister, the Hon Andrew Little, for picking up the baton, as it were, and continuing with this work.

As I’ve mentioned, I value the opportunity to improve relations between the Crown and this hapū, and what we’ve seen through this settlement is that, obviously, there’s an element of financial reparation within that. And I’d just like to acknowledge that whilst that’s an important part, money actually doesn’t heal the emotional harm that is carried by people in these situations; but, actually, it does provide opportunity to grow, to develop, and, hopefully, to flourish.

One area that I think needs to be touched on again, and has actually been touched on by most speakers, is the Glasgow leases, in particular around Te Aute College. Those leases are a model that was put in place many, many years ago, and, at the time, perhaps that was the most appropriate model. The current setup that we have in terms of operational lease agreements for land is somewhat more advanced, and I would certainly look forward to exploring a more appropriate solution in the future in that regard.

Just touching on the college, actually; it’s fantastic to see some of the fine students that have come from that establishment, and I just wanted to, in particular, mention one of those today, Second Lieutenant Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngārimu VC. He served as an intelligence officer in the New Zealand Army during the Second World War, and I have a particular affinity, having served not as an intelligence officer but as an infantry officer. It was encouraging to see and to learn about his story. He was in command of a platoon in C Company of the Māori Battalion, having been shifted sideways from an intelligence officer role into that, and he was involved in the action at Tebaga Gap in March 1943.

Now, unfortunately, he died in service in that particular offensive—and, subsequently, defensive—action, but I decided to share the citation given with his posthumous Victoria Cross: “He led his men with great determination and skill straight up the face of the hill, undeterred by the intense mortar and machine-gun fire which caused considerable casualties. Displaying courage and leadership of the highest order he was himself first on the hill crest, personally annihilating at least two enemy machine gun posts.” He was, it’s important to note, the first Māori to receive the Victoria Cross.

I make this connection because I believe that strength, that determination, and that courage that he showed represents some of the shared values that are present in this agreement and, indeed, outlines some of the importance around freedom, around opportunity, loyalty, and family: areas that are shared on this side of the HousWilliee and, indeed, by all members of the House, I am sure, and values that have underpinned negotiations between the Crown and Heretaunga Tamatea. So it’s encouraging to see this now progressing through the final stages in the House, and I wish Heretaunga Tamatea all the best for their future. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr Assistant Speaker.

Ki ngā hapū, ngā whānau o ngā uri o Heretaunga, Tamatea, nau mai ki tēnei Whare. Kia ora.

[To the tribes and to the families of the descendants of Heretaunga and of Tamatea, welcome to this House. Kia ora.]

It is a pleasure to take a call on the Heretaunga Tamatea Claims Settlement Bill, the third reading, and as my colleague Tim van de Molen said, I’m also a new member to this House, and it is one of my first opportunities to speak on a settlement bill and it is my first opportunity on a third reading.

So, at the outset, I’d like to acknowledge the people who’ve been part of this process, and, firstly, I’d like to acknowledge everyone here in the gallery representing Heretaunga Tamatea. We appreciate you coming down to Wellington to be here and to witness the passing, unanimously, of the third reading of this bill.

I would also like to acknowledge the Hon Christopher Finlayson for the work that he has done in shepherding this bill through the parliamentary process, and Andrew Little, who is now completing it as Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. I’d also like to acknowledge the Māori Affairs Committee for the work that they have done hearing submissions, understanding the story, understanding what needs to be done, and ensuring that this legislation represents the intention of the settlement.

This bill relates to a deed of settlement signed by the Crown in 2007. It records the Crown’s apology and agrees to a final settlement of all historical Treaty of Waitangi claims for Heretaunga Tamatea. This is a wide-ranging historical claim which includes alienation of land through the failure to implement the terms of pre-Treaty land transactions, the Land Claims Commission, the dispossession of land through deliberately misleading business practices, and the impact of the loss of communal ancestral lands on traditional tribal structure.

During the 20th century, Heretaunga Tamatea hapū and whānau suffered social, economic, and cultural marginalisation, with more than half of their people living outside the traditional rohe today. As we consider this bill and as we seek to pass it, we remember the wrongs of the past and we look to the future. So this bill includes an apology—an official Crown apology—cultural redress, statutory acknowledgments, deeds of recognition, and financial redress.

I just want to take a short moment to acknowledge each one of those five aspects. An apology is important because it recognises the wrongs which took place. It recognises that it was wrong and that it must be apologised for, and that is that the Crown does say sorry for what was done. The cultural redress understands and reflects the fact that there was an impact on the Heretaunga Tamatea people, and it seeks to address the challenges from the economic and cultural place that they have been put in.

Statutory acknowledgments and deeds of recognition mean that there is recognition through legislation. I think my colleagues have sort of touched on how this makes recognition under the Resource Management Act and the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act. The authorities who give resource consents under these Acts must also have regard to these statements for certain purposes, and there are 27 statutory acknowledgments, covering a wide range of different issues. The deeds of recognition require the Crown to consult with Heretaunga Tamatea and to have regard for Heretaunga Tamatea’s special association with a site or place and specify Heretaunga Tamatea input into the management of those areas administered by the Department of Conservation and the Commissioner of Crown Lands. There are 20 deeds of settlement recognised in this legislation.

Finally, financial and commercial redress: the redress recognises the losses suffered by Heretaunga Tamatea arising from breaches by the Crown of its Treaty of Waitangi obligations. It will provide Heretaunga Tamatea with resources to assist them in developing their economic and social well-being. We all acknowledge that the contribution that the Crown can make is only a small portion of the harm which was done, and we know that it will go a long way to helping to support the future of Heretaunga Tamatea as it looks to the future, and that includes $100 million of finance and a range of property which is also selected as well.

So I commend this bill to the House and I look forward to its rapid passing. Thank you.

Kia ora. Kia ora, Mr Assistant Speaker. Koutou katoa Heretaunga Tamatea, Ngāti Kahungunu, he hōnore nui ki te kite i a koutou i tēnei wā, he tika me mihi ki a koutou mō ō koutou kaha ki te kōkiri i tēnei kaupapa, mai te tīmata tae noa ki nāianei. Tēnei te tino mihi ki a koutou mō ō koutou kaha, ki te whawhai mō tēnei kaupapa i ngā wā katoa, tēnei te tino mihi. Haramai, haramai, nau mai.

[Kia ora, Mr Assistant Speaker. To you all who hail from Heretaunga, from Tamatea, from Ngāti Kahungunu, I am honoured to see you at this time. It is only right that I should acknowledge your determination to advance this matter right from the start, until now. I really do applaud your steadfastness for continuing the fight on this important issue. I salute you.]

I was listening to the member over there, and he was talking about being a little bit shy and humble to talk about his connection with Kahungunu. I’m not so shy, and so I just thought I’d remind you all of your greatest rugby player, my grandfather Everard Jackson, as I’m sure some of the kaumātuas will confirm. I remember him at these times when I see people—1934 to 1940, he played for Hawke’s Bay and was an All Black. I’m always reminded of him when I see the people here, and of my uncles, who have played a major part. Some of you probably don’t go along with them some of the time—my Uncle Moana Jackson and Uncle Syd Jackson, probably two of your—[Applause from the gallery] Oh, so you—well, the family was a bit split. The family was a bit split, but they were good times, the way they always advocated, in terms of kaupapa Māori, for Kahungunu all the time—all the time.

So I’m reminded of them when I see you all here today, and I mihi to you for coming for this wonderful kaupapa. You’ve heard all the details, and I want to say well done to the negotiators, Liz Munroe, Peter Paku, Brian Morris, and, of course, Dr David Tīpene-Leach. It’s important we acknowledge those negotiators.

I didn’t want to be negative today about anything because we’re in celebration mode—right?—but I think that at these sorts of times, there are appropriate times to acknowledge the pros and cons of the Treaty settlement process. There are appropriate times to recognise what a National Government—you know, I couldn’t believe it at the time. Seriously, you know, we were always at war with the Tories when I was a union official, but I give them all the credit in the world for what happened in the mid-1990s—all the credit in the world.

In 1995, the National Government set up the claims framework, believing that it was necessary to restore honour for the Crown and to assist Māori economically and socially, while acknowledging there would be no parity for Māori while the claims existed. Now, they were honest enough at the time to admit that Māori could not be recompensed, and I remember well what Jim Bolger, the Prime Minister, and Doug Graham said. They said that the total loss for Māori, they could not compensate for that, and it’s always important to remember that—that we are settling for less than 2 percent of the total loss. Never, never forget that.

Our people have made a huge contribution to this country—a huge contribution to this country. We all know what the claims are worth. Tainui and Ngāi Tahu, economists said, could’ve claimed up to $20 billion, and what did they claim? They claimed $170 million—$170 million. Why did they do that—why did they do that? They did that to move on. They did that to give their iwi a start. They did that because they wanted to contribute to New Zealand. The National Party recognised that at the time. Labour recognised it at the time. The sad part is New Zealanders still don’t recognise that. That’s the sad part. In fact, the level of naivety is astounding—absolutely astounding.

We could have bankrupted this country. We could have bankrupted this country if we had gone through each tribe, and the significance of the losses in each tribe, and that makes me sad because the loss is not recognised. Even one of New Zealand’s finest businessmen, Hugh Fletcher, said the Treaty settlement process—and, again, meaning no disrespect to the National Government or Labour, but he said he wouldn’t have even participated in it, so bad was the compensation. But we, as a people, have not been given our dues—not been given our recognition. You walk down Lambton Quay right now and you ask 100 people, “What do you think of those Māoris, that Kahungunu lot who got a settlement?”; 80 percent of them will say, “Well, that’s a bit of separatism, isn’t it? That’s a bit of racism, isn’t it?” We are still not there as a country. We are still not there as a country, and that makes me sad—that makes me sad.

And we’re not helped, of course, by prominent businessmen. I go back a year or so, Sir William Gallagher, who said, “There’s no doubt [that] (Māori) gave up sovereignty … and now we have all these bloody reparations going on.” That’s “separatism”. That’s “apartheid”. “There is no definition of Māori”, he said. “You are Māori if you feel you are Māori.”—Sir William Gallagher said that. He apologised later on, of course, because he knew things weren’t going to go too well for business.

And we had Bob Jones, of course, saying the whole Treaty process was all about a gravy train. And then he said other despicable things that are a waste of time repeating in the House—waste of time repeating in the House. Then you get the weekly racist rubbish from Don Brash and the Hobson’s Pledge nutjobs. They send us emails—they all send us emails about how unfair it is that “Kahungngng”—well, they can’t even say it properly, but they say “that ‘Kahunununu-whatever’ lot, how racist those ‘Kahunununu’ lot are—your friends. How racist they are for picking up that $100 million that should have been $1 billion.” You get that happening every week, always hitting us all the time, and we have a New Zealand that’s not aware of what really happened—23 years on from when the National Party set up the Treaty framework. It disturbs me.

So I wonder—and I have colleagues in the House here and we talk about it ourselves—if we should be teaching the Treaty in the schools. I wonder about that. Now, I’m not putting out Labour policy or anything like that. I’ve got my senior mate over here, Minister Twyford, thinking, “Oh, be careful, Willie.” He’s got to watch it himself, of course. But this is the type of kōrero that we have to have as mature politicians. Should we be teaching our history in schools, teaching our kids about the settlement process so they can grow up and talk about why their tīpuna were ripped off?

I worry sometimes that we get so politically worried about polls and whatnot that we don’t do the right thing. And it’s something to consider, I think. But I’m optimistic. I’m hopeful that this $105 million settlement for Heretaunga Tamatea fulfils all the potential we know within the tribe. You see, we have a new breed of politicians. And I’ll say that on both sides of the House. We all understand—all politicians here understand the history in terms of injustice, inequality, sexism, and racism. It doesn’t matter, now, whether you’re in Labour, National, or the Greens or whatever. We all understand that. It was brought to the fore no better than when our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said recently, “we have failed in our partnership, but I inherently believe in our power to change”. She also said “hold us to account.” in terms of that Treaty partnership. With the greatest respect to her, I think this is bigger than one party being held to account. This country should be held to account. The obligations in terms of the partnership don’t just fall on the Labour Party, they fall on this whole House.

All of us have obligations to fulfil the principles of a partnership that was first thought about in 1840. That’s just the kaupapa that I wanted to talk about today in terms of this particular settlement. I think we have responsibilities as politicians to fulfil the initial hopes, the initial principles, that were set out in the Treaty of Waitangi, and I hope that we can think about that every time we sit down to sign off on Treaty settlements like this.

Nō reira ki a koutou, hōnore nui tēnei.

[Therefore, to you all, this is a great honour.]

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

Kia ora Mr Assistant Speaker. It’s a privilege to be asked to make a contribution on behalf of the National Opposition on the Heretaunga Tamatea Claims Settlement Bill this afternoon. I just wanted to start, I guess, by making mention of the Hon Chris Finlayson and Andrew Little. Because I think that in Finlayson’s time as the Minister he did a wonderful job with a very difficult task. And I want to comment in a minute on a couple of things that the previous speaker said—Willie Jackson—because I don’t agree with one or two of the things he said and I’m going to make a point of that. But I think this process—and I absolutely agree with what he said about that—has been pretty amazing.

And I think if you think about our time in this House, probably the most rewarding thing that we’re able to participate in as parliamentarians is the Treaty settlement process. And I absolutely agree with the previous speaker Willie Jackson that the process will never compensate fully for what went on in our past in New Zealand. And I’ll get into some boarding school issues later on that we won’t compensate for either. But I do want to take one thing up with the previous speaker. I don’t think—whatever happened in the Treaty settlement process—that the process would have bankrupted New Zealand. And the reason I say that is because all the Treaty settlements I’ve witnessed to date have been hugely beneficial to the communities that they are settled on. They’re hugely beneficial to New Zealand. And I know very well that the Māori people are very like the Scottish—they don’t part with stuff readily. And so when they get it, they make the most of it, and I think that’s pretty special. So I don’t think it matters how much or what goes on in the course of the Treaty settlement process, it’s always valued and it’s always looked after in a pretty amazing way.

I also think that in my case in the Rangitīkei we’ve had a couple of settlements; one that’s been around for a little while, a very small settlement around Ngāti Apa. And to watch the progress that they’ve made—and, in fact, Mr Assistant Speaker, your own area and your own people to some extent—with their settlement, I think, is spectacular and the partnerships that they’ve built with their community that they live in as a result of those settlements are also spectacular. I think that we can expect the same thing to happen throughout New Zealand, and I think that’s the exciting thing about it.

So I have no mandate to speak about the wonderful personalities of Heretaunga Tamatea who have worked so hard to achieve this settlement other than to say that I admire them greatly and I admire their persistence, their determination, and congratulate them on achieving the settlement. And I want to make another observation, because I think that one of the really intimidating things about this process for anyone who participates in it is that you’re really making a decision that’s almost like a settlement for life. So you’re almost giving yourself a life sentence, because you are making a decision on behalf of future generations. That’s hugely important, not only for those future generations but for this country. And so it is a very challenging thing to go through. So I congratulate all those people who have been involved in it.

I think, from the Crown’s side of it, too, those Ministers and members of the teams that put these settlements together are pretty special as well. They do a great job, and whilst we may, as Willie Jackson said, never get to the full extent or get to a position that perhaps we’d have, ideally, got to, I hope we’ll get to a position where, again, the issues that the previous speaker raised, where you can walk down the street and we can be proud of the fact that we’ve got to a point in New Zealand where we have, at least, repaired the damage and we accept that, as a community and a society, it’s a very good way to go.

I want to talk about the Heretaunga Plains for a minute, in Hawke’s Bay. It’s a wonderful, pretty, hugely fertile, and amazing place. It’s a place where I was fortunate, when I was young, to spend a lot of time. It’s a place that’s managed, I guess, to capture my mother, my sister, and my daughter—some bloke got them all and took them out of the Manawatū, or out of the Rangitīkei, and took them to Hawke’s Bay. That’s about the only connection I’ve got with Hawke’s Bay. It’s interesting they only ever get the females; they don’t get the males to shift over there, but it is an interesting place. I think, whether you start at Cape Kidnappers and go all the way to Porangahau, it is a beautiful part of New Zealand, and it’s a part of New Zealand that we should all be very proud of. And I think that Marama Davidson mentioned, in her speech, the environmental challenges that that part of New Zealand has. I think there’s been some spectacular progress made with respect to that as well.

I wanted to talk briefly about Te Aute because I remember, as a skinny little winger, getting beaten up by a big boy from Te Aute. Luckily, the score ended up in our favour at the end of it. But I went to, I suppose, the brother-school of Te Aute in Whanganui. And I noticed that the very good Catholic former Minister Finlayson was talking about Hato Pāora College—well, we also beat them. But he couldn’t resist bringing that Catholic piece into it. And I know us Anglicans are very suspicious of them, but I am also equally sure that the settlement process, while I think that it will be great for Te Aute, I just hope that the history and the value of schools like Te Aute, Hato Pāora, and Turakina Māori Girls College, which, unfortunately, has since closed—I think they’re so important to New Zealand and to our future that I think we should do everything we can to preserve them. I notice Wanganui Collegiate School has allowed girls to go to the school. I’m not sure Te Aute has got to that point yet, but that’s, obviously, some progress that could be made if it does.

So I think that it’s really important that we do make the most of these pieces of history for us, really, because they are great parts of our history. And I was fortunate as well to go to school with a grandson of Sir Māui Pōmare, so he might have gone to Te Aute but his grandson went to Wanganui Collegiate. And that just shows how close together we are, really, as a society.

I wanted to mention something else that Peeni Henare spoke about, and I think it’s an issue that us Scottish people have a great deal of difficulty getting our tongues around: the pronunciation of some of the—and I would have hated to take up Rino Tirikatene’s role of trying to read out all those hapū. That would have got my tongue going really badly. But I think Peeni Henare made a really important point, and it is that, as New Zealanders, we do need to learn how to pronounce Māori names properly. We need to learn how to speak the language properly. I’m sure future generations—and I know that the next generations of my family are much more proficient in this sort of thing than I am. I just hope we continue that, because it is part of our heritage, and I think, wherever you go in the world, we’ve often made the point—or, not made the point; we’ve lost our heritage through, basically, ignoring and neglecting those sorts of things. And I think that’s a really important point that we need to pick up in this Parliament. It’s also an important thing that, I think, the Treaty settlement process gives us the opportunity to strengthen a lot of those bits of our history that we need to strengthen.

So I think it’s an exciting time for New Zealand, frankly, as we work our way through these Treaty settlement processes, and I realise there’s a lot of angst and, as I said earlier, it is a very brave decision that many of these people—these men and women—make as they go through these, I guess, effectively, forgiving 160 years of history and setting us off on a new pathway to the future. So I think it’s exciting. I look forward to that continuing and I think, as a Parliament, we are making the very best of what, historically, has been a difficult situation for us. And I think, when you saw the Parliament this morning, where the two sides of the House were far from agreeing with what was going on in here, I think it’s a real privilege for us also to be able, equally, to agree on something like this on the same day as this morning, when we were disagreeing with stuff. I think that’s the strength of this place, and I just congratulate everyone in the House on their part in that, and I certainly congratulate Heretaunga Tamatea and Ngāti Kahungunu on the efforts they’ve put in to settling this thing. Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker.

E Te Māngai, tēnā koe. E ngā mema o Te Whare nei, tēnā tātou katoa. E ngā marae maha, e ngā hapū katoa o Heretaunga Tamatea, e kuia mā, e koro mā, e ngā rangatira, mokopuna hoki, tēnā koutou nau mai, tēnā koutou nau mai, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Mr Assistant Speaker, tēnā koe. Members of this House, tēnā tātou katoa. To the many marae represented here, to the numerous tribal groupings of Heretaunga, of Tamatea, distinguished elders and chiefs, right to our grandchildren here, tēnā koutou nau mai, tēnā koutou nau mai, tēnā koutou katoa.]

It is, indeed, my privilege to be the last speaker on this most important bill, at the third and final reading of the Heretaunga Tamatea Claims Settlement Bill. It has been an absolutely long journey, and I want to commend those that had the foresight to bring the claim to the Crown’s attention, and our negotiators for their efforts. I want to acknowledge the former Minister of Treaty settlements, the Hon Chris Finlayson; the current Minister, Andrew Little; and all officials that were involved in ensuring that we are here, in this House, addressing this bill.

My colleague Louisa Wall, when we pō’hiri-ed our whānau to this House—and, I want to say, four buses left at 5 a.m. this morning from the original site of the Kotahitanga Māori Parliament of Waipatu Marae, and I commend them for being here today. Louisa said to me as we had the pō’hiri in the Banquet Hall, “Mate, where is the rangatira wāhine whakaahua?

[where is the photo of the woman of rank?]

So I thought I would take this time to acknowledge the wāhine toa who whakapapa-ed to many of the people that are in this House. I draw on Ngā Taumata: Portrait Of Ngati Kahungunu 1870 - 1906, and I want to acknowledge some of the leading Māori women who stood up for our land rights, for the health of our whānau, and for suffrage in our communities back in Heretaunga Tamatea.

I want to start with Ākenehi Pātoka Rātima Rerepukapuka Tōmoana from Ngāti Tūwharetoa. In 1852, Ākenehi Pātoka, a chieftainess in her own right, married Hēnare Tōmoana, a chief of Heretaunga. With the establishment of the Native Land Court in 1865, Ākenehi, as with many other female landowners of those times, represented her land interests. It is quoted, “Through the courage of my wife Ākenehi … the lands have been retained”. This is what Hēnare Tōmoana said at the Native Land Court hearings of the Whenuakura land block in 1883.

Ārihi Te Nahu, Ngāti Te Rangi-ko-ia-anake, was quoted as saying, “I know this land. I have rights of ancestry, occupation and cultivation; ancestry through Honomōkai, occupation through Te Whatu—i-Āpiti, cultivation through Te Hāpuku, and Te Moananui.” Ārihi said this this at the hearing of the Aorangi Reserve, 18 May 1899.

Hōriana Te Wharepū ko Ngāti Kurukuru. Hōriana attended the hui wāhine held at Te Haukē in 1895 and, as with many wāhine toa of those times, she sought prohibition of alcohol, temperance, and better health services for Māori. At this hui, she spoke to the motion of selling the lands. The women voted unanimously that the land sales should cease. Hōriana called these sales “the greatest disaster to touch us.”

Mārata Te Heuheu, also known as Marata Te Herea of Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Marata was actively involved in women’s institutions: the temperance movement and land court issues in both Kahungunu ki Heretaunga and Ngāti Tūwharetoa. She helped in the formal establishment of Ngā Komiti Wāhine, with which, by 1895, 35,000 people were associated. Amongst these women were Ākenehi Tōmoana, Pukepuke Tangiora, Horiana Tiakitai, Niniwa-i-te-Rangi, and Meri Mangakāhia. Ngā Komiti Wāhine was formed as a response to increasing land sales, increasing drunkenness, and declining health of Māori families, while women, as landowners, wanted the right to vote.

Finally, Pukepuke Tangiora—raised at Te Pā, Ocean Beach, and renowned for her great beauty. In 1895, Ngā Komiti Wāhine emerged as a result of Te Kotahitanga. At the inaugural hui held at Te Haukē, Te Hapuku Te Nahu, a chief of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Te Whatu-i-Āpiti, welcomed the women, encouraging them to uphold the deeds of their ancestors. He cited Hinepare, the wife of Te Raia, as having mana equal to that of the Queen of England. “Be strong.”, he encouraged them. Pukepuke Tangiora encouraged other women to stand and speak their thoughts. She’s quoted as saying, “Other women have chastised the men for their failure to bring about the cessation of land sales. Let us, the women, share our thoughts about these issues.”

There have been many times I have stood in this House to defend Māori land. With those women that I have recited, there is no reason why people should be concerned or surprised that I have stood in this House against land legislation that will alienate our people. It is those great wāhine toa that I have talked about, and the many others, who, at that time, stood to retain Māori whenua. Today, here, we are celebrating a small compensation for the land that was lost by Heretaunga Tamatea.

Over five generations—five generations—from 1850 to the 1900s, Heretaunga Tamatea went from owning 1.4 million hectares in Heretaunga Tamatea, and it was reduced to 200,000 hectares. That was 1.2 million hectares lost by these people, and, yes, we are celebrating $105 million compensation. You do the maths: 1.2 million hectares done by the actions and omissions of the Crown, who promised the retention of Māori land and undisturbed possession of our taonga. That is what we are here acknowledging, but we are also celebrating the fact that we were coming to a conclusion.

I, too, was at Te Aute College when we signed the deed in September 2015. I remember it dearly, because it’s the school that my dad attended and my three brothers. It’s at this time that I think about those that are no longer with us. And I know my dad, my grandmother, my great-grandmother, and that’s why I want to whakapapa and acknowledge Tapairu, Rongomaraeroa, Rākautātahi, my Omāhu, my Kohupātiki, my Ngāti Pāhauwera whakapapa, because I stand on their shoulders today in acknowledging the finality of the Heretaunga Tamatea Claims Settlement Bill. Without those people that have gone before us, there is nothing left.

In the time I’ve got left, can I please make this statement about the Glasgow leases. The Māori Affairs Committee made it very, very clear. The select committee, which is a bipartisan committee, has made this statement: “We do not consider the bill to be the proper forum for addressing the wider issue of Glasgow leases more generally.” That is what the select committee has said. That is what the current Minister said in his second speech. So to our Glasgow leases, our Whatuiāpiti people, please remember that in the passing of this bill, the Crown and the representatives from the Māori Affairs Committee have acknowledged there is much more work to do on the Glasgow leases.

Nō reira, e te whānau kua huihui mai i tēnei wā, harikoa te ngakau ka kitekite i a koutou i runga i te kaupapa tino whakahirahira i a tātou katoa. No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Therefore, to you my brethren gathered here now, I am overjoyed to see you on this, an auspicious occasion for us all.]

Bill read a third time.

[Haka]

Can I acknowledge and thank the people in the gallery and say that today is a day which no one here will ever forget, if for nothing else but your response to us. Thank you.