Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill

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

I’d like to extend a very special welcome to the people of Ahuriri hapū who are with us at Parliament today to hear the first reading of their settlement bill. Ahuriri hapū, iwi, rau rangatira mā. Ko aku mihi atu ki a koutou, nau mai, haere mai.

[Hapū, iwi, and leaders of Ahuriri. I would like to acknowledge you all; welcome, welcome.]

I particularly want to welcome the kaumātua and kuia who honour us today with their presence. For decades they have worked tirelessly to ensure Ahuriri hapū’s voice has been heard by the Crown. I regret that many kaumātua—and in particular, Rururarau Heitia Hiha—have passed on before they could bear witness to this bill’s first reading. Piki mai, haere mai, ki a koutou.

Since the Wai 55 claim was lodged in 1998, Ahuriri hapū have been resolute in achieving this milestone. Thirty-two years later, the Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill has begun its passage through this House. Mana Ahuriri Incorporated received its mandate to negotiate the settlement of these claims in 2010. Since then, the Ahuriri hapū 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. Through long days and many nights, the Ahuriri hapū negotiation team of Piriniha Prentice, Joinella Maihi-Carroll, and Barry Wilson have progressed the negotiations for the Ahuriri hapū settlement. To the negotiation team, I acknowledge your mahi and the mahi of those who have supported you, and I congratulate you on your achievement today.

I’d also like to acknowledge the work of the Crown team, led by chief Crown negotiator the Hon Paul Swain, with support from Te Arawhiti, the Department of Conservation, Land Information New Zealand, the Ministry of Education, Te Puni Kōkiri, and the Ministry for the Environment.

Before I move on to detail the features of this bill, I’d like to acknowledge the long history between Ahuriri hapū and the Crown which makes this settlement necessary. When the Treaty was signed in 1840, Ahuriri hapū envisioned a partnership with the Crown. However, as has so often been the case in our history, this aspiration was not realised, as the Crown repeatedly breached its obligations under the Treaty. Ahuriri hapū did not receive the full ongoing benefits from European settlement that the Crown led them to expect when in 1851 they agreed to sell the Ahuriri block for the price that the Crown offered. After Ahuriri hapū did agree to sell the Ahuriri block, the Crown failed to ensure adequate reserves were protected in their ownership.

The Crown also negotiated to purchase contested lands in Hawke’s Bay, despite being aware that its approach to land purchase negotiations was provoking tensions that might lead to conflict among Māori who asserted interests in the blocks. In 1857, these tensions led to armed conflict among Hawke’s Bay Māori, including some of the Ahuriri hapū.

Despite the Crown’s actions, there was no fighting between the Crown and Māori in Ahuriri before 1866. However, in 1866, the Crown initiated hostilities when its forces attacked Māori at Ōmarunui and Herepoho and, as a result, 30 Māori died defending themselves against Crown attacks, which were launched before the Crown made a reasonable attempt to negotiate a continuation of peace in the district. The Crown captured Ngāti Matepū and Ngāti Māhu individuals during this conflict and imprisoned them on the Chatham Islands without trial, in harsh conditions, for two years. After the wars, the combined effect of Crown land-purchasing and the native land laws contributed to Ahuriri hapū being virtually landless by 1930. This had a devastating impact on their cultural, social, and economic wellbeing.

This bill gives effect to the deed of settlement signed in 2016. There have been delays to the introduction of this bill, and it’s regrettable that it has taken this long. The processes have been worked through, and as a result of the Waitangi Tribunal decision at the end of last year, we’ve been able to reach agreement on the basis of which we could bring this bill to the House, and it is now here. Mana Ahuriri Trust has given an undertaking that it will hold elections before this bill is finally enacted, and that has enabled us to bring the bill to the House and to send it to the select committee and put it through its stages.

The Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill includes redress designed to aid Ahuriri hapū on their journey to achieve their aspirations. In particular, I’d like to draw attention to Te Muriwai o Te Whanga, the Napier estuary. Following the devastating 1931 Napier earthquake, Te Whanga was reclaimed, dredged, and heavily polluted. The Crown recognises the role of Ahuriri hapū as kaitiaki of Te Whanga. For Ahuriri hapū, Te Muriwai o Te Whanga is a taonga of great significance and they are committed to healing the damage that has been done to it and restoring it to its previous condition.

The Ahuriri hapū settlement seeks to do this, with this bill establishing a permanent statutory committee called Te Komiti Muriwai o Te Whanga, which will be led by Ahuriri hapū. The purpose of Te Komiti is to provide guidance and coordination in the management of Te Whanga to local authorities and Crown agencies that exercise functions in relation to the Te Whanga. This is an important opportunity to have the estuary restored as a place where the people of Napier can go to enjoy its beauty and receive physical and spiritual sustenance.

There’s also a number of sites of cultural significance being returned to Ahuriri hapū, including Heipipi Pa and Pakake. The settlement provides financial and commercial redress for Ahuriri hapū, including $19.5 million in financial and commercial redress. Although no settlement can ever fully compensate for losses—in this case, for Ahuriri hapū for the prejudice they have suffered as a result of the Crown’s actions and inactions and omissions—the introduction of this bill heralds the entry into a renewed relationship.

This has been a long and testing road to get to this point in the settlement process, but now we can step forward and, as the Waitangi Tribunal recommended, proceed with urgency. I therefore propose the bill proceed without delay to the Māori Affairs Committee. I commend this bill to the House. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

Kia ora. E koro mā, e kui mā, e rau rangatira mā, e ngā hapū o Ahuriri, tēnā koutou. Nau mai, haere mai ki te rā whakahirahira.

[Hello there. To the elders, leaders, the hapū of Ahuriri, greetings. Welcome; welcome to this important occasion.]

It is my pleasure to stand on the first reading of the Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill today. As the Minister has eloquently laid out the historical events that have led to today, I just wanted to add a few more details around the historical events that led us to today. As the Minister said, in 1851 the Crown did actually dupe Ahuriri hapū into parting with their lands. The Crown paid £500 for those lands. They promised many things to look after the reserves and they didn’t. And really, at the end of the day, that’s where it all started to unravel. By 1866, as the Minister said, the Crown attacked armed Māori at Ōmarunui and Herepoho, and 86 of those Māori that were captured were sent to the Chatham Islands for two years—very similar to what happened in Parihaka. By 1870, the Crown and private parties—so we’re thinking non-Māori, mainly—had acquired 51,000 acres. Approximately 54,000 acres were awarded to Ahuriri hapū individuals under the 10-owner rule.

From 1867 through to 1873, more legislation was introduced on Māori land titles that was to better reflect the owner, but between 1870 and 1900, Ahuriri Māori protested land issues through the repudiation and the kotahitanga movements. By 1874, the Crown set aside Te Whanganui-ā-Orotu as an endowment for the Napier Harbour Board. Unfortunately, Ahuriri hapū were not put on that board. As the Minister laid out, the changes in 1931—the Napier earthquakes—saw those lands drop from 9,500 acres down to 680 acres. So many things had happened in the whenua of Ahuriri hapū.

There are seven hapū that comprise the Ahuriri claims: Ngāti Hinepare; Ngāti Māhu; Ngāti Matepū; Ngāti Paarau, which includes Ngāi Tahu Ahi; Ngāi Tāwhao; Ngāti Tū; and Ngāi Te Ruruku. Located in the Napier - Hawke’s Bay region, Ahuriri faced monumental issues, like many iwi and hapū, just to protect their lands and protect what they had from being taken over, from being stolen, and from being duped. Today, in this House, we stand to right some of those wrongs. As the Minister said, the compensation may not be really what is the real cost of what Ahuriri gave up, but it is a start. As part of some of those reparations, there is a cultural redress whereby $500,000 will be put into a kaitiaki fund; $15,000 for pouwhenua, of which the Ahuriri hapū have a right to state where they want those pouwhenua to be placed; and, as the Minister said, $19.5 million for financial and commercial redress.

This bill also provides statutory acknowledgments, deeds of recognition, a Crown apology, and name changes to various sites. I just want to talk about a few of those name changes. So we’re looking at the name changes of Bluff Hill, Hospital Hill, Napier Hill, and Scinde Island to Mataruahou; the mouth of Ngaruroro River, which is local use, to Te Ipu-o-Taraia; Perfume Point to Te Karaka; Sturms Gully to Karetoki Whare; the twin lakes in Kaweka Forest Park - Eastern Lake to Rotoroa; and the twin lakes in Kaweka Forest Park - Western Lake to Rototuna.

As I said in the start of my contribution here today on the first reading of this very important bill, and as a member of the Opposition on the Māori Affairs Committee, today is a momentous day for ngā hapū o Ahuriri. It is a momentous day for this House. As a member of the Māori Affairs Committee, I welcome it and all of the issues and the submissions that will come from our visit to your rohe, and I welcome it with open arms and open ears. Without any further ado, I commend the bill to the House. Tēnā koutou katoa.

Tēnā koe, Madam Speaker. Tēnā koutou, ōku rangatira. Mana Ahuriri, ngā hapū maha, Ngāti Kahungunu nui tonu, tēnā koutou. Nau mai whakatau mai. Nau mai whakatau mai ki Te Whare Pāremata, me kī e kite anō te raiona. Tēnā koutou, āe. Harikoa te ngākau kua tae mai koutou.

Ko Ngāti Pāhauwera tēnei e tū atu nei, e mihi atu nei ki a koutou. Ka hoki ngā mahara ki a rātou mā, nā rātou i arahi, i kōkirihia tēnei kaupapa. Āe, haere koutou, haere koutou, hoki wairua mai ki a tātou te kanohi ora e pae nei.

E ōku rangatira, rau rangatira mā, huri rauna i tō tātou Whare, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Greetings, Madam Speaker. Greetings distinguished guests. The representatives of Ahuriri, the many hapū, wider Ngāti Kahungunu, greetings. Welcome. Welcome to Parliament, come back to see the lion. Greetings to you all. I’m happy you have arrived.

This is Ngāti Pāhauwera that stands before you, who acknowledges you. My thoughts go back to those who once lead this issue, who drove it forward. Farewell to you but also come back in spirit to us, the living.

To the leaders, to the distinguished assembly throughout our House, greetings, greetings to one and all.]

It’s an absolute delight for me to stand and tautoko this bill at its first reading, and I want to add my welcome to the whānau of Mana Ahuriri and all the splendid hapū—the seven hapū that make up Ahuriri who have travelled here today. They’ve had a long wait—they’ve had a long wait to get to this stage. As Minister Little said, this has been a long journey. There have been many steps along the way which Mana Ahuriri have diligently followed—working and making sure that everyone is taken every step of the way. And I’m just delighted that we are able here today, in 2020—it’s been about four or five years since the deed was signed—to start this last phase of this process.

So I add my welcome and I want to acknowledge the contributions of all those that have been involved, in particular, the Hon Andrew Little, but also his predecessor, the Hon Christopher Finlayson, who I know was very much involved with Mana Ahuriri with this settlement. Likewise, from all sides, these are very important occasions, very historic occasions, and we get to do the good part by ushering through this legislation, which brings into effect those special documents that have been signed with the deed of settlement.

So I want to acknowledge the history that underpins this legislation—the history of the hapū and the whānau from Ahuriri. As has been traversed—and I want to acknowledge the contribution from Joanne Hayes—it is a story of Aotearoa, of the settlement of our country. All too typical—all too typical, but that is the history. It all stems from, I guess, an insatiable desire for land, for the settlement of new lands of Aotearoa, and those interactions which took place between the tangata whenua and the settlement powers: the Crown of the day. And just as we’ve done with the settlements across the Hawke’s Bay—whether it’s Maungaharuru-Tangitū, Ngāti Pāhauwera, and others—Ahuriri were no different. They were impacted by Crown policies. They were basically hoodwinked into losing their whenua—hoodwinked by the promise of opportunities, of the benefits of welcoming settlement in their areas. Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be. The settlements—yes they did take place, but the laws that were implemented, which were systematically designed to ensure that Māori lands were alienated, are a real regret and a stain, I guess, on us as a country. But the good thing is that we are here to acknowledge those wrongs of the past and to make some degree of redress to Ahuriri.

If you look at the Hawke’s Bay, Napier: what a beautiful, beautiful part of the country, I’m sure—well represented too—well represented by my wonderful colleagues here. It’s a very thriving, beautiful part of Aotearoa—whether it’s from the coast up in Ahuriri’s place to the Esk—is it the Esk River?

💬 Hon Meka Whaitiri: Yes.

—down to Ngaruroro and over to the Kāweka Ranges. So that’s a beautiful part of Aotearoa. Unfortunately, yes there were historic purchases that took place, but, mainly through the works of one Donald McLean—we can reflect on what that particular member of this esteemed House achieved during his time in the 1860s in particular—Ahuriri were, effectively, forced off their lands through the 10-person rule of putting communal land tenure into these foreign structures, which were designed to ensure that lands were lost and divested and handed over to the settlers and the Crown.

So that is the crux of this—the mamae, because of the impact that that had on the Ahuriri hapū and their whānau, and also on their mahinga kai, their treasured taonga of Whanganui-ā-Orotu and those traditional areas where they lived and flourished. So this is a means of redressing that.

The Crown has acknowledged its wrongs and its breaches of the Treaty and its principles in that series of actions which took place over 150 years ago. But we mustn’t forget them, because it’s had a very detrimental impact. I’m so pleased that through this process, which we do quite regularly, and I have the privilege of being a part of, as the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, we can see the positive impact that these Treaty settlements are having across the motu.

Ms Hayes outlined all the various elements to the settlement, and it was a tough negotiation, I’m sure. What I’m actually thrilled about is that Ahuriri are not waiting around; they’re very anxious and they’re on the move. I was thrilled to see that they have an aspiration of being a—and they are—major commercial property stakeholder and owner right in the heart of Napier, Ahuriri. That is the future which we are ushering in today through the passage of this legislation.

So it’s those sorts of inspiring things. It’s seeing the mokopuna who came in with all their aunties, uncles, parents, kaumātua today; they are the future for Mana Ahuriri, and I’m sure they won’t forget this special occasion.

I do want to acknowledge Matua Piri Prentice—what a rangatira; just his presence, his gravitas, his leadership that he showed when we welcomed Mana Ahuriri into the House this afternoon. So I’m sure that with outstanding rangatira and leadership of all of the trustees of Mana Ahuriri the future is well in hand.

So with that, I am looking forward, along with other members of the Māori Affairs Committee, to—I’m sure—hopefully coming up to Napier to conduct our hearings, to hear from the whānau, and completing the task that we have to undertake, because this is a really significant piece of legislation. I’m pleased to have spoken at this first reading. I add my tautoko once again. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātou katoa.

Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. Te Whare e tū nei, tēnā koe. Te papa e takoto nei, tēnā koe. Ngā mate, haere, haere, haere. Ngā reo, ngā mana, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Greetings, Madam Speaker. To the House that is before me, greetings. To the land on which we stand, greetings. Those who have passed, farewell, farewell, farewell. To the many spokespeople, representatives of the people, greetings to you one and all.]

It’s a pleasure to rise and speak at the first reading of the Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill. I would certainly like to extend a very warm welcome to everybody from the Ahuriri hapū who has come here today to hear this historic occasion in the House of Parliament.

I’d also like to just reflect on where we’re at in this process, because this has been a long time coming; the redress that we’re seeking here today, through this bill, stems from the 1800s. It was only in about 2013 that this deed was actually agreed to, and it is the work of the previous National Government. I would like to acknowledge the Hon Chris Finlayson, who, if he’s not here, is probably sitting at home watching this debate, because—

💬 Hon Meka Whaitiri: He’s watching you, Dan.

—he’s watching; he’s watching us now—this is a matter of personal significance to him and his ministry, and I do just want to acknowledge the work that he’s done, because, through the previous nine years, we signed 56 agreements.

💬 Hon Nathan Guy: How many?

56—56 deeds of settlement were signed in the previous nine years. So it’s really great to see the current Government continue this good work, but I do want to acknowledge that this has been a bipartisan effort from both sides of the House to settle these grievances and to, hopefully, pave the way for future economic and cultural prosperity for hapū and iwi throughout the country.

Look, about the bill—we’ve heard today about the wrongs that this bill, essentially, apologises for. But I just want to run through some of those specifically. So this bill seeks to acknowledge the acts and omissions that have led to the people of the Ahuriri hapū feeling like they’re landless, throughout the many years since their land was taken, the many instances of just taking away that land, and also the cultural significance of taking that away in terms of what it meant for loss of economic opportunities from that land. We all know now the great things that are happening up in the Hawke’s Bay and Napier with respect to agriculture and viticulture. Unfortunately, the people of Ahuriri hapū have been locked out of that economic opportunity. So this deed, in fact, apologises for that loss and acknowledges that.

It also looks at the various cases where Crown actions have led to an undermining of their sovereignty, whether it be through the land purchase—which was a pitiful amount, really, that was given—but also the lack of protection over historical and cultural sites. This bill seeks to acknowledge that, as well.

Then, in the late 1800s, the armed conflict that led to 14 Māori being killed. That’s why I acknowledged the deceased in my opening remarks, because it’s important that we are here today not for just our people here but also to acknowledge those that have passed as well, but also the attack on Ōmarunui and Herepoho and the subsequent issues that resulted from that.

So, look, there is, I think, as the Minister outlined at the start, no amount of money that could seek to properly make full redress for what’s happened, but we hope that the $19.5 million that has been committed through the deed of settlement is a significant and, I think, important amount, but also the right to buy some of those cultural lands that we’ve talked about as well.

As a member of the Māori Affairs Committee, I’m looking forward to coming up to the Hawke’s Bay and Napier region and to just investigating and meeting some of the locals up there, and also to discussing this bill and how we can bring effect to the deed—the best case possible. So it’s a really important bill and a very important occasion here today. I do want to acknowledge the current Minister but also the previous Minister, Chris Finlayson, for his contribution. I look forward to working with my colleagues from the Māori Affairs Committee, and I commend this bill to the House.

Reo Māori. Takitimu waka. Kahungunu iwi. Ngā hapū i ahu mai i Ahuriri, tau mai ki Te Ūpoko o Te Ika i tēnei rā. Uru mai ai ki Te Whare o te raiona, mātakitaki i ngā mema, ahakoa nō hea, ahakoa pēhea te tae o te kiri, he hui tahi nei i roto i te whakaaro kotahi. Nā reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

Ahau e tū nei, ka mahara au ki o koutou mātua. Ko te tangata tuatahi i pupuru i te tūru mō Te Tai Rāwhiti, tōnā ingoa ko Te Moananui. Ko Tareha. He kaumātua i whānau mai i te ao kōhatu.

Ka mate a Te Moananui ka tū mai a Takamoana, a Karaitiana. He aha te pakanga o āna mahi? Nāna te īnoi atu ki Te Karauna mō ngā whenua pēnei me Ahuriri kia arotakengia, kia āta haukerekerengia e tētahi kōmihana. Ka tū tēnā kōmihana engari he hua kore. Kāhore he hua i puta i tēnā kōmihana.

Ka tuku a Takamoana ki raro, ka tū mai tana teina ko Henare Tomoana. He aha oti ngā mahi oti i tō koutou matua, i a Henare Tomoana? Nāna anō i mau haere te kiri hipi ki waenga tonu i ngā iwi o te motu. He aha oti te patanga o tērā mahi? He akiaki nōnā ki te iwi Māori, me whakaparahako i ngā mahi o Te Karauna kia rata mai ai te iwi Māori, te hokohoko tonu i ōna whenua.

Muri mai i a Henare Tomoana ko te rangatira o te taihoa, arā, ko Timi Kara. Muri mai i a Timi Kara ko Wī Pere. I muri mai i a Wī Pere, tū mai ko Tā Apirana. Hinga ana a Tā Apirana, ka tū mai tō koutou matua i roto i a Te Mahia Tiaki Omana.

Take ōku e mihi pēnei atu ki a koutou? Maha tonu. Tokomaha tonu ana ngā kanohi rangatira o Kahungunu kua whakakanohi mai i ngā pānga me ngā nawe, ngā moemoeā anō hoki mai i a Kahungunu ki roto i tēnei Whare. I tēnei rā kei te whai mai koutou i ō rātou tapuwae kia whakatutukitia tēnei wāhanga o te kaupapa, nā reira, me tino mihi atu ki a koutou, e ngā hapū o Ahuriri, Ngāti Kahungunu, koutou ka tau mai ki roto i Te Whare i tēnei rā.

Tēnei me tā tō mātou hoa nō Te Pāti Nahinara e kī ahakoa te iti o te pūtea, e kore te katoa o ngā nawe e ea, otirā, koia tēnei te kaupapa e taea te whakatutuki i tēnei wā. Ko wai ka mōhio rānei pēhea rānei te huri o te tai ā ngā rā e haere ake nei? Engari ko tēnei rā, ko mātou o Te Pāti Aotearoa Tuatahi e tū tahi ana me ō mātou hoa o Te Rōpū Reipa, tū tahi ana me ō mātou hoa katoa o Te Whare ki te tautoko i te werawera, ki te tautoko i te ngoi i pau i a koutou kēkē ki tēnei taumata. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Māori Language. Takitimu is the great ancestral waka. Kahungunu is the iwi. The hapū that travelled from Ahuriri to the head of the fish on this day. Welcome to the lions’ den to watch the members, irrespective of party or the colour of their skin, unite for a single purpose. Greetings, greetings, greetings one and all.

As I stand here before you, I remember your ancestors. The first person who sat in the seat of Tai Rāwhiti, his name was Te Moananui, Tareha. He was an elder who was born in the old world.

Te Moananui passed and Takamoana, Karaitiana, took his place. What was the purpose of his efforts? He pleaded with the Crown that lands such as Ahuriri be reviewed and investigated by a commissioner. The commissioner was appointed but nothing came of it. Nothing came of that commissioner.

When Takamoana was laid to rest, his younger brother Henare Tomoana took his place. What did this elder of yours do? He wore leathers when reaching out to the iwi of this country. The purpose? To encourage Māori iwi to resist the efforts of the Crown to ingratiate Māori so that they could buy our land.

Following Henare Tomoana was the king of patience, James Carroll. Following James Carroll was Wī Pere. Following Wī Pere was Sir Apirana. When Sir Apirana passed, he was succeeded by your elder from Te Mahia, Jack Ormond.

Why do I acknowledge you in this way? There are many, many leaders of Kahungunu who have brought your concerns, your issues and your dreams from Kahungunu into this House.

Today, you follow in their footsteps by completing this part of the journey; therefore, I congratulate you, the hapū of Ahuriri, Ngāti Kahungunu, you who have made it to the House today.

I note what our colleague from the National Party said—that because of the small size of the redress, you will not solve all of your problems today. Who knows what will happen in the future? But today, we of the New Zealand First Party, alongside our friends from the Labour Party and alongside our friends from throughout Parliament, support and acknowledge the immense efforts you have all put in. I greet you one and all.]

As is often the way when we’re dealing with historical Māori grievances, we like to recite the names of the people that in an earlier time sought to address the types of issues that we are addressing today. There are two names in particular that I have brought forward from those colonial times, one being Hēnare Tomoana, who amongst other things was responsible for the Māori land repudiation movement. He followed his brother in this House, Takamoana, who sought the creation of a commission of inquiry to investigate the wrongdoing associated with land purchases, one of which we are talking about here today.

The commission of inquiry was described by him as a tree that was barren, that did not yield fruit—he rākau whakapakoko.

When he was followed by Hēnare Tomoana, he came after having also driven the creation of the Māori Parliament. So the people that are here today are no strangers to the many travails or attempts that have been made from this part of Aotearoa to redress these historical wrongs.

Our party does acknowledge the efforts of Mr Finlayson in settling the various claims of the broader Ngāti Kahungunu community—some are still outstanding. We also acknowledge the work of the Māori Affairs Committee, which is a great training ground for MPs to understand the meaning of the term “the patience of Job”, because the hapūs of Aotearoa have definitely had to have the patience of Job to arrive at a day such as today. It’s also where a number of us, as MPs, have learnt the importance of being patient. It may have occurred to you that I never actually ever sat on that committee—well, that’s another matter.

To Mr Prentice, to the Crown negotiators, Mr Swain and your colleague: although there are big challenges in this part of Aotearoa and the effects of land loss, of resource loss, and of dispossession continue to linger in the socio-economic statistics amongst certain pockets of our Māori community, not only in this part of Aotearoa but in other parts, today should be regarded as a day of celebration, of jubilation, and as we remember, going forward, the names of the tūpuna who sought to do the best they could in their time under far more trying circumstances. So with these few words, we salute the efforts of those who have been the architects of the settlement, and we wish the waka going forward a great safe and prosperous journey. Kia ora tātou.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. E rau rangatira mā, e ngā iwi, kia ora mai tātou.

[To the gathered leaders, to the iwi, thank you all.]

Others have traversed the history that brings this bill here today, with great elegance, and I echo their words. There have been many stages on the way to the House today, as is consistent with a Treaty settlement bill. On 19 December, maybe, this story started in 2013—the formalities of this story—when the Crown and Ahuriri hapū signed the agreement in principle. Three years later, the deed of settlement was signed. At that time, the redress was financial and commercial redress, which continues through to today, I would add. Financial and commercial redress, including $19.5 million and the right to buy shares in the Kāweka and Gwavas Crown Forests Licensed lands. Pakake, Heipipi Pa Historic Reserve and Conservation House in Napier are to be vested in Ahuriri hapū as part of the cultural redress. The settlement is also to include a permanent statutory committee called Te Komiti Muriwai o Te Whanga to protect and enhance the environmental, economic, social, spiritual, historical, and cultural values of Te Muriwai o Te Whanga, the Ahuriri estuary.

At that time, in 2016, this was the 81st deed of settlement to be signed by the Crown—significant progress, and I too want to acknowledge my colleague Chris Finlayson and the important work in settling many historical grievances, not just in the Hawke’s Bay but across New Zealand. The current bill has the standard structure of a Treaty settlement bill: the Crown acknowledgment and apology, cultural redress, the financial and commercial redress.

So this bill is now on its last journey, if you like, starting with us here today, and then when we conclude, we pass the care of this bill to my colleague Rino and my friends in the Māori Affairs Committee, and we give them this important piece of work to shepherd, to take out to the hapū—out to the community—and hear and crystallise all the important views of community stakeholders and anyone who has an interest in this bill. We then charge them to bring it back to the House as a well-formed view of all the stakeholders who have interest and recommendations. Madam Speaker, 2013 to 2016—it’s taken many years to get here, in a way. Let’s not get in the road of the good work of the Māori Affairs Committee. I commend this bill to them and to the House.

I rise on behalf of the Green Party to also offer our support for the Ahuriri hapū claims settlement, and to welcome and acknowledge the people of Ngāti Hinepare, Ngāti Māhu, Ngāti Matepū, Ngāti Paarau—including Ngāi Tahu Ahi—and Ngāi Tāwhao, and Ngāti Tū, and Ngāi Te Ruruku. All of the hapū have come together—or been, possibly, through the typical Treaty settlement process, forced together—through this process.

I want to acknowledge that, as always, this has been a long day coming to start to see the legislation reach this stage. And I want to acknowledge the resilience and leadership of the many rangatira who, over many generations—as was noted within the Ahuriri hapū ratification information document, and I’ll quote that—“devoted and committed themselves to defending the rights of our people and to righting the wrongs of the past”. That is important work for hapū and for us as a country to acknowledge the dreadful wrongs that happened and that we are all still living with or benefiting from.

It has been 10 years, just since the Crown recognised the mandate of this claim, and that was to start a conversation about the wrongs that started in the 1850s. As with others in the House, I’d like to briefly touch on—and it always feels uncomfortable to me on some level of trying to summarise just the extent of the wrongs, but it feels important to put it on record, and because we still have such an issue in this country of not knowing our history. So I will just touch on the history where, in the 1850s, the hapū in this area—which is the hapū around Napier—decided that they were interested in selling some of the land and looking at developing a relationship with the Crown. The intent was for that to be mutually beneficial, as you would expect in terms of a Crown that holds rule of law quite close as a concept, and they might have expected that to have been able to be a relationship around integrity, consistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi. But actually what they were met with was dishonesty, manipulation, theft, and violence—including unprovoked attacks on Māori and the taking of 86 members of their hapū who were imprisoned without trial on the Chathams for two years. This was done by a Crown who we still hear speaking the rhetoric of the importance of the rule of law.

And just within 20 years of having entered those engagements with the Crown for 54,000 acres in the land of Ahuriri hapū, 51,000 of 54,000 acres had been dispossessed from those people—and that included just incredibly precious places, including the estuary and a place that fed literally, but also spiritually, the people. And to speak particularly around the damage that was done—because I think there’s the taking of the land, but then there’s being made to see the desecration of that land and observe that and feel that. To me, the example of how the Te Whanganui-ā-Orotu, which was originally—so that is land and the waters around the harbour—9,500 acres, where that land, through the harbour trust and actions of the Crown, was drained and land was reclaimed from it. So that precious, precious waterway from 9,500 acres has been reduced to the point now, at high tide, where it is only 680 acres. That, to me, is a physical demonstration of the damage and the violence that has been committed against Ahuriri hapū.

And I want to also just acknowledge that in those years, again after that, between 1900 and 1930, the Crown and private parties “acquired” almost all of the rest of the precious life-giving and sustaining lands that were Ahuriri hapū. And many of those lands were sold so that the people could meet their basic living costs. To me, again, that demonstrates the compounding harm of theft and dispossession that we see now in the suffering of all too many people within Māoridom. That makes colonisation a current reality, not an act of the past.

It is traditional for the Green Party in our speeches and first readings to acknowledge that we believe that Te Tiriti is a positive force for social cohesion and peace, but the full capacity of Te Tiriti to bring our communities together cannot be reached until genuine restitution is made, and that Te Tiriti, as it was written and agreed, supports hapūtanga and that hapūtanga is undermined by the settlement process. Again, we have seen that in evidence through this process.

I do want to acknowledge the Waitangi Tribunal hearing that found that even in the process of this settlement the Crown breached its obligations for monitoring and maintenance of mandates. I will acknowledge the current Minister, Andrew Little, for, on the day of that finding, acknowledging that finding and moving forward to be able to get us back into the House today. But it really does speak to, I believe, how much more work we have to do to restore the true intent of Te Tiriti and the hope of that to all of us.

I just briefly touch on and acknowledge how hard fought for this settlement has been. Again, so much of this is about trying to restore connection to the land and acknowledging Ahuriri hapū as kaitiaki of their land. I want to acknowledge what a gift that is for us as a country and the generosity of Ahuriri hapū in maintaining that as a focus. It is really pleasing to see the establishment of Te Komiti Muriwai o Te Whanga, and that will promote the protection and enhancement of the environment, economic, social, spiritual, historical, and cultural values of Te Muriwai o Te Whanga for present and future generations. That is, for me, just such a blessing, an act of generosity for all of us. And while this should be an acknowledgment of the harm that the Crown has caused and our commitment to do better in the future, it is important to acknowledge the generosity of hapū even in this time and we look forward to the resolution of this.

Nau mai, haere mai. Welcome to the people from Ahuriri, kia ora. It’s lovely to have you here and while this is a very respectful occasion, I do want to lift the level of energy a little bit, because this House has been sitting late this week and people are a little bit tired at the end of the week. But I want you to be very optimistic, our guests from our rohe, and for Meka and Stuart—this is an important day for the people of Hawke’s Bay, for you to be with us.

Can I, first of all, acknowledge the negotiating team—kaumātua Piri, can I acknowledge you. It’s nice to have you here. Barry and Joinella, can I acknowledge all the work that you’ve done in getting to this point. I have known all of you for some time and I hold you with deep respect and I admire what you’ve done in getting to this point. Evelyn, can I acknowledge you as well, even though your husband stood against me twice for the mayoralty in Hastings. I acknowledge your passion and the things you’ve done to help and, on the odd occasion, giving me some guidance on this particular settlement. Bruce, can I acknowledge you, up the back? Bruce is the best taxi driver in Hawke’s Bay and it’s nice to have you here with us. And especially Tīpene, can I acknowledge you. Tīpene sits in the audience as a young leader. He started off as my first rangatahi leader in that course, and he’s here today, and I acknowledge you moving up the system of leadership. Thank you for being here. Can I acknowledge all of you that represent the seven hapū of the Ahuriri settlement.

These negotiations haven’t been easy, and later on in my speech I will talk about some of the challenges that I think still exist. But these negotiations have been going on since 2010. Previously the Hon Shane Jones said you have to have the patience of Job. It’s my experience that in these settlements you do; not only in the Government processes, but sometimes even in getting everybody involved in the same settlement around the table.

You were badly let down in 1840 in the negotiations that really meant that your land was sold for £1,500 in a partnership, and, from that day until now, largely what you expected at the time hasn’t been delivered and in many ways your role and your mana and your whenua have been eroded from that day to this point. It was typified in 1857 when there was an armed conflict. We know that a number of people, a number of members from your whānau, ended up being incarcerated on the Chatham Islands for two years. That was a low point in Hawke’s Bay’s history. It was a low point in the relationship.

Just to put it contextually for members of the public who may be listening at home, Mana Ahuriri encompasses the land between the Ngaruroro River, the Esk River, and the Kāweka Ranges largely. Some of that is in my own electorate, and it’s separated from the rest by the Tutaekuri River, which is in the Hon Stuart Nash’s electorate. Meka Whaitiri covers all of our electorates.

The net result of that, though, is that I have been acutely aware over my time of the grief that has been caused by not only that alienation of land but also the harm that was done out of that conflict where basically the Crown turned on its partner of 1840 and there was armed conflict. It’s previously been said that Te Whanganui-ā-Orotu went from 9,000 acres to 600 acres at high tide. That is the erosion of the scale of the land; and basically, in 1930, people that had signed up into a partnership in 1840 effectively were almost landless. To add insult to injury, in 1931, when the land came out of the sea, where Hawke’s Bay airport currently is, what happened? Basically, the Government regionalised it and gave it to the harbour board—they gave it to the harbour board. The Government held some of it, which is the Landcorp farms, used some of it for the airport, but fundamentally, the rest of it was given to the harbour board and over time has either been sold off or leased. So even in relatively recent history, you have watched your land just disappear before you by various Acts and various Governments along the way.

So I want to acknowledge and thank you for standing up for some of the protection works that are required in the estuary and for the concept you’ve brought about of jointly trying to solve some of those solutions. Barry and Piri, I remember in my previous role having conversations with you about the airport, and the strategic nature of that, and I hope, into the future, you form part of the governance and management and even some of the ownership of the airport as a strategic part of Hawke’s Bay. I know you have great plans for Landcorp farm, should you get hold of that as part of the settlement. I think, based on what you’ve advised me of, that will be a very encouraging development for the people of Napier and the people of Hawke’s Bay.

I now want to come on to the deed of settlement and what has happened since, and I can probably say this slightly easier than members of the Government. In my view, the hold-up through the Waitangi claim process and other things—and I heard today, there could even be a hold-up through the Māori Land Court further—is depriving you of your own destiny and your value. What was signed in 2016, and what you now have, has already meant that you have lost millions of value in those developments.

As part of the select committee process—I’m not sure whether it’s possible or not—I would like the select committee to look at how that can be redressed, because, fundamentally, these people in this room today, they want to get on with the business and they’ve signed. There’s a small group of people that are using every potential avenue to slow it down. The Waitangi Tribunal found there may have been a technical sort of breach in terms of the election of trustees. The Hon Andrew Little has done the right thing by bringing it to the House, as long as that’s fixed. We just cannot allow these types of things to continue on. I remember having conversations with the Hon Christopher Finlayson, along the way, as a sort of bystander to this, and he said he felt he could get there, but there was a small group of people that were holding up the process. So I am hopeful that the select committee can have a look at that along the way, if that’s within scope.

I do want to, in closing, make some comments about people that are not here today that have been part of this journey. I particularly want to talk about Heitia Hiha and the work he did, the fine man he was. He passed in 2018, at a time, really, when, in normal circumstances, we should be having this debate—we should have had it then.

I have been talked to, led, encouraged, and worked with many groups of this settlement group and groupings, many fine people from Hawke’s Bay. It is a small settlement—$19.5 million and some other redress—but it is hugely significant to the people of Napier, the people that are in this room today. We’re on our way. This is where the laws get changed. This is universally going to be supported through this House. There will be a select committee. We hope any things can be ironed out or changed in that process, and in a relatively short time, based on how long this has been going on, this can be sorted. This settlement can be sorted. You can get on with some very exciting developments for Hawke’s Bay and Napier.

It’s my great pleasure to support this bill.

Before I call the next speaker, I just want to make the following comments, because I will be leaving the chair during the next round of speakers, but it would be inappropriate for me as a former Deputy Mayor of Napier and a person who has lived and raised a family in the rohe that is before the House not to greet the members of the Ahuriri hapū. I too wish to pay my tribute to a long-term friend, Heitia Hiha.

This is a split call. I call Paul Eagle.

Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. Takitimu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ahuriri hapū, iwi, rau rangatira mā, ko aku mihi atu ki a koutou ngā whānau, nau mai, haere mai.

[Thank you, Madam Speaker. Takitimu, Ngāti Kahungunu, the people of Napier, the many leaders, my greetings to you the families, welcome, welcome.]

Thank you, Madam Speaker, for this opportunity to take a call on this the first reading of the Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill, the first time I’ve spoken on a bill. Can I say, recently, as part of my rohe, it includes—and we’ve heard about the Chatham Islands in different kōrero today. We had the Crown apology and settlement for the Moriori on Rēkohu, and what an experience it was. Can I just say that it was a moving experience, and being part of that really made me feel, as a member of Parliament for the first time, the real sense of importance it is to get these settlements through and get some progress. So on that, can I acknowledge the members of Parliament who have put the mahi in and done the work. Obviously, that’s the Hon Andrew Little; the Hon Christopher Finlayson, who was the list member for Rongotai, including the Chathams, and the Treaty Minister who put work in here; and Meka Whaitiri, Stuart Nash, and Lawrence Yule as local members of Parliament, because it takes everyone in here to get these across the line.

I want to acknowledge the negotiating teams because it takes both sides. I always find this interesting, these tense negotiations, but I learnt why. When I was on the Chatham’s listening to the experiences for the Crown apology, I sat there and I thought “Hmm! There’s been some nasty stuff done here.” And suddenly I thought “Jeez, the Crown was nasty. What a mean pack of so-and-so’s at the time.” But then I suddenly realised that I am the Crown and that I am the representative, and I thought “Jeepers! I better wipe the tears away and take some responsibility.” And that’s what we’ve heard today. We’ve heard the pain and sorrow. I was in disbelief, actually. So I take a lot more notice of these settlements because they are deadly serious in every way possible. It’s important we get this right and that we correct history where it’s gone wrong and make sure that when we move forward it’s accurate in every way so people understand. I know that our tamariki, as they grow up, they too want to ensure that when they go through school, it’s a history lesson that is accurate but also teaches right from wrong and puts the story straight. So that’s certainly important for me.

We’ve talked about the Chathams. Lots of people have talked about it, and they talk about it in such a dreadful way. Well, can I say to you now, ladies and gentlemen, that it’s no longer dreadful. There is crayfish, pāua, oysters, and all sorts of beautiful kai moana that certainly put the wrongs right. I encourage the hapū of Ahuriri to match that, in terms of their memory of their ancestors, their tūpuna, who were treated in the way that they were. So I want to acknowledge that. I don’t say that in a joking disrespect, but it would have been a dreadful experience, and I know that when Ngāti Mutunga somehow found their way to Wharekauri Rēkohu, that too would have been a frightening experience on arrival, but the good Moriori made them welcome, and I won’t talk about the rest of their history this afternoon.

But the redress is important, and we’ve heard today, this afternoon, about both the financial and non-financial, and the members have talked about what that includes. I want to encourage you to embrace the settlement, to use it in every way, from an economic and social perspective, and really advance the cause for you as the people, the seven hapū, of Ahuriri, and make wealth in every way possible. I remember those words being said to me on Rēkohu for the Moriori settlement. This is your time. It’s only the first reading, but it will go through to the third reading, and I would encourage you to do for your people all those things that you’ve wanted to do.

Kia kaha, kia manawanui, nō reira, tēnā koutou, kia ora.

Takitimu te waka. Ki ngā uri o ngā hapū o Mana Ahuriri. Nau mai haere mai ki tēnei Whare Pāremata, Te Whare Miere. Ko Harete Hipango taku ingoa. Nō Whanganui te iwi. Ko Ngāti Tūpoho te hapū. Ko Pūtiki Wharenui a Tamatea Pōkaiwhenua te marae. Tēnā tātou katoa.

[Takitimu is the ancestral waka. To the descendants of the hapū of the Ahuriri territories, welcome to Parliament, welcome to the Beehive. My name is Harete Hipango. Whanganui is my iwi. Ngāti Tūpoho is my hapū. Pūtiki Wharenui a Tamatea Pōkaiwhenua is my marae. Greetings one and all.]

Whenever I stand and have the privilege to address the House and those who have travelled from afar to gather here on this significant occasion of the reading and the passage of the bill—which is depictive and reflective of a lifetime journey for many: those of us from our past, those of us who are here, and those of us who are yet to come—I always stand and attempt to make a connection.

So what I have done is—being the member of Parliament for Whanganui but also uri of Whanganui—made that affiliation and connection to a tupuna of Ngāti Kahungunu and our people from Ahuriri who have come here. Your tupuna, Tamatea-Pokai-Whenua, travelled over to my area, my whenua, a long time ago. When we stand on our marae and whenever I am home, I always hearken to that relationship. Nau mai, haere mai.

At this first reading of the bill, my colleagues have addressed much of the history. Some may have noticed that as part of my journey as uri of Whanganui, I had the privilege of sitting up in the gallery some years ago with the passage of Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill, our bill. I have also as part of my lifetime journey, carrying on the journey of my tūpuna, as our people from Ahuriri, Ngāti Kahungunu, today do that—we carry with us the burden, but we also carry with us the hope.

Part of my journey 25 years ago was, as a young woman, going on to reclaim part of our whenua at Pākaitore, Moutoa Gardens. Twenty-five years ago, on 28 February, I was there with whanaunga and many who had travelled from afar to hearken to the memory of the efforts and the hard work associated with that journey. Here I stand today, in this position of privilege, to acknowledge Ngāti Kahungunu Ahuriri, with this first reading in the passage of your bill. I say “yours” because I always hearken, refer to our people who come and travel and gather from afar, and also many of us who are down here in Wellington continuing that mahi.

I have limited time with this call, but I just share that our people who have gathered here from Ngāti Kahungunu, this is your bill. You know the contents of it, because it is your people who have carried that burden for decades, for generations. We are here today to celebrate the present, with the first reading and the passage of this, going through to the final reading, hopefully that not being delayed any further.

I acknowledge my parliamentary colleagues—Minister Nash, Meka Whaitiri, and my colleague Lawrence Yule—because we carry on part of the journey on behalf of those. That is our role here as members of Parliament.

This bill, it’s divided into significant portions, and I will just very briefly highlight those. Clause 8 is a depiction in detail of a historical account of the mamae, of the grievance, of the injustice. Clause 9 traverses the acknowledgments of the Crown’s errors, of the Crown’s avarice, and of the Crown’s attempts to remedy and rectify. Clause 10 is the formal apology in this bill. Then, of course, it goes without saying, but for those who do not know and for the purposes of the law, to be very clear, clause 13 defines and details who you of Ahuriri hapū are. That is for the benefit of the Crown, and is the clarity of a commitment to you, to those who have gone, but to those of you who are to come into the future and carry on in representation of what the Crown has traversed, with all its wrongdoings, to make this right.

There is so much—I am limited with my time. I do hope to take a call at the second and the third readings, when there will be many tears of memory, of remembrance, but also of hope and joy, travelling into the future. In conclusion, I commend this bill on the first reading through to select committee, where I invite my parliamentary colleagues—I hope I have the opportunity to sit in on that select committee to ensure that there is clarity, there is transparency, that things are corrected and put right so that this carries through into the future. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa. Kia ora.

Kia ora, Madam Speaker. Tuatahi, e tika ana ki te maumahara te kaiarahi tuatahi o Te Rōpū Kākāriki, Jeanette Fitzsimons. Nō reira, Jeanette, maumahara tō kaha ki te kōkiri i te kaupapa i ngā wā katoa. He wahine toa. He wahine ū ki te kaupapa, he wahine i kōkiri i te kaupapa taiao me te kaupapa kākāriki, nō reira, e te whaea, moe mai, moe mai, moe mai rā.

Ka huri atu ināianei aku whakaaro ki te rangatira Tā Robert Fenwick. Ahakoa he Pākehā ia, he tangata i tautoko i ngā kaupapa Māori i roto i Tāmaki Makaurau. Ko ia te tiamana tuatahi mō te irirangi Mai FM, nō reira, Rob, te rangatira, moe mai, moe mai e koe ki ngā ringa huia o ngā matua tūpuna kua riro i te pō. Ā, ka nui tēnā.

Ki a koutou, ngā rangatira i tae mai nei i tēnei wā, i whakarangatira i a mātou i tēnei wā, tēnei te tino mihi ki a koutou. He honore nui ki te tū i mua i a koutou i tēnei wā. Tēnei te mihi ki a koutou mō ō koutou kaha ki te kōkiri i tēnei kaupapa.

Ki a koe e te matua, Piri, ngā mihi ki a koe e te pāpā. I tahuri koe tō korowai rangatiratanga i runga i a mātou i tēnei wā. Tēnei te tino mihi ki a koe e te pāpā.

Koutou katoa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā anō tātou katoa.

[Hello, Madam Speaker. Firstly, it is only right that we remember the first leader of the Green Party, Jeanette Fitzsimons. Therefore, Jeanette, I remember your strength to fight for the cause at all times. A woman of courage. A woman who was dedicated to the cause, who drove the environmental cause and the green cause, therefore, may you rest in peace.

I now turn my thoughts to that great man Sir Robert Fenwick. Although he was Pākehā, he was a person who supported the Māori cause in Auckland. He was the first chairperson of the radio station Mai FM; therefore, Rob, you who were a great man, may you rest in peace and return to your ancestors who await you. I leave it there.

To you all, the leaders who have arrived at this time, who have honoured us at this time, we are immensely grateful for your attendance. It is an honour to stand before you at this time. I would like to thank you for your dedication in driving this forward.

To you, Piri, my elder, thank you. You have cloaked our occasion with honour. My unending thanks to you my elder.

To you all, thank you, and greetings to one and all.]

It’s an honour just to have a little bit of a kōrero to celebrate this day, because you would think it would never have come. Thirty-two years. How long do we wait for justice? Thirty-two years. So many of our people have to wait and wait and wait for this, and we lose so many along the way—in particular, Ruruarau Heitia Hiha. You know, one must never forget the commitment that some of our rangatira have given.

But of course I always mihi to our groups who come in here, because I always have aspirations of partnership. We know how the partnership was breached all those years ago. When I look back at 1840 and the breaches that Ahuriri have gone through—not receiving the full, ongoing benefits from the European settlement that they were led to expect when they agreed to sell the Ahuriri block for the price the Crown offered. We’re talking about 1851; here we are in 2020, hoping and praying that that partnership that the former Mayor of Hastings Lawrence Yule talked about will be honoured. I mihi to him for some of his kōrero today, because we want a partnership that reflects justice—that reflects justice.

As Minister Andrew Little said, this settlement does not—if you looked at it financially—reflect the justice and the millions that you should be getting; $19.5 million, as the Minister said, doesn’t reflect justice. It is an acknowledgment of the pain and the mamae that you’ve gone through—just an acknowledgment.

I think the beauty of these types of days is that we are united in the House in terms of the compensation that should be given to our people. I’ve said this before and I say it again: if you want to look at real compensation in terms of Ngāi Tahu, in terms of Tainui—Minister Nanaia Mahuta knows better than anyone. Her father was the main negotiator for Tainui, negotiating at $170 million, yet the Tainui claim could have been $15 billion plus—$15 billion plus. The Ngāi Tahu claim, the same again—$18 billion, that claim was rated at. These are the sacrifices that our people make—these are the sacrifices that our people make.

Bob Mahuta, Tipene O’Regan, they set it up, they made the sacrifice, and look what they’re doing today. Look what Tainui’s doing today. Look what Ngāi Tahu’s doing today. I look forward to what you’re going to be doing in the next few years.

So tēnei te mihi ki a koutou. Rawe ki te kite i a koutou i tēnei rā.

[So thank you all. It is wonderful to see you all today.]

It’s the start of this process. Thirty-two years ago it began. Justice now will happen over the next few months, or the next year or so, or hopefully before the year is up. We’ll get this across the line so that all of our people and all of your rangatahi can benefit. Tēnei te mihi ki a koutou. Tēnā nō tātou katoa.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Nau mai, haere mai, tēnā koutou, Mana Ahuriri, especially to Piri and Barry. Welcome. It’s been a long time coming. It’s been a long, long journey from Ahuriri to this House; too long—far too long.

I can’t help agreeing with the words of my colleague Lawrence Yule—and you won’t hear that often. I’m well aware of the work you, Piri and Barry and Joinella, have done in getting this bill here. We’ve had a number of conversations over the issues, the challenges, and the time, and I’ve always welcomed these engagements and interactions, but I acknowledge the time it has taken to get here has been too long.

Our Pākehā forebears had little imagination when it came to naming places in Napier. Hospital Hill—well, there used to be a hospital on the hill. Bluff Hill—the hill ended in a bluff. It’s now fitting and proper that this part of Napier where I live will now be called Mataruahou; Perfume Point—it’s where the sewage outfall used to end up—now renamed Te Karaka; and others—important.

But it’s not the true nature of this settlement, rather an apology and a Crown acknowledgment that the Crown was wrong and breached the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles—cultural redress that will recognise the traditional, historical, and spiritual associations of Ahuriri hāpu with places and sites owned by the Crown within the Ahuriri rohe.

Financial and commercial redress of $19.5 million in recognition of historical claims and interest that has accumulated since the agreement in principle was signed in December 2013 will also be paid, as well as the right to purchase a number of assets and properties, including the purchase of the Crown shares in the Hawke’s Bay Airport Ltd.

All these are important—and I acknowledge this—very important, in terms of moving forward. Minister Jones has outlined a distinguished list of Ngāti Kahungungu leaders who have fought this battle in earlier times, and a number of members who have spoken have also outlined the history that has led us to this House today. But what I know are the practical implications of this settlement—that is, the people of Mana Ahuriri can now move on in a way that I know will add significant value not only to the people of Mana Ahuriri or Ngāti Kahungungu or even Napier but to all the people of Hawke’s Bay. I have seen some of the plans, and they are truly aspirational.

Like other speakers, I acknowledge Chris Finlayson. I also will acknowledge the Minister Andrew Little, but there are other players in this: Paul Swain; the Hon Sir Michael Cullen has also played a part in getting us here, and we wish him all the best in the greatest battle he has had to take on.

But one thing I would say, to conclude, is this is a good outcome. I hope like hell that the progression of this bill isn’t held up unnecessarily. Today is a good day, and tomorrow will be the start of the process for rebuilding Mana Ahuriri’s wealth, health, and wellbeing. That, as a long-term resident of Napier, I absolutely welcome. Kia kaha.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I too want to welcome the people of Ahuriri to Parliament. It’s a special place to come to. Some of us wonder why we came here, but I think it is a special place.

I guess you’re wondering what some old Scottish descendant from the Manawatū is doing speaking on a bill like this, and I have a half of one foot in the territory of Rangitāne and one in the territory of Ngāti Apa. But I think it’s pretty special, these things, and I often have the privilege of speaking on Treaty claims bills, and I can only think that that’s because I’ve been around for longer of the Treaty claim process than most.

I also wanted to pay a special tribute to a couple of people who often speak on these bills. I think Rino Tirikatene puts the bill in perspective for me, and I think he does a special job in our Treaty claims process with the way he speaks on the bills. He always gives me a bit of education. I also today want to acknowledge Lawrence Yule because I thought he did a great job.

As I said, you may well wonder what I’m doing here, but my mother lived looking at Perfume Point for quite a while, and, Stuart, I think the reason Perfume Point is called Perfume Point is now a very different reason than it was in the old days, and the activity there is much different than it used to be as well.

She lives in a retirement village in Napier, and I was in there the other day. Quite extraordinary, she had a book on her table and it was called A Changing Land by Sir Donald—it wasn’t by Sir Donald McLean, clearly; it was about Sir Donald McLean’s life. He, of course, was the Government land acquisition officer, or commissioner, in the very early part of Hawke’s Bay’s recent history, I suppose—150-odd years ago.

But the thing that really intrigued me about it was, as you glance through a book like that and you glance through the notes that we’re given to speak on these bills and the deed of settlement and the bits of history, there’s a lot of great similarity between what we have explained to us here and what’s actually written about the history. You can see how some of those very unfortunate, actually, and interesting deals were done. I think it’s great for us to have the history of these things, but, actually, the important thing is that we get to the end of this process.

Despite what Willie Jackson was saying earlier about what they should be worth, actually, what they’re worth is what you make of them. I think it’s very special that we get to the point where these settlements enable everyone to move forward. We’ll never replace or repair what’s gone on in the last 150 to 160 years, and I don’t think we should expect to. Ironically, Sir Donald McLean is buried on Scinde Island, which is a part of this Treaty claims process, and it’s named in the settlement. So the history, whatever we make of it, is always going to be with us.

I think it’s really interesting that we get to a point where, through a great deal of time and a lot of discussion, we end up with some sort of a settlement which enables us to move on. I think that’s the important thing for this Parliament. It’s the very important thing for New Zealand. I think, where we’ve got to a point of settling these—I was going to say adequately, but that’s probably not a very good word—processes and we come out the other end of them, I think we’re getting some very good results. I think that’s such a great thing for future generations of New Zealanders because it does get us to a point that’s, I suppose, satisfactory for us all.

Interestingly, my daughter and my two grandsons also live in Ahuriri, even though I’m a Manawatū person. I don’t know why they ever went to Hawke’s Bay, but they went there, and I’ve got to live with it. But it is special, and so I congratulate everyone who’s been part of this process. I know that you’ll get a lot of, I guess, pleasure out of what happens in this place in the next few months, and I hope it moves through relatively quickly. Almost all of the people who will be dealing with that in select committee have spoken on this bill this afternoon.

I just want to say I think it’s great progress. I wish you all the best in the future. I know that this thing will work well for you, and I hope, as Lawrence said, that maybe the select committee can deal with some of the issues that have changed in the interim, because, well it’s a long, long time since you first signed the deed of settlement, but it’s certainly a long time since you got to the point of getting this bill moving. So thank you, Madam Speaker, for the opportunity to speak on this, and I do wish you all the best in the future going forward. Congratulations.

E Te Māngai o Te Whare, tēnā koe. Ngā mema o Te Whare nei, tēnā tātou katoa. Āe, e tū ki te pōwhiritia ngā iwi, ngā hapū o Ahuriri kua tae mai i runga i te kaupapa whakahirahira, nō reira, otirā, ōku rau rangatira mā, e kui mā, e koro mā, tēnā koutou, nau mai, tēnā koutou, nau mai, tēnā koutou, nau mai.

[Madam Speaker, greetings. Members of this House, greetings. Yes, I stand to welcome the iwi, the hapū, of Ahuriri who have arrived on this important occasion; therefore, indeed, the distinguished guests, the elders, greetings and welcome, greetings and welcome, greetings and welcome.]

I’m pleased to conclude this debate as the local member for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti and to extend my warm welcome to the whānau and ngā hapū o Ahuriri who have arrived here for this significant date. A long overdue wait for a bill that others have spoken about and addressed, but he tika tō kōrero e Piri. He whakaeroa te wā, āe he tika. Whakaaeroatia.

[What you said was right, Piri. It has taken too long—yes, that’s right. Too long.]

We were in the Legislative Council Chamber, where we welcomed these people, and the rangatira Piri talked about the long wait. So I want to acknowledge that long wait, not just in the terms of acknowledging the harms and the omissions at the actions of the Crown but their long wait since getting mandate for the Wai 55 claim that was filed in 1988, to have the mandate to negotiate confirmed in 2010, to actually have the deed of settlement signed in 2016, and here we go, four years later. So if there was ever an iwi that was patient, these are the people. These are the people in terms of their losses and also in terms of the process which all iwi have to go through in terms of settling past grievances in the Treaty process.

I was fortunate to have kai with some of the aunties from Tāngoio, and they made some really important points around not just the process of Treaty settlements but our kaupapa. The kōrero was about whakapapa and about whakapapa not having boundaries, and how whakapapa unites ia whānau, ia hapū, ia iwi. So I want to share that, because that was a point of discussion at our lunch table around the significance of whakapapa, and when there are the challenges which these particular people have been subjected to, it is our tikanga practices that will pull us through and our whakapapa that will pull us through. So I just want to acknowledge the aunties that I had kai with from Tāngoio and from Maungaharuru Tangitū that have joined us here today.

Others have talked about the various parts of the bill, and I look forward to joining my chair—Rino Tirikatene—and the other members of the Māori Affairs Committee to journey up to Ahuriri, hopefully, to give proper scrutiny to this bill. But I wanted to draw the House’s attention to Minister Little’s comment in his contribution on this bill where he talked about entering into a renewed relationship—a renewed relationship. I want to acknowledge not only the economic strength and might of ngā hapū o Ahuriri but the cultural and social and the environmental strength that these people will bring to the greater Napier area.

I am excited to share, to observe, and to be part of the aspirations that they’ve already started around putting their economic prowess to bear on the lives and in the developments that are happening in Napier as we speak. Of course, we have our port and we have our airport, and we have our newly reopened railway line, thanks to our coalition partner, New Zealand First—the opening of the Napier to Wairoa line. These are a people that have lived in this rohe for generations, and as we talk about the lifting and resilient economy of the Napier area, then these people are going to play a significant part in that resilience, now and going forward.

I want to also acknowledge the mokopuna that were in the rōpū that arrived here today, and I want to acknowledge them because it’s their history and their journey that we are here for. For many of us that have gathered here and for the whawhai around getting our claims—and I know they’re probably ngenge and probably want to haere tonu and hoki ki te kainga—it’s important that I acknowledge them and that they and their presence here reminds us of why we come to this place and why we do our job for the future and their benefit. I just want to acknowledge those two mokopuna that have joined us in the House today.

Like I said, there will be parts of this bill that will be tested through the select committee process. I too just want to add my congratulations and thankyous to the negotiators, Piri Prentice, Joinella Maihi-Carroll, and, of course, Barry Wilson. It’s never an easy task—never ever an easy task—being a Treaty negotiator, never. The Hon Nanaia Mahuta, my colleague Adrian Rurawhe, and myself are all former Treaty negotiators, so it comes from a position of experience to say that it is never ever an easy task, because you’ll get those on the side of you that want you to go faster, and there are those on the other side that want you to taihoa.

So I want to acknowledge particularly Piri and Barry and Joinella for hanging in, for being there from day one, and for seeing this through. I do hope that we pass this bill in its conclusion as quickly as possible, but I want to acknowledge your efforts, particularly Barry, Joinella, Piri, and those kaumātua that are no longer here with us. I too want to add my acknowledgment of Uncle Heitia Hiha and his guidance that he applied on this particular settlement and negotiation.

It is a time to celebrate, but it’s also time to acknowledge the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes in getting us here, and also to acknowledge the Crown negotiators and Te Arawhiti staff that have worked and beavered behind the scenes. There’s been acknowledgment of the former Treaty Minister Chris Finlayson. I want to acknowledge his work in terms of getting the deed of settlement in 2016, but particularly I want to acknowledge my colleague the current Treaty negotiations Minister, the Hon Andrew Little, for putting this bill in as soon as the report from the Waitangi Tribunal came out.

There were comments from across the side about hold-ups. Look, we all understand that everyone has a right to justice and reviews, and we have just allowed that to happen. But the tribunal has said haere tonu, haere tonu, and there has been a commitment to ensure that the trustees’ elections proceed before we have that final third reading.

So it is really, indeed, an honour to stand in celebration of this first reading the Ahuriri Hapū Claims Settlement Bill. I am looking forward, like I said, to travelling home to ensure that we give due process and due scrutiny to this bill. I want to join with all members of this House in acknowledging again those that have travelled down to witness this first reading. It is, indeed, my honour and privilege, with all members of this House, to commend this bill, and we look forward to it coming to select committee with great haste and to reporting it back to this House. I commend this bill to the House.

Waiata

Bill read a first time.

Bill referred to the Māori Affairs Committee.