New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Bill

I move, That the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Bill be now read a third time.

Me pēhea e tīmata taku kōrero, kia whakatau te waka o Te Arawa me ngā tini āhuatanga kei runga i a koutou. Nō reira, Te Arawa waka, Te Arawa tangata, tēnā koutou. Wāhiao, Tūhourangi o Whakarewarewa, Ngāti Whakaue, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[How can I open my speech, welcome on this day, Te Arawa, welcome to you and those dearly departed that you bring with you. Te Arawa the ancestral canoe, Te Arawa the people, greetings to you all. Wāhiao, Tūhourangi of Whakarewarewa, Ngāti Whakaue, greetings to one and all.]

This is a milestone moment in our opportunity to rectify something that should have been done a long time ago. I want to acknowledge those iwi who are gathered here from Te Arawa, who all have a significant leadership role to play going forward. I want to also acknowledge the chair of Te Puia, the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI), Harry Burkhardt and the chief executive of Te Puia, Tim Cossar.

There are so many people to acknowledge that are no longer here with us. I think back to the ilk of those like Te Kura-o-te Marama Waaka, Te Autiti Wikiriwhi, Ngawhare Maika, Te Rangi-puawhe, Kāpiti Hamiora, and Hamuera Mitchell. These are but a few, all of whom had been involved in some way, shape, and form in the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute. That is an institute that has spanned a number of years and made a huge contribution. I acknowledge those koroua and I acknowledge the many kuia who have been selfless in their contribution to advancing the aspirations of Te Arawa but also of te iwi Māori in the work that they’re doing in association with this institute.

The Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute was originally a Department of Tourism concept proposed to take the place of the loss of the Pink and White Terraces in 1886. It was to be the new tourism icon in Rotorua. The Tohunga Suppression Act of 1907 typified the assimilation of Māori and in many ways became a turning point for Māori development and cultural revitalisation. Through the work of Tā Apirana Ngata, the member of Parliament for Eastern Māori then, legislation was passed in Parliament in 1926, which saw the birth of a predecessor organisation to the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute and the original carving school, Te Ao Mārama.

I think back to the time of my own tupuna, Whaea Te Puea, when in the 1930s she sent Koro Piri Poutapu to Te Ao Mārama to refine his carving skills under the senior tutelage of Eramiha Kapua and working alongside Pine and John Taiapa to carve the whare Te Hono ki Rarotonga. He returned home to support a number of the old lady’s other projects such as Tūrongo House, the Kāwhia Methodist Church, Ngātokimatawhaorua, and going on to oversee many of our own Waikato master carvers such as Īnia Te Wīata.

Te Ao Mārama has contributed much more broadly to our nation, and this history is not really well understood. But many of the iwi across the motu can link the stories of cultural revitalisation to the role and function that the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute has played.

NZMACI, as it has been known, now will become a legacy institution of Te Puia in the tourism sense. It’s become a centre of excellence for Māori arts and crafts, a tradition carried on still today, teaching many of our children. We see it, for example, in the creation of Te Whare Raranga, the first weaving school, in 1969 and in 2009, with the opening of Te Takapū o Rotowhio, the national stone and bone carving school. We also see it in the more recent opening of the waka school, Te Wānanga-a-Kupe Mai Tawhiti.

The institute was established under the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute Act 1963, but, as mentioned previously, it has a much longer history spanning back 93 or so years since 1926. Today represents a significant milestone to resolve a longstanding aspiration amongst the people of Te Arawa. The Crown, along with the Whakarewarewa joint trust, initialled a vesting agreement on 1 June 2017. The agreement was signed on 4 August that year. Today is the next step in the process of returning Te Puia to iwi at this third reading.

This is a memorable occasion for the Crown, the Whakaue interests represented by Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust and Hurungaterangi, Taeotū, Ngāti Te Kahu o Ngāti Whakaue, Te Puia Trust, and by Wāhiao Tūhourangi o Whakarewarewa. It’s been a long journey with both the Crown and iwi having the resolve to see the efforts to return ownership of NZMACI business and assets through to its fruition. I am proud that it is this Government and this Parliament that will have the opportunity to complete the efforts of successive Governments.

I remember when Parekura Horomia was the Minister of Māori Affairs and my ministerial colleague Damien O’Connor was the then Minister of Tourism. I held the humble associate portfolio for tourism and I can remember when those discussions were initiated with them. So I do acknowledge many people who have walked along the path to try and bring forward today. There are too many to acknowledge individually, but I do wish to acknowledge the tireless work of numerous people within the iwi who have worked hard with officials from Te Puni Kōkiri and many more to ensure that the realisation of today can be for the benefit of your mokopuna and the next generation.

The Te Puia New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Limited Partnership will be the kaitiaki of this national treasure on behalf of iwi beneficiaries, and it will continue to see Te Puia succeed as a business. Te Puia, New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, is the only institute of its kind in Aotearoa, in the world. In fact, when we think about the moment that we’re in and the role that the institute can play in the recovery of cultural tourism, then it’s a significant opportunity that they have to help New Zealand bring forward what is unique and core to the recovery of our tourism sector.

The vesting endorsement process in 2017 was an important opportunity for iwi members to learn about the nature of the vesting agreement, how iwi groups will work together to provide a smooth transition to the new ownership and understand the benefits of the agreement. The partnership approach between Wāhiao Tūhourangi o Whakarewarewa, the hapū of Ngāti Hurungaterangi, Ngāi Taeotū, Ngāti Te Kahu o Ngāti Whakaue, and the Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust on behalf of Ngāti Whakaue will ensure that tangata whenua are at the heart of decision making, to ensure the longevity of this kaupapa.

Iwi have been looking forward to this day for many, many years. I’m pleased the hau kāinga of the Whakarewarewa Valley are finally assuming ownership of Te Puia and the institute. While the vesting is not a Treaty settlement, all of the stresses and strains within iwi and hapū that you might see in a settlement have played out in this process.

The bill dissolves NZMACI, repeals the New Zealand MACI Institute Act of 1963 and makes provision for the smooth transition to the new operating arrangements. It ensures that pan-iwi cultural functions presently provided for by the institute will continue now and into the future. Such statutory functions and responsibilities include encouraging, fostering, and promoting ahuria a toi Māori, providing training for the iwi of New Zealand, including whakairo rākau and raranga, making grants to enable persons to study, train, and gain experience in creating Māori arts and crafts, conferring diplomas or certificates on persons who have undertaken training or gained qualifications in Māori arts and crafts or Māori culture generally, and providing and supporting demonstrations, exhibitions, and tours of toi Māori and toi whakaari Māori. In this regard, we know that the future looks bright. It’s a tourism mecca, but it’s also a mecca of storytelling, of cultural revival and, dare I say, kapa haka performance—master class!

We wish you well today and we know that the road ahead may not be smooth, especially during this time in a COVID context, but we have every confidence in the governance expertise, the vision, and the master planning that you’re undertaking in Te Arawa to ensure that the future within your region happens with you, beside you, and with your aspirations at its heart.

And so today, the opportunity for this House to support the entirety of that aspiration for the benefit of all of New Zealand, I think, is a real milestone moment for Parliament. So without too much more, I want to recognise all the people who have come to support the speeches today and note your ongoing commitment for success and to realise the vision of your people. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. E ngā whānau o ngā iwi o Te Wāhiao, Tūhourangi me Ngāti Whakaue me te iwi o Te Arawa, nau mai haramai ki te rā whakahirahira.

[Mr Speaker, to the families of Wāhiao, Tūhourangi, and Ngāti Whakaue, and the tribe of Te Arawa, welcome to this auspicious day.]

It is certainly a pleasure to have you in the House and a privilege for me to be speaking on the third reading of your bill—of your bill—the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Bill. I, too, am privileged to stand here and acknowledge you all and the hard work of those tūpuna who have gone before you, and everybody who stands and sits here today as we go through the final stages of this, your bill.

I want to acknowledge Tā Apirana Ngata, a tupuna of mine, who, in 1926, through his hard work in this House, established the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (MACI). From there, the whānau have actually grown it and it has become a national, if not an international, place for people to come and train and learn how to do whakairo, raranga, and many other things—as the Minister said, a waka as well.

As I look around and up into the gallery, I remember the day we came for submissions. It was the longest day of submissions I have ever had in the whole time that I’ve been in Parliament. I want to acknowledge my colleague over here, Tāmati, who drove us and actually worked us through that whole day as a select committee. I just want to say that it was an amazing day. It was a day where we learnt—where I learnt—a lot more than what words on paper could actually ever, ever give us. I want to acknowledge the chair from Ngāti Kurī, Harry Burkhardt, and also the CEO of Te Puia, Tim Cossar, for the work that they have done and for hosting myself and the Hon Nicky Wagner the night before submissions at Te Puia.

This bill has been a long time coming. I just want to say that, for many people in Aotearoa New Zealand, many tourists, I think that the whole establishment of Te Puia does go along without people understanding this. I think that today is a great day to put this down into history, add it to the books, to the history of this Parliament, so that, in years to come, when mokopuna come through our halls, they are able to pull the Hansards and see exactly what whānau have done to get us here today.

As I’ve said, the institute—MACI—has an amazing reputation, and many master carvers and weavers have gone through the corridors, they have been displayed at Te Puia. Many of us that have gone through Te Puia and gone and had a look at the carving schools and the weaving schools are impressed by what is produced through the institute.

I just want to talk a little bit about the functions of the institute, so that it is recorded in the history of this Parliament. The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in 1963 identified seven key functions. The first was to encourage, foster, and promote all types of Māori culture and practise an appreciation of Māori arts and crafts, and that has been done many, many times over.

To train Māori in the practice of Māori arts and crafts—and it wouldn’t surprise me if there were also some non-Māori that snuck in there and also received the training of Māori arts and crafts.

To provide demonstrations or exhibitions of Māori arts and crafts in suitable premises for any such demonstrations—and I too want to acknowledge the Government for some of the tautoko that they have given to the institute over the last few weeks, with the visit there by the Prime Minister. That was really a great token and a gesture and a respect of the people that run Te Puia, the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute.

To arrange and conduct exhibitions of Māori arts and crafts—the performers are amazing. I’ve been amongst tourism groups that have gone through Te Puia, and the look on their faces, especially the overseas tourists, who absolutely stand in wonder and awe at what they are receiving. It is credit to the people that sit in this gallery today.

To develop and maintain areas of Rotorua district and elsewhere as scenic or tourism attractions—we must understand that Te Puia is actually 70 hectares in size. It is not a little wee place; it is a huge place. I think that everybody that visits there can take in and appreciate what they are seeing, what they are feeling, what they are smelling, all of those wonderful things that we get from visiting Te Puia.

To foster and maintain public interest in Māori culture and Māori arts and crafts, and to assist the preservation of Māori culture and Māori arts and crafts—these functions of the institute will carry on mai rā nō, and that is why I am so privileged to be part and parcel of the delivery of a third reading speech.

It goes without saying that, on this side of the House, we support this bill. I want to acknowledge the Minister the Hon Nanaia Mahuta for the tautoko she picked up and carried through to this conclusion. I want to acknowledge my colleagues in the Māori Affairs Committee; yes, we worked hard, and a lot of that work is now paying off. So, without any further ado, as I said, on this side of the House, we support the bill, we commend the bill to the House. Kia ora. Tēnā rā koutou katoa.

Te Māngai o Te Whare. Ka noho tonu ahau ki roto i Te Reo Māori. Tuatahi, hei tautoko ake i ngā mihi o Te Minita Whakawhanake Māori, anā, tōku tuahine, Te Hōnore Nanaia Mahuta, ki te tini kua tau mai ki runga i te kaupapa kua karangahia ki tēnā, ki tēnā kia hui.

E mihi atu ana au ki a koutou kua tāpae ake i ngā mate huhua kua kōrerohia mai nei e Te Minita, e te tāhuhu o tēnei Whare. Kia tangi atu ki a rātou kua ngaro atu ki te pō. Ka whakahokia mai ngā rārangi kōrero ki a tātou me tēnei kaupapa mīharo me tēnei kaupapa mīharo.

Ka hoki wōku mahara e Te Māngai o Te Whare, ki te taima o Te Minita, Tā Apirana Ngata. I te kotahi rau tau o Te Tiriti o Waitangi ko tana ōhāki ki te iwi o Ngāpuhi “he iwi ngaro a Ngāpuhi, korekau he tangata tārai waka, korekau he kaiwhākairo”. Nā, kātahi ka rikarika mārika nei a Ngāpuhi. Ka tukuna atu ngā tamaiti, ngā mokopuna ki Te Puia, ki roto i ngā ringaringa atawhai o te hunga e noho mai nei. Mā rātou hei tiaki, hei poipoia, hei ropiropi i ngā tini o Ngāpuhi ka uru atu ki roto i tēnei whare wānanga mārika rawa atu. Nō reira, e mihi atu ana ahau ki a rātou. Ko tētahi o aua tohunga whakairo, anā, tōku pāpā rā, Te Wārahi Hetaraka, nānā tēnei [Inaudible] i poipoia ki roto i ngā tau.

Ka kimihia anō au i ētahi pānga ki tēnei o ngā wāhi. Nā, ki roto i ngā tau tekau pea, tekau mā rima pea kua pahure ake nei i tonoa e te Karauna, e tōku pāpā, arā, ko Erima tēnā, ki tōku tūpuna, ki a Kevin Prime, hei mea kaitakawaenga mō wētahi o ngā raru ka pā atu ki wēnei iwi. Ka tau atu a Ngāpuhi ki roto i a rātou, kaua ki te whakawā, engari ki te whakakotahi. Kua kite atu ahau i ngā hua kua puta mai, nā, i te rā nei kei konei tātou hei tautoko ake. Ka whakaaro ake ki ngā mahi katoa ka oti i ā rātou, engari ki roto i taku kōrero tuatahi i te rā nei, ko te aronga nui kei Matariki ki te rangi.

Nō reira, ko tēnei pire hei tūāpapa mō te āpōpōtanga o tēnei whare wānanga o tātou, kia hangaia he whare hōu, kia hangaia i tētahi tirohanga hōu mō ngā uri whakatupu e hāere ake nei. Koinā te pai o tēnei pire, koinā te pai ō tēnei pire. Kia tau ai te puehu, ka taea te kaiwhakairo te patu i te puru, ka taka mai, ka whaohia, ka taka mai, ka whaohia he huarahi hōu mō tēnei kaupapa, he huarahi hōu mō tēnei whare wānanga ō tātou.

Koinā tāku i tū ai ki te tautoko i te āhuatanga o tēnei pire. Hei tautoko ake i ngā kupu rangatira a Te Minita e noho mai nei. Hei tautoko ake anō i wāna mihi ki Te Rōpū Whiriwhiri i ngā take Māori, anā, me te mema o te Waiariki, o tēnei me te mea o mua i hāpai ake tēnei kaupapa ki tōnā tutukitanga.

Engari, e hia nei ngā taima kua tū mai au mō ēnei me te kī atu, ehara tēnei te otinga, he tīmatanga hōu kē. Koinā tāku i tino harikoa nei ki te mihi atu nei ki te hunga kua tae mai, ki te hunga e kōrero mai nei, kāti ki te hunga e haere ake nei.

Nō reira, ka nui tēnei māku, hei tautoko ake ki roto i Te Reo Māori, ngā āhuatanga o tēnei pire, ka tau tēnei i tēnei wā me te kī atu ki te hunga, kei runga rā e āta whakarongo mai ana, anā, mā Matariki koutou e manaaki, e tiaki, kia haumaru ai tā koutou hāerenga hokinga atu ki te wā kāinga.

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou e te Māngai o te Whare. Ka tautoko mārika i tēnei Pire.

[Mr Speaker, I will remain in Māori. Firstly, I would like to support the acknowledgments made by the Minister for Māori Development, the Hon Nanaia Mahuta, to the many who have arrived on this occasion. I would like to thank those of you who have paid respects to those that have passed on, those who were mentioned by the Minister. We mourn those who have passed to the long night, but let me bring the discussion back to our great occasion.

My thoughts go back to the days of Sir Apirana Ngata. On the 100-year anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi he left Ngāpuhi with these words: “He iwi ngaro a Ngāpuhi, korekau he tangata tārai waka, korekau he kaiwhākairo”. (Ngāpuhi is lost, there is no one who can carve a boat, there is no one to carve ornaments.) That got Ngāpuhi moving. Young people and grandchildren were sent to Te Puia to be nurtured by those who have arrived today. They supported, they looked after, and they upskilled the many of Ngāpuhi who joined our great house of education. Therefore, I would like to thank them. One of those master carvers was a mentor of mine, Te Wārahi Hetaraka, who nurtured [Inaudible] in the years that have passed.

I would like to make another connection to that place. In the last 10 or 15 years, the Crown and my father, Erima, asked my ancestor Kevin Prime to act as a mediator on some issues that these tribes were having. Ngāpuhi arrived amongst them, not to judge but to help unite. I have seen the results of those efforts here today. I think forward to all the great things that they will achieve. However, during my first speech today I mentioned that the big focus is on Matariki in the sky.

So, this bill is the foundation for the future of our house of learning, to help construct a new building, to help build a new vision for the generations to come. That’s the true benefit of this bill. When the dust settles, a carver will be able to work the wood, to fell it, to have it carved and with it a new vision and a new way forward for our initiative and our house of learning.

That’s why I stand today to support this bill. I stand to support the words of leadership espoused by the Minister. I also support her acknowledgments to the Māori Affairs Committee, including the member for Waiariki, who has supported this bill to its fulfilment.

That being said, I can’t remember how many times I have delivered a speech and said that this is not the end, but the beginning. That’s why I am so pleased for those who have arrived today, those who have spoken, and those who will follow.

Therefore, I have probably said enough for today. I support, in Māori, the bill, and sit down with these final words to those who are listening: let Matariki protect you, nurture you, and may your journey home be a safe one. Thank you to one and all. I enthusiastically support this bill.]

Te Māngai o Te Whare, tēnā koe. Tēnā koutou Te Arawa waka, Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao. Nau mai whakatau mai ki te pānuitanga tuatoru o tēnei pire.

[Greetings, Mr Speaker. Greetings Te Arawa waka, Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao. Welcome, welcome to the third reading of this bill.]

When I stand in the gallery to address our people who have travelled from afar throughout the motu, and to those who have come from Te Arawa, there’s always a sense of trepidation and an immense privilege—but also an immense responsibility—to be able to address and to speak to what, effectively, is the bill of the people who have come from afar, gathered for the passage of this into third reading. I also reference, because this is televised, that members of the public who are listening in, this is part of their learning and lifting and raising of awareness as well, because the nation that we are of today is still being carved out. The threads of the different communities that we come from in Aotearoa New Zealand are still being interwoven into the fabric and shaping the face of our nation today.

So I turn to speak to this third reading of the bill as it passes into law, the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Bill. This is not a Treaty settlement bill, so that members again, for the benefit of those in the public, are aware of the difference. I stand and speak as uri, as a descendant of W’anganui. I am the member of Parliament elected to represent the people from W’anganui. I am a member of the National Party. I also stand to speak with the responsibilities of shadow Attorney-General, of Māori Crown relations, of Treaty negotiations, and Māori tourism. So all of those areas of responsibility that I carry, I carry with a sense of immense regard and a sense of the enormity of responsibility that comes with that. Every single one of those portfolios that I have the privilege and the burden of carrying at the moment are interwoven into this bill in some way or another.

Again, the third reading—for the benefit of members of the public who are listening in, because I know the people who have come from Te Arawa know this—this is the summing up debate on everything that has been canvassed and addressed in relation to the bill. I sat briefly on the Māori Affairs Committee and I had the distinct privilege to be able to sit in and to listen to the kōrero—I am a lawyer in my former life—the evidence of what the people were speaking to and the relationships of the people affected by this bill.

The third reading is a summing up debate. It’s been mentioned by previous speakers also, the record from the first and second readings of this bill has been captured in Hansard. Before I came to speak in the House, I reflected by perusing some of the kōrero that has been documented and recorded now into the history of Hansard. A lot of that is about the chronology, the history of how the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute has come to be. It is indicative of the journey that has been carved out, the pathways of all those who have been formative in the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute. This vesting bill is effectively about the Crown recognising and duly doing as it ought to, vesting the assets and the other responsibilities back to the people of Te Arawa.

So in August 2017—I’ll come to the chronology around the legal passage of this bill. In August 2017, the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell—one of yours—was the Minister for Māori Development, and he, with Whakarewarewa Joint Trust, signed the vesting agreement. After that, it came to be that the bill came before the House—and you’ll see that I’ve got papers spread out before me here—for its first reading on 19 December 2018. From there, it was handed in to the charge and responsibility of the Māori Affairs Committee. That’s when the people came to Te Arawa to listen to the kōrero and to listen to some of the concerns. It is always a privilege to be able to be part of the most intimate kōrero and to hear some of raruraru and the problems.

It had been put to the Māori Affairs Committee that we resolve some of that by way of inclusion in the bill. However, we recognise that as Crown agents, there are some things that are just beyond our privilege and our responsibility, and that it is for the people to, ultimately, resolve your differences. The second reading of the bill had come about on 14 November 2019, and I had the opportunity to speak to the House in relation to that. I’ve talked about the chronology and the pathway of the institution in terms of its legislative passage, but also how it came to be. That was a vision of Sir Apirana Ngata, and that vision has been fulfilled by the people of Te Arawa.

This institution is in the presence on your whenua. It’s in the presence in your hearts and minds. It has been carried from your tūpuna and will be carried through you into the future generations. Sir Apirana Ngata had that vision, and that vision has been captured, as we know, in his w’akataukī: “E tipu e rea, mō ngā rā o tōu ao.”

For the benefit of members of the public listening in, that w’akataukī, that message from the heart is “Thrive in the days destined for you, your hand to the tools of the Pākehā to provide physical sustenance, your heart to the treasures of your ancestors to adorn your head, your soul to God to whom all things belong.”, and I think for many of us in the House today this is to be carried through in days to come. The Institute of the Māori Arts and Crafts encapsulates that—to carry from the past, the present, through into the future.

So it’s well known and it’s now documented in Hansard, but also in this bill, that the vesting of the assets—and we talk about the structure, but the structure houses everything that we’ve talked about: the knowledge, the presence of the people who have been there and have gone before, and the presence of those now as a gift to the future. When I spoke at the second reading, I talked about the relationships, and we are very strong in terms of the connections that we have to the areas that we come from and how we interweave and relate in carving out those relationships.

John and Pine Taiapa: Pine Taiapa came to Pūtiki, my area at the mouth of the Whanganui River, and imbued the essence—coming also from Te Arawa, the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, he having graduated there with many others, travelling around the motu—and carved into our w’are karakia, St Paul’s Anglican church, and also to the w’are tupuna. When I go home, that is a correlation of the relationship to our people through to Te Arawa because of Pine Taiapa and that association. It’s a privilege to stand here to support and commend the third reading of this bill so that it’s carried through and made into law. To the people who have travelled from Te Arawa, today will be a celebration, but it just signs off a legislative passage. Kia ora. Tēnā tātou katoa.

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Ko Ngongotahā tōku maunga, ko Rotorua tōku moana, ko Waeteti tōku awa, ko Ngāraranui, ko Rangiwewehi, ko Ngāti Whakaue ōku hapū. Ko Te Arawa tōku iwi. Kia ora whānau. Kia ora.

[Ngongotahā is my ancestral mountain, Rotorua is my ancestral lake, Waeteti is my ancestral river. Ngāraranui, Rangiwewehi, and Ngāti Whakaue are my subtribes. Te Arawa is my tribe. Hello, family. Hello.]

I think that’s the first time I’ve ever said that in this House, and I’m proud to do so with my whānau and my friends above in the gallery here tonight.

I want to, firstly, as appropriate, acknowledge the passing of our elders, those who cannot be with us here this afternoon and, in doing so, I acknowledge the 93-year journey that Te Puia, the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, has taken to get to this moment, ināianei. Actually, as I’ve said before, both to acknowledge Sir Apirana Ngata and to describe the mahi that we have undertaken to get to this point, I quote our venerable elder: “Tēnā, ka hāere tonu. Ā te wā, ka taea, ka mau.” [That, will go on. In time, it is possible, hold strong.]

That simply speaks about perseverance and the journey that we undertake to be here today: persevere, and you will get to your destination. Keep at it, keep at it, because I think it was Sir Robert Muldoon who first aired the thought—I think, Minister, you spoke about this in your address. He first aired the thought that “Actually, wouldn’t it be a good idea to put this institution back in the hands of the whenua in Te Arawa, our people?” Today, it is my pleasure to stand here as a member of Parliament, a humble, humble Rotorua boy, to speak in this House—[Interruption]—they know it; they know it and they can’t deny it—to acknowledge the mahi that those in the gallery have undertaken but also to acknowledge the Minister and to acknowledge my cousin Tāmati Coffey. I said that last time, bro, and we still haven’t figured out what the connections are, but I know—I know.

I just want to give this a bit of context, because it’s not all about joy. It wasn’t that long ago that I was in Te Puia talking about the struggle facing our whānau, the staff, the management, and the board of Te Puia in response to COVID-19. So we have to acknowledge the timing of this announcement today in our House, in this Parliament. Could we call it an irony? I would say to this House that it is the best time—it is the best time—for this Parliament to be handing back this institution, this taonga, to the people of Te Arawa, because the people in the gallery and the members below know that the future is bright.

The future is bright not only for the people of Te Arawa but for those who have undertaken the mahi in Te Puia. I don’t want to name names, but when I was there on that day, it was actually heartbreaking, because there were people in tears because hard decisions had to be made about our people and “What does this institution do now?” It was heartbreaking to talk to the leadership and to the hapū who were present on that day about “What does the future look like?”, but, actually, I’m also proud to say this Government understood what the challenges were and that this taonga of Aotearoa could not be left to fall by the wayside.

The Government of this day talks about a taonga that is more than the sum of its parts. It talks about spillover benefits. If there was an icon in New Zealand that we could all agree on and that we all do agree on in our kōrero today, it is Te Puia. It is more than the sum of its parts. It is about our Māori culture. It is about our heritage. It is about our learnings. It is about the future of the Reo and our people. But for Rotorua and for New Zealand, it is a taonga and a treasure and that icon that we must celebrate and tautoko, which we have done, so that we can move forward as a nation, not just as a people.

I have taken foreign Ministers, dignitaries, into the heart of Rotorua and, actually, into the institution, which I only just found out recently was designed as a thought in terms of replacing the destroyed Pink and White Terraces. I didn’t know that that was the genesis of the Māori arts and crafts kōrero.

So can I say to the people of Rotorua and the people of Aotearoa that it has achieved its mandate. It is an attraction that brings actually—I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say—millions of people to New Zealand. We know millions of international tourists go through Rotorua, and I know the majority of them go through our Māori Arts and Crafts Institute—through Te Puia. So to be able to stand up here today to acknowledge these difficult times but also to acknowledge the celebration of this hand-over and to acknowledge the tangata whenua, to acknowledge Te Arawa, and to acknowledge the people who have worked so hard to make sure that we can all be here today, on this historic day in this Parliament, is a testimony to everyone in this room and to those who have come before us who couldn’t be with us today.

This is a celebration—I say selfishly—for me, but it is a celebration for this Parliament and for Te Arawa. For that, it is a privilege to be able to stand in this House and support this iconic and important piece of legislation to the House and tautoko what we have achieved here today. Kia ora tātou. Kia ora whānau.

Tēnā koe e Te Mana Whakawā. E ngā reo, e ngā mana, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. It’s with enormous pleasure that I rise to speak on the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Bill at its third reading. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s been worth the wait because this institution is absolutely unique. It is the only institution of its kind in Aotearoa New Zealand. It’s a taonga institution. It’s a national icon for New Zealand, for Māori arts and crafts, and for Māori tourism. It’s an enormously successful and vibrant business which highlights the very best of Māori arts and culture.

I, too, would like to recognise the work of Harry Burkhardt and Tim Cossar and all the team at Te Puia for the work that you’ve done, but also for what you’ve achieved over the years. Of course, the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute has had a very long history built on the vision of Tā Apirana Ngata—the vision to preserve Māori culture by establishing Te Ao Mārama. That, of course, was the first carving school—which we’ve heard about today—and we’ve heard of some of the places where pupils from that school have made contributions to marae right across the country. Wharenui, beautiful wharenui, have been treasured and appreciated for many years, and many years to come. That school, of course, closed only after about 10 years. But in 1963, the new institute opened, and that opened firstly with a carving school; followed quickly by a weaving school; later—in the 21st century—the national stone and bone carving school; and more recently, the canoe school opened.

Today, in New Zealand, the Māori Arts and Craft Institute has an international reputation for providing excellent training and also the very best master carvers, weavers, and sculptors. Its functions are about promoting Māori culture, teaching skills, and educating and entertaining both local and international tourists. I believe over 500,000 of them go through every year. The business has built up and expanded over many years through the hard work of everyone involved, and through—mostly—the tourism and the training activities. And I’d just like to make a note that it does not receive any financial support from the Crown.

So back to the bill—it provides for the assets and liabilities of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute to be transferred to Te Puia NZMACI Ltd Partnership and also provides for that partnership to continue to function as business as usual. As the Associate Minister of Tourism, I actually worked with Te Ururoa Flavell when he was the Minister for Māori Development on this bill, and was delighted when, in August 2017, he signed—with the Whakarewarewa Joint Trust—the vesting agreement.

The legislation before the House today will ultimately transfer the ownership of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Craft Institute from the Crown to iwi. We already know that the land on which the institute stands was returned to iwi in 2009. So this vesting agreement, and this legislation, completes the process of recognising the significant cultural, traditional, historical, and spiritual association of Ngāti Whakaue and Wāhiao Tūhourangi and this area and Te Puia. So as I said, it’s been a long time coming, but it is absolutely the right thing to do, to return this organisation, this institution, with its land, back to mana whenua. I wish everyone involved with Te Puia a long and very prosperous and worthwhile future. Kia ora.

Kia ora, Mr Speaker. Tuatahi, e mihi ana ki a koutou, Te Arawa, i tae mai nei i tēnei wā. He hōnore nui ki te tū ki mua i a koutou i tēnei wā. Nō reira, e mihi ana ki a koutou i whakarangatira i a mātou i tēnei wā. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Firstly, I would like to acknowledge you, Te Arawa, who are here today. It is an honour to stand before you at this time. Therefore, thank you for honouring us today. Greetings to one and all.]

No doubt iwi have been looking forward to this for generations, and as our Minister for Māori Development said earlier, we’re very pleased and proud that mana whenua of the Whakarewarewa Valley are finally assuming ownership of Te Puia and the institute. Of course, while this is not a Treaty settlement, all the stresses and strains of the iwi and hapū negotiation and all the problems have been part of this, and we understand that. I feel I’m equipped to have a bit of a kōrero about it since I have a house just outside—well, in the village, basically.

Tāmati Coffey: Tania’s?

So—no, it’s both of our houses. Being part of the whānau, I feel it’s appropriate I have a bit of a kōrero, because, having watched the hapū and iwi politics over the years, it’s been quite fascinating, actually—quite fascinating.

But first of all, I want to say thank you to Rino Tirikatene and the Māori Affairs Committee, who tread delicately through all the different problems that were raised through the process. We know how difficult these processes can be, particularly in the Treaty settlement process, where one hapū or one group think that they should have this and they should have that. Our concern is that the whole process should be equitable. I’m not sure if it is, but it was for the majority of people who voted and supported the kaupapa.

I will say, though, having watched those Māori iwi politics through the years, it’d be a good day, one day, if that gate was open and everybody embraced both sides. I’ve got a key, actually, and I might be able to help out. But I always felt, watching my wife’s whanaunga down there, struggling away, that there should’ve been more support from the Crown in terms of the village, and I hope that we can get there. We’ve got through COVID, we’ve got through a lot of things, and everybody are whanaunga, and it would be wonderful if we can get to the point where hapū politics, our own politics, don’t affect us in terms of actual common sense. It saddens me, actually, having watched it over the years.

But in terms of the model we have today, I salute everyone who’s played a real part in terms of this model in regards to where we are now, because I think back to my whanaunga Pine Taiapa, who played such a major role in Te Arawa in terms of helping and supporting carvers. I remember what made him tick, and it was all about the preservation of our culture, of tikanga, of rangatiratanga. I salute the aspirations of Pine Taiapa and of the kuia Emily Schuster in all the work that she has done in terms of all the weavers and the work that she had done in terms of upholding the culture. I think of Kuru Waaka and all that great kōrero that we all used to hear down there, and his aspirations for young people and for the culture and for the tikanga.

So when I look at Te Puia, I don’t look at it as just a tourism attraction. I look at it as an example of Te Arawatanga, tikanga, tino rangatiratanga, and I salute you in terms of your progress in regards to that. But I want us to remember, I suppose, on this day, those great mentors, those great tohunga who played such a role in terms of the preservation of our culture, in terms of the preservation of their culture and their aspirations that we had to retain what we had. If we never had them, we wouldn’t have had the carvers we have today. We wouldn’t have had the weavers we have today. We wouldn’t have the culture we have today. So when we look at Te Puia, it’s a wonderful model. We got there. Things are getting better. The gate’s going to open one day, and everyone’s going to complement each other and support each other and there’s going to be resources spread right across the spectrum. But my hope is that we honour the aspirations and the dreams of those tohunga who laid the base not just for Te Arawa but for Te Ao Māori. Tēnei te mihi ki a koutou, tēnā koutou, ā, tēnā koutou, tēnā nō tātou katoa.

Tēnā koe, 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, Mr Speaker. The House that stands here, greetings. The ground that is before me, greetings. Those who have passed, rest in peace. The spokespeople, the leaders, greetings to you all.]

It’s a privilege to rise in the third and final debate here this evening for the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Bill. I’d like to start out by acknowledging my fellow colleagues on the Māori Affairs Committee, led by the fantastic chair Rino Tirikatene, who, as the previous speaker noted, had to traverse some interesting delicacies and issues throughout this bill and the process of this bill. This is an important day today, and I would like to acknowledge everybody who has come down from the north. The people of Te Arawa, whether you affiliate to the strong, proud group of Wāhiao Tūhourangi or whether you’re part of Ngāti Whakaue, thank you for coming down and for honouring this fantastic occasion.

This is also an important occasion for New Zealand. The Māori Arts and Crafts Institute is one of its kind in New Zealand and it is a fantastic occasion to be able to transfer the ownership and the assets of this important institute to Māori and to see where that takes us in the future, and to grow this important organisation beyond that.

As I mentioned, I was a part of the select committee process for this bill, so I acknowledge the important kaupapa that this bill seeks to achieve. It was a fantastic privilege to come down, actually—down from Auckland, of course—for the select committee process in Rotorua and to hear some of the concerns with the vesting bill that we’ve been discussing. I think there was absolute agreement that the kaupapa of this vesting bill was important, and everybody wanted that. I think where the issues lay was around the governance structure and making sure that the hapū and the various groups that are a part of this community have equal say and have a chance to participate and run the organisation that we’re talking about.

I must say, it was the first select committee experience that I’ve experienced where we’ve been—and it was a great introduction into Māori culture, and I want to acknowledge Willie Jackson, the member speaking before me, and some of the challenges facing Māoridom. The aspirations that Willie spoke to, I also share those aspirations of working together, of overcoming the various factions and challenges and differences that various hapū and iwi face, to benefit Māori and to ultimately benefit all of New Zealand and Aotearoa. So I think that this is an important occasion where this important institute is transferred back into the hands of the local groups, to see how they get on and to demonstrate a vision for how Māori and iwi and hapū can all work together for the future. And so this is, I think, an important test of just how we can work together to benefit our people in the future.

I do want to acknowledge Te Ururoa Flavell—fantastic contribution that he made to get it to this stage—and, of course, my colleagues right across the House who have inputted into this important bill, because it is an important occasion. I want to, again, just finish on this idea of self-determination or mana motuhake. I think that this bill provides for this institute to actually be put into the hands of local iwi and local hapū so that they can demonstrate mana motuhake. I think that is an important feature of why we’re here today.

I just want to finish by saying that this is a great occasion for us here in the House. It has been a privilege to sit on the Māori Affairs Committee, to go out there and also hear select committee submissions. I commend this bill in the House.

This is a split call; I call Rino Tirikatene.

Tēnā koe, Madam Speaker. Tēnā koutou Te Arawa waka, tēnā koutou Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, ngā hapū maha kua tau mai nei ki Te Whare Pāremata i tēnei rangi nui, whakahirahira. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Greetings, Madam Speaker. Greetings to the ancestral canoe of Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao and the many subtribes who have made it here to Parliament on this very important day. Greetings to one and all.]

I’m delighted to be able to make a contribution in this debate. As a son of the South, I just shot away from a meeting to try and protect our fishing rights down there, but I made it back into the House here today and I want to mihi to our illustrious Te Arawa waka whānau, from all of our famous tribes of Te Arawa who are here today. This is a momentous day. I’ve been delighted to chair the committee, but really my role has been quite small in the scheme of things. I do want to acknowledge one particular member of our committee, and that is Tāmati Coffey, your outstanding member for Waiariki who actually led the way for us in terms of our consideration and our examination of all the issues on this bill. So I want to mihi to you, Tāmati, because I know that this is a milestone piece of legislation for your people, so thank you for your contribution and for your awhi.

I also want to acknowledge Minister Mahuta, who has carried on the mahi that was laid down by Ministers—and I think of the late Hon Parekura Horomia, I think of the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell; all those Ministers of Māori Development who have been involved—and I want to acknowledge our Minister, our tuahine, for her work in seeing this mahi through. Because there were a lot of bumps along the way, a lot of issues that have been sorted through, and I’m pleased that all the kōrero has been said and now we’ve come to the time when we can finally pass this piece of legislation.

And what does it do? It returns a dear taonga which is right nestled in the heart of Whakarewarewa to the actual rightful owners of the land and the mana whenua, the hau kāinga. I am delighted for Ngāti Whakaue, represented through their three-hapū trust, the Pukeroa Oruawhata commercial powerhouse of Rotorua, and also Tūhourangi and Ngāti Wāhiao as well, because that partnership which is represented by all those groups will now be vested in the taonga of Te Puia and the New Zealand Arts and Crafts Institute. I want to acknowledge all of those in the past who have made the institute what it is, and as the saying goes, ka mate kāinga tahi, ka ora kāinga rua [when one option is lost, a second will present itself].

This is a new dawn for the institute, this is a new chapter for Te Puia. It’s really exciting. Especially with the $7.6 million we put in through the Budget to support the special work of preserving our cultural legacy which is in Te Puia, and also the surrounding businesses. We know we’ll get through this COVID period and the institute is well positioned, well managed by some expert commercial people. I’m so impressed with all of the legal minds that are within Te Arawa who helped design the structures and everything that will be receiving this taonga through the passage of this legislation.

So I just want to mihi to everyone today, and support and tautoko this bill. Kia ora tātou.

Kia ora e Te Whare. Tēnā tātou katoa. Kia ora e te iwi. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou. It is an unexpected pleasure for me to be taking a call in this debate. I do so as a last-minute replacement for the Hon Todd McClay, who, of course, is the member for Rotorua but also the National Party’s tourism spokesperson. So this is a matter of considerable importance to Todd, both in his capacity leading our tourism portfolio area—

💬 Hon Member: Where is he?

💬 DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

Thank you, Madam Speaker—but also because of his 12 years of dedicated service as the member for Rotorua, and I do wish to convey his greetings and his apology for being unable to take his call this afternoon. But I do so with particular pleasure, because it’s not often I get to rise in this House and reflect on my previous history as the chief executive of the Music and Arts Waikato Trust, as it was then known, better known as Arts Waikato, which no longer exists—I don’t think because they couldn’t cope without me, but they merged into the entity that is now Creative Waikato. And, of course, with our very close links to our neighbouring cousins in Rotorua, this is something that I, personally, welcome.

We have in our area the huge, rich heritage of the artistic history of Tainui. Could I acknowledge, in particular, my colleague, the Minister who has moved the final reading of this bill, the Hon Nanaia Mahuta. My small electorate on the western side of Kirikiriroa fits very comfortably inside a very small portion of her much larger electorate, but I do genuinely appreciate the very close working relationship that the Hon Nanaia Mahuta and I have always enjoyed. I congratulate her on the achievement of bringing this bill to its conclusion today, because it is a significant measure. It’s a matter of considerable significance, well beyond Rotorua, I might point out. So that is something that she, no doubt, celebrates deeply with you.

It was as the chief executive of Arts Waikato that I developed the ability to have regular exposure to arts with which I had previously been unfamiliar and again, as I mentioned, to develop a very keen appreciation of the huge importance of our artistic heritage going back over many centuries in our region. I’ve also been a regular visitor to the fine city of Rotorua. It’s a place that I think all New Zealanders love to go to, and because I’m an MP within the central North Island and my family and I have lived there for many years, Rotorua has always been a very popular destination. So we have a familiarity with the area and an appreciation of what this bill is covering.

The purpose of this bill, of course, has been well articulated by the previous speakers, and I don’t wish to go over all of the details that have been conveyed, other than to say that it is a measure of considerable significance that so many iwi representatives are here today to witness this important measure. We honour you and welcome you. It is a privilege to have you here with us and to be playing such an important part in handing back to you something that has been such a long time coming.

I do want to acknowledge the work of the previous Minister, the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell, who, of course, was also of that region and who did a considerable body of work. And it’s nice that in this House we are often able to put individual partisan politics aside and just acknowledge how many people contribute. In this measure, I believe that it has been a real team effort and it’s a tremendous thing that we have achieved it.

Those who’ve just tuned in may be unaware that the land on which the Māori Arts and Craft Institute operates is in the Whakarewarewa Valley, but anybody who is a visitor to Rotorua will know where that is. That, of course, was returned to iwi in 2009, so the enactment of this vesting agreement and legislation completes the process that has been such a long time coming.

Now, I regret that I have insufficient knowledge of Te Reo to express what I think we’re all saying, but I am sure that there’s an appropriate whakataukī for it. In English, of course, the saying is: good things take time. It applies to this significant moment in time, which reflects the drive of so many. So I celebrate with you, I wish you well in this achievement. Me whakanuia e tātou. Tēnā koutou katoa.

[We must celebrate. Greetings to one and all.]

Tēnā koe e Te Māngai o Te Whare. Tēnā tātou katoa. Ōku hoa kaimahi, tēnā koutou. Ngā iwi, Ngāti Whakaue, Wāhiao Tūhourangi o Whakarewarewa, ngā iwi, ngā hapū katoa i tēnei rā, nau mai haramai, whakatau mai ki tō Whare ō Pāremata.

[Greetings Mr Speaker. Greetings to everyone. My work colleagues, greetings. The tribes, Ngāti Whakaue, Wāhiao Tūhourangi of Whakarewarewa—the tribes and all of the subtribes who have arrived today, welcome. Welcome to your House, to your Parliament.]

Like my colleagues, and especially those on the Māori Affairs Committee, we are really delighted to be able to stand today to support this, the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Bill. As many have said, so much mahi has gone in to bringing this to fruition today.

It essentially is a return of the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute’s assets and liabilities to Te Puia NZMACI, as the limited partnership. That is the core of what we are finalising here today. I remember in my, I think, first and second reading speeches I wanted to very profoundly acknowledge what is at the core of this bill, which is the taonga of our arts and crafts, the whakapapa of our arts and crafts, the ever-evolving nature of our arts and crafts. We are affirming the ongoing, developing, evolving nature of how we bring the beauty and the taonga of our arts and crafts through Te Puia, and can allow for the ongoing operations and the mana motuhake of iwi and hapū presiding over and with Te Puia.

This is a bill about valuing our arts and our culture and valuing the leadership required, and understanding where that leadership is best placed. I mean, I remember the submissions that day in Rotorua, and I remember saying how I needed to draw up a whakapapa piece of paper to try and keep up with, as someone who was not of that whenua, the Game of Thrones sort of—[Interruption] No, this is beautiful, right? This is all part of us—this is all part of us. These come through in all the Māori settlements, the Treaty settlements, and the bills of this nature, and it’s a rich, rich discussion. I did have to draw diagrams of all the interactions and the connections between the hapū, iwi, and whānau because that’s how we always have been. So this bill, the journey of it, involved a lot of digging into the understanding of whakapapa and the understanding of the wehenga—also the wehenga that were caused by Crown processes and colonisation—and the understanding of how to bring our people back together again in the best way we can.

So those were the main points I wanted to acknowledge at the final reading of this bill. It was reviewing and going back over how important that kōrero is and how challenging that kōrero also is, and finally, realising the transfer of this taonga and of the assets and liabilities back to where they should have always been.

I, too, wanted to join in with my colleagues in acknowledging the role of Tāmati Coffey, because I understand Tāmati Coffey is our final speaker after me, I believe, in this House tonight. I wanted to make sure that we gave precedent and importance particularly to Tāmati Coffey as the electorate MP and as a whakapapa connection to this bill, to that whenua, and to the many hapū, iwi, and whānau involved.

So, I really just wanted to maintain the Green Party’s support for—and acknowledge the origins and the Ministers and origins who helped initiate this as well, and arriving today to Minister Mahuta, who has the privilege of finalising this journey, the importance of our political support to doing what is right, and to the responsibility we have to oversee and make sure that we are setting up a strong framework to allow the operations and the relationships to continue in a way that is tika as well, including the Crown and iwi Tiriti relationship.

So, I want to make sure that I leave good time for all of our speeches and particularly for my colleague Tāmati Coffey to be able to bring all of our kōrero together, to acknowledge the importance of what is happening in the House with this bill today, to acknowledge the importance of all of the iwi and hapū who have joined us, and to again stipulate my proud support for this bill passing today. Tēnā koutou.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Tērā Matariki ka rewa i te pae

Nau mai, haere mai te hua o te tau hou

Tākiri ko te ata; ka pua te ata

Korihi te manu tino awatea

Tūī, tui, tuituia

Ko te tangi mai o te kō, ko korimako

I te atatū, tū ka takatū

Koia rā te Rongo whakairihia ake ki runga

Tūturu whakamaua kia tina!

Haumi e

Hui e

Tāiki e

Ngā hapū e toru o Ngāti Whakaue, a Ngāti Hurunga-te-Rangi, Ngāti Te Kahu, Ngāti Taeotū, tēnei te mihi nui ki a koutou katoa kua tae ā-tinana mai ki te taha o Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, te whanaunga anō kua huihui mai nei i tēnei rā i te taha o Te Poari ō Pukeroa Ōruawhata. He mihi nui ki a koutou katoa ki roto i tēnei Whare, Te Whare o te raiona mō tō wā tuatoru mō tēnei kaupapa. Ko te wā whakamutunga pea.

He hōnore ki te kite i ā koutou i tēnei rā whakahirahira mā tātou katoa o Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, o Te Arawa whānui. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Yonder is Matariki, suspended over the horizon

Welcome and come forth the fruits of the New Year

The morning rises, the morning blooms

The bird of the morning chirps

Bind it, bind it together

It is the sound of the korimako I hear

Just after sunrise, I awaken

It is that indeed Rongo, hang it up above, permanently, affirm it

It is

Secure it. Draw it together

It is indeed, it is secure

To the three tribes of Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Hurunga-te-Rangi, Ngāti Te Kahu, Ngāti Taeotū, I acknowledge you all who have accompanied Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, our relations who are walking as one with the Board of Pukeroa Ōruawhata today. I would like to acknowledge each and every one of you in the House today, the lion’s den, for your third reading of this bill. It will hopefully be the final stage.

It is an honour to see you all today on this special day for Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, and wider Te Arawa. Therefore, greetings to one and all.]

Whānau, I’ve got about nine minutes on the clock before I have to wrap it up, so I’m going to keep it nice and short. Mr Speaker, can I declare my conflicts of interest, which is that every organisation, every rōpū that I just listed, I affiliate to, I whakapapa to, and I do it so proudly as well. What you’ve just heard in the many speeches that have just happened in this House are the main reason that our Māori members of Parliament are so important in these conversations that we have down here in Wellington.

Iwi politics are hard; iwi politics are tough. As my colleague over here from the Green Party said to me after the day of submission hearings that we had in Rotorua, “I need a flowchart. I don’t know how it all intersects. There’s all of these different hapū and these iwi that are overlapping and I don’t know. I don’t understand it.” I said, “It’s OK. Take a breath. We are complex beings, but, you know what, we are beautiful as well.” And when we come together on occasions like this, that comes out.

Can I acknowledge you for your patience as well. This has been a very long road for our people. This started a long time ago, and it hasn’t been an easy road. There have been ups and there have been downs, and there have been people that haven’t been happy with the progress that has been made. But as we move forward, we must move forward together, and we must make sure that we’re inclusive of some of those voices that haven’t necessarily been on the journey but are on the journey right now.

Can I also acknowledge the previous member for the Waiariki electorate, the Hon Te Ururoa Flavell, who in August of 2017 initialled the deed which got the ball rolling. As we came into Government, it was my colleague the Hon Nanaia Mahuta that picked up the wero and ran with it. It’s taken a little while, whānau, but good things take time and we’re in a good place right now.

I want to acknowledge the impact that COVID-19 has had on Te Puia. And I see you there, Tim. I thank you for your work that you do with our whānau on the ground. I acknowledge the wealth of experience that you have and how, during COVID, you were willing to roll up your sleeves and do whatever it took because the people were depending on you. So thank you to you.

I also want to thank all of our whānau that continue to actually do the hard yards. Despite tourism being in one of the worst states in New Zealand’s history here in New Zealand, we continue to have an operation. I know that it’s probably not making a lot of money at the moment, but the doors are open—the doors are open and the people have come. We’ve just had school holidays, and hopefully that saw a boost, actually, of people coming through the gate.

I wanted to dedicate my kōrero today to our guides—our many guides on both sides of the gate. I want to acknowledge them both past and present for the work that they do in telling our story, because I hope that one day they will be able to tell another story. I think that my colleague over here: my part-time Whakarewarewa resident Willie Jackson, who comes down and squats at Tania’s house—it’s not even your house. He comes down and squats at Tania’s house every now and then and calls himself a person of the village. I say, hmm! Go slowly on that one. But, actually, one day we will have that conversation. I know personally that that conversation about the gate has already started. And what better time, because, at the moment, with our borders closed, we have an opportunity in front of us, and I hope that we grab that opportunity with both hands.

Can I also thank our Prime Minister and our Minister for Māori Development and our Minister of Tourism, who, post-COVID, allocated $7.6 million to Te Puia to enable our school to keep going, to enable those scholarship students to keep on training. Yes, it’s a tourism operation, but at its heart, at its centre, it is actually our arts and crafts institute and the knowledge, the mātauranga, the mōhiotanga that is encapsulated in our institute needs to be preserved at all costs. Thank you to those that came forward with the tono, but also to our Government for realising the taonga that Te Puia is.

I hope that we’re able to celebrate this back home, because, of course, it’s nice to be here, but you know as well as I do that there are so many people that aren’t here at the moment that would like to be celebrating in this moment, because it has been such a big journey. All of those submitters that showed up on the day to pour their hearts out to our select committee, and I’ll take this moment to acknowledge our Māori Affairs Committee, led by my colleague Rino Tirikatene. We came down there that day and we listened to all of the kōrero from the whānau, from the iwi, but also from individuals, as well, that felt as though they needed to be heard in that process too. We’re in a better place now, and I’m just really happy that so many people have come today to hear the third reading.

No, they haven’t come. They don’t know. You guys don’t know what’s happening up here, but we’re having a really big thing over on this side. Thanks for being here and the ones above me too. This has been a journey for me as a first-time member of Parliament. Some would call it a baptism of fire, but I’m OK with that; that’s what we do in this role. I’m happy to be the member of Parliament for the Waiariki, I’m happy to be Ngāti Whakaue, I’m happy to be Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, and I’m happy to look up into the gallery and see all of you today smiling down on this moment. E Te Māngai o tēnei Whare, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, huri rauna i tēnei Whare, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Mr Speaker, greetings one and all throughout the House.]

Bill read a third time.

Waiata