Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill

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

I’d first like to extend a very special welcome to the people of Ngāti Rangi who are here with us in Parliament today to hear the first reading of their bill. I also have with me the taonga which was gifted to me at the deed of settlement signing earlier this year. It is here to keep me company, as well. Ngāti Rangi iwi, rau rangatira mā ko aku mihi atu ki a koutou, nau mai, haere mai.

[To the people of Ngāti Rangi, esteemed leaders, I acknowledge you all; welcome, welcome.]

I particularly want to acknowledge the kaumātua who honour us today with their presence. For decades, they have worked tirelessly to ensure Ngāti Rangi’s voice has been heard by the Crown, and I regret that many kaumātua have passed on before they could bear witness to this bill’s first reading. To Ngāti Rangi, since your first Wai claim was lodged in 1990, you have been resolute in achieving this milestone. Twenty-eight years later, the Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill has begun its passage through the House. I must therefore acknowledge the work of the Ngāti Rangi Trust. The trust has held the Crown to account for the prejudice it has caused Ngāti Rangi since the Treaty was signed in Whanganui in May 1840.

The Treaty was meant to signify a partnership between Ngāti Rangi and the Crown. However, this aspiration was not realised, as the Crown repeatedly breached its obligations under the Treaty. The Ngāti Rangi negotiation team never lost sight of the future it envisions for its people—a future where each member of the iwi knows and appreciates their history, where their language flourishes, and where iwi members thrive economically and socially within their rohe. I heard the Ngāti Rangi lead negotiator, Che Wilson, clearly describe this vision earlier this year when we signed the Ngāti Rangi deed of settlement in the shadow of the maunga, Ruapehu, and I’m certain this settlement lays a foundation for this future.

Through long days and many long nights, Che Wilson has led the negotiations for Ngāti Rangi. He’s been supported by a united and well-organised negotiating team including Shar Amner, Kemp Dryden, Cassandra Reid, Toni Waho, and Carl Wilson. I acknowledge the work of the Crown team, led by chief Crown negotiator Dr John Wood, with support from the Office of Treaty Settlements, the New Zealand Defence Force, the Department of Conservation, Land Information New Zealand, the Ministry of Education, the Minister for Social Development, Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children, Te Puni Kōkiri, and the Ministry for the Environment. Lastly, I’d like to acknowledge the work of my predecessor, the Hon Christopher Finlayson. For three years, he encouraged and facilitated settlement negotiations with Ngāti Rangi, and I commend him for his dedication in starting negotiations with Whanganui and the Ruapehu regions.

Before I outline the features of this bill, it’s important to acknowledge the long history between Ngāti Rangi and the Crown, which makes this settlement and the Crown’s apology necessary. When the Treaty was signed in 1840, Ngāti Rangi envisioned a partnership with the Crown. For 178 years, Ngāti Rangi have remained committed to this partnership, while the Crown has often failed to reciprocate. Many members of Ngāti Rangi fought for the Crown in wars both here and abroad. They made large tracts of land available for European settlers to live on and to farm—land that has become vitally important for all New Zealanders. In the 19th century, the Crown sought to construct the North Island main trunk railway on a route which would cut the rohe of Ngāti Rangi in half. Although Ngāti Rangi willingly provided land for this purpose, when the Crown needed more land, it simply took it and paid no compensation. At the start of the 20th century, the Crown took more land on the slopes of Ruapehu for the Tongariro National Park, again without compensation, and this time without consultation.

For most of a century, the Crown also failed to provide Ngāti Rangi with any role in the subsequent management of the land, despite knowing the strong customary association between Ngāti Rangi and Matua te Mana, Ruapehu. Later, during the middle of the 20th century, the Crown acquired the plains around Waiōuru, which included Te Onetapu—land of immense significance to Ngāti Rangi as the site where their revered ancestor Taiteariki died. This land is now used for live firing and munitions testing for the benefit of New Zealand’s defence.

Around the same time, the Crown redirected precious waterways within Ngāti Rangi, within the rohe, into the massive central North Island hydro-electric power generation scheme—again, without consulting Ngāti Rangi. The Crown’s use of these waterways to generate electricity has disrupted the natural flow of 26 tributaries to the Whangaehu River. It has undermined traditional fisheries and fishing practices, and local authorities have considered the Whangaehu River to be biologically dead.

Despite the commitment Ngāti Rangi made to their partnership with the Crown—and for the benefit of the nation—the lack of social and economic development in their rohe has encouraged the widespread dispersal of Ngāti Rangi peoples from their homeland. That Ngāti Rangi have committed themselves to the revival not only of their iwi but also of the wider community despite the Crown’s acts and omissions is testament to the iwi’s strength and courage. The Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill is but the latest part of the iwi’s broader strategy to fulfil its aspirations for the future. What is good for the community is good for Ngāti Rangi, and vice versa.

Negotiations were impressively swift and decisive. Ngāti Rangi began negotiations with the Crown in 2015, signed an agreement in principle in March 2017, and signed Te Rukutia Te Mana, the Ngāti Rangi deed of settlement, one year later.

The Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill includes redress designed to aid Ngāti Rangi on their journey to vibrantly exist in 1,000 years. I need to impress upon this House that Ngāti Rangi have consistently emphasised to the Crown their traditional and contemporary role as kaitiaki for the natural world within their rohe. The environmental and natural resources redress included in this bill is, therefore, essential to enable Ngāti Rangi to fulfil their kaitiaki responsibilities, particularly the Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika framework, which establishes a joint river entity comprised of all iwi connected to the Whangaehu River, who will work for the benefit of the awa. Furthermore, the bill also provides for the establishment of Te Pae Ao—a joint committee for the Ngāti Rangi and the Crown to manage 10 reserve sites within the Ngāti Rangi rohe. Six cultural sites will be vested in Ngāti Rangi, including the beds of the sacred Rotokura lakes, and defence lands will be vested in the iwi and then gifted back to the Crown as a contemporary gesture of Ngāti Rangi’s generosity towards the people of Aotearoa New Zealand.

A unique feature of this bill is the volume and depth of its relationship instruments, with 14 Crown agencies and six local authorities. These relationship instruments represent the Crown’s formal commitment to Ngāti Rangi to act as a Treaty partner and friend. The bill also provides financial and commercial redress for Ngāti Rangi, including a $17 million contribution to the future development of the iwi. Ngāti Rangi will also receive commercial redress properties, including the ability to purchase the Karioi Crown-licensed forest.

Although no settlement could ever compensate Ngāti Rangi for the prejudice they have suffered by the Crown’s acts and omissions, this bill heralds our entry into a renewed relationship, and a significant contribution to the fulfilment of the aspirations of Ngāti Rangi that they hold so clearly for their future. I consider the bill should proceed without delay to the Māori Affairs Committee, and I commend this bill to the House. No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātau huri noa.

Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. Tēnā rā koutou ngā kōwaitaka o tō tātou mātua tīpuna. Tēnei te mihi o Ngāti Rangi. Nau mai, haere mai, e whakatau mai Te Whare Pāremata e mihi nei, e tangi nei koutou ngā kaupapa whakahirahira koutou tūmanako nei koutou hāpai nei; ka mihi, ka mihi, e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa.

[Greetings to you collectively, descendants of our ancestral forefathers. I acknowledge you, Ngāti Rangi. Welcome, pay homage indeed to this House of Parliament here, acknowledging you as you grieve over matters of significance to you in regards to your aspirations that you take aboard; and so I acknowledge, commend, and salute you all.]

I was reminded, actually, just before question time, of when I attended the pō’hiri for Ngāti Rangi here in Parliament, that, as a son of Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe Waitaha, we do have a very, very succinct and direct relationship when we talk about the pounamu, because it was Poutini, actually, that went north to this beautiful area and, in some ways, coerced—I won’t say “taken”, but took Waitaiki and went south again to the Arahura River. So I acknowledge my part of that whanauka and that story of Ngāti Rangi.

It is, then, with real pride that I stand to speak to this first reading—this reading of “Te Pire o Te Rukutia Te Mana”—the first reading of the Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill. And, in doing so, I want to look back on a small part of the long history of Ngāti Rangi, particularly within its own rohe and upon its own whenua, used in the development of this bill. And that small part relates to the events that occurred in the 1860s, with the Upper Whanganui River Iwi, and the decision of some Ngāti Rangi to support the Crown when fighting broke out, thus earning that name kūpapa.

The word “kūpapa” has come to represent a meaning that is not supported in history—it is not supported in history. The real meaning of the word is in some ways neutral, and that’s what Ngāti Rangi were—“kūpapa” in the real meaning. Now, to put a bit of context there, such were the times that Māori could not remain neutral for long. Sides had to be drawn, and Ngāti Rangi found itself having to determine where it stood and what that stand would take. So what we have here with Ngāti Rangi is that it was about siding with the Crown for the mere fact of survival.

Many Ngāti Rangi chose to stand with the Crown during the fighting that broke out in the region, but such is the complexity of whakapapa, whanaungatanga, that others would stand with whānau against the Crown forces. Cousin fought cousin, father fought son, and the sorrow of Ngāti Rangi involvement in these battles is best summed up by the words of a late aunt, and that was the Ngāti Kura kuia Rūmātiki Wright, who raised at Hiruhārama, or Jerusalem, in Whanganui, on the Whanganui River, by saying, “Resistance and collaboration are both valid forms of survival, if we are there at the time then we can debate that, but when we are not there, it’s too easy for us to look back on history and pass judgement.”

Well, judgment was passed on Ngāti Rangi, and, indeed, it was a very, very unfair judgment. For standing with the Crown, many Ngāti Rangi were labelled as the Crown’s opponents merely for living in the same rohe as their whānauka who fought against the Crown. In attempting to exercise their tino rakatirataka by entering private lease arrangements with Europeans without the Crown’s involvement, the Crown prevented this and instead inserted themselves as lessees to these commercial dealings. Even before the leases ended, the Crown vigorously purchased over half the land Ngāti Rangi wished only to lease.

The fragmentation of Māori lands through the individualisation of title accelerated the huge land loss that we now see in the historical account. How many times have we actually sat here in this House and heard repeated stories on how land was taken from iwi Māori? But today is the important day. It is the ultimate here that on this day of the first reading to acknowledge what happened to Ngāti Rangi, we are here to ensure that the sins of the past are finally, in some ways, laid to rest. So let’s just have a look at what I’m talking about in the historical context.

In 1907, the Crown set the boundaries of the Tongariro National Park without consulting Ngāti Rangi. Wāihi tapu sites of immense significance to Ngāti Rangi were located on that block. Ngāti Rangi were excluded from the administration of the park until the 1980s. Efforts by Ngāti Rangi to try and retain their land were all but in vain. So from landholdings of 62,000 acres in the 1900s, today it has only 13,500 acres left, and that is the travesty here, again, that Ngāti Rangi actually have gone through. Much of that is because of the Public Works Act. Most of it was through the Public Works Act, an all too familiar mechanism—isn’t it—on Māori land that was taken in the name of progress, and that progress, as we see with Ngāti Rangi, had a huge influence on what happened to this iwi.

So the result of this loss was a desecration of an economic base, the abilities to sustain themselves, and the consequent loss to wairua. That, in turn, manifested itself, as we’ve seen so many times, through poor educational outcomes and social disruption, and one of the worst things is the dispersion of population away from their ancestral lands. So this settlement is, indeed, a chance for Ngāti Rangi to claw back what has been lost.

The settlement, in some ways, is a good start when we look at the quantum of $17 million in commercial redress. At least that will be the start of that economical journey through to ensure that the iwi continues to have what we may know as tino rakatirataka. The cultural redress is comprehensive as well, and others will actually go through that, but I think the important thing is that resurrection, in some ways, or the beginning of the relationship with the Department of Conservation and that partnership, particularly on lands that are actually controlled or owned by the Department of Conservation or the Crown.

Perhaps, most importantly, is the Crown apology. I think it’s one of the most important. When we look at Ngāi Tahu, in some ways it wasn’t the money that was important; it was about the apology—it was about the apology. Indeed, in this deed, it is no exception. Now, there is still a process to go through. This is the first reading. Then it will come down to the Māori Affairs Committee. Then there will be the hearing of submissions. Then there will be a second reading. Then there will be a committee stage. But, at the end of the day, we will see those beautiful faces there in the gallery that will be there for the third reading, and then the final part of the settlement. So we all look forward to that day when that can happen.

I acknowledge the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, Rino Tirikatene, and the way that he actually guides our committee through these particular important Treaty settlements and that process. So on that note, I, indeed, commend this bill—this incredible bill, “Te Pire o te Rukutia Te Mana”—to the House. Kia ora koutou katoa.

Korōria, hareruia ki a Ihowa o ngā mano tūāuriuri, whāioio; kī tonu te rangi me te whenua i te nui o tōna korōria, tīhei mauriora. Kei te mihi atu anō i te āhuatanga ki ō tātou tini mate, rātou katoa hinga mai nā puta noa i ngā moutere nei; nō reira e ngā mate maha o te wā, hoki wairua atu ki a rātou mā. Āpiti hono, tātai hono, te hunga wairua ki te hunga wairua; āpiti hono, tātai hono te hunga ora ki te hunga ora, nō reira tēnā tātou katoa.

Tēnā tātou katoa o Te Whare nei. Tēnā tātou ngā whānau me ngā hapū o Ngāti Rangi. Tēnei au tō koutou whanaunga e tuku mihi atu ki a koutou, nau mai haramai. Haramai ki Te Whare Pāremata mō te pānuitanga tuatahi o te pire hei whakatau i ngā kerēme o Ngāti Rangi. Nō reira Ngāti Rangi tēnā koutou—tēnā koutou i runga i ngā kōrero mai rā anō, otirā i runga i ngā kōrero i roto i te pire hei whakatau i ngā kerēme.

Anei ētahi o ngā kōrero i roto i te pire. “Ko te Whare Toka o Paerangi, koia ko Ruapehu maunga e tū nei i te puku o te Ika-a-Māui hei poutokomanawa mō te Ika. Ko ngā āhuatanga o te poutokomanawa e hāngai pū ana ki tōna tūranga i waenga i te Kāhui Maunga, tērā ko Matua te Mana. … Ko tēnei mana i ahu mai i te kōpū tonu o Papatūānuku, ka kumea ake e Pikimai Rawea, e Ranginui e tū iho nei, hei whenua, a nā wai rā, hei maunga kōrero, hei pātaka iringa mana mō te Ika-a-Māui tatū mai ki a tātau te kaupapa tangata.

“… Ko Ngāti Rangi ngā uri a Paerangi atua, a Paerangi tipua, a Paerangi tupuna e hono kau ana ki te mana tuku iho o ngā Atua o te pō heke iho ki a Matua te Mana. He hono tāngaengae i whakatōkia ki roto i te ira tangata taka iho ki a mātau ngā uri whakatupu o Ngāti Rangi, mai i te wā i tapaina tō mātau maunga e Māui Tikitiki-a-Taranga e mea ana: ‘Nāku te ika i hī, nāku anō i whakatau.’

“… Nō Matua te Mana te mana motuhake o Ngāti Rangi, te iwi o Paerangi, heke iho ki a mātau e hāpai ana, e pupuru ana i te mana atua, i te mana whenua, i te mana tupuna urunga tomo ki hēnei rangi ki te mana kei te kaupapa tangata. Ko tōna mana, e hono kau ana ki ngā maunga whakahī me ngā wai tuku kiri o te Ika nui. Nō reira, me pēnei anō, ko te mana motuhake o hāna uri o Ngāti Rangi e tū nei hei tohu, hei whakaatu ki te ao.”

[Glory and hallelujah to Jehovah of the myriad hosts; heaven and earth are filled with his glory, rejoice, there is life. I acknowledge our dear departed, those who have recently died throughout these islands; therefore, to all the many recently deceased, may your spirits return to those who have gone before. Let the connections be drawn and the departed spirits rest in peace together; let the connections be drawn and the living find the living, I give greetings to one and all.

I greet all of us here in this House. I greet the families and subtribes of Ngāti Rangi. Here I am, your relation, extending warm greetings to you all; welcome, welcome. Welcome to Parliament for the first reading of the bill which will settle Ngāti Rangi claims. Therefore, Ngāti Rangi, greetings—greetings while we remember relevant stories from long ago, stories which are now recorded in the bill seeking to settle the claims.

Here are some of those things which have been included in the bill. “Mount Ruapehu, the House of Stone of Paerangi, stands in the middle of the North Island as the centre pillar of the Great Fish of Māui. The centre pillar metaphor complements his role as the central figure of the Mountain Clan, the Absolute of Authority. … His mana has its origins in the depths of Papatūānuku, drawn by Maui’s Fishing Hook, Pikimai Rawea, it was drawn forth by Sky Father and turned the fish to land and into a mountain and this mana was then bestowed upon us as a people.

“… Ngāti Rangi are the descendants of Paerangi the God of the Milky Way, of the demi-god and ancestor and connect directly to the mana of the pantheon of Gods and of the mountain, Ruapehu. This metaphysical connection comes from the beginning of time and flows in the veins of the descendants of Ngāti Rangi since the time that Māui Tikitiki-a-Taranga named and recorded its name in the following proverb: ‘It was I who fished up and calmed the Great Fish.’

The mana motuhake of Ngāti Rangi, the descendants of Paerangi, emanates from Ruapehu (Matua te Mana) and this responsibility has been carried from our origins as a people through to the present. Our mana motuhake connects to our mountains, land and waterways. This responsibility that continues to be exercised stands as a testament to Ngāti Rangi as a tribal nation.”]

Thank you for allowing me to read these words directly from the deed of settlement before the House. They are, I believe, very important to Ngāti Rangi. As an uri, as a descendant, of Ngāti Rangi, it’s an honour and pleasure for me to take a call in this first reading debate of settlement claim. Can I acknowledge the many that have gathered here to hear the first reading—the many that are watching on television and listening to this debate. Can I, in particular, acknowledge, as the Minister did also, the negotiators for Ngāti Rangi: Che Wilson, Shar Amner, Kemp Dryden, Cass Reid, Toni Waho, and Carl Wilson.

As someone who has been a negotiator myself, I quite understand the challenges that present themselves for negotiating. Can I say through you, Madam Deputy Speaker, that it is a difficult job, but what I can see within this bill is that the kaupapa tuku iho, those things that are passed down to the negotiators for Ngāti Rangi have permeated themselves through the framework of this legislation. I think that’s a very important thing, because the framework for Treaty settlement negotiations is such that they are not always friendly to the settlement iwi. It’s a Crown construct that those iwi need to work within, and so to be able to achieve where the settled iwi is able to include the way that they think and see the world within that framework is to be commended, and I do so today.

I also want to look to the future, as my cousin Che Wilson did on the marae when the deed of settlement was signed. He spoke about what the future of Ngāti Rangi might look like. He spoke about the encapsulated hopes and aspiration for the future by talking about some young people that might exist in a few decades to come and what the world might be like for them. I think that this process—it needs to be acknowledged that this is about the future. This is not compensation; it is redress. And why would we accept redress in what is not a perfect framework for settling claims? We would do it for the future opportunities that it would present for future generations.

And the Crown has its part to play. My colleague Nuk Korako talked about the apology, and I join with him and acknowledge what he said. It’s important to also acknowledge that an apology needs to mean something for the past, for now, and into the future. And focusing on the future, what it needs to mean for the future is that the Crown never ever again puts Ngāti Rangi in the position that it has done so far. That’s a very high bar. That’s a very serious matter for the future, because unless we uphold the apology that is in this bill, then—I won’t say it’s meaningless, but it would mean that that apology has been trampled on, and we don’t want that for the future. So all future legislation that comes through this House needs to ensure that it’s mindful of the agreement with Ngāti Rangi, that we do not pass laws in this House that impact negatively on Ngāti Rangi ever again, and that the Crown never ever takes such actions against Ngāti Rangi.

So my final point that I want to make is just to encourage every single whānau of Ngāti Rangi, every hapū, to make a submission to the Māori Affairs Committee on this piece of legislation. Whether one is for the bill or against it—I would imagine most will be very much for this legislation—it’s really important that the Māori Affairs Committee hears that kōrero. And one more thing: I do want to acknowledge other uri, other descendants, of Ngāti Rangi in the House, Jo Hayes and Harete Hipango. I’m sure we join together to acknowledge Ngāti Rangi today. Nō reira, tēnei ahau e tuku mihi atu ki a tātou i tēnei rā whakahirahira; tēnā tātou katoa.

[Therefore, I acknowledge one and all on this important day; greetings.]

Tēnā koe, Madam Deputy Speaker. E koro mā, e kui mā, rau rangatira mā, tēnā koutou. Ngā whānau whānui o Ngāti Rangi, ka nui te mihi atu ki a koutou; nau mai, haere mai ki te Whare i te rā whakahirahira.

[Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Esteemed elders, distinguished leaders: greetings to you all. I extend warm greetings to all the kinsmen of Ngāti Rangi; welcome, welcome to the House on this important day.]

I stand here each time with the Treaty settlement bills, always very humbled at having the opportunity to speak at the first right through to the third readings of these bills. This one, like a couple of others that I’ve spoken on, is also very dear to my heart: the Ngati Porou bills, the Whanganui Iwi river claim bills, and the Ngāti Rangi bills, and no doubt there will be a few more that will come through this House that I whakapapa to. My mother is of the Ngāti Rangi iwi. Her whānau, whānau tīpuna, are the whānau Te Whareponga, Karaitiana, and Herewini of the Whanganui River. I know that even though she lives in Masterton, her heart is always divided between the Masterton whānau and the Whanganui whānau, and I always say to her, “We are one, mum. We are one.”

So I pay acknowledgment to all of those who have come here today from Ngāti Rangi, from Ōhākune and surrounds, to come and listen to the first reading of your bill, and to hear some of the things that we are going to recite back to you—the work that you have done. This being the first reading, we still have to come and hear what the whānau have to say through the submission process, which I always look forward to because it’s usually at that time that we get closest to whānau that have actually gone through this process.

I want to acknowledge Che Wilson, sitting up in the gallery. Che and I—I am whanaunga to all of them in the gallery, but with Che, we go back a long way in some of the mahi that I did in Wanganui, and some future work yet to come. I want to also acknowledge his team of negotiators as well, a couple of them that I’ve had work relationships with, Kemp Dryden and also with Toni Waho, so I also want to acknowledge you and the other negotiators as well.

I want to pay tribute to tūpuna that have passed and I want to pay tribute to mokopuna yet to come, because this is what this is all about at the end of the day. What happens here today reflects and will be the investment of the future for Ngāti Rangi. We see it in the six pou of their negotiation framework that they used to be able to make sure that everything stays within their realms so they took control of their negotiation process. That is, the Ngā Poupou o te Wharetoka: the pillar of the House of Stone of Paerangi—Paerangi being the tupuna of Ngāti Rangi; Paerangi being the god of the Milky Way; Paerangi who begat Ngāti Rangi. Kia ora.

So I want to talk about those six poupou because, in the contributions so far—from my colleague Nuk Korako to my whanaunga Adrian Rurawhe, they have touched on the aspects of the six poupou, the first one being “Hohourongo”, whereby the iwi seeks durable settlement of their historical grievances. We have heard that discussion in the House today, through the Minister, through my whanaunga Adrian, and through Nuk Korako, about the apology and the meaning of the apology. That apology actually sits as a base for a durable settlement process.

We look at the second pou of the six poupou, “Te Matapihi”. That is the Crown relationship—again, that apology, the meaning of that apology, and the ability for iwi and Crown to keep and go back and revisit their relationship into the future. I think it is the revisiting of that relationship that brings the relationship closer, and it also puts in the checks and balances should anything go a bit astray.

“Ngāti Rangitanga”: this is where Ngāti Rangi talks about being strong and resilient into the future for Ngāti Rangi. This is the mokopuna. This is being strong and resilient for the mokopuna.

“Hauoratanga” is very straightforward. That is the well-being of Ngāti Rangi. Not just the health and the education but the whole being, the wairuatanga—the whole being. This is what this process is about, and this is what the negotiation pous are about: to make sure we keep those all in check for Ngāti Rangi.

“Te Ao Tūroa”: the environment and the relationship of the people to the environment. It is very close—it always has been for Māori. We move in and out of the environment so seamlessly. This is what this particular pou stands for.

The last pou, “Muramura Te Ahi”: the importance of their way of negotiating the deed that came through. These were the pou that Ngāti Rangi has used for the negotiation process, and I think they’re very sound pou. They’re robust pou. They are pou that go into the future—that are futuristic for Ngāti Rangi. I think that the Crown has also been able to come to respect those pou.

I want to talk about the process of actually coming here today, and the work of the Hon Andrew Little, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations—the Minister that picked up the very well-honed Treaty settlement baton of the Hon Chris Finlayson, who started this process with Ngāti Rangi back on 15 February 2015 when they sat down and nutted out those terms of agreement that actually started this process to the House.

I move forward to March 2017, when the agreement in principle was signed between the Crown and Ngāti Rangi, and that was another step forward to this place today. Then, of course, in March 2018 when the Hon Andrew Little made his way up into the whenua of Ngāti Rangi to sign the deed of settlement, to today, where we stand to celebrate the first reading of this bill.

I want to talk a little bit about the whakataukī of Ngāti Rangi, because Ngāti Rangi are so intrinsically involved with the central plateau. Ruapehu, being the god of Ngāti Rangi, has such a prominent place, not just in the history of Aotearoa New Zealand but in Ngāti Rangi’s history, and, as I said, is the god of Paerangi, the god of the Milky Way, Madam Chair—Madam Deputy Speaker. I keep calling you Madam Chair, mainly because we’ve just come out of committee.

I want to pay homage to the cultural redress that Ngāti Rangi has negotiated for themselves. This is around the framework of Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika—the Whangaehu River that starts up in the maunga and makes its way and weaves its way all the way down through Ngāti Apa whenua and out to sea—and the statutory recognition and values of Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika, Te Mana Tupua o Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika and Ngā Toka Tupua o Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika.

I want to talk about those four intrinsic values—and I know that the clock is chiming down and my time is running out, but I want to make sure that those particular four intrinsic values of Ngā Toka Tupua o Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika are heard in this House. They are: “Ko te Kāhui Maunga te mātāpuna o te ora: The sacred mountain clan, the source of Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika … He wai-ariki-rangi, he wai-ariki-nuku, tuku iho, tuku iho … Ko ngā wai tiehu ki ngā wai riki, tuku iho ki tai hei waiū, hei wai tōtā e … Kia hua mai ngā kōrero o ngā wai, kia hua mai te wai ora e.”

As 32 seconds count down, I wanted to make sure that I had those out. They were pretty quick coming out, but I wanted to have them said in this House so they go down in the history of the Hansards of Parliament so that when the mokopuna come here to this Parliament and do research on the history of this, they will see those four intrinsic pou set out in this House today.

I am absolutely proud and privileged to commend this bill to the House, and I look forward to the future. Kia ora.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. E Te Māngai o Te Whare, tēnā koe. Ki ngā uri o Ngāti Rangi, tēnā koutou katoa. He nui aku mihi mahana, ngā mihi maioha, me ngā mihi aroha hoki ki a koutou. Nau mai ki tēnei Whare, Te Whare Pāremata, tō tātou Whare. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[To you, the descendants of Ngāti Rangi, I greet you all. I greet you with great warmth, with affection, and with love. Welcome to this House, Parliament House, our House. Greetings, greetings to one and all.]

Ngāti Rangi, as one of Ngāti Kahungunu, I welcome you, and also as one of Ngati Porou, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Arawa, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Awa, Rangitāne, and Ngāi Tahu, I also welcome you to this place for this very important day.

I acknowledge, with a degree of personal humility, your maunga, Ruapehu, who I have walked around, run over, and lived on, beneath, and under many times over the years of my military service, and your awa, the Whangaehu, a river that I have plodded in and out of, been drenched by, frozen by many, many times as I exercised both as a young soldier and then, in years after that, as an officer training young soldiers in your rohe, in your taonga tuku iho. I thank you very much, and I acknowledge you.

Speaking to Te Rukutia Te Mana, it reminds me of my own journey as a lead negotiator for the Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki Nui-a-Rua’s Treaty settlement. Looking at some of the issues and the special factors that are contained within your deed, the matters that have now been resolved between Ngāti Rangi and the Crown, I can’t help but see the similarities between your claim and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki Nui-a-Rua. The quashing of leasehold agreements legally entered into between the people of Ngāti Rangi and settling Pākehā is something that was also done in the Wairarapa. For those of us who know, it is actually, when you look back, something that one takes a little pride in, knowing that your ancestors, your tipuna, had the foresight and the vision to see the advantage in not selling land, as some people these days seem to think is the right thing to do—selling land to anyone, any foreigner that steps foot on this shore. It is comforting to know that our ancestors saw that as a stupid thing and did not want to partake.

They saw greater value in leasing the land on a long-term basis to encourage investment, to encourage growth and development but still retain ownership of your own taonga, your treasure that your children, for generations to come, might continue to profit and gain from such a wise, strategic economic decision. Like I said, it was the same thing in the Wairarapa. I would say, even, that our iwi had vision, our ancestors had vision, and they could see the economic gain in that.

What is difficult to comprehend in this day and age is that a Governor and a Government would seek to quash those arrangements and supplant themselves as the only body capable of buying, selling, and transacting real estate contracts, so denying Ngāti Rangi the opportunity to develop its own economic base. Lease-holding agreements that were collaborative and legal arrangements between those two parties would have delivered economic gain and advantages intergenerationally for eternity. The destruction of those arrangements, along with confiscation via use of the Public Works Act and even just straight-out confiscation without recompense, all served to undermine and destroy the social and economic fabric of the iwi, the fragmentation and destruction of its people, and even driving many, many members of the iwi into poverty and destitution. It is a story that has been repeated up and down this land, and it is an absolute pleasure to be able to stand here today and deliver New Zealand First’s contribution in support of the first reading of your settlement, let me assure you of that.

It is also ironic that a people who served alongside the Crown, loyally, at great cost to themselves, should have ended up in the position that they did. But, again, that sadly is the way it worked out for many iwi who did the very same thing. The notion that having allied oneself and fulfilled one’s obligation under a treaty to support the sovereign, to support the Crown, the notion that one would then find oneself disadvantaged by that very same body and having to fight to retain one’s own land and re-establish one’s own economic base, one’s own very existence, is something that is hard to understand today, but it happened. Again, I share an understanding of that from my great ancestor and namesake, Rongowhitiao Te Puni Maaka, also known as Arekatera, who fought as one of the Te Arawa—in fact, led Te Arawa and Ngāti Raukawa—only to find himself fighting in the courts to retain what was left of their land in Horohoro. So we understand. I just want you to know that I, personally, understand the journey that you have travelled as a people.

Today, I do have the privilege of standing here as the Minister of Defence, and I wish to acknowledge Ngāti Rangi for its generosity, its grace, and for the hospitality that you showed me on 10 March this year, when I attended your signing not only of the deed, Te Rukutia Te Mana, but also the relationship agreement between Ngāti Rangi and the New Zealand Army through the chief of army. The grace that you have shown and the recognition that you have for the importance and the value of that real estate, even though it was taken, to the security and the defence of this nation needs to be recognised by all of New Zealand.

The fact that in your cultural settlement, you are accepting ownership of—I’m just going to pop straight out of my head right now—Irirangi, and that you will then gift it back to the people of New Zealand, again, is a hallmark of your generosity, your grace, and your realisation of the importance of Irirangi and the entire Waiōuru training area to this whole nation. That is something that I as the Minister of Defence, I as a Minister in this Government, as a former defence service person, and someone who has the pleasure and the privilege of being the Minister of our entire defence force, want to thank you for. We want to thank you. We applaud you for your decision and for your deed of settlement and the journey that you have walked. We look forward to a swift passage through this House and to being able to be here to congratulate you in the third reading. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. It’s a pleasure to get up and speak to the first reading of the Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill. I want to acknowledge all the members of Ngāti Rangi who have come to Parliament today, but I particularly want to acknowledge Che Wilson, who’s always very kind to me. The first time I ever visited him under that amazing mountain, in a little office across the—I can’t remember the name of the creek, but it’s certainly across the railway line in Ōhākune. Ever since then, he’s kept me informed of what’s going on in the world, and he certainly is a great educator. I also want to just briefly acknowledge Soraya Peke-Mason, who I met first in local body politics, actually. Soraya has been a member of the Rangitīkei District Council ever since that time—quite a while now, actually.

I think this is an exciting day, and I just want to comment on a press release I saw, where the press release said, “This bill is significant for the people of Ngāti Rangi.” Well, you’d have to think that’s an understatement, wouldn’t you? It’s got to be more than significant. I think it’s a very special day. I think all these Treaty settlement processes are very special days, and before I go any further I just want to acknowledge Minister Little and the Hon Chris Finlayson, who I’ll talk about a little later, because we had some interesting discussions in the course of this settlement bill. I also want to acknowledge Jo Hayes, Nuk Korako, the Hon Ron Mark, and—who else spoke?—Adrian Rurawhe, right out of the heart of the Rangitīkei electorate. I’m sure that South Islander Rino Tirikatene will come along and try and grab a bit of this glory here, too, but I’ll forgive him for that. I think that it’s pretty special, because they can detail all the fact, and I’m going to get into a bit of the fiction.

This is without a doubt one of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand. There’s no question that these people live in one of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand, not only because it’s a beautiful part of New Zealand; it’s the home of, certainly, one national park right in the thick of Ngāti Rangi territory and another national park right on their border. Not only that, when you read the details of the settlement, there are significant reserve lands involved in this settlement, all of which are pretty amazing places. Right in the heart of that, there are huge tourism developments going on as well, and I think it’s a pretty special part of New Zealand. It’s a part of New Zealand that they should be proud to live in, and I know they are.

I’m one of those very lucky New Zealanders. My family have been in New Zealand since about 1840, and we’ve had the privilege of living in the same street since 1870, and I’ll bet there aren’t too many Ngāti Rangi who have had the privilege of living in the same place since 1870. The reason they haven’t is because of the way they’ve been treated by the Government in successive generations. When you think about it—and I should never say this, because I’m extremely proud to be a member of Parliament—I’m quite pleased that my ancestors weren’t members of Parliament in the days when what went on in early New Zealand went on, and I think that’s pretty significant. I’m pleased to say that my ancestors weren’t part of those decisions. It’s almost impossible, when you read the background to this claim, to believe the things that happened, not only to this claim but only a week or two ago we had Ngāti Tūwharetoa in here—very similar thing. Wherever you go with the Treaty process, it’s exactly the same. I think it was Adrian Rurawhe who said that this is not a settlement; this is an acknowledgment of what’s passed and it’s a way forward. And I look forward to the way forward, because I think it will be very exciting.

I just want to make mention of the way different iwi deal with these claims, and I’ve watched Ngāti Rangi in the last seven or eight years, and they certainly haven’t sat around waiting for this settlement to get dealt with. They’ve got on with the job of looking after their people as best they can, and doing what they needed to do to prepare for a time when this settlement finally goes through—and it won’t take long, because I’m sure, as one of the earlier speakers said, there won’t be a lot of dissension around the terms of this settlement process now it’s got to the point it’s got to.

It really intrigues me that—and the Hon Ron Mark made mention of it—the dissolution, I guess, of Ngāti Rangi lands went on for so long. I don’t think it finished until about 1970, and in 1970, I think, they ended up with 13,500 acres left. I’d have to say they’re pretty good farmers, though—they’re good at that—so what they had left they made the most of, and I think that’s of great credit to them.

I want to talk about a couple of other things that I think are really critical to this settlement process, and it’s something you never think about and most New Zealanders would never see, because it’s been done years ago. But when you look at the huge implication the Tongariro power scheme has had on where I live, for example—down by the coast—and that it’s had on the whole of the Rangitīkei, Whanganui, and certainly the area that Ngāti Rangi live in, it’s distorted the environment to some extent, because you can’t take water from one end of the country and stick it down a river on the other end of the country and not have a dramatic impact on the environment and the place that we live. I think that’s a significant part of this process. It will never be fixed, because it can’t be fixed, but it’s an issue, and it’s not that long ago that it happened.

I’m sure that sort of thing would not be able to—the Resource Management Act has probably taken care of that sort of thing, and it’s a very good thing it has, because it’s certainly made a big difference to the way that part of New Zealand works, and I know that on the Rangitīkei River, it’s made a big difference to the way that that works. So that’s one of the things that’s had a big impact on this settlement process, on this iwi, and on this part of New Zealand.

Another one—and it’s very significant—is the Whangaehu River. I think if you think about it, aside from the fact that it comes out of the Crater Lake on Ruapehu and, I guess, to a large extent, it’s acidic, the most critical thing about that river, of course, is it’s the home of one of New Zealand’s great disasters in the Tangiwai rail disaster. I think that when you see the little bit of progress—or I suppose it’s significant progress—that’s been made with the memorial at Tangiwai in the last year or two, at least it’s an effort to recognise the significance of that event. I’m very pleased to see the way that’s coming together, and I hope it continues.

The Hon Chris Finlayson did ask me what I thought about the proposition around the Whangaehu River, and, obviously, I’m not qualified to comment on it, but I find it very interesting. I think that putting together a group of people to—well, you won’t fix it, will you? But, certainly, to try and implement the repair to that river and the catchment around it, and also to its tributaries, is pretty significant. Of course, it runs out to sea not very far from Adrian’s home—in fact, I think it runs through his home on the odd occasion, whether he likes it or not—and that’s one of the challenges that we’ve got with these rivers. But it does run out to sea not very far from where he lives, and it’s a very destructive little river when it gets going, as well you know. It does an awful lot of damage. So I find those two things are interesting.

The other interesting thing for all of us, of course, is that the Waiōuru army base is a piece of New Zealand history and the Waiōuru training area is a piece of New Zealand history, but what most people don’t realise is that Irirangi was a navy base about 200 kilometres from the sea—a pretty extraordinary thing. So it originally was a navy telecommunications base right in the middle of the North Island, and so those are also very significant things.

I want to wish Ngāti Rangi all the best in the course of their travels. Certainly, I know that this bill will get through this House in expedient time, under the very careful chairmanship of Rino Tirikatene, the man from Ngāi Tahu—but he won’t hold that against you, I’m pretty sure.

💬 Nuk Korako: Oh!

Oh sorry, Nuk—he won’t, either.

But I guess the only other thing I wanted to mention was that whilst almost everyone’s claimed relationship to Ngāti Rangi, I’ve looked around in my history and I can’t find any. I’m out of luck there, so I guess I have no vested interest in this issue! So, anyway, I want to wish you all the best. I’m sure this process will work very well, and I look forward to seeing the results of it in years to come. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

E Te Māngai o te Whare, tēnā koe. Tēnā tātou katoa; ōku hoa kaimahi i roto i tēnei Whare Pāremata, tēnā tātou katoa. Nei rā taku mihi aroha e ngā uri o Ngāti Rangi i roto i tēnei Whare tēnei te mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa, kia ora.

[Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Greetings to one and all, to my colleagues in this House of Parliament; greetings to you. May I also extend warm greetings to the people of Ngāti Rangi who are in this House; greetings to you all, greetings.]

As always, it’s a great honour to stand in this House today as a Green Party MP, to acknowledge Ngāti Rangi and this important next step forward for them. I recognise and I understand that it’s been 28 years from the first claim to get this legislation to the House, even though the negotiation of the actual settlement, in relative terms, was quite quick. This is always a significant day and, I suspect, for all the registered members of Ngāti Rangi—they number around 2,500 people—this day is a significant moment. It is the result of many years of work, after generations of heartbreak and betrayal on behalf of the Crown.

I’m always conscious that when we stand at this time to, in some sense, welcome in a piece of legislation where there is so much heart vested in it, it is a great responsibility to stand here and receive it. I do notice, though, that sometimes in this House it’s easy, as we all support the settlements—sometimes there’s a subtle sense of congratulations on our part as we stand in this House. But, on behalf of the Green Party, I want to acknowledge that for Ngāti Rangi, this process does not undo the damage done. While iwi katoa resilience and negotiations skills are irrefutably impressive, the Crown has still set limits that sit uncomfortably with the true spirit of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and with the true meaning of restitution.

Sometimes this process can even create more conflicts between hāpu. When the Crown changed land law to undermine collective ownership—pitting family against family, and, indeed, ruling through division—they created divisions that are hard to heal. The process of settling can help heal but it can also inflame these old wounds. I understand that this settlement, for some, will be no different. Te Tiriti supports hapūtanga, and yet hapūtanga is often undermined by the settlement process. I want to acknowledge that up front before going into the detail of your claim, which many of you will rightfully feel proud of getting to here, because of the scope and the size of the power of the Crown that you have been up against.

So, firstly, just to acknowledge some of the history, and, particularly—it will be brief and inadequate. I will set some of the points on record though, because it is a point of principle that most Pākehā in this country never, ever get to hear this history. Just this week I received an email from somebody who was complaining about Māori access to settlement of something, saying that that was just racism. I needed to send them a link that outlined just a little bit of how much has been taken from Māori. So it is so important, I believe, for us as a country, for Pākehā to be able to hear at least just a tiny bit of what happened.

So for Ngāti Rangi, they signed Te Tiriti as an exercise of their mana and a partnership to which both sides committed themselves to the future. That was the basis to which they signed that important document. Yet the Crown did not act as a partner; the Crown acted as a coloniser, and that was not a one-off action on behalf of the Crown—and indeed, you could say, by some of the limitations around this process, is not an action that has ended on behalf of the Crown. The Crown introduced a series of native land laws that provided for the individualisation of Māori landholdings that enabled them to be fragmented and for whānau and hapū to be set against each other.

Very significantly for the people of the mountain—one of the iwi within this country who do not whakapapa back to a waka but indeed to the mountain—the Crown proclaimed the boundaries of Tongariro National Park without consulting with Ngāti Rangi. The land of these people that could not be separated from these people was taken without consultation. Wahi tapu of immense significance to Ngāti Rangi are located on this land that was taken. They were excluded from the administration of this park until the late 1980s. As has already been mentioned in this House, Ngāti Rangi, forward thinking, were looking to lease land to be able to have a regular income—great financial planning that many people would advise towards—but the Crown intervened and actually put themselves in that place of lease owners and sub-let. Just the cruelty and injustice of that, to me, is so symbolic of what has been done.

All of these things add up to a profound impact of a displacement, a loss of economic base, and a wounding to the people as the land and the waters were ruined. That impact is not just happening to the separate land there; it happened to the people. I do notice in the settlement deed, and indeed through the process of discussion through the select committee, that we will be looking at the options for redress. To me, it speaks to that connection of the people to their awa and to their land, the number of redress provisions in here that are so specifically about reconnecting the people and the land.

The Te Waiū o Te Ika framework for the river has those four intrinsic values, recognising that the communities draw sustenance and inspiration from the water and that the communities are united in the best interests; that the waterway cannot be divided and that that is for the future prosperity of mokopuna; that hāpu, iwi, and all communities benefit physically, spiritually, culturally, and economically where water and its inherent life-supporting capacity is valued and enhanced; and that uplifting the mana of Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika in turn uplifts the mana of the hāpu and iwi.

These points, for me, are particularly significantly at the moment as we have, and move into, discussions around water and ownership and place. There is a spirit to the water that cannot be separated from the people, and I believe this settlement acknowledges that. Also, it establishes Te Pae Ao, a joint committee of two Ngāti Rangi and two Crown appointees, to be able to administer selective reserve sites as if it had been appointed as administering body under the Reserves Act, which provides a future model for shared oversight and protection of precious lands.

I, too, want to finish by offering the Green Party’s thanks to Ngāti Rangi for their generosity of being able to bring us to this point, and hope that we have a better future as a result of this.

Te Māngai o te Whare e tū ana au ki ngā karanga o ngā tūpuna, o ngā tāngata, o ngā mokopuna, o ngā uri o te iwi o Ngāti Rangi. E tū ana te Pire o Ngāti Rangi claims settlement. Kei a koutou i tēnei wā e ngā whanaunga o Ngāti Rangi, mihi atu, nau mai Ngāti Rangi i roto i te Whare.

[Madam Deputy Speaker, I stand to speak at the bidding of the ancestors, the people, the little children, and the people of Ngāti Rangi. The Ngāti Rangi claims settlement is under way. It is now your turn, the relations of Ngāti Rangi. I acknowledge you, Ngāti Rangi. I welcome you to the House.]

Today is a day of reflection. It is a day to reflect on the journey of Ngāti Rangi, to reflect on the ebbs, the flows, the turbulence, the currents, the losses, the woes, the grief, the wrongs, the injustice, the mamae of Ngāti Rangi, and our—your—history. It has been a 28-year journey of Treaty negotiations for Ngāti Rangi for us to be in the House today. For me to stand as uri of Ngāti Rangi is an immense privilege, and it is also one that I am immensely conflicted by, because the enormity of that responsibility struck me early this afternoon when you all entered into the Legislative Council Chamber. As we were there, I was reflecting on all of those who have gone before in this Whare, and all of ours who have also passed on. However, we know that they are here with us in spirit.

It is a day of mixed and strong emotion, evoked by these reflections and memories of those gone before, but for those of us here today—and looking at our young ones who have accompanied us—it is about the pathway into the future. It is an enduring presence of the past that Ngāti Rangi has brought to this House today, those moments from the past to be taken into our future—a lens adjusting now from that past, with a hope and vision, focused forward and fulfilling aspiration, potential, and purpose.

I acknowledge my colleague the Hon Christopher Finlayson, who, at the time of being the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, participated in this journey. I acknowledge the Hon Andrew Little, now Treaty negotiations Minister, who attended his first deed of settlement, and signed that at Raketapauma Marae.

I also acknowledge my colleagues of the Māori Affairs Committee. We will be earnestly deliberating at some length in terms of the contents of the bill, the details of the legislation, and the importance of the responsibility that we have in listening to further submissions at the hearings, and we will be addressed by Ngāti Rangi at a time when we come to visit you further and listen to kōrero on what we have before us written in this bill. This bill is the bill of the Ngāti Rangi people with your claims settlement.

I also acknowledge the negotiators: cousin Che, cousin Toni—all whanaunga actually—Carl Wilson, Kemp Dryden, Cassandra Reid, and, furthermore, the trustees on behalf of Ngāti Rangi. You will continue the responsibility that is beholden to you by your people but also that will be legislated in this bill. I look up at you, Keria, Soraya, Raana, Shar, Darnielle, and Brendon. With those responsibilities, you know that you carry along the way the support of your people, both present and those who have gone before.

The first reading of a settlement bill traditionally is about the opportunity to recount and reflect upon the Crown’s relationship with the claimant group—tangata whenua, mana whenua. With this first reading of the bill, I reflect upon the Crown’s apology and its cause and necessity. I reference that I stand here in this moment in a conflicted position today because I am addressing this House and the people of Ngāti Rangi as an agent of the Crown. Little had I expected all those years ago—back in the 1990s, attending the wānanga for the mau rākau with my babies at the time and my tāne hoa, and looking at you, Che, the young man that you were in those days; all of us were much younger—that we would be in this House today, and also, in a matter of time, here for the third reading and conclusion, for the passage of all of those efforts over the generations to be legislated. I stand here conflicted because I am speaking as an agent of the Crown, but I am uri of Ngāti Rangi and Wanganui.

So I turn to the importance and significance of the apology that is entrenched, or will be entrenched, in this bill. In time, I will speak at greater length in detail on the different aspects and elements of the acknowledgments, but, importantly today I will speak on the apology. As the uri of Ngāti Rangi here today will well know, clause 10 of the bill states very clearly that “The Crown is sincerely remorseful that it has not treated Ngāti Rangi as the friend and ally you have always been … The Crown is deeply sorry that its acts and omissions have caused you”—I read from the bill—“to lose tribal control over the sale and settlement of your land. The Crown sincerely apologises for its failure …”. It is profoundly remorseful that “it has not honoured Ngāti Rangi’s partnership … with the respect and integrity that [Ngāti Rangi has deserved]. The Crown humbly apologises. [It is] With this apology, and through this settlement, the Crown seeks to atone for those acts and omissions that have caused Ngāti Rangi harm,”. However, I have talked about moving forward into the future; so that apology is about finally lifting your burden of grievance and to rebuild that relationship.

Before concluding, I’ve mentioned that there are significant parts within the acknowledgment, and I would like to take that opportunity at either the second or the third reading, because, in reading through, those acknowledgments detail for all of us the personal relevance and association that we have through each of the stories of our whānau, through the confiscations, through the wrongdoings. One in particular that has struck a chord with me personally is the acknowledgment—and this is at clause 9(3): “The Crown acknowledges that martial law was in effect in 1847 when a group of Māori youths were court-martialled and executed …”, and that strikes to the heart for many of us in terms of our whakapapa.

So, in concluding, I stand here humbly to acknowledge to us all that mamae that we carry and that it is time for us to move forward into the future with hope and positivity. With a humble and hopeful heart, I commend this bill to the House.

I understand this is a split call. I call Jo Luxton.

Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. Tēnā koutou Ngāti Rangi. Tēnā tātau katoa. It’s my privilege to be able to stand and take a call on the Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill in its first reading. I want to acknowledge the Hon Chris Finlayson and the Hon Andrew Little for the work that they have done in getting this settlement bill to the House.

One of the key principles within the Treaty is partnership, and, as my colleague and the previous speaker, Harete Hipango, has said, today is a day of reflection, and I am reflecting on what partnership means. Partnership is about communication, it’s about acting in good faith, and it is about trust. There are clear examples in history when the Crown did not communicate, did not act in good faith, and broke trust with Ngāti Rangi. Two examples of this are the land that was taken on Ruapehu, taken without consultation and certainly without compensation, and the precious waterways within the rohe that were diverted for a power scheme—again, without consultation.

While a settlement by no means compensates Ngāti Rangi for all they have suffered, for all the hurt, and for all that they have lost, this bill, however, is an important part of the process of repairing and strengthening the relationship between the Crown and Ngāti Rangi going forward in the future.

I am not going to take up any further time and hold this process up, because I know that this is an important process that we really need to get moving so that it can get to select committee and follow the process therein and end up at the third reading in the House in the near future. And I look forward to seeing that happen, and I absolutely commend this bill to the House.

Tēnā koutou Ngāti Rangi. I’d like to acknowledge everybody that has come down from Ngāti Rangi today to be here on this historic occasion for you all. I’d also like to acknowledge all of the previous speakers—in particular my fellow colleague Harete Hipango. I can see that it’s been very emotional for you all just through my colleague here today, who, historically, is a very rational speaker but has really taken this on board, and it’s a great pleasure for her to be in the House today.

I’d certainly like to acknowledge the current Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Andrew Little, and everybody who’s helped to get this bill here today on this historic occasion. This bill is about certainly acknowledging the past and all of the omissions and acts that the Crown has taken or not taken prior to 1992. I won’t recount them here; you’ve heard them quite clearly today, and we will hear them more throughout the cycle of the bill. But it’s also about focusing on the future. It’s about, hopefully, the Crown never doing these acts or omissions again on the people of Ngāti Rangi. It’s also about the shared hopes and aspirations that you have for your nearly 2,500 members.

It is, in part, a degree of compensation; although I must acknowledge that the level of compensation can never take away the acts or omissions that the Crown has done over the years. In focusing on the future, I hope that, certainly, National supports this bill; that we settle; and that the people of Ngāti Rangi can focus on the future in terms of investing in their people, investing in their cultural heritage, investing in their land, and also building their capital.

This process is very clear. We’re at the first reading of this historic bill, and, upon passing it, it will go to a select committee—the Māori Affairs Committee—where the specifics of this bill will be debated in more detail and submissions from the people and the public will be made. Then I look forward to coming back when it comes back to the House for the second reading and the third and final reading to certainly support this historic piece of legislation.

I’d also like to acknowledge the progress that we have made as a Parliament over the years on these Treaty settlements. About 85 deeds have been settled or signed by the Crown over the past few years, and, certainly, today this continues under the Labour-led coalition, but it also continued under the National-led coalition, under the Hon Chris Finlayson.

So with our previous Government, we had, certainly, passed 16 Treaty bills, and I look forward to passing more of these bills so that we can focus as a nation on the future, because I think that these bills are not only about acknowledging the past but I think, most importantly, they’re about giving us the ability to let go and to focus on the future in terms of partnership, like my colleague Harete outlined. But it also allows us to focus on equal respect for one another, both the Crown and iwi, and, finally, the shared hopes and aspirations that all of us share for Māori in New Zealand. I am incredibly privileged to be giving my first speech on a Treaty settlement to the people of Ngāti Rangi, and I support and commend this bill to the House. Thank you.

Tēnā koe, Madam Assistant Speaker. Tēnā koutou Ngāti Rangi; tēnā koutou ōku rangatira. Nau mai, whakatau mai ki roto i Te Whare Pāremata e takatū nei. Nau mai whakatau mai te whakatutuki i ngā wawata o rātou mā. Āe, he rā nui tēnei; nō koutou tēnei rā. He hōnore nui tēnei ki te whakatū ki te mihi atu ki a koutou. Nō reira nau mai whakatau mai ki a koutou; e ngā rangatira huri rauna i tō tātou Whare tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Greetings to you of Ngāti Rangi; greetings to my chiefs. Welcome to you and may you welcome me to Parliament House, which is being prepared. Welcome to you and may you welcome me and achieve the aspirations of those who have gone before. Yes, this is an important day; it is your day. This is a great honour to be stood up to acknowledge you all. Therefore, welcome to you and may you welcome me; to all of you chiefs around the room, greetings to each one of you.]

It’s an absolute privilege to be able to speak at the first reading of this Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill. I am indeed just humbled, actually, from listening to all of the contributions that have been made this afternoon. By the time you get down to speaker 10 it’s pretty hard to come up with some fresh material—ha, ha! But, no, it is truly humbling, and I want to acknowledge all of the colleagues from around the House who have been joining us to acknowledge Ngāti Rangi, who have travelled from afar to come here to Parliament today. I read on Ngāti Rangi’s website that they’re up to third base in terms of their settlement, and so today marks the run to home base, I guess, and the run to home for the settlement.

I certainly am delighted to be able to speak at this first reading and also to be able to guide this process through from third base to home with my fellow members of the Māori Affairs Committee, who will be working together to further examine the bill. I guess we’re looking forward to travelling up to Ōhākune to be able to hear from you all, so it’s always significant. We consider a lot of different Treaty settlements from all over the motu. There are lots on the go at the moment, but we treat every Treaty settlement with the utmost focus in all of the mahi that we do. So we’re looking forward to continuing on that work as soon as we complete this first reading.

I want to acknowledge Ngāti Rangi here today—in particular, I want to acknowledge the rangatira that signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi Way back in 1840. As we’ve heard today, those great rangatira, who had foresight, who had great hope and aspirations for their people in signing the Treaty—and, unfortunately, they were let down very badly by the Crown and, as we’ve heard and has been recorded in the agreed historical account, I think it’s very important that that is acknowledged and recorded in this bill.

As we hear in so many Treaty settlements, it’s about land loss, and with that the loss of mana, the loss of reo, the loss of identity, the loss of those connections to mahinga kai and to ancestral landscapes. Ngāti Rangi are no different. There are a lot of—as I say—taniwha that have been created through laws in this country that have inflicted great damage across the great tribes of our country. I don’t need to go into them, but if we look at Ngāti Rangi—again: land loss, individualisation of land out of customary title, public works, Crown purchases, the creation of National Parks without reference to the hau kāinga, the iwi of the land. All of those were inflicted and Ngāti Rangi have had to endure through all of that, right since the signing of the Treaty.

Of course, there were very hard decisions that the chiefs of Ngāti Rangi had to make throughout that colonial past that we have as a country—hard decisions in terms of trying to secure the future for their iwi: having to fight, and having to engage in warfare. So I just acknowledge all of that history and all of those great rangatira and leaders that have paved the way for Ngāti Rangi and right through to these leaders here today. So I acknowledge Che Wilson and all of the people involved with Ngati Rangi Trust who have brought us to this stage. In particular, we know that a claim was laid in the Waitangi Tribunal in about 1990, and there has been a flurry of activity, especially over the four or five years, to lead us to this point. So I do want to acknowledge all of that work and all of the support that Ngāti Rangi have given to the negotiators.

We’ve heard a lot in this House this afternoon about connections and, indeed, I guess that’s what—especially as Māori, we like to make connections to people that we meet and to places. So I acknowledge all of the whanaunga connections that are here within the House today and the speeches that we’ve heard from Harete Hipango, Joanne Hayes, my tuakana Adrian Rurawhe, and the Hon Minister Ron Mark and all of his great connections as well.

I don’t believe I have a whakapapa connection to Ngāti Rangi. However, I’ve been eying up that stone all afternoon. I know that was a gift, I believe, to the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Andrew Little, and my eyes have been fixed on that stone. Then I heard the korero from my whanaunga Tutehounuku about Poutini and Waitaiki. We know the great story, how he whisked her away, down to Te Tai Poutini, down to the West Coast. So I know that there are connections there through the stone.

I do want to acknowledge Che, who said the opening karakia which opened up our tupuna whare there in the Arahura. I know that with the stone from Te Kāhui Maunga all the way down to Te Tai Poutini we do acknowledge those connections that we have in Te Ao Māori.

So it is, again, a delight to be able to speak in support of this bill. I do want to pay reference to Mr McKelvie especially. I thank him for his contribution. All I would say to Mr McKelvie is that we’ve got two readings left, and I know he can get the pronunciation right. It’s Ngāti Rangi. He’s got the “ngā” in the “Ngāti”; he just needs to get the “Ran-gi” out of the “Raarngi”. So hopefully he can take up that challenge and we can—[interruption]—Oh, Mr McKelvie.

💬 Hon Member: He’s right there.

Ha, ha, Mr McKelvie, yes. So two more readings left and Ngāti Rangi is such a beautiful name and—well, there’s also Ruapehu, Rangitīkei, Tangiwai, but for now, Mr McKelvie, I think “Ngāti Rangi” would be a wonderful tribute to the iwi.

But, that aside, I just want to once again acknowledge the iwi of Ngāti Rangi who are here to celebrate this special day, this very historic occasion. We are looking forward to embarking on our task as a committee. We look forward to further contributions that will be forthcoming in the latter readings of this bill.

With that, without further ado, āpiti hono tātai hono, rātou te hunga mate ki a rātou; āpiti hono tātai hono, ko tātou te hunga ora e tau nei ki a tātou. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. [let the connections be drawn, and may the departed rest in peace together; let the connections be drawn and we the living remain with the living. I give greetings to one and all.]

Kia ora.

Tēnā koutou, e te iwi o Ngāti Rangi. Hopefully, that’s close enough.

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Shall I call the honourable member?

Yes, thank you. Oh, I get a second go.

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): I call the Hon David Bennett.

Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. Tēnā koutou, e te iwi o Te Ngāti Rangi. I probably come from a different side to this question here today. I have no iwi affiliation like my good colleague from the Rangītikei who spoke earlier. But I am a dairy farmer and so we love the land and the land means a lot to us as farmers, and so when I look at a settlement in this House I can only but a fraction understand your connection with the land, but to a certain extent I feel that bond as well.

I also could understand and feel, to a limited extent, your loss. When you see young people up in the gallery watching, who have come to see this settlement today, I can only think of the mix of emotions that would be there: from anger, to pain, to retribution, to hope, and to desire for the future—all those emotions that your leaders have harnessed to get to this stage here today and to come to a settlement, never forgetting the past but looking forward. Those emotions, I say to the young and the future leaders of Ngāti Rangi—don’t lose them, but harness them to make this settlement something even stronger so you can deliver that future that I know is your ambition here today.

It is possible. The world does change. This place has changed immensely in the time I’ve been here and New Zealand will change a lot in the time of the next generations of iwi. There will be quite a different New Zealand in 50 years’, 100 years’ time. When we look at some of those landholdings that are there now, it is a very, very small percentage of what was lost, but I can guarantee you that in 100 years’ time it will be a much different story and those landholdings will be much bigger and there will be another generation coming through that will understand the pain but also want to achieve a lot more for the iwi. It is difficult when you’re not part of the iwi to understand completely, but, hopefully, we do have the ability to put right some of the wrongs that have been in the past and to at least try and harbour and build on the ambitions of the future, as we are all only people and we do make mistakes. But, in the end, time is a great winner and, in the end, things do come to their natural fruition, and success does come through time.

So, to the young ones: don’t give up, be strong, and look at what has been achieved today. There is a lot more you will be entrusted to achieve to rebuild, but it can be done and can be done successfully. As someone that comes from Hamilton, in the heart of Tainui, we have seen how that can happen, and there’s still a lot more to be done there as well, but there is that future ahead and it is a promising future that can only go forward, and so I would encourage you to keep that spirit alive.

I’d just like to also acknowledge the people that have taken a very valuable part in making this happen here in this House. I’d like to acknowledge, first of all, Andrew Little, the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. I have sat on committees with Andrew for a number of years and I’ve found him to be a very genuine and hard-working and dedicated member of this Parliament. I know he will look back on his time as Treaty negotiations Minister with fondness and it will be something that I know he will take home as an element of pleasure after being in this Parliament—to have been part of that process. So I thank you, Andrew. You are a good man and you do a good job in this area. There’s another bill coming up later, which we won’t be so conciliatory about with him.

I’d also like to acknowledge Chris Finlayson, who from our side has been a very instrumental part in the negotiations as well and similarly feels the same way and has the same ambitions and dedication to making the settlements a reality.

There is a beautiful area that we’re learning more about in the speeches here today that is the home and heart of the iwi. I was quite impressed with Ron Mark who, especially with his defence hat on, talked about how there would be that gifting back of that land so that New Zealand can benefit from it. That is a very genuine and heartfelt gift to this country. We look around this room—the plaques that represent the fallen soldiers from all races that are New Zealanders. They do need a place where they can train. They do have a place there that is embedded in the heart of our forces and is part of the history of our country. So the action that you’ve taken in supporting that is very much appreciated in the defence of New Zealand and the values that New Zealand aspires to. So I can see that you are going to be achieving a wider good not only for your iwi but a wider good for New Zealand. That’s something I think you can treasure as well, and thank you for that gift.

We also heard heartfelt stories in the history and, Harete, thank you for sharing that with us in an emotional way. It gives us some understanding, too, of some that history that we may not have personally experienced, but, as somebody linked to that community, you have experienced it, so it gives us a personal understanding of what has happened and we thank you for sharing that with us in the way that you did.

In this Parliament we all go home to our different tribal affiliations and in our parties, but there is one thing that we always do take great pride in and that is at the end of a settlement when there is an agreement amongst all the parties and there is a sense that we have actually achieved something of a positive purpose that day. Everybody leaves this room with a sense of pride and comfort that they have achieved what they set out to when they came to Parliament, which is actually to do good for their community. As we say, it may only be a small way, but it is something, I can guarantee you, that every member of this House will take great pride in—being able to, hopefully, be part of your journey to help you on that next stage. We encourage all that are involved to take this opportunity, to work with the ongoing process of renewal and building that future, and we wish you all the very best in that endeavour. We know it’s going to take time, but we know that the spirit, the strength, and the courage of your people will make it happen. So we wish you all the best. You have the apology of this Parliament and the New Zealand people, but you also have the blessing for the future endeavours that I know you will take. Thank you.

Mr Speaker, tēnā koe. He uri ahau o Te Tairāwhiti. Nō reira ka huri ki te mihi whakatau ki ngā hapū maha o Ngāti Rangi. Nō reira e te iwi, nau mai haramai, nau mai haramai, nau mai haramai i runga i te kaupapa whakahirahira te pānui tuatahi o koutou pire. Nō reira tēnā koutou ōku rau rangatira, kui mā, koro mā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Thank you, Mr Speaker. I descend from Te Tairāwhiti. I therefore turn to add my words of welcome to the many subtribes of Ngāti Rangi. To you all, welcome, thrice welcome to this important occasion, which is the first reading of your bill. Therefore, distinguished leaders, esteemed elders; greetings, greetings to one and all.]

It is indeed an honour to stand and rise from a region that is first to see the light, the Tai Rāwhiti, to celebrate this important first reading of the Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill. We’ve had some amazing speakers who’ve got up and honoured these fine folk, and I just wanted to add my warm congratulations to the beginning of the last part of the puzzle, which is the legislative part. On behalf of the people I represent from the Tai Rāwhiti, I bring you warm greetings in acknowledging the hard mahi that has gone on to get to this place.

We talk about connections—I want to talk about a fulla that’s sitting up there, by the name of Che Wilson. Che and I worked together many, many years ago, so I want to lay claim to some of the attributes—the good parts; the rest, well, someone else can lay claim to that. But I do want to acknowledge Che and all the negotiators for all the hard mahi that you have done in bringing this bill to the House. Of course, we only get the easy part. We don’t get to see the raru and hardship of the hui at home, to get our people to understand that this is the best deal we’re going to get so we can move on. We don’t see that. We spend two hours of that reading acknowledging the efforts that we know—I know I can’t do justice to the amount of struggle and strife and all the angst that has gone into this bill, but I do want to say I am indeed pleased and privileged to join in the voices of everyone in this House in acknowledging this first reading of the Ngāti Rangi bill.

It might be of some use to my colleagues in this House just to touch on the Treaty process, because my colleague Adrian Rurawhe did speak about how difficult and challenging Treaty processes are. Adrian and, of course, our other colleague Minister Nanaia Mahuta—we’ve all been former Treaty negotiators for our iwi. So we come from that perspective around the struggles of the process that Adrian Rurawhe talked about. First and foremost, you’ve got to have claims. And before you have claims, I want to acknowledge the great tōtara from the north, the Hon Matiu Rata, who in 1975 established the Waitangi Tribunal, which gave fit to us to raise our concerns in that tribunal. So I want to acknowledge Matiu, but I say we’ve got to, first and foremost, put claims down. So to all those whānau members that have put claims in the Ngāti Rangi settlement bill, I want to acknowledge you. Some of them, unfortunately, may not be with us, but their kaupapa and their strength to get a decent hearing over that struggle is really important to acknowledge.

Then you have deed of mandate. Some would say that’s the hardest process, because it’s about convincing your own that you’re going to speak on their behalf with the Crown. So that’s the deed of mandate, and, of course, we see that playing out in the Far North—I’m looking around for my colleagues from the Far North. The deed of mandate is really critical. Just to say kia kaha—sorry, that was a “kia kaha” moment to our Ngāpuhi whānau up north.

Once we’ve got our deed of mandate sorted, then we go into negotiations. And, of course, the Crown will offer and we counteroffer, and it goes back and forth. That’s the process of negotiation. Then we sign an agreement in principle. The agreement in principle generally says this is where we got to—Crown and iwi. Then we make some ultimate changes around the edges, and then we sign the deed of settlement. So this is what’s happened on this occasion. Of course, once the deed of settlement is signed, the legislative process kicks in, where we’re having the first reading, select committee, second reading, third reading, done and dusted.

But, for me coming into Parliament, it was always about beyond Treaty settlements. It is around saying to the Crown, “What ongoing relationship should we have with iwi Māori?” It’s a valid question to ask, and I’m pleased that the coalition Government recognises that we have an ongoing commitment, if iwi choose—and the offer is only if iwi choose; they can choose to opt in, opt out. That’s why under the Jacinda-led Government we have the new Crown/Māori relations—

💬 SPEAKER: Order! The Prime Minister, or Jacinda Ardern maybe.

Sorry, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has, in her wisdom, created the Crown/Māori relations portfolio, which is to address how we maintain our relationships going forward.

But, back to the bill, the Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill has four parts. I don’t profess to go through them. They will definitely get scrutinised through the select committee. But, of course, as I went through the bill I was distinctly looking for any particular mechanisms that will fall into my lap as the Associate Minister of Local Government, responsible for post - Treaty settlement tools.

As I said, I look forward to the report back from the select committee because, as we well know, once iwi settle there are these ongoing challenges, and, when it comes to consenting and land use and getting access to water, a lot of that actually sits in the domain of local government, not central government. It is really important that the councils in which Ngāti Rangi resides actually take the challenge to start engaging with the iwi early on. I applaud and plead to the councils to do that actively, because the benefits, as the iwi go forward, are not just going to be to their members only. Treaty settlements are a way in which we can unlock economic potential in regions that have often been neglected; the step change or the catalyst for change is actually iwi Treaty settlements. It’s important, I believe, that if we are going to maximise the value of the Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Bill and what will flow on, that we are actively working—councils—with iwi, with industry, because we have land and we have people. But we need the tools to unlock that economic potential and social potential that I mentioned earlier.

I want to also acknowledge the essential issue that is burning around Treaty settlements as we speak now, and that’s one around overlapping claims. I’m pleased to hear that Ngāti Rangi has not got an issue around overlapping claims, but I know in other Treaty settlements it’s a big issue. I want to acknowledge the tikanga process that we’ve heard in recent times as a mechanism to break the deadlock between conflicting boundaries. It just made me think. It made me think: what do you think would happen to the Treaty settlement process if we started with a tikanga process? It’s a question I pose seriously. What would happen to the Treaty settlement process as we know it if we start with a tikanga process?

For one, the Crown and iwi would save a heck of a lot of money on lawyer fees, but it would just mean that, away from the scrutiny of public eyes, which we’ve seen around this place in recent days, two people who have a shared interest in the same area sit down and hui and talk to one another, with nobody else in the room. What would happen to the Treaty process if we adopted that? It’s just something to think about, knowing that many of these claims are settled but there are still overlapping issues on claims that are yet to make their way to this House. All I’m saying is that the use of tikanga processes, as I understand it, of getting people in a room to hui, to talk about their issues, whether it’s on whakapapa or other connections, I believe has merit—has merit. We should look at using tikanga processes, I believe, more at the front end of Treaty settlement processes rather than as a last resort when we can’t agree.

I do, again, want to acknowledge the strength and sacrifice of Ngāti Rangi. I want to acknowledge all their negotiators, all the officials that also worked on behalf of the Crown to get to this point. I too want to acknowledge the leadership of the Hon Andrew Little and the former Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Chris Finlayson, for their work in ushering this bill to this stage. But today is Ngāti Rangi’s day. I want to acknowledge and stand, again, and salute them. Thank you for your contribution to this nation. Thank you for the sacrifice and for your patience. I look forward to the bill coming back so we can celebrate with you in the third and final reading. Nō reira, e te rangatira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

Bill read a first time.

Bill referred to the Māori Affairs Committee.

Waiata