Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill

I move, That the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill be now read a second time.

This bill gives effect to the deed of settlement signed by Ngāti Hinerangi and the Crown in May 2019. The deed of settlement settles all the remaining historical Treaty of Waitangi claims of Ngāti Hinerangi. Ngāti Hinerangi is an iwi from the eastern Waikato, based in Matamata. The area of interest of Ngāti Hinerangi extends from Matamata to Tauranga Moana, including part of the Kaimai Range. The historical claims of Ngāti Hinerangi relate to conflict with the Crown in Tauranga, including the 1847 Tauranga bush campaign, the Crown’s confiscation of land in Tauranga, and the operation of the Native Land Court from 1865. Ngāti Hinerangi were left virtually landless by these actions, which have contributed to their economic and social marginalisation within New Zealand society and the loss of traditional tribal structures.

This bill comprises three parts, detailing cultural and commercial redress and the Crown’s apology redress. I will give a more fulsome account of the content of the bill when we come to our third reading, and I look forward to the opportunity to do that. For the purposes, however, of this second reading, I acknowledge Te Puāwaitanga o Ngāti Hinerangi Iwi Trust, including all members of the negotiating team. I acknowledge Ngāti Hinerangi representatives who are in the House today, including Phil Smith, chair of the trust; trustees Dianna Vaimoso, Chris Wilson; and their whānau. Can I say what a great pleasure it was to be hosted by them at their marae in northern Waikato in May last year, and it was a very sunny and very grand day and a great occasion and a great celebration. It was a great opportunity to catch up with those who have been the driving force on the side of the iwi to get to this point. The dedication and determination of those personalities has been vital in paving our way towards this settlement.

I also acknowledge the previous Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Christopher Finlayson, as well as the Government agencies and local authorities for their contributions to the bill. I also thank the chair and the members of the Māori Affairs Committee. Both the chair and the committee have done an excellent job in progressing this bill.

The proposed bill gives effect to those elements of the deed of settlement which require a statute. The bill was referred to the Māori Affairs Committee on 19 September 2019. The committee reported back to the House on 19 March this year. The committee received and considered 47 submissions on the bill: 43 submitters supported the bill and four submitters opposed the bill; nine submitters spoke to their submissions at Matamata in December; and four of the submitters sought changes to the bill. I’d like to extend my thanks again to the committee for their excellent work in the effort and consideration of the bill. They read and listened to the submissions and carefully considered whether these should result in any change to the bill. The committee didn’t recommend any substantive changes as a result, but the committee did, however, make some minor technical amendments to the bill, and it is a better piece of legislation as a result. I’m satisfied with the committee’s recommendations, as they will ensure that the redress agreed in the Ngāti Hinerangi deed of settlement can be properly implemented through this bill.

I want to make special mention here of Ngāti Hinerangi’s overlapping interests process, because this is always a difficult and often fraught process between iwi at the point of concluding a settlement. As part of the overlapping interests process, Ngāti Hinerangi agreed to transfer ownership in full or in part of three cultural redress properties to Tauranga Moana iwi. The bill provides for these arrangements to be implemented post settlement. Ngāti Hinerangi engaged in a process that demonstrated great leadership and pragmatism. These arrangements to address overlapping interests will provide for a long-lasting relationship between Ngāti Hinerangi and Tauranga Moana iwi.

In conclusion, this second reading is, of course, part of the last stage of the settlement process that seeks to recognise what is important to Ngāti Hinerangi and to provide redress for historical breaches of the Treaty. As we often acknowledge in this House, no amount of redress will ever be enough to fully and truly and properly compensate for the hurt and the harm and the mamae caused by the Crown’s actions in the past, but this is a step towards acknowledgment, recognition, and reconciliation, and I hope that it can allow for Ngāti Hinerangi to have confidence for the future. I commend this bill to the House. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. Nau mai hāere mai ki tēnei Whare anō. Ngā uri me ngā mana whenua o Ngāti Hinerangi. Ko Harete Hipango tōku ingoa. Nō Whanganui ahau.

[Greetings, Madam Speaker. Welcome to this House, again. The descendants and those with authority over the land of Ngāti Hinerangi. I am Harete Hipango. I am from Whanganui.]

I stand to address the House in the added and new responsibilities that I have, first of all, as the lead speaker for the National Party and also with the additional responsibilities and portfolios now as shadow Attorney-General, and also with the role of the spokesperson for Treaty settlement negotiations, in addition to my Māori-Crown relations portfolio and Māori tourism.

So, for the purpose of those members of the public who are listening in and aren’t necessarily familiar with the process, today is the second reading of the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill. The first reading was before the House on 19 September 2019. I didn’t have the privilege to take a call to address the House. However, since then the process is, after a first reading, the matter goes to select committee, and that select committee was the Māori Affairs Committee, which again, I did not have the privilege to be able to sit in and be part of listening to the kōrero, the submissions, and the evidence from the people of Ngāti Hinerangi and those who have an interest.

So the members of the House who will be speaking today to address—some of whom were on that select committee, and I think it’s pertinent to name who they are. Chairperson, Rino Tirikatene, my colleague and fellow parliamentarian who chairs that committee; Dan Bidois, a colleague in the National Party; Marama Davidson, who is the deputy chair of the Māori Affairs Committee and the co-leader of the Green Party; Joanne Hayes and Matt King, National Party members on the select committee; Adrian Rurawhe, whanaunga and Assistant Speaker of the House, the Labour Party; the Hon Nicky Wagner, my colleague in the National Party; and the Hon Meka Whaitiri, who is a member of the Labour Party.

So, as is known, the purpose of the second reading is to bring back before the House what had been contemplated after hearing evidence of the submitters from the Ngāti Hinerangi people and interested parties. I acknowledge Minister Little, Minister of Justice but also Minister for Treaty settlements, and my former colleague, the Hon Christopher Finlayson, who again was the former Minister for Treaty settlement negotiations. So the second reading of this is for the House to hear back from the Māori Affairs Committee after hearing the evidence of any concerns associated with the bill as had been presented. There is a report that has been filed or submitted to the House, and that report is available to the public online. This bill, as has been addressed in the first reading and by the Minister in the House this afternoon, is seeking to redress the injustices from the Crown’s actions and omissions in relation to the people of Ngāti Hinerangi.

The report from the Māori Affairs Committee is some seven pages in length. It details there what those amendments are that have been contemplated. The report feeds back that there is nothing substantive per se, apart from recommending a number of changes which are deemed to be minor and technical. However, in saying that, the issues are of substance to the people of Ngāti Hinerangi because this is their bill, and it impacts on the ongoing relationships moving into the future by addressing the grievances.

In brief—and I think, again, for the benefit of the public listening in—often these Treaty settlement bills don’t have the due and the full public coverage and attention that they are deserving of. These settlements, and Ngāti Hinerangi, are a significant part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s history and the journey that we’ve gone on. So I’ve referenced before, while standing in this House addressing those listening, here present and also in TV land, that this Chamber is a chamber of commemoration and that just positioned to one of the main entrances to the Chamber is the plaque which is the commemoration of the New Zealand Māori Land Wars.

So the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill has distinctive parts to it, and those parts are: addressing the historical context and giving the story, the whakaaro, the thoughts, the knowledge, and the history, the kōrero associated with those grievances, the omissions, the actions, and how to move forward. The other part, of course, is the formal acknowledgment by the Crown and the apology. It then moves into what the redress is, and there are three cultural redress—no, I stand to be corrected. There are components of redress. There’s the fiscal redress, there is the cultural redress, and there are those other elements that have been addressed within the bill.

Now, as is often the case, there is so much to go through to cover within the space of 10 minutes. And that is why there is the written report that’s made available, to go through the detail of that. And, as is well known, I now am positioned as a member sitting back on the Māori Affairs Committee. The approach that we take there as members of Parliament, but also cross-party, is one of collaboration, one of working cooperatively, and one of ensuring that these Treaty settlement bills take heed and are cognisant of the fact and the concerns that have been submitted by way of the oral evidence of the people who have that vested interest. We work concertedly as a select committee to take heed of that and to progress the transmission from the first reading, through to the second reading, through to the final passage of the third reading, which hopefully will come soon.

So the significant part, as I’ve touched on, is that this bill is a Treaty settlement. It’s a significant one, since the time that the incursions of injustice had occurred, which dates back to the 1800s. But the chronology is that the Crown signed a terms of negotiation back in February 2014. So in terms of the legislative journey, or the process for it to arrive at these final stages of it taking its passage into law, it has been a long one. And I can also relate to that, coming from W’anganui being uri and mana whenua of W’anganui, the long journey that my tūpuna have taken. So I can acknowledge and I associate and empathise with what the feeling is for the people with the journey that you’ve embarked on. You carry that of your tūpuna. But importantly, in carrying that, this is being done for our mokopuna and the history of those going into the future.

We come from the past, but we learn from the past and we carry that forward into the future with a sense and a real stage of hope and development and progression. And that’s what the redress, in terms of the fiscal settlement—which some may deem, at $8.1 million, is insufficient, and in the context and scheme of the suffering and the grievance and the passage of time, it is. However, you of Ngāti Hinerangi have negotiated the settlement. You—Madam Speaker, I acknowledge that you are in the Chair, but often in this kōrero I address the people who have come here. The people Ngāti Hinerangi, this is your settlement and you carry it forward to make the most of the opportunity, bearing in mind what your tūpuna have carried through to what your mokopuna will be: the bearers of hope. I will have the opportunity to address everybody—and, importantly, with that sense of aspiration and hope and fulfilment moving forward into the future—at the third reading of this bill.

In conclusion, it is a distinct privilege. I never thought that I would be before the House, 2½ years ago, speaking to Treaty settlement negotiations, having been on a journey for more than 20 years of my lifetime with now my nannies and koros, who were tūpuna—ngā tūpuna aitua.

So, to address the people from Ngāti Hinerangi, ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa. Kia māia, kia kaha, kia manawa nui.

[I acknowledge you all. Be courageous, be brave, be steadfast.]

I commend this second reading of the bill to the House.

Tēnā koe, Madam Speaker. Matua, Tama, Wairua Tapu me ngā anahera pono. Mā ngā māngai hei tautoko, ae anei, ake nei, āe. Tēnā koutou, Ngāti Hinerangi, tēnā koutou ngā whanaunga tini, karanga maha, nau mai whakatau mai ki Te Whare Pāremata i tēnei ahiahi. Ka tū tautoko ahau ki te tautoko i tēnei pire i tēnei pānuitanga tuarua. Nō reira, rau rangatira mā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Greetings, Madam Speaker. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and faithful angels. May the divine mouthpiece confirm this prayer now and for ever. Yes. Greetings, Ngāti Hinerangi, greetings to my many relations and welcome me to Parliament this afternoon. I stand to support this bill at second reading. Therefore, to the leaders among you, greetings to one and all.]

I’m delighted to speak in support of the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill at its second reading. I want to acknowledge the member for W’anganui, Harete Hipango and her elevation within her caucus, but also for her contributions in this debate thus far. It’s always a pleasure to speak to these readings and I am particularly fond of Ngāti Hinerangi as chair of the Māori Affairs Committee because we travelled—it was back in December now last year—right into the heart of Matamata, the most beautiful part of the country—

💬 Matt King: Northland.

Oh, it’s better than Northland, I’m afraid, Mr King. It’s equivalent to those most beautiful parts to the north and to the south. But Matamata is a wonderful part of the country. And so I was delighted, along with fellow committee members, to hear the kōrero from submitters. It may not be the largest Treaty settlement, but every iwi has mana and every iwi has their own history and their own grievances which have been fully traversed and embodied in the deed of settlement which this bill gives full effect to. And so I was very pleased to chair the proceedings on that particular day.

We heard a number of submitters, as Minister Little said. Of the 47 submitters, 43 were 100 percent fully in support of the bill; no changes required. There were some opposing submitters. And I think it’s understandable that we do hear some other contrary views. As we know, a Treaty settlement involves many hapū, and if we think of Ngāti Hinerangi strategically where they are located, there are a host of other iwi around Tauranga Moana, around the Waikato - Bay of Plenty area, which are all in that area of interest in which Ngāti Hinerangi is nestled. So we heard from hapū members who were perhaps wanting to get clarification around the terms of a particular hapū, for instance. So there was Ngāti Tamapango, who is part of Ngāti Hinerangi, and Ngāti Pango. And to cut a long story short, the two are one and the same, and Ngāti Pango, which is a hapū of Ngāti Ranginui on Tauranga Moana is also reflected in Ngāti Tamapango in Ngāti Hinerangi.

So it’s always most interesting to hear the history and to hear these connections. And really, it’s all about the whakapapa, because there is the common ancestor of Kōperu, I believe, the common tupuna which links all of Ngāti Hinerangi and all of those hapū as well.

We also heard from other hapū who applied to the Waitangi Tribunal. They sought some decisions from the tribunal around the mandate of Ngāti Hinerangi; the tribunal dealt with those issues—whether they would decline the urgent applications, or dismiss certain applications—because there was already a mechanism in place for any hapū of the eight hapū that are part of Ngāti Hinerangi. There is always a mechanism and a process in place as part of the mandate arrangements that they could have followed through on. So those opportunities were available to those particular hapū, but it was, again, very important that we were able to hear the kōrero and to record that, not only through our submission process, but also here in the House.

But the long and the whole of it, we actually made no substantive changes to the bill, which is great. It fully reflects what was recorded in the deed of settlement. There were a host of technical amendments that we made around descriptions of various properties and the like, which are all now 100 percent correct. And so this bill is now well positioned. I mihi to Ngāti Hinerangi. We have had a bit of a hiatus—we had the Christmas holiday break—from when we heard from submitters, and then obviously COVID-19, which has intervened. So it’s been quite a bit of a hiatus between then and now, but I’m certainly pleased that we’ve picked it up again and that we are able to take another important step with this bill through the House. And with that, I’ll say more at the third reading, but I want to mihi once again to Ngāti Hinerangi, and I am here to tautoko this bill at its second reading. Kia ora tātou.

Tēnā koe, Madam Speaker. Ngā whānau o Ngāti Hinerangi, nau mai, haere mai. Nau mai haere mai ki Te Whare Pāremata i tēnēi rā. Welcome. Welcome to the second reading of your bill, the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill. It is my pleasure to stand in this second reading to speak on your bill, Ngāti Hinerangi, because it is really important.

While I was not able to make the submissions part of the process of this bill, I heard many good things that came through. We always have people that are for it. In this case, there was a majority of people that submitted that were for this bill. Then, of course, we had others who supported parts of it and opposed parts of it, and then, of course, we had those who oppose the bill, which was minimal, actually.

I just want to say that like all the other bills that have come through the settlement process, there’s always that whole area around confiscated land, land stolen from iwi. I want to acknowledge Ngāti Hinerangi because they were made virtually landless and almost wiped out. This bill actually goes a little way—a little way—to trying to restore the mana of Ngāti Hinerangi. For me, it is a start—it is an economic start. Once we get through to the Royal assent part, $8.1 million will be received by the iwi.

But I just want to talk a little bit about the history and what Ngāti Hinerangi endured during the 1860s: the raids on their land from the colonial Government, the promises that were made that were never fulfilled, and the whole area around the taking of this land. We hear it so many times in this House. We talk about reparation, about trying to make good on the things of the past, but we all know that there is no quantum big enough to be able to make that a true and meaningful response to the horrible things that happened in the past.

As I said, I started talking about the historical side of Ngāti Hinerangi, when, in the 1860s, they joined te iwi o Tainui for the Kīngitanga battles against the colonial soldiers. As I said, Governor Grey promised they would only take a quarter of the land, only to have the whole of the land taken from Tauranga Māori. That is definitely an awful indictment on the Crown back then.

I want to carry on and talk a little bit about the trust going around to gather the many whānau towards being part and parcel of this deed of settlement. We see that there were eight hapū that have joined. Our colleagues have spoken before me. Rino Tirikatene talked about Ngāti Pango and Ngāti Tamapango and how they are, for want of a better word, one and the same, for easy reference, and all of those hapū that came together to support the next stages of this bill. As my colleague Harete Hipango said, there’s another couple more stages, the committee of the whole House and the third reading, yet to come.

The vesting of the sites: there were 14 sites that were vested in Ngāti Hinerangi—from Ngā Tamahine e Rua, which is a scenic reserve, right through to Tūranga o Moana property as an encumbered fee simple land. All of those little bits make up a whole heap of land, but not as much as what was taken from you. The deed of settlement provides statutory acknowledgments across seven areas and three geothermal sites as well—resources. These things all seem to add up—the cultural redress of $200,000—in a quantum. To actually help revitalisation, there is a revitalisation fund and a marae rebuild fund of $20,000. All of these things will go towards what we are banking on: that Ngāti Hinerangi will build their economic independence not just for now but for their mokopuna in the future.

I have a lot more to say about this, but I want to reserve it, because this is just the second reading and we have a little bit further to go, and I want to be able to save that for the third reading. Like the rest of my colleagues in this House that will be speaking on this bill and the parties that support this bill—which is everybody—I want to commend it to the House. I pay homage to you sitting up there in the gallery, Ngāti Hinerangi, for your perseverance, for your kaha, and for your mana. Kia ora koutou.

Tēnā koe, Madam Speaker. I rise on behalf of New Zealand First in support of the second reading of the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill. It’s an absolute honour to stand and take my call. Tēnā koutou katoa, he mihi mahana ki a koutou—my very warm greetings to you, Ngāti Hinerangi. It is a pleasure, as I mentioned, to support this bill, because it gives effect to the deed of settlement signed by Ngāti Hinerangi and the Crown on 4 May 2019. Ngāti Hinerangi, as we’ve heard in the speeches already contributed so far, you are located in the eastern Waikato, in the Tauranga area, and you’re based today in Matamata. I’d like to also join the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Andrew Little, in acknowledging Te Puāwaitanga o Ngāti Hinerangi Iwi Trust, who are all here today—your negotiating team—and welcome you to your House, your “Whare of Representatives”. I also should really note the previous Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Christopher Finlayson, for his work, as well, because it’s taken, to this point, 16 long years. That actually gives hope to my iwi, Ngāpuhi, that one day we, too, will be in this House.

💬 Dr Shane Reti: Me too!

Ha, ha! Excellent—we have agreement across the House. That is a good thing. Thank you to the good doctor, and congratulations, too, on your elevation. I acknowledge the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, Rino Tirikatene, and the words you have spoken. I have previously been on the Māori Affairs Committee, and it was with great disappointment that I was then moved to another committee, because it is a committee that works collaboratively. The real essence of the work that they do is on Treaty settlements and progressing them through the House. It is so important that the Crown makes that step forward on your behalf, because it is no longer something that we should hold back any more. I’m just saying that, really, for Ngāpuhi. Get it together, Ngāpuhi. We’re looking forward to your turn, too. I also note Harete Hipango’s contribution in the House, and I would like to acknowledge your elevation, too. It is a pleasure to see that you have taken a new seat in this House.

The committee heard 47 submissions: 43 in support and just four opposed. Those nine submitters that spoke to the committee, that travelled down to Matamata—what a joy for them to be part of that submission process, to hear the kōrero and to make some determinations as to any changes that needed to happen in the bill. No substantive changes needed to be made as a result; just some minor technical amendments to the bill. The committee also heard about transferring land to solve overlapping interests. There are a lot of iwi that have overlapping interests, and in particular I take note of the tikanga-led process that was undertaken between Ngāti Hinerangi and Tauranga Moana iwi to address those overlapping interests. I note also that following the settlement, Ngāti Hinerangi has agreed to transfer ownership, in full or in part, of three cultural redress properties to Tauranga Moana iwi. The bill actually will make arrangements to be implemented post settlement, and so that is something that will happen after we pass, finally, the third reading—hopefully not in too many months’ time.

The committee heard that Ngāti Hinerangi was interested in purchasing Matamata College, and perhaps there is some sadness that that didn’t come to pass. I do note that Matamata College was determined to be unavailable, but the settlement will include the first right of refusal over the college, which will be in place for 178 years. So not all is lost there. I did note the 16 years it has taken to reach this stage of the second reading, and it has been noted already in contributions—$8.1 million, a Crown apology—that’s probably the most significant thing, the apology, because when you address the apology, and when it is spoken, and when it is heard, it is felt in the heart. Then healing and movement can happen, and that is probably the most important thing I feel can happen: that healing happens from this place to address all the wrongs that have been in place over a number of years.

Ngāti Hinerangi were among the force of Tauranga Māori who defeated Crown troops in the battle of Pukehinahina, Gate Pā. Maybe in time, as this Government has said, we will teach New Zealand’s history in schools. Your stories, too, will be told in classrooms around New Zealand, around Aotearoa, and we look forward to our children of the future learning your stories as you tell them—not necessarily from the Crown perspective, but from your iwi perspective. The land that was lost in confiscation, questionable land dealings, and the actions of the Native Land Court, until you were virtually landless in both the Tauranga Moana and the Waikato areas of your tribal rohe, leading to social, cultural, and economic marginalisation—today we begin the end of that journey of pain, moving into one of hope and freedom.

I’d just like to acknowledge my colleague the Hon Shane Jones, who spoke on your first reading. He said that “in Parliament, in the highest court of the land, [we] accord them our respect by binding together to pass legislation that acknowledges that despite the processes of colonialism, the various wars, and the ebb and flow of economic forces in [the] part of New Zealand [that you’re from], [you] have found the tenacity and … the spirit within … to continue to perpetuate [your] own identity”. In conclusion, redress, no matter what amount, will never, ever be enough to compensate for your losses, to right the wrongs of the past, but it is a step towards acknowledgment. It is a step towards reconciliation and towards that pathway of reconciliation. So today in the House we take that step in the hope that Ngāti Hinerangi will be able to move forward together with confidence in your future. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. E ngā reo, e ngā mana, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Greetings, Madam Speaker. To the spokespeople, to the leaders, greetings one and all.]

It’s with great pleasure that I stand here to take a call on the second reading of the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill. It’s been a very long journey for the iwi to get here. If we look back, although rangatira affiliated to Ngāti Hinerangi signed the Treaty of Waitangi in Tauranga in 1840, it wasn’t long before the iwi was at odds with the Crown. From the 1860s onwards, Ngāti Hinerangi was constantly in battle to retain their whenua. It was in protest against the colonists’ insatiable demand for land that Ngāti Hinerangi joined the Kīngitanga movement in an attempt to slow land sales, and was also involved with them in battle, alongside Kīngitanga forces, in both Taranaki and in the Waikato. Then, their warriors returned to support Tauranga Māori and participated in both the crushing defeat of the British military at the battle of Pukehinahina at Gate Pā, and also their own defeat at the battle of Te Ranga.

During the multiple land confiscations that followed, Ngāti Hinerangi protested the surveying of their land, and were victims of a scorched earth campaign. The battle continued on through the Native Land Court, but, eventually, Ngāti Hinerangi was alienated from their land and became virtually landless.

As the submission of Dianna Vaimoso and Hinerangi Lilo explains, landlessness had a huge negative effect on Ngāti Hinerangi, and I quote from their submission: “No land meant no kai, no income, no kāinga … So, many of our whānau were forced to leave the only place we’d known as home, in search of employment. With our people, went our sense of identity, our sense of belonging, our community, our fellowship, our connection to each other and our turangawaewae. While we have a strong group of whānau based in our local community in the present day, we have hundreds of whānau living in other parts of the country, in Australia and further afield. Our hope is that this bill will help us lure them home for good or just more often so we can rekindle that connection to our whenua and each other.”

Certainly, the 20th century was a very tough time for Ngāti Hinerangi, and, in fact, if it wasn’t for kaumātua Rawiri Thompson, who knew his history and knew that Ngāti Hinerangi wasn’t merely a hapū of Ngāti Raukawa but an iwi in its own right, we wouldn’t be in this House today. Another generation down the line, and the opportunity to bring the iwi together again to “rekindle their connection with the whenua and each other” may have been lost for ever.

So today we celebrate, and we celebrate the next step in this Treaty settlement process. The identity and whakapapa of Ngāti Hinerangi was established in 2004 through research in the Māori Land Court, and the negotiations towards this Treaty settlement began in 2014 on the watch of the Hon Christopher Finlayson. I was part of the Māori Affairs Committee, which met submitters in Matamata late last year. There were 47 written submissions in total and we heard from nine submitters on that day. It was a very interesting and useful time. We heard from the trustees that even these Treaty negotiations have been a battle. So it is absolutely appropriate that the Crown unreservedly apologises to Ngāti Hinerangi for failing to uphold its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi and the resulting damage that was done to the iwi.

Of course, not everyone in the iwi is completely happy with the settlement, and I want to acknowledge those who spoke to the committee about their concerns and I recognise how difficult it is to get a unanimous agreement in any settlement. However, this settlement has a very respectable participation rate, at 58 percent of eligible registered beneficiaries voting, and a very high percentage of votes in favour: 96 percent. This shows strong support for the settlement, and is significantly higher than most settlements in both participation and, especially, approval rate.

Although we heard a variety of opinions from submitters, which we considered fully, in the end we only made a very few, mainly minor, changes to the bill. However, I’d like to reflect on two important issues. The first is to congratulate Ngāti Hinerangi for the creative way that they have dealt with overlapping interests. We heard that the Ngāti Hinerangi area is overlapped by 11 other groups, and that a tikanga-led process was undertaken between Ngāti Hinerangi and Tauranga Moana iwi to address those overlapping interests. Following settlement, Ngāti Hinerangi have agreed to gift ownership of three cultural redress properties to Tauranga Moana iwi. I think this is a unique and innovative solution, and it has the potential to set the relationship between Ngāti Hinerangi and Tauranga Moana iwi on a new, very positive course post settlement.

Again, I quote our submitters: “After meeting with Tauranga Moana iwi, our trustees and negotiation team made the decision to gift this piece of land to our Tauranga whanaunga when we receive it back. Yes, getting it back meant a lot to us but it meant so much to them too and it will forever symbolise a bond between our iwi. … we believe this outcome strengthened us an iwi and enhanced our mana.” The committee thought so too, and see it as an enlightened and elegant solution.

The second point I want to talk about is the ownership of Matamata College land. Many of the iwi were keen that the land under Matamata College was part of the settlement. Many Ngāti Hinerangi children attend the school, and the iwi want to encourage educational success for Māori, and, as mana whenua, to be seen as the rightful people of Matamata township. They feel that once again obtaining ownership of the land that the college stands on would reinvigorate a sense of pride and belonging for attending whānau, now and for generations to come. Unfortunately, as we’ve heard, Matamata College was deemed unavailable for this settlement, but to recognise the importance of the school to the iwi, the Ngāti Hinerangi settlement does include a right of first refusal over the land, which will be in place for the next 178 years, and who knows what could happen in that time.

So, in conclusion, Ngāti Hinerangi has battled to get this settlement with the Crown over many, many years, and there has been plenty of debate within the iwi as well. It is not a perfect settlement, and not every person supports every part of it, but it opens up a whole new era for the iwi, a 21st century blossoming, and an exciting future for Te Puāwaitanga o Ngāti Hinerangi. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. Tēnā tātou katoa, ōku hoa kaimahi, ki a koutou o Ngāti Hinerangi hoki. Kia ora rā.

[Greetings, Madam Speaker. Greetings to one and all, my work colleagues, and also those of you from Ngāti Hinerangi. Greetings.]

My goodness. This is the second reading of the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill that the Greens will be supporting alongside all the other political parties in this House. And I was thinking back to—I believe it was 9 December 2019—where our Māori Affairs Committee travelled to Matamata and had the submissions and the hearings for this bill, where the Māori Affairs Committee sat on that day in Matamata. It was a beautiful day and it was, again, another privilege, another beautiful opportunity to meet kanohi ki te kanohi and to see the whānau of the hapū and iwi.

This settlement is attempting to start to address some of the injustice that again has been perpetuated by the Crown, that has been generational and has left generational scars. So I was just looking back through—I wanted in my second reading speech, because it is quite different from the first and the third readings—it is the speech that acknowledges that we took the hearings and the issues that were raised in the hearings back to the Māori Affairs Committee. We sat down with advisers and all of the members of that committee and tried to sort of work through the concerns and the issues that were raised.

And so I wanted to focus my second reading speech to just again acknowledge and put on the Hansard, the debate records, how vital that opportunity for hapū and whānau members to be heard was, because it once again highlights the real challenge and the ongoing difficulty of a Crown perpetuated process to try and settle enormous grievances—grievances that we have all known across Aotearoa, and settlements that, of course, don’t come anywhere near justice. They are part of a step towards trying to improve Crown and iwi and Māori relationships. But that day was important, and I wanted to remember the spirit that people came to us to bring the stories, different stories, stories of hope in what this settlement will allow Ngāti Hinerangi to be able to start. I’ll pick up on some of them.

I remembered, I think it was Joanne Aoake, who, interestingly for me, picked up on the bill’s ability to, hopefully, provide help with iwi health services to be able to deliver that aspiration of iwi-run, iwi-led health services as part of how this settlement could help. Now, those are ongoing discussions that, of course, are up to the iwi and the whānau and hapū members to decide how to use the fruits of this particular settlement to improve and put it to good use to help the people and help the land.

As our report notes, our report-back from the committee, and as is very common—in fact, I think it happens for every single claim that has come before the House—there is always concern and opposition to the settlement. It is always raised to us at select committee how these settlements can be seen, can be felt, to pit whānau and hapū and even iwi against each other when we are trying to settle some of these injustices. And that was certainly raised on the day in Matamata as well.

I remember, for example—I had a quote in here that was acknowledging, and I want to acknowledge Te Whānau Bidois here in this House, who came, my colleague Dan Bidois. But I remember it was Matua Rawiri, I think, who said “This settlement is going to damage our tribal relations.” Now, I want to acknowledge that the way that the processes have been set up, that is always something that is raised. This is why the Greens have always talked about how the large natural settlement criteria of the current Treaty process always lends itself to the difficulty of hapū and whānau and iwi feeling that they are not properly represented in these particular settlement claims. And that’s a challenge for us here as representatives in this House.

Minister Little, in all of the readings of this bill to date, has acknowledged that he has listened and has accountability to try and work out ways to better acknowledge that the large natural groupings criteria could very clearly set up further damage for tribal relations. And what I wanted to say in the second reading is that we owe it as members, I think, as members of Parliament, to support as much as we can the iwi and the hapū that are left with the difficulty of trying to repair, heal, maintain, and grow relationships with the wedges that have been created by these Crown settlements, and we need to wish all the aroha and all the support, but also be thinking about what are the systemic supports that we can provide in this House to acknowledge the potential damage to tribal affiliations that happen.

In saying that, I too acknowledge the Ngāti Hinerangi Trust and all post-settlement governance entities, who are left with the profound, challenging work and exciting work of trying to move our waka forward, picking up what has come through from these settlements, working with whānau and hapū, working with the debates and marae, trying to figure out what are our dreams now, how can we use our settlements to further our people, to support our people. That is no easy task and it’s not even an easy task getting to this point of second reading in the House of the legislation. So I acknowledge and I believe that the Ngāti Hinerangi Trust are here today as well. We owe it, as representatives of this House, to wish them all the love and support, but to think about what are the solutions and systemic fixes that we can actually give to that work from this point onwards.

I wanted to pick up on—here we go—the valid oppositions that are also raised as well as people taking hope from these settlements. I wrote in my notes that a story of Tamapango was read out at the end of that day, of that submission day, that breaks my heart and exemplified the real stories and the tūpuna who were involved and what their battles and conquests were. That story of Tamapango left a deep feeling of emotion in my heart that day and was a reminder of the reason why we are standing here debating these settlements. It was a reminder of what it always comes back to: the resilience and strength of Ngāti Hinerangi, the modelling of Ngāti Hinerangi for the rest of our country, for the sort of Aotearoa that we want to be able to build and being able to come through such incredible land, language, and tikanga loss, and maintaining their ahi kā, maintaining their tikanga, and their kawa to be upstanding and strong as Ngāti Hinerangi, despite the incredible injustice and takahi that their tīpuna were confronted with and were subjected to. I made a particular note in my book that day about that story, and I want to thank Ngāti Hinerangi for sharing that story, and the heart of what these claims are all about with all of us at the Māori Affairs Committee today.

I look forward to the third reading of this bill and to seeing another start for Ngāti Hinerangi in moving people and their whenua forward. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Tēnā koutou katoa, Ngāti Hinerangi. Nau mai, haere mai ki Te Whare Pāremata mō ō koutou pire, the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill. Ko Matt King taku ingoa. I’d like to acknowledge the members of the iwi that are up here in the gallery today—looking fine, looking sharp—and I’d like to acknowledge our chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, Rino Tirikatene, a man I really respect. I enjoyed travelling down to Matamata to hear your submissions with the rest of the select committee team.

This bill gives effect to the deed of settlement signed on 4 May 2019 between the Crown and Ngāti Hinerangi, and it represents a final Treaty settlement for the iwi, for acts and omissions from the Crown prior to 1992, and isn’t it about time that we got there? I know you’re based in the Matamata area, the second most beautiful part of the country—Northland being the best, of course. I travelled there; I can vouch. It was good to listen to the submitters and receive the hospitality that we received and the welcome we received in that lovely part of New Zealand. I know it extends from the eastern part of Waikato-Tauranga through to the Kaimai Ranges. Sometime in the future, we’re going to be trying to put a tunnel through the Kaimais, and we hope you support us with our plan—we hope you do.

In 2014, the Crown recognised the mandate of the Ngāti Hinerangi trust, and in December 2015, an agreement was agreed in principle and it was signed, and it formed the basis of the settlement. It was initialled on 14 December 2018, and in May 2019, years later, the Ngāti Hinerangi deed of settlement was signed. I know from the select committee that there were minor changes made, mostly to definitions and interpretations. The voting process had strong support, and that’s important, but there was some opposition to the mandate that the parties have. I note that it resulted in three urgent applications to the Waitangi Tribunal, but none were successful. So here we are today in the second reading of the bill—so we have the committee stage and then the final reading, and hopefully everything should go through well, and everyone in your patch should be very happy.

It recognises the wrongs of the past, and there have been many wrongs in the past. For me, it’s great to be part of this process, being in Parliament and being part of the process of Treaty settlements and understanding a lot more of the history of New Zealand that I would probably never have been able to learn about or never had the opportunity learn about, but I’ve had to because I’ve been in here and I’ve been part of the process, in the Māori Affairs Committee. So you do get to understand what went on in the past and what we’ve got to do to put it right. So it’s really great to be part of that with my colleague here, Harete Hipango, who has been promoted up in our party, and she represents us well. It recognises the wrongs of the past and, in my view, unlocks future potential for the region, for the iwi, for the country.

We’ve got to acknowledge the input of the Hon Chris Finlayson. He has been an absolute legend of a man that has done so much work on behalf of National, on behalf of Parliament, to progress these Treaty settlements. So it’s really important that we acknowledge him, and he is sorely missed, actually. One of the things that comes out of these Treaty settlements is, yes, there is financial redress but, really importantly, apologies—unreserved apologies—to the hapū, to the whānau, for the wrongs of the past. That is as important as anything, that acknowledgment, and a real, true acknowledgment from the Crown to the wrongs of the past, because without that acknowledgment, no one can move forward.

I know that Crown acts of land purchasing and confiscation left the iwi virtually landless. Between 1865 and 1868, the Crown confiscated over 290,000 acres of land in Tauranga. Some was returned, but the process was flawed, and this did not help and contributed to the marginalisation of the iwi, both economically and socially. It’s simply not possible, really, to compensate fully for the loss and the prejudice—it’s not possible. So what we’re doing here is we’re acknowledging it. It’s not tokenism, by any means, but, definitely, you cannot compensate truly, fully, 100 percent. Everyone knows that. But what it’ll do is, hopefully, forge a good relationship between the Crown and Ngāti Hinerangi and a real catalyst for positive change.

So the settlement included an agreed historical account, acknowledgments and apologies, cultural redress, financial redress of $8.1 million, revitalisation payments, a rebuild of a marae, co-governance and arrangements over the upper Waihou and Piako River catchments, and vesting of 14 cultural redress properties, which include the Wairere Falls scenic reserve, which is considered a sacred awa of Ngāti Hinerangi. The benefits of the settlement will be available to all members of Ngāti Hinerangi wherever they may live.

I just have to say that from our point of view, the National Party, we’re very proud of the Treaty settlements that we’ve been involved in, endurable Treaty settlements, the numbers of them that we’ve managed to get through under Chris Finlayson and others. We’re really proud of that, and if we get back in at some stage in the future, I would really like to see the Ngāpuhi settlement go through. That would be a big dream of mine in Northland. We’re not here to talk about them; we’re here to talk about Ngāti Hinerangi, but that would be a dream of mine, to see that settlement go through.

As a result of the focus on historical settlements this Government has completed, we’re only better for it, so I’m really happy to see the fact that this Government has continued on the good work that we did, and may there be many more settlements. I see here we had 56 settlements in principle and 58 deeds of settlement signed in our time between 2009 and 2017, and as I said before, we’re very proud of our record and we’re very proud to be part of this settlement today. When it finally goes through to the final process, maybe in the new year, maybe in the new term, it’ll be a great day for Ngāti Hinerangi.

So, nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. I commend this bill to the House.

The next call’s a split call—Tamati Coffey.

Madam Speaker, thank you very much. He Hōnore, he korōria, ki te atua he maungārongo ki runga i te mata o te whenua, he whakaaro pai ki ngā tāngata katoa. Tēnā koutou, Ngāti Hinem—Hinerangi, nōku te Ngāti Hinemihi kē. Tēnā koutou, Ngāti Hinerangi, koutou kua tae-ā-tinana mai ki roto i tēnei Whare Pāremata i tēnei rā whakahirahira mō koutou. Nei rā te mihi ki a koutou. Tēnei Te mema mō Te Waiariki—mai i Ngā Kuri ā Whārei ki Tihirau, mai i Maketū ki Tongariro, e mihi atu nei ki a koutou. He uri ahau o Tauranga Moana, o tērā waka hoki. Nō reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātou katoa.

[Honour, glory to god, and peace to the land, may good thoughts come to all men. Greetings, Ngāti Hinem—Hinerangi. Actually, Hinemihi is mine. Greetings, Ngāti Hinerangi, you who have arrived at Parliament in person today on what for you is a very important day. I acknowledge you all. This is the Member for Waiariki—from the dogs of Whārei to Cape Runaway, from Maketū to Tongariro, I acknowledge you all. I am a descendant of Tauranga Moana, of that other ancestral canoe. Therefore, greetings to one and all.]

Can I acknowledge your journey—your journey that you are still on that started some time ago. Unfortunately, today is only the second reading. There’s still a little bit more to go on this journey, but we’re doing it once and we’re doing it right. So I want to acknowledge that long journey that you are still on.

It’s not a perfect process, the Treaty settlement process. There will always be people that aren’t happy with the settlement process. Unfortunately, we still have to try and move forward and address some of the historical wrongs, and I hope that as you move forward, you will continue to be inclusive of those people who maybe at this time aren’t all on the waka heading in the same direction. So can I mihi to you on that note.

On this side of the House, it sounds like everybody supports this bill. It’s been through a process. Obviously, there was the trip down to Matamata, where the Māori Affairs Committee were able to go down there and look Ngāti Hinerangi in the eye and actually listen to some of the harrowing tales from days gone by. Through this settlement, the Crown is looking to address those past injustices that it has inflicted upon Ngāti Hinerangi and provide opportunities for Ngāti Hinerangi and the Crown to move forward together. The historical claims relate to conflict with the Crown in Tauranga, including the 1867 Tauranga bush campaign, the Crown’s confiscation of land in Tauranga, and the operation of the Native Land Court from 1865. Ngāti Hinerangi were left virtually landless by these actions. This settlement lays the cultural and economic foundation for Ngāti Hinerangi rangatahi, for mokopuna, and also for generations to come.

What does the bill do? Well, it contains an agreed historical account, first and foremost. Our Crown acknowledges the apology. There is cultural redress, and there is also commercial redress contained in this package as well. The settlement package includes the vesting of 14 sites of significance to allow Ngāti Hinerangi to re-establish connections with various parts of the rohe and to strengthen their own identity. It also provides for relationship instruments with key Crown agencies. It also has a co-governance arrangement over the Upper Waihou - Piako catchments and a payment of $200,000 for the cultural revitalisation of their people and also a fund in there to help rebuild marae. The commercial redress package also includes $8.1 million for transfer of five Crown-owned properties to Ngāti Hinerangi, including the sale and lease-back of Manawaru School and the Matamata Police Station, a right of first refusal over 51 other Crown properties, and the transfer of part of the Waihou forest.

This is a small part of what was lost back in the day, but it is the part that has been agreed to. I just want to acknowledge again the Māori Affairs Committee, the Minister who has overseen this, and also the people who have been generous enough to be able to get around that table and try and hash this out so that they can create a better future.

Before I resume my seat, can I just respond to a comment from Matt King, the previous speaker, when he spoke about giving mana back to the people but, at the same time, putting a hole in the Kaimai Ranges to feed those members’ insatiable need for roads. I would like to think that you are a big part of that discussion, and can I just say beware that party and promises when it comes to our Kaimai Ranges. They are our environment, they are our taonga, and they must be looked after.

I look forward to the third reading of this bill and the committee of the whole House, so that we can put this issue to rest. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātou katoa.

Kia ora. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Welcome, Ngāti Hinerangi, to this place, to your place, to our place. I’d particularly like to acknowledge the CEO of the Ngāti Hinerangi Trust, Tony Harrison, and the chairperson, Phil Smith—thank you both for making the journey along, and the rest of your team as well. It’s great to have you down with us today for the second reading of the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill.

Now, before I get under way, there have been a few errors made by some of the speakers today—well intentioned, but errors none the less. There were claims that Matamata is the second best part of the country, when, quite clearly, it is the best. For anyone who has travelled there, they will be well aware of this. The Māori Affairs Committee, I’m sure, experienced that when they travelled down to the mighty Waikato. They would have been struck by the majestic beauty of the place and absolutely gobsmacked at the awe of the mighty Wairere Falls, the Kaimai Range, and the beautiful rolling foothills and the magnificent, productive, fertile farmland of that rohe. Ngāti Hinerangi understand that. I have the pleasure of representing that area as the member of Parliament for Waikato, as well, and so I am blessed to understand that, as well. I grew up in Te Poi, which is within the rohe, and I absolutely acknowledge and understand the importance of that place and the beauty of the region.

We’ve traversed already today—pretty well, I think—the details of the peculiarities within the bill, the particular aspects as it pertains to this particular settlement bill, but there are a couple of bits that I just wanted to touch on. I really wanted to acknowledge, first of all, the journey, not just in the claims settlement process but, actually, prior to that and regaining the voice, regaining your identity, regaining your mana, and re-establishing Ngāti Hinerangi as its own separate iwi. So, well done for your pride in your own history, for your passion in pushing for that, and your perseverance in actually continuing and seeing that through to the reality where we are now. So I’d like to acknowledge that. I know that journey wouldn’t have been easy, but you can be very proud of that.

So we’ve got to this position now where there has been some redress made and, obviously, those details we’ve heard a bit about already. For me, when I was speaking recently with Tony, we talked a lot about what this means, but, actually, one of the things that struck me out of that conversation was around the fundamental that this is really a catalyst for positive change. This is a nice line in the sand that we’ve had some challenges in the past, that has been incredibly difficult, we’ve got to where we are now, and, actually, the future looks positive. There are some challenges of course—there always will be, and success takes time—but I have no doubt that with the passion within Ngāti Hinerangi you will achieve many wonderful things. I look forward to seeing that within our wider community.

Now, that area, as I mentioned, has been home for me, and I’m very proud of that. I’ve always enjoyed the Wairere Falls—and for anyone who hasn’t visited, it’s the largest waterfall in the North Island, it’s a beautiful part of the country, there’s a fantastic walk up there—it takes me a bit longer up and back down now than it used to 10 or 15 years ago, but politics does that to you!

💬 Chris Penk: Don’t blame politics; it’s the pies!

Ha, ha! Well, perhaps I can’t blame politics, yes—but that’s all right.

So, look, it’s a beautiful part of the country. I saw earlier on Facebook today—and members of the iwi here today may have seen it too—Hinerangi Lilo, I think it was, did a post on the Matamata-Piako District Council Facebook page talking about the importance of the area for her as a member of Ngāti Hinerangi and incorporating that and building that into the plan process that Matamata-Piako District Council are going through, as well.

So it’s really fantastic to see that voice being heard, to see strong advocacy for your passion and your rohe, your iwi. So I’m proud to be standing here, helping to shepherd this second reading through. A lot of that hard work has been done. There are still some points to progress through this House. The select committee has fixed up a few of those little tweaks. But, largely, now we have the remaining couple of stages, and then finally—finally—we tick that box and Ngāti Hinerangi can move forward with this as a positive catalyst for change, and I look forward to seeing that. Kia ora.

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. Otirā, e tika ana kia tuku mihi atu ki ngā whānau, ngā hapū katoa o Ngāti Hinerangi i tēnei wā; ki a koutou kua tae mai nei ki tēnei Whare e tū ake nei. E whakapiri ana ahau i taku mihi ki a rātou kua mihia kē ki a koutou. Nō reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Greetings, Madam Speaker. So, it is only right to acknowledge the families and all the sub-tribes of Ngāti Hinerangi at this time, and those of you who have made it to this House. I add my acknowledgments to those of the speakers who have preceded me. Therefore, greetings to one and all.]

It’s a real pleasure to speak to the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill in the second reading. I’m a member of the Māori Affairs Committee and I join with colleagues from across the House, especially those who travelled to Matamata to hear submitters on this bill. Can I just say to the House and to members of Ngāti Hinerangi that are listening in to this debate that the process can be challenging both for submitters, for the claimant, for the members of the committee itself. We find ourselves often hearing disputes and we have to make sure that we give everyone a fair hearing, and sometimes we have to ask the hard questions. It does not mean that we dispute what is being said. It just means that we want to find out all of the information that we can. We then take that information away with us. We consider it. We ask officials that have worked on the settlement for further information, as we did in this case.

In the report back to the House it outlines quite clearly all of the things that we discovered and the decisions that the committee came to. So I support what other members of the committee have said about this settlement, that we considered very clearly what was told to us about different hapū about what was supported and what was not. At the end of the day, we have come to the conclusion that this bill should be passed with no major changes at all. There are a few technical changes. In saying that, I also want to acknowledge exactly what is in the deed of settlement rather than the legislation. The legislation only contains aspects of the deed of settlement that needs to be in legislation. There’s a lot more.

Can I add to or endorse the words of the Hon Nicky Wagner in her expressions about the historical account. I think it’s really important that we, as members of Parliament, are aware of the historical account that is in the legislation and in the deed of settlement. The historical account in the legislation is a briefer view of the longer version in the deed of settlement. So when the Hon Nicky Wagner spoke about the scorched earth policy in one of the battles that took place with Ngāti Hinerangi, there’s a longer version of that in the deed of settlement.

It’s harrowing to read them, but sometimes you just have to do it. You have to read it to get an appreciation of what the members of Ngāti Hinerangi had to endure over—as my colleague from the Green Party, Marama Davidson, said—a long period of time, and over generations. So we all agree with that in this House, and it’s important that we express it together so that, as it says in—I want to just read a couple of quotes from the legislation. The first one is one of the acknowledgments. It says “The Crown acknowledges that the cumulative effect of its acts and omissions left Ngāti Hinerangi virtually landless, and had a devastating impact on their economic, social, and cultural well-being and development.” So in the first part of the legislation we’ve got the historical account, we’ve got acknowledgments, and we’ve got the apology. So the historical account, as members have discussed, sets out what actually happened. The acknowledgments say this is what the Crown acknowledges. What I just read out was one of those things that is acknowledged.

Then it goes on to an apology. So two quotes from the apology. The first one is: “The Crown is profoundly sorry for having failed to uphold its obligations to Ngāti Hinerangi under te Tiriti o Waitangi”. Then it goes on to say, “The Crown hopes that through this settlement it can restore its honour and alleviate the justifiable sense of grievance felt by generations of Ngāti Hinerangi.”

Now, they are wonderful words. As we’ve heard laid out in this House today from different members outlining what’s in the settlement, we should always acknowledge quite clearly what the Crown has done, and it’s acknowledging that through this legislation, and then it’s apologising for it. But I’ve said this in this House before, and I’m going to say it again today, apologising for something is only meaningful if we never do it again. I say that collectively, that we must never do that again, so that we do not impact on Ngāti Hinerangi in the ways that have been acknowledged in this legislation. I say that, which is a really difficult thing to do, because when we’re having the second and the third readings of these bills, we all have high intent not to do that, but we all have to be vigilant on every piece of legislation that goes through this House as well—every single piece, so that we make sure that Ngāti Hinerangi is not impacted.

So I do think Matamata and that area is a lovely part of New Zealand. I think the whole of our country as well, that we’ll all, as electorate MPs, stand up and say “My electorate is the best.” I’m no different. I’m from Te Tai Hauāuru, and we’ve got Ruapehu, Ngāuruhoe, Taranaki, Te Kāhui Maunga. I wouldn’t want anyone to make an apology like this and then say things like “Well, we might put a tunnel underneath one of your maunga.” That would be wrong—that would be so wrong to do that. So I think it’s important that we always, when we’re saying that we will do things, actually follow through on them. So that’s my contribution.

Nō reira, e tika hoki kia tuku te reo mihi ake anō ki a Ngāti Hinerangi. Nō reira, tēnā rā tātou katoa.

[Therefore, it is only right that I too acknowledge Ngāti Hinerangi. Therefore, greetings to one and all.]

Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. Nau mai, haere mai, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. It’s a pleasure to speak at the second reading of the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill, having followed this bill through our Parliament from its first reading last year. I’d like to start out by absolutely acknowledging the fantastic work of the Māori Affairs Committee, chaired by Rino Tirikatene, for which I was, at the time that this bill was considered in the select committee, a member of that committee.

I’d also like to acknowledge the Ngāti Hinerangi Trust and all those who have come down from the north today. Thank you for inviting us to Matamata. It is indeed a fantastic part of the country. I must say I learnt an extraordinary amount while on a select committee visit to hear the submissions from the area. It was a pleasure to take time out to hear those submissions.

Of course, it has been documented in this House that I have a connection to Ngāti Hinerangi, and I just want to explain that connection, however weak that may be. Now, my late grandfather Lawrence Bidois is buried up in the Kaimai Ranges. I didn’t really have much connection to Ngāti Hinerangi growing up, because my grandmother was whāngai-ed out to Ngāti Maniapoto. So we spent most of our youth growing up in the marae around Ngāti Maniapoto. Also, another reason why we didn’t spend a lot of time in Ngāti Hinerangi is that the marae where my grandfather whakapapa-ed to was no longer in existence. So I do have a connection to Ngāti Hinerangi, but I also have a connection to Ngāti Maniapoto, and I’m working through my real parents at the moment, and it seems that I also have connections to the North as well.

So that’s just a little bit of background there, but we’re not here to talk about myself. We’re here to talk about this fantastic process that we’ve been through and the kaupapa of this bill for the people of Ngāti Hinerangi. That kaupapa, of course, is firstly founded on acknowledging the grievances of the past, whether it’s the land that was taken, whether it’s the villages that were attacked, or whether it was the alienation of the land for the people of Ngāti Hinerangi. And it’s also an apology. My colleague, of course, the previous speaker, Adrian Rurawhe, mentioned the apology for the acts that led to the various uprisings and rebellions but also the loss of culture that went with it.

Turning our attention to the future, which is really about what we can do about it: yes, acknowledge it; yes, apologise; but let’s also seek to redress the grievances of the past. That is why there is a settlement of $8.1 million, there is a fund for cultural revitalisation, there are a number of important sites that have been given back to the people of Ngāti Hinerangi, and there is also input into the management of a lot of assets and sites, and, of course, Matamata College featured as important in that.

I do want to come to the select committee, because it was a very vocal select committee. I must say, I do learn a lot about Māori culture going to and being a part of these processes, because you realise that you really cannot please everybody, you know. There are a lot of challenges that the select committees have to deal with. It is our role to hear those grievances, to hear those concerns—either for or not pro the bill—and then, if there are any issues with the bill, to seek to find redress for that.

The majority of submissions, as has been discussed widely today, were in favour, but there were a number of submissions with concerns around one of the specific hapū that was mentioned as part of this bill, which is Ngāti Tamapango, and there was a sense that, actually, Tamapango wasn’t really acknowledged as a hapū in itself. It was, I think, more an affiliation to Ngāti Pango, which is what we heard quite clearly from the select committee. So there were concerns around the association of a hapū, and that was not necessarily fit for the actual hapū or people that affiliate to that hapū.

The second is around the mandate of the Ngāti Hinerangi Trust. I certainly want to acknowledge the work that’s gone in over the years to, I think, provide a really robust process to seek a mandate for the Crown to enter into negotiations with the Ngāti Hinerangi Trust. But there were a number of submitters, including Rawiri Bidois, my uncle, who did raise some concerns around the mandate that was given, or the lack of mandate. I think, just taking a step back, there was an acknowledgment that possibly the process to seek a mandate is not necessarily smooth enough for those that perhaps don’t have a sense that they’re part of that.

That brings me on to the third issue that was raised, which was around the attempts to withdraw from that mandate. We heard from the select committee that there were a number of attempts to withdraw from the mandate. That went to the Waitangi Tribunal, and, of course, that was upheld or struck down by the Waitangi Tribunal. But I do want to raise in this House a really important point, which is: how can we make it a really easy process and communicate that process in a really easy way so that in future—and we’ve got more on the horizon, whether it’s Ngāti Maniapoto or, hopefully, up north, and iwi settlements up there. How can we make it a really easy process for groups or iwi or hapū or sub-hapū—the ability for them to actually opt out of the mandates that have been sought? I think there were some issues around that that raised some concerns around the ability for hapū groups to actually withdraw from the mandate. Look, that was raised from the likes of Ngāti Tokotoko and other various hapū, and, unfortunately, we weren’t able to really make many changes to the bill, because, as was mentioned, the bill really just gives effect to the deed of settlement.

So, look, it has been a really insightful process for myself to be a part of this and to just understand the intricacies involved in the way the Crown negotiates with iwi. And don’t forget: iwi is really a European construct. Going back to the history well before the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, Māori culture was more organised by hapū. These iwi constructs are really a mechanism that was born out of a way to organise ourselves to engage with the Crown. It has been really insightful, and I think that there are absolutely lessons that we’ve learnt as members of the select committee around how to make that process smoother. I just want to again acknowledge the fantastic contributions from the select committee, from all those from the Ngāti Hinerangi Trust. Thank you for coming down. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. I commend this bill to the House.

Tēnā koe. Tēnei ka tū ake nei ki te tāpiri aku mihi ki ngā uri whakaheke o Ngāti Hinerangi, ā koutou whānau, ā koutou mātua tūpuna. Nō reira, nau mai haramai, rarau mai ki roto i Te Whare ki te whakarongo ki ngā kōrero.

[Greetings. I stand today to add my salutations to the descendants of Ngāti Hinerangi, to your families and your ancestors. Therefore, welcome, welcome to this House to listen to the speeches.]

I’ll take this opportunity to contribute to the bill, even though I didn’t sit on the select committee, but I also contributed to the first reading.

Firstly, I want to acknowledge Rino Tirikatene as chair of the Māori Affairs Committee and the membership for their thorough and diligent consideration of all the aspects that you would want to consider as a Treaty settlement bill makes its way through the House. To all the members who have participated in this debate, thank you for your contribution, because anyone listening to the nature of this particular settlement will realise just how difficult it is for a seemingly small iwi to be able to assert their legitimate rights and interests in today’s time as a result of resolving some of the historical injustices of the past.

I say that deliberately because mention was made by members in the House of the range of overlapping interests that Ngāti Hinerangi had to consider as they navigated their way through the Treaty settlement process: Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tara Tokanui, Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pūkenga, and Ngāi Te Rangi. That in itself indicates how difficult it will have been, over time, to maintain the integrity of your identity and then embark on a process—the Treaty settlement process—to assert an identity that has long remained on the land and is going to continue to assert their aspirations as an iwi.

Why I mention that is because, while words on the paper, like lines on a map, can be hard lines, actually, those overlapping interests probably start to give us an insight of some of the whakapapa interconnectedness that one might expect when you’re surrounded by other iwi. But I do want to acknowledge the outcome in relation to the Tauranga Moana iwi around transferring some of the land there. That, to me, without delving too much into the specifics, indicates that, above all else, it will be important for Ngāti Hinerangi to maintain their relations with all the associated iwi that sit on their fringe.

I also want to note that in the select committee’s thorough consideration of many issues—and they made some technical amendments to the bill, which is outlined in the commentary—they also, as members have referred to in the House, heard some disgruntled opposition to the bill. There were around about two urgency applications, as has been stated in the summary, to the progression of this particular settlement, and not upheld by the Waitangi Tribunal. But again, these are difficult and challenging aspects of trying to carve out a settlement where you are also ensuring a way forward for those who have a vested interest in the settlement progressing but are also going to put to rest some of the historical tribunal claims that make up the component parts of the settlement. That’s detailed clearly in the bill, and for many of the reasons unbeknown to this House, that is often the place to go to as to why various members of a hapū, or hapū themselves within the context of an iwi, will assert their opposition, often because their Wai claim is being included within the context of the settlement and they believe it shouldn’t be. We just need to have confidence that the select committee did consider these issues and made no change to the recommendations of the settlement.

The other thing that I wanted to comment on briefly was the post-settlement governance entity (PSGE) structure being a marae-based structure. As time passes and your soft lines around your hapū connections start to merge with other hapū, often what is the case is that the physical manifestation of how iwi and hapū recognise their mana and authority within a rohe is through their marae. Ngāti Hinerangi themselves have taken to model their PSGE upon their marae-based structure. Again, this is insightful because many of our marae, no matter how big or small our iwi are, struggle to get whānau back to the marae to be able to contribute to the broader wellbeing aspirations of the iwi. In today’s world, having a marae-based structure can contribute to the broader social, economic, cultural wellbeing aspirations that you have within your hapū or your iwi. So I do want to recognise that, because it will be difficult to try and moderate expectations for your settlement, keep your identity strong and growing going forward, and also be inclusive around the whānau—that you say, “Hey, come home, contribute. We need you.”—things like that. It’s not easy. And I can say that from our own experience as well.

The other thing is it’s not about how big or small a settlement is. In fact, it’s the level of aspiration that you have for your iwi and what you do with what has come out of a settlement. I want to acknowledge the Minister, Andrew Little, who made the comment just in this second reading that no settlement entirely in and of itself can completely rectify the historical wrongs that have been caused by the Crown. However, if there is enough belief within iwi to pursue a settlement process such as this, it is an opportunity to reassert your relationship through your cultural redress. It is an opportunity to consolidate your structure to be able to prepare for the future. It is an opportunity to actually ensure that your history will be told and shared widely throughout the land. All of that is evident in your particular settlement.

Can I lastly come back to the issues around hapū and whakapapa. I found this to be the case when I sat on the Māori Affairs Committee as a backbench MP. One of the most difficult things to do was arbitrate over whakapapa—in fact, you’d prefer not to do it. We’re ill-equipped, as politicians, to listen to the breadth and depth of whakapapa that comes before us. In order to manage expectations around that, often the process in and of itself does require much of that to be resolved before it gets to the House. But I say time and time again—if people who want to object to a settlement process want to do so by bringing whakapapa to this House—we’re the last people to adjudicate, and we shouldn’t be. I would much rather prefer to leave that within the mana and the domain of iwi themselves to do.

On the issue of Matamata College—and probably because a certain Prime Minister also, I think, has links to Morrinsville and Matamata—can I say that the first right of refusal opportunity is a genuine opportunity that you will have, over the 178 years of when that might be realised, to re-establish your connections to the whenua, and that’s what it’s about. After all that has been said and done, for Ngāti Hinerangi, who have never lost their identity—and the settlement will not be giving back their identity, because they have always held their identity. But for Ngāti Hinerangi to now repatriate and resettle their relationships—their kin relationships as well as their on-land relationships in their rohe—in their domain in a way that their mokopuna and those to follow will say, “This is who we are, this is where we come from, and this is who we will always be.” is a very strong outcome of any settlement.

Nō reira, i roto i te ngākau whakaiti i tēnei wā kei mua i a koutou. Tēnei e mihi ana ki a koutou katoa, Hinerangi. Ki te komiti whakahaere, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Therefore, I humbly speak before you today. I acknowledge you all, Hinerangi. To the select committee, thank you one and all.]

Bill read a second time.