Moriori Claims Settlement Bill

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I present a legislative statement on the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill.

💬 SPEAKER: That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and it can be found on the Parliament website.

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

E ngā mana, e ngā rē, rau ieriki-ieriki mā. Tena kotou, tena kotou, tena kotou katoa.

[Exalted figures and voices of authority, and multitudes of leaders. Acknowledgments to every one of you.]

I begin by acknowledging the people of Moriori today. E te imi Moriori, tena kotou.

[To the Moriori people, you are acknowledged.]

I’d especially like to extend my welcome to the Moriori representatives who have travelled to Parliament today, some from Rēkohu and some from other parts of New Zealand, who are watching this final reading of their bill by live stream. So we welcome them here, we feel them, and we know they are here. This is their day, and it is a very special day.

Today marks the final stage in the progression of Moriori’s Treaty settlement bill. One hundred and fifty-nine years ago, Moriori karāpuna—their tūpuna—petitioned Governor George Grey, remembering the trauma of the 1835 settlement of Rēkohu by Ngāti Mutunga and seeking the Crown’s protection. This day is the culmination of the struggle for truth and justice that began then. It’s testament to the years of hard work by Moriori and dedication towards negotiating a deed of settlement, and a long-awaited day of celebration at the end of this legislative period that has lasted nearly two years because of the delays caused by the COVID outbreak. I well remember being on Rēkohu at Kōpinga Marae towards the end of February 2020, and it was just when the world was waking up to the existence of COVID-19. The passage of this legislation has been affected by that nasty virus, but we are here today with this bill in its third reading, even though COVID is still around.

The fact that Moriori could not be physically present in the House to see this, as so many other iwi are when their bills are going through, is another sacrifice that they have had to make in a long line of sacrifices in order to achieve settlement, in order to achieve that long fought for justice that they have been struggling for. I thank Moriori for their fortitude and their patience in reaching this significant milestone.

It’s now time for the Crown to make redress to Moriori for its breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and I’m pleased to be here to support the enactment of their bill. I remember and pay tribute to Moriori karāpuna on this occasion for the grievances they have suffered and the legacy of peace, which serves as a cornerstone for the identity of Moriori to the present day. I also pay tribute to those who initiated this Treaty settlement process who cannot be here today to celebrate this milestone. Moe mai, moe mai, moe mai rā e ngā ieriki-ieriki.

[Sleep, sleep, sleep peacefully great leaders who have passed on.]

I acknowledge and thank Moriori chief negotiator, Māui Solomon, for his life’s work advocating for justice for te imi Moriori, and for his able leadership through this settlement process. In 1984, as the newly elected chair of the Hokotehi Moriori Trust, Māui made a promise to his karāpuna to tell their story. With the enactment of this bill, that promise comes to life. I also acknowledge the wider Moriori negotiation team, Tom Lanauze, Paul Solomon, and Grace LeGros, and claims manager Susan Thorpe for their efforts in bringing about this settlement.

On the Crown side, I acknowledge the Hon Dame Fran Wilde for her able leadership as chief Crown negotiator. I thank my ministerial colleagues for their work and support, particularly the former Minister of Conservation the Hon Eugenie Sage. Thank you also to the officials who worked tirelessly to pull the redress together. I acknowledge the Chatham Islands Council for their support, as well as the Chatham and Pitt Island communities.

The Moriori Claims Settlement Bill gives effect to the deed of settlement between Moriori and the Crown which we signed on 14 February 2020, and it settles all the historical Te Tiriti o Waitangi claims of Moriori. The bill, like the deed of settlement, acknowledges the Crown’s historical breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It also goes some way in providing Moriori with a cultural and economic base to support future revitalisation.

The historical claims of Moriori are significant. When the Crown annexed the Chatham Islands in 1842, it extended protections under Te Tiriti o Waitangi to Moriori. At that time, Moriori were living in a state of enslavement, with severely depleted numbers on Rēkohu as a result of settlement there by two iwi whose traditional rohe was Taranaki. The Crown was aware that Moriori had been subjugated and that many had died at the hands of their captors. Moriori karāpuna pleaded for the protection owed to them, but for many years, the Crown failed to act to end Moriori subjugation. As a result, even more karāpuna suffered greatly and died in oppressive conditions, including some who died of an illness known to Moriori as kongenge, a deep despair of the spirit.

In the period that followed, the Crown’s continued acts and omissions eroded what little autonomy Moriori had, causing them to lose their connection to their language and culture and to suffer severe social and economic deprivation. In the late 1860s, the Crown did not consult Moriori karāpuna when promoting the native land laws, nor did it devise a just solution for Moriori regarding land on the Chatham Islands following the Native Land Court’s determination of land title in 1870. As a result, Moriori were left virtually landless, their tribal structures were undermined, and Moriori were severed from their land, their wahi t’chap, or wahi tapu, and their responsibilities as guardians and hosts. Over a period of many years, the Crown, through the Colonial Museum, collected, removed, and traded kōimi t’chakat, or Moriori human remains, from Rēkohu. This was but one example of the cultural degradation faced by Moriori.

By the beginning of the 20th century, ta rē Moriori had been lost as a living language due to the Crown’s failure to protect it. The Crown also contributed to the wrongful stigmatisation of Moriori as a racially inferior people who became extinct—a myth which caused great suffering and hardship, particularly to generations of children of Moriori descent.

No settlement package can ever fully compensate Moriori for the magnitude of loss they have suffered across generations. It’s a testament to their extraordinary grace and their dedication to Nunuku’s covenant of peace that they have chosen to accept the current package and move towards a period of reconciliation with the Crown. I thank Moriori. I thank them for their generosity of spirit, and I am hopeful for what the shared future holds. The Moriori Claims Settlement Bill seeks to give effect to the Moriori settlement package as outlined in the legislative statement. Today is a day for looking back and looking back at the origins of the Moriori-Crown relationship; for acknowledging the past in order to fully recognise the significance of the journey since.

It’s heartening to see the wider effects of Moriori coming to the fore in the public space we have brought. I acknowledge the renaissance of ta rē Moriori and the significant efforts of imi to revitalise their language. In addition to the work being undertaken outside the House, the interest of members of the House in engaging with ta rē Moriori with the support of imi, particularly during the select committee process, has been truly heartening. It has given me great joy in seeing ta rē Moriori being spoken in the House through this legislative process and entering formal parliamentary written records. This is an example of what the renewed relationship between Moriori and the Crown could hold. It is this spirit I’m hopeful will continue to grow with the enactment of this bill. I commend this bill to the House. Nō reira, tena kotou, tena kotou, me rongo kotou.

[Therefore, acknowledgments to every one of you, and may peace be upon you.]

Ko te pātai ka whakaaetia te mōtini [To begin the debate on this bill], I call Joseph Mooney.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. It’s a privilege to rise this afternoon on behalf of the National Party to speak on the third reading of the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill.

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā iwi, e rau rangatira mā, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

[To the authorities, to all the voices, and to all the esteemed leaders, greetings one and all.]

E te imi o Rēkohu, tēnā katoa, tena koutou.

[To the people of Rēkohu, you are all acknowledged.]

First, I wish to extend my sincerest greetings and acknowledgments to all the people of Moriori imi who are watching and listening to these proceedings and, unfortunately, cannot be here in the House today, but we feel you in spirit. One of the unique features of a third reading of Treaty settlement legislation is usually the strong presence of members of the imi, or iwi—the claimant group—in the gallery. However, because of the COVID-19 situation, they cannot be here with us today, but despite their not physically being here, it is our privilege to continue this forward in the spirit with which this began many, many, many years ago to provide a solution, to provide a settlement, and to provide a basis for which Moriori can continue forwards.

As always, I wish to acknowledge the many years of hard work that have gone into this, both of the Moriori negotiators and on behalf of the Crown. I wish to acknowledge all the officials who worked on this. I wish to acknowledge the chief negotiator, Māui Solomon, who’s worked very, very hard on this over many years. I also wish to acknowledge Minister Little for his work in bringing this here today, and I acknowledge the Hon Christopher Finlayson, who worked on this under the previous Government.

The settlement package legislated for in this bill provides a Crown apology to Moriori for the acts and omissions which breached the Crown’s obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi and for the damage that those actions caused to Moriori. These include the failure to have acted in a more reactive and proactive manner to end the enslavement, the failure to protect ta rē Moriori, the failure to protect Moriori from become virtually landless, the collection and trade of Moriori human remains, and Crown’s contribution to the stigmatisation of Moriori as a racially inferior people who became extinct—all incorrect. Various mechanisms, including the transfer of eight sites, will be offered as cultural redress, and $18 million plus interest will be offered as financial redress in this bill.

I wish to speak briefly to the history that has led to here. No settlement package can ever fully redress or compensate Moriori for their losses and for the prejudice which they experienced over generations, but through this settlement, the Crown, on behalf of all New Zealanders, hopes to atone for past injustices and alleviate the acute sense of justified grievance experienced by Moriori and to provide resources to lay a foundation for a brighter future for imi.

Moriori were the original inhabitants of Rēkohu, Rangihaute, Hokorereoro, and the other nearby islands that make up the Chatham Islands group, arriving some time after 1,000 CE. Moriori developed a unique culture on the islands, where there was little differentiation of rank, and warfare and killing were outlawed. It wasn’t until 1790 that there’s a record of European bringing the islands into sight, when Lieutenant William Broughton, the commander of the armed tender Chatham, on 29 November 1790, sighted the islands.

In 1835, Ngāti Mutunga travelled to the Chatham Islands, and that began the history which has brought us to the House today. They were one of two iwi who had travelled from the Taranaki region, and the Moriori customary laws of peace meant no resistance was raised to the iwi when they used force to overcome resistance and take over the Chatham Islands.

While the Chatham Islands became part of the Realm of New Zealand in 1842, the Crown took no action to free Moriori from the enslavement that ensued subsequently, and it wasn’t until 1862, after repeated petitions from Moriori, that any steps were taken to address the plight of Moriori. Further, in the 1870s, the Native Land Court ruled that 97 percent of the land of the Chathams belonged to the iwi, and only 3 percent to Moriori. So, effectively landless, the Moriori population, once numbering in the thousands, fell to just 31. But for more than 100 years, individuals and institutions, including Crown institutions, collected Moriori remains taken from the Chatham Islands. These remains were tapu, or tchap’, in the Moriori language.

Finally, during much of the 20th century, New Zealand school journals falsely taught a history that the Moriori were the original inhabitants of New Zealand before being driven to the Chatham Islands by the Māori. This whole history used the Moriori to create false impressions about the history of Māori in New Zealand, and portrayed Moriori as an inferior race. This false history had a significant impact on Moriori, especially Moriori children, who learnt this history at school.

As a result of these myths, generations have been reluctant to identify as Moriori, but I’m very pleased to say that having been part of the select committee that travelled to the Chatham Islands, to Rēkohu, and having spent time on Kōpinga Marae, what I saw, experienced, and heard was the proud revitalisation of the Moriori imi, a proud revitalisation of their history, and a very proud and promising future, which they will see and which this bill will help lay a foundation for. An enduring memory for me will be standing in the kōpi groves on the Chatham Islands in front of the carvings in one of the kōpi trees, and listening to the stories being told of the history of Moriori, of the bones of their people, which is just over the sand on the beach, and the sense of peace and the sense of history that I felt and heard in the kōpi groves, those ancient fruit forests of the Moriori people. It gave a real sense of the history of Moriori, and also listening to and seeing both the elders and the young who care for those forests and care for that history, and who will care for the future of Moriori.

Moriori have given something, I think, very special to the people of New Zealand, which is Nunuku’s covenant of peace: the decision taken by the Moriori not to engage in warfare and killing. But they’ve handed down this story, this ancient covenant, which is something which is quite unique and quite special for our country, and they’re certainly not a conquered people. They are people with a proud past and a proud future, and we certainly saw and heard that as well when we spent those days at the Kōpinga Marae, which is built as a monument to the legacy bequeathed by their ancestors as a place for gatherings for the people from Rēkohu, from New Zealand, and from all over the world.

Since the late 1970s, Moriori descendants have been working hard to rebuild and revitalise their identity and their culture as a distinct people with a unique heritage, and what has been achieved over the past 40 years is a testament to their resilience as a people, their determination to reclaim their rightful place in the history of Rēkohu in Aotearoa. Notwithstanding the tragic past and oppressive environment that Moriori had to operate in for many, many decades, they are proud as a people in honouring their ancestors, their legacy of peace, and their values of sharing, inclusivity, and commitment to high standards of human behaviour. Moriori have been able to overcome impossible odds and emerge, once again, into the sunlight of Rēkohu. This is a testament as much to the vision of their karāpuna as it has been to the resilience and determination of their mokopu—their grandchildren—to right the historical wrongs of the past.

On this side of the House, as on all sides of the House, we hope and we anticipate that this bill lays a foundation for the continued restoration of the social, the cultural, and the economic wellbeing of Moriori. In progressing this bill this afternoon, we look forward to a new relationship between Moriori and the Crown, one that is founded on cooperation, mutual respect, and respect for the Treaty and its principles and for the relationship between Moriori imi and the people of New Zealand. I commend this bill to the House. Nō reira, tēna kotou, tēnā kotou, me rongo kotou.

E ngā mana, e ngā rē rau ieriki-ieriki mā, e ngā morehu o te iwi Moriori, tēnā koutou. E ngā iwi taketake o te motu a Wharekauri, kei te mihi. Nei anō tētahi o ngā uri whakaheke o Ngāti Tama o Ngāti Mutunga e tuku ngā mihi ki a koutou, ā, tēnā koutou.

Ahakoa ko te aha o ngā kino nō muri rā ka panonihia te ao, he ao rerekē ināianei. Me waiho ērā momo āhuatanga i te ao kōhatu. I tēnei wā e taea ana te kite ko te oranga tonutanga o te ahi kā, o te iwi whānui o Moriori. Tēnei te mihi ki a koutou, ki a koe Māui, e mihi ana ki a koe, e hoa, mō tō kaha ki te kōkiri tēnei kaupapa mai i te tīmata.

Maumahara au, maumahara tātou o te iwi Māori, tō kaha ki te kōkiri tēnei kaupapa me hoki ki te kōkiri ngā kaupapa Māori, koirā tō mahi, Māui, i ngā wā o mua, tēnei te mihi ki a koe. Koutou e whakarongo mai nā, tēnei te mihi ki a koutou. He Hōnore nui ki te tautoko, ki te tū, ki te kōrero e pā ana ki tēnei kaupapa i tēnei wā, nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā anō tātou katoa.

[To the authorities, to the voices of the esteemed leaders, and to the survivors of the Moriori people, greetings. To the indigenous people of the Chatham Islands, I greet you. Here stands one of those descended from Ngāti Tama and Ngāti Mutunga, greeting you, greetings.

Despite past ill treatments, the world has changed, it is now a different world. We should consign those circumstances to the old world. Today it is possible to see the continued survival of the longstanding occupants, the wider Moriori tribe. This is a tribute to all of you, and to you, Māui, I acknowledge you, my friend, for your strength in driving this issue right from the start.

I remember, as all of Māoridom remembers, your strength in driving this initiative as well as other Māori initiatives. That was your role, Māui, in the past, I acknowledge you. To you who are listening, I greet you. It is a great honour to support, stand and to speak on this matter today, and therefore I say greetings, greetings one all.]

It’s an honour and a privilege to speak in this third reading. For myself, as a descendant of Ngāti Tama and Ngāti Mutunga, it is without doubt a privilege and an honour. Some people might think it’s not right for someone like me to speak, given the mahi and what happened with my ancestors, but I’ve always said to a number of Moriori who I grew up with—some of the Solomon whānau in Māngere—that I couldn’t be held responsible for the acts of some of our tīpuna and some of our ancestors, as a lot of people would argue today, perhaps, with regards to what their ancestors did to Māori. But I certainly have an opportunity to get and be part of the redress, and that’s what today’s all about. I have a part to play in terms of the justice side, the humanity side, and that’s what third readings are all about.

So when I did tell some of my Ngāti Tama and Ngāti Mutunga whanaunga that I would be having a kōrero on the bill, they were a bit worried. But I’m certainly not, because the Moriori story is one of the most fascinating stories, as the previous speaker Joseph Mooney said—well said, too. One of the most wonderful stories in terms of this country’s history and, in fact, in terms of world history, and the peace that has been exhibited by our people down there—and I say “our people” because that’s how I see things in terms of Moriori. It’s something for all of this country to be proud of. Ironic, really, that we had such a peaceful resistance in that area, and in a different area, in Taranaki, we also, believe it or not, had huge peacemakers and resistance from tohunga like Te Whiti and Tohu. So it’s ironic that we celebrate and support our Moriori history and, at the same time, remember what happened with our Taranaki tīpuna.

I’ll never forget travelling to the Chatham Islands for the first time, in 2018, when we honoured the passing of the last Māori Battalion officer, Alfred “Bunty” Preece, who was 96. Those were the first military honours that were ever accorded to people on the island, and it was a wonderful trip—first time I’d ever been there. I took my whānau down there with Minister Ron Mark at the time. Joseph Mooney was talking about the wairua and the spirit of that place. It very much is a special place, isn’t it? You felt the wairua. We felt it all, and we got it from Bunty Preece’s tangi, who was a former mayor, and his son, Alfie Preece Junior, was also a mayor. We felt the wairua there, the support, and the peacefulness from a people who have been so ravaged by the Crown. Their story, like the Māori story in terms of what has happened, is something to behold. Left landless; basically, at times, mutilated through the years.

So it’s appropriate that I salute the negotiators, particularly Māui Solomon, who’s fought for his people and fought the fight for his people of the Chathams, the Moriori. But the other side of Māui is he’s fought the fight for Māori people. He’s fought for a lot of groups. He’s been a long-time legal person. These are the types of people who will work in our world, who can work with everyone. I mihi to him for his kaha in terms of fighting for Moriori people, and the other negotiators who were involved who the Minister mentioned today.

The Moriori history is so fascinating because not only do we talk about the peaceful resistance, the wairua of the people, but we’re talking about a group of people who’ve been used and abused by everyone—politicians, historians—when they talk about history. There was a whole divide and rule strategy that not just the Crown embarked on; too many of our own people embarked on: Māori, Pākehā, historians, politicians.

We all heard the type of kōrero that said, “Oh, you Māoris weren’t the first here. The Morioris were the first here, and you murdered everyone. Really, you’re not the tangata whenua; the Morioris are.” We’ve heard those types of stories for ever and a day. We heard them when we were at primary school, and we heard them for so many years. It wasn’t funny, and it took away so much in terms of that unique Moriori history. You know, we should not have bought in to the nonsense that was being pushed out by some ill-informed historians. We had Don Brash going on about it about a couple of years ago. It’s just ridiculous, and it took away the fact that what happened was sad and what happened was part of history in terms of Māori going down there and invading and taking over a whole group of people and enslaving them. It took away their rights. It took away the way the Crown treated them. It took so much away, and we bought into all that nonsense.

As someone who worked on radio and who worked on TV through the years, I got so sick and tired of the continual racist kōrero that we kept hearing about Māori murdering the Moriori and Moriori being the first here. We’re way past that. As a Government and, as a Parliament, we’re way past that, and I salute the previous Minister, Minister Christopher Finlayson, who took this up. It’s good that in the House we haven’t bought into those arguments about who was first here or who wasn’t first here. We just focus in on the compensation and the support that the Moriori have deserved, and I thank everyone for that because this has been such a rich history.

What I’m looking forward to is how we go forward now. How is that Moriori history going to be supported and converted in the 2020s? What’s the next move for Māui Solomon and his team? You see, $18 million can never buy justice. The Treaty settlements process, as acknowledged by most Treaty Ministers, does not deliver full justice for the different groups—for Māori, for Moriori—so how is Morioritanga going to play out in the 2020s? It’s going to be fascinating to watch how these young groups come through from Wharekauri and to see what type of contribution they will make to New Zealand society.

Being in Parliament gives one the opportunity to salute the mahi that’s been done by people like Māui Solomon, who’s been doing this since the mid-1980s. It gives us a time to remember the sad tragedies that they went through in terms of Wharekauri but it also gives us the opportunity to celebrate the mana, the strength, the kaha of a people who have risen again, and I mihi to them one more time and thank them for their contribution. Congratulations, this is your day. Mihi nui ki a koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā anō tātou katoa.

Tō reo iho rā te tohinga o Rongo

ki runga o Rēkohu—Mūwheke ka eke ko Rongomaiwhenua

Toitū te whenua, toitū moana, toitū te tangata, mano tau—rongomau.

Rēkohu haumako e me rongo.

The ancient covenant of peace rises again

and casts itself over the island of Rēkohu—originating from Mūwheke and Rongomaiwhenua.

Hold fast the land, hold fast the sea, the people in peace and tranquillity for a thousand years.

Rēkohu flourishes in peace.

E te imi Moriori, te waina pono o Rēkohu, te tchakat henu, tēnei te mihi, tēnei te tangi ki ō koutou karāpuna, ō koutou mokopu, ki a koutou katoa. Ka huri ki te ao, ki a koutou ngā manuhiri tūārangi, nau mai haere mai ki te Whare Pāremata. E karanga au ki te pānuitanga tuatoru o Te Pire Whakatau Taunga Kerēme a te Imi Moriori. Ināianei, i tēnei rā, te moemoeā o ō koutou karāpuna, te moemoeā o te imi Moriori i konei.

[To the Moriori people, to the original inhabitants and people of the Chatham Islands, I greet you and weep for your ancestors and your grandchildren, for all of you. To return to the living, I welcome you visitors from afar to the House of Parliament. I welcome the third reading of the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill. Now, today, the dream of your ancestors and the dream of the Moriori people is here.]

Today, this is a moment in Moriori history, a moment in New Zealand history, that has traversed centuries: the third reading of the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill. A moment in making since mai ra ano, a time long, long awaited, a time long, long hoped for. Since 1835, the invasion of the Chatham Islands, the whenua of Moriori. Since 1842, the annexure of Moriori whenua, wai, moana, culture, and heritage to New Zealand. Since 1862, when the karāpuna petitioned Governor George Grey—131 pages. Since 1870, with the Crown turning a blind eye to the people of Moriori when it sat on your lands as a Native Land Court, confirming the pre-1840 conquest legitimate, awarding 97 percent of the land to the newly arrived conquestor, the Taranaki tribes, and delegitimising tikane Moriori of Nunuku’s covenant.

I stand not only as a member of the National Party but as uri of W’anganui, and I relate to the people of Moriori Rēkohu, who have travelled this journey and borne the anguish and the mamae of descendants, of people, for time past. But those people are living on in the descendants of Moriori Rēkohu. I have no depth of the anguish that Moriori feel. I have an understanding based on my people’s journey of W’anganui with Te Awa Tupua. However, this story of Moriori has been denied its legitimate place in New Zealand history.

I turn to a book where a segment has been penned in here by rangatira Māui Solomon. In this book labelled Māori Peoples of New Zealand Ngā Iwi o Aotearoa, there’s a segment in chapter 13, “Moriori”: “Hundreds of years ago, the Moriori of the Chatham Islands took a solemn vow of peace known as Nunuku’s law. Their decision to uphold this sacred law in the face of aggression in 1835 had tragic consequences. The people were slaughtered, enslaved, and dispossessed of their lands. Nevertheless, Moriori people survived.”

I marked the placement in this pukapuka—this book—with a feather when I was walking this morning and I stopped and looked down, and there it was. It was a tohu—it was a sign. It is not the albatross feather. But those of us who know the history of Parihaka, which is well enshrined and written into New Zealand history—many do not know the history of Moriori and the covenant of peace of the karāpuna Nunuku and the significance of the albatross feather and how that was carried by the people of Taranaki who invaded Rēkohu and took that symbol back with them. We well know and associate the white feather of Taranaki with Parihaka. The rightful place in New Zealand history is that the albatross feather has its origins with the people of Rēkohu, te imi Moriori.

Turning to the bill, the third reading is significant. I’ve traversed part of the history, never the depth of the mamae, but I’m saddened that the people of Rēkohu are not able to be present in the Chamber. However, technology is facilitating the connection by some means of reaching out to pass and convey this message.

The bill will be covered by members in this House and the significant portion that I turn to, as is appropriate with this third reading, is the apology: clause 10(a). In that apology offered by the Crown as is set out in the deed of settlement, it expresses “To … tchakat hanu (tangata whenua) and waina pono (original inhabitants) of Rēkohu … karāpuna”—the descendants, the tūpuna—“and mokopu”—the grandchildren, the mokopuna—“the Crown is profoundly sorry that … it failed”—it failed—“to uphold the partnership and provide the protection [which has been] sought by Moriori karāpuna since the 1840s.”

In clause 10, it goes through and it outlines an apology which covers the main grievances: the Crown’s failure to intervene to end enslavement, the Crown’s failure to protect Moriori from becoming virtually landless following the 1870 Native Land Court, and the failure to protect ta rē Moriori—the Moriori language. The Crown atones for its role in the collection and trade of kōimi karāpuna, or ancestral bones and remains, and it had a role in promoting myths that stigmatised Moriori as the racially inferior, who became extinct—the furthest from the truth.

I now turn to acknowledge, significantly, those who were part of the journey in negotiating on behalf of Moriori, and I turn, importantly, to a person who, as a young man in his 20s, stood upon the shoulders of his karāpuna to carry the burden, to carry this journey through to this legislative passage into law, the recognition and protection and the legitimising of Moriori. He is a man who, back in 1984, whilst reading and learning much of the history of his people for the first time, said—I quote him—“I made a promise to my karāpuna … that I’d do all I could to have the truth told about Moriori and to have justice done by them, so as to honour my Moriori ancestors and ourselves, their living descendants.” Māui Solomon, I pay respect and immense regard to you as an honourable man, as a man of respect, a Moriori man, a rangatira. As you said back in that interview on 15 December 2019, “From that day to this, I’ve dedicated my life to seeking justice for Moriori and to ensuring that our stories are told.”

In closing, I mention and bring to the attention of New Zealanders the importance of this, a significant chapter in history. It can be accessed on the parliamentary website. It was depicted in the TV documentary series on Māori Television. I commend the bill to the House.

E te Māngai o te Whare, tēnā koe. Otirā, e ngā mema katoa o te Whare nei, tēnā tātou katoa.

Moriori mana, Moriori reo, Moriori tangata, nōku te Hōnore e tū ki te kōrero i ō koutou pire. Nō reira, ōku rau rangatira mā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[To the Moriori authorities, to the Moriori voices, to the Moriori people, it is my honour to stand and speak to your bill. Therefore, to all the chiefly authorities, greetings one and all.]

It is indeed an absolute honour to speak on the third and final reading of the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill. Can I add my appreciation and acknowledgment to the chief negotiator, Māui Solomon, for his hard work and his diligent work over the course and passage of this settlement. Can I acknowledge the team behind him and those that filed the original claims, the many members of the Moriori iwi who are no longer here with us. Can I also acknowledge our Crown negotiator Dame Fran Wilde, the officials, the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Andrew Little, and, of course, my Māori Affairs Committee members, who worked very hard over examining this particular bill.

It is a great time to celebrate, but great in acknowledging the contribution and the generosity and the patience of the Moriori people, and their story should be told. Their story should be told in our school history. Their stories should be shared not only on Rēkohu but throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, because they’ve got a story to tell, and in the passing of this bill—very quickly, as we all appreciate with settlements—you want to tell the full extent of your history. But in the bill, particularly under the summary of the history account, I draw members’ attention and the attention of those that are watching this debate, it talks about what happened on Rēkohu in 1835. It talks that in 1862, the Moriori people wrote an extensive petition to this Whare—to this House—seeking recognition of their land rights—their ancient land rights—and then, of course, it talks about the Moriori’s customary land tenure and the interpretation of it being held communally, whereas the Crown title individualised land titles, hence the problem that we are seeing in the passage of this particular bill.

As with all Treaty bills, there is the conflict between communally owned and guarded whenua versus individual title, but it’s in this particular bill that I acknowledge the Moriori’s passion for retention, despite all odds. When we talk about Treaty settlements and when we talk about the Waitangi Tribunal, it can only go back to 1840, and so many of the hurts that Moriori and, I would say, our northern tribes had, which happened pre-1840, have never ever been addressed by successive Governments. But I want to make the point in the third and final reading about the Moriori situation and its concern of what happened to them in 1835. So the redress package, as the Minister spoke, doesn’t do justice—like most Treaty settlements—for what was sacrificed and what was lost. But we are here acknowledging the conclusion of a long-drawn-out negotiation period, which acknowledges and attempts to rebuild to support the absolute development of Moriori people as they see fit.

In the time I’ve got left, I want to talk about my connection with Rēkohu. I want to talk about Rēkohu in so far as it is the birthplace of the Ringatū faith. On 15 November 1865, as a result of the Waerenga-a-Hika siege in my own home region of Tai Rāwhiti, Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Tūruki, along with his followers from Rongowhakaata, Ngai Tāmanuhiri, Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki, Te Whānau a Kai, and Ngāriki Kaipūtahi, were imprisoned at Rēkohu without trial. So hence the relationship, and on that journey, one of the followers that went with Te Kooti was my great-great-grandfather Te Warahi Poutini. So for our people of Tūranganui a Kiwa, going to Rēkohu and being manaaki-ed—and so, as a descendent of the Tūranganui people, I want to record my appreciation to the Moriori people who looked after my tipuna at that very trying time in our history.

One hundred and fifty years later, in 2016, a delegation of our people from home re-travelled back to Rēkohu and were hosted by the Moriori people. They got taken to where Te Kooti and his followers camped, and got shown around the island, and I want to record, again, my appreciation to the Moriori people for their manaaki of our people 150 years after Te Kooti and his followers were incarcerated without trial on Rēkohu. I thank the Moriori people for the generosity, their hospitality, their manaaki, again, of our tipuna.

In 2018, I was lucky to travel with a delegation of Crown Ministers and officials to open and launch the wharf on the Chatham Islands. It was my first trip to the Rēkohu and I enjoyed, again, the hospitality of the local people, of the Moriori people, and I, too, got a visit to where Te Kooti was in prison. They took me to the lands where his followers—and I can say, the shivers across one’s spine when you are retracing your tipuna’s footprints over such a significant period could only be realised, like I said, by the generosity of the Moriori people. Again, I want to acknowledge my appreciation and thanks to them in this third and final reading of their bill.

It is important that we acknowledge and tell the Moriori story, and I have every faith that we will do that, led by the Moriori themselves. There are huge opportunities on the island. I want to also acknowledge the surrounding islands of Rēkohu and their contribution to the wellbeing and the welfare and the opportunities of the people that reside on that island. I am looking forward, and we continue to work with them, with the people of islands on a number of fronts. But for today, for this afternoon, in the third and final reading of the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill, it is an honour to acknowledge this third and final reading. I wish the people of the Moriori the very best. I know that they will take this day as one of celebration but also of remembrance of the enormous sacrifice they have made. Without hesitation, I commend this bill to the House.

Ko Rangitokona tokona i tche rangi

Ko Rangitokona tokona i tche ātā

Ka tu ta pou ki ru pakira o ta rangi

Ki ru pehore o ta rangi

Ka tu ta mēmēa-a-nuku

Ka tu ta mēmēa-a-rangi

Ka tu ta kahi-a-nuku

Ka tu ta kahi-a-rangi

Ka tu ta pou

Ta pou, ka tu ta pou, ta pourangi e

[Rangitokona holds up the sky

Rangitokona props up the dawn

The pou stands against the baldness of the sky

It stands against the bareness of the sky

It stands, a thought against the earth

It stands, a thought against the sky

It stands, a wedge against the earth

It stands, a wedge against the sky

The pou stands

The pou holds, it holds the sky]

E ngā mana, e ngā rē, e ngā rau ieriki-ieriki mā tēnā koutou. I te tuatahi me mihi atu au ki te imi, te imi o Rēkohu, tēnā koutou. Auē te aroha, auē te pai. I tae rātou, i tae koutou ki te taumata o te puke. He wā anō mō te okioki, kia whai anō te oreore, ā, ngā moemoeā o te tchakat henu, te imi Moriori, otirā tēnā koutou katoa. Koia ngā karāpuna i noho waina pono, i tiaki i ō rātou nei wāhi tiaki?

Me mihi au ki tērā karāpuna, ki a Hirawanu Tapu, e ngā rangatira taumata, i te mea ko ia te tuatahi i, i titihia ki Te Kāwanatanga i te tau 1862. Mai i tērā wā tae noa ki tērā wā i haere te imi Moriori ki te whai i te pono, i te tika, ā, te aroha ki roto i ngā tukanga o te Pāremata, ki roto i ngā tukanga o te kōti.

Haere, me pēnei ana ki a te imi Moriori, kei konei koutou, kei konei, ahakoa te rūkahu kei roto i ngā pukapuka hītori, ahakoa i hinga ētahi o ngā tūpuna, kei konei tonu koutou. Ahakoa i rangona whānui ki roto i ngā taupatupatu āhuatanga o te hītori ngā takahanga o te wā, i rangona koutou tēnei mea te kaikiri, kei konei tonu, kei konei tonu, ngā oreore o ngā karāpuna nā Rēkohu.

E manawareka mai te hunau i a rātou e whakatau i ā rātou nei, i tiaki i ō rātou nei mīheke. I kitea anō mātou ki tērā mai i te wā o te haerenga mātou Te Komiti Whiri i ngā Take Māori ki te Ana a Nunuku. I rangona mātou te mauri, i rangona mātou te hītori, i rangona mātou te oranga o tēnei mea te rongo ki roto i ngā āhuatanga katoa. I rangona hoki mātou, i tautoko au ngā kōrero ki tō Joseph Mooney, i te mea, i reira tahi mātou ki roto i te uru kopi. I tiro mātou ki runga i ngā rākau ngā waitohu o ngā mātua tīpuna, ngā waitohu o ngā karāpuna, ngā kōrero tuku iho i mahue ake mai rātou. I rongo mātou i te wairua, i rongo mātou i te mauri. He mauri anō e ora ana ki roto i tēnei o ngā pire. Ehara i tēnei pire, ākene ka ture nei, te tīmatanga me te whakamutunga o tēnei hīkoi o tō tātou nei whānau imi Moriori. Kāo. He wā anō, he wā anō kia whai ō rātou nei moemoeā katoa.

Me mihi atu au ki a, ki tērā whero o rātou, ki a Māui Solomon, i te mea kua whakapau kaha ia ki roto e hia kē ngā tau ki te whawhai ki ngā motika, ki te hāpai atu i te tuakiritanga o tana rē, o tōna imi, heoi anō, i hāpai ana ngā moemoeā o tērā tūpuna, o Hirawanu Tapu. Me mihi atu au ki tōna hunau whānui, te Hokotehi Moriori Trust. I reira rātou i kōkirihia, i whiriwhirihia tēnei kerēme, arā ko Tom Lanauze, Paul Solomon, Grace LeGros me tā rātou nei kaihāpai a Susan Thorpe.

Me mihi atu au hoki, kua rangona ngā mihi ki te taha o Te Karauna i kōkirihia e Dame Fran Wilde i tōna wā, otirā, ki ngā Minita Hon Chris Finlayson me Hon Eugenie Sage me ō rātou nei āpiha, i te mea ehara tēnei haerenga i te haerenga māmā, he haerenga nā te ngākau, heoi anō he haerenga nā runga i te waka e ekeeke ana ki runga i te moana.

Ko ētahi o ngā kōrero i puta mai i a mātou e haere ana ki te Rēkohu, ko tēnei pire he pūtake, ko tēnei pire he tūāpapa, he tūāpapa i taea te hanga i tō rātou nei whare, te whare o ngā imi Moriori. I kite ā-kanohi mātou i te ātaahua o tō rātou nei marae, Te Kōpinga. I rangona mātou te manawa reka o te kai, i rangona ō mātou nei puku te reka o te hōhonu o te kai moana, ā, nō reira, ko tērā te tauira ka whakaturea ki roto i tēnei pire, heoi anō, he nui ngā mahi ki mua i te aroaro ki tēnei o ngā imi.

Ko tētahi kōrero i puta mai ki te whakangungu i tō rātou nei rē, i tō rātou nei reo, ki te whakangungu anō hoki ki roto i ngā āhuatanga o te marau ki roto i te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga, nō reira, e harikoa ana ahau, kei konei te Minita Tuarua o Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga, ki konei ki te whakarongo ki ngā kōrero, i te mea, mēnā ka whai wāhi tātou ki te whakatika i te hītori, te kino, te rūkahu ki roto i ngā hītori, kia whakahōnore tātou i ngā kōrero tuku iho o ngā imi Moriori ka tika tō tātou haere o te waka.

He uri anō tēnei nō Te Tai Tokerau, otirā he uri anō hoki tēnei nō Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. I reira, i te wā i tae atu au ki tērā o ngā whenu, kei te whakaaro ake au ki aku nei hononga i te wā e haere ana au ki ngā wāhi kē atu ki Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. I mea mai ētahi o ngā mema i te wā i te uru kopi me te mea atu “Ehara tēnei wāhi ko Aotearoa—ehara tēnei wāhi ko Aotearoa. Nō Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa kē tēnei wāhi, nō Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa kē ngā uri o te imi, o ngā Tchakat Henu o Rēkohu.” I a au e haere i rongo au i tērā mauri i te mea i hoki ngā mahara i te wā i haere au ki ētahi o ngā moutere puta noa i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, i a au e haere ana ki te tihi o te Tapa Whā o Poronēhia, ki Hawaii, te noho tata me ngā kanaka Maoli. I a au e haere ana ki ētahi atu o ngā moutere ki roto i te Tapa Whā o Poronēhia me te whakaaro ake, ahakoa kei tawhiti rātou kei te rongo tonu i tērā wairua, i tērā mauri ki roto i te whenua o Rēkohu, i te mea ko te whenua, kei te whenua tōna reo, kei te moana tōna reo, kei te uru kopi tōna reo.

I a au e whakarongo ana au ki te rē o Rēkohu ka whakaaro ake au, ko te whenua tēnei e kōrero ana ki a tātou i tēnei wā. I a au i rongo ki o te take o ō rātou nei kupu ko te rē o te kohu, i whakamārama mai tētahi ki a mātou, ko tērā anō ko te reo o te kohu, ko te reo o te kohu e kōrero ana ki a mātou i te wā i haere mātou Te Komiti Whiri Take Māori ki Rēkohu.

Nō reira, me mutu au ki runga i te hari me te koa, me mutu au ki runga i te hari, i te koa, me whakaaro ana ahau i te mea ka whai wāhi ō tātou nei hunau imi Moriori mō tēnei pire te whakatū tūāpapa, te whakatū pūtake kia hāpai atu i tō rātou nei tuakiri, kia hāpai atu ō rātou nei rē ki roto i ngā marau o Aotearoa whānui, kia hāpai atu i ō rātou nei uri e noho marara ana ki ngā moutere o Aotearoa nei, kia whai wāhi kia hoki mai rātou ki Rēkohu. Me te whakaaro anō ko tēnei pire e turehia i tēnei wā i whakarite i tētahi waka anō mō rātou, i whakarite i tētahi waka anō mō rātou.

Nō reira, me oti au ki runga i tērā o ngā kōrero. Ko te tūmanako ko tēnei pire e turehia ana i tēnei wā kei te whai ngā oreore o ngā karāpuna, kia whai okioki ki roto i ngā taumahatanga o tēnei haerenga, kia hāpai ake ō tātou nei hunau imi Moriori. Tēnā tātou katoa.

[To the authorities, to the voices, to all the esteemed leaders, greetings. Firstly, I wish to greet the people, the people of the Chatham Islands, welcome. Oh the love, oh the goodness. They have gained, you have gained the summit. There are times appropriate for rest, so that activity and the dreams of the indigenous people, the Moriori, can be pursued once more, and so I acknowledge you all. They are the ancestors who remained faithful in caring for their sacred places.

My distinguished chiefs, I must acknowledge a certain ancestor, called Hirawanu Tapu, because he was the first to be a scribe to the Government in 1862. From that day to that time the Moriori people have continued to pursue truth, justice and compassion within the parliamentary and judicial processes.

So, I must say this to the Moriori people, you are here, you are here, despite the lies found in the history books, and, despite the fact that some of your ancestors have passed away, you are still here. Although the transgressions of that time were widely heard in debates about the history, you have experienced hostility, yet you are still here, you are still here, the reverberations of the ancestors of the Chatham Islands.

The family of the Chatham Islands seemed pleased when they welcomed/decided upon their, they took care of their taonga (treasures). We saw that again at the time when we, the Māori Affairs Committee, went to visit Nunuku’s Cave. We felt the life force, we heard the history, and we sensed the wellbeing of peace in everything. We also felt—and I support the comments to Joseph Mooney, because we were there together in the karaka grove. We saw on the trees the symbols of the old people, the symbols of the ancestors, the traditional messages/narratives which they left behind. We felt the spirit and the life force. There is life force as well living in this bill. This bill, which will soon be enacted, is not the be all and end all of the journey for our family, the Moriori people. No. There will be a time, another time for them to pursue all of their dreams.

I must acknowledge their chief, Māui Solomon, because he has given his all over many, many years to fight for their rights and to elevate the identity of his language and people, and so shouldering the dreams of the ancestor Hirawanu Tapu. I must also acknowledge his wider family, the Hokotehi Moriori Trust. They were there negotiating and driving this claim forwards, namely Tom Lanauze, Paul Solomon, Grace LeGros and their supporter, Susan Thorpe.

I must also acknowledge, and we have heard those acknowledgments to the Crown side, which was driven by Dame Fran Wilde in her time, and also to the Ministers and, indeed, the Hon Chris Finlayson and the Hon Eugenie Sage with their officials, because this journey is not an easy journey, it is heart-driven, however a voyage on a vessel which is traversing the ocean.

Some of the things that we said when we were travelling on the Chatham Islands are that this bill will be a base, a foundation upon which they can build their house, the house of the Moriori people. We saw the beauty of their marae, Te Kōpinga, in person. We tasted the satisfaction of the food, our bellies tasted the deliciousness of the vast seafood, and, therefore, that is the example which is being legislated within this bill. However, there is much work ahead for this people.

One of the other themes that came up was to protect their language, and also to protect it within the features of the Ministry of Education curriculum, and so I am pleased that the Associate Minister of Education is here to listen to the discussion, because if we have an opportunity to correct the history, the harm and the falsehoods in the histories, to honour the traditional narratives of the Moriori people, then our vessel will progress well.

I hail from Te Tai Tokerau, and also hail from the Pacific. Over there, when I arrived in that land, I thought about my connections when I was travelling to other places in the Pacific. Some of the members said to me while we were in the karaka grove, “This place is not New Zealand—this place is not New Zealand. This place belongs to the Pacific Ocean, as do the descendants of the tribe, the indigenous people of the Chatham Islands.” As I was travelling I felt that life force because it reminded me of the time I travelled to some of the islands all around the Pacific Ocean and when I was travelling to the tip of the Polynesian square, to Hawaii, to stay with the indigenous Hawaiians. While I was travelling to some of the islands in the Polynesian square I thought, however distant they are, I still feel that spirit and life force in the land of the Chatham Islands, because the land, the land has its language, the ocean has its language, and the karaka grove has its language.

When I am listening to the language of the Chatham Islands I think this is the land talking to us right now. When I heard the origins of their words “language of the mist”—“rē o te kohu”—someone explained to us, that is also the language of the mist, the language of the mist was speaking to us when we of the Māori Affairs Committee went to Rēkohu.

I finish with a sense of joy and delight—I finish with a sense of joy and delight—and thinking because our Moriori people family will have the opportunity through this bill to build a base and a foundation to elevate their identity and their language in the wider New Zealand Curriculum, and to also support their descendants who are living scattered around the islands of New Zealand, in order to find a way for them to return to the Chatham Islands. And also with the idea that this bill being enacted at this time will provide another means for them—will provide another means for them.

Therefore, I will finish on that comment. I hope that this bill currently being enacted is equipped with the movements of the ancestors, so they can have rest within the difficulties of this journey, to elevate our family of Moriori people. Greetings one and all.]

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise on behalf of the ACT Party to speak in support of the third reading of the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill, a bill that allows provisions for the deed of settlement to be made into law. It’s been a long process. This bill acknowledges and apologises for the massive loss that the Moriori people have experienced. Not only were you subject to the loss of your people, land, culture, and language historically but even in the present day you still have to deal with the entire history being effectively ignored, erased, and rewritten.

I have enjoyed listening, but sadly, to the second and third reading of this bill, as I have learnt much about New Zealand’s history of our Moriori people. I look forward for more New Zealanders to understand the correct story of what has occurred to the Moriori people. I also learnt about the limestone caves on the Chatham Islands, which have carvings, and I encourage all the parties to come up with a great solution to protect these carvings in the caves because it is very much part of New Zealand’s history.

But despite the many injustices that have occurred to you and your families and experienced here, like my colleague Nicole McKee mentioned in her first reading speech, you have fought hard. You have fought with determination. You have fought with effort, bravery, and courage and have made sure that none of these deaths have gone unnoticed, and, thanks to you, they will be recorded for ever in our legislation.

As we are aware, the right action of this country to take is the one that rights a wrong that happened in our past. ACT has long supported the Treaty settlement process. This position is deeply rooted in the principles that underpin our party. We believe in the importance of property rights, justice, and the rule of law. For those reasons we are proud to stand on the side of history, and I commend this bill to the House.

Madam Speaker, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to contribute to this debate today. It is the final reading. Here in the houses of Parliament, in the Banquet Hall, sit many Moriori who will be listening intently to the contributions of all of the members in this House, and to them can I say me rongo, me rongo koutou.

It has been a journey, actually, through this House for us, but it’s certainly been a very long journey for the Moriori people. Can I acknowledge the Hokotehi Moriori Trust; can I acknowledge you, Māui; can I acknowledge Susan Thorpe, who’s back home on the island; Grace LeGros; everybody that’s travelled here; everybody that can’t be here; and all of your karāpuna who have been part of this process in days gone by but have passed on to the other side.

The Chatham Islands are a very special place, Rēkohu is a very special place, and Wharekauri is a very special place. They’re all the same place, but, actually, over the generations, people have fallen in love with the Chathams for lots of different reasons. Most of it is actually the environment. It’s a beautiful place. The people that live there are connected to the environment—and we here on the mainland could learn a thing or two from them. They fish from the lagoon. They get their food out of there. It is their food basket. They get kahawai. They get flounder. They get mullet. They get whitebait. All of that helps to sustain them as a community, and it’s a beautiful thing to see.

The Chatham Islanders, the Moriori, they live off the land. They show sustainability. They have a connection with the island through fishing and hunting, and over the years, things haven’t always gone right. The sealers and whalers showed up back in the day, and they took what they needed to take and a little bit more. Over the years, as well, things have been stripped from the land and stripped from the waters as well, and that has also set the islands on a very different pathway. But the thing that they’ve got is their history.

I want to acknowledge Hirawanu Tapu and, actually, my colleague from the Green Party Teanau Tuiono also mentioned the work of Hirawanu Tapu. From 1868, it was his job to collect Moriori history, to collect the traditional stories, the chants, and the vocabulary, and he did that by talking to the elders at the time. So this is intergenerational passing on of knowledge that has only been made possible because this very gracious man became an historian for the tribe. For that reason, his work went into the Journal of the Polynesian Society back in the 1890s, and, in 1911, there was a book published called the Moriori People of the Chatham Islands: Their History and Traditions. Had we not have had the benefit of his work, we may be in a very different situation today, and we would have an imi that would be soul-searching, probably with very few answers. But the fact is that history is everything, and those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. So I dedicate this speech to Hirawanu Tapu but also to te imi o Rongomaiwhenua, who are our Moriori whanaunga that live over there and live and breathe their life.

Whilst we reach a certain point in this journey, for us in the House, of passing the bill, of making this legislation in not too far a time from now, I know that our Moriori whānau are on a journey. They are on a very big journey, because whilst their history has been—I heard my colleague say “wonderful”, and I’m sure there were wonderful parts of it too. But, actually, “tragic” is also another word that springs to mind, as well. They and their ancestors endured battle; many of our ancestors did. But, actually, in this particular story it had tragic consequences and it almost led to the decimation of a tribe. For that reason, they are on a path of revival—that’s what they’re on—and they’ve grabbed it with both hands.

To those people who haven’t yet watched the documentary, I encourage you to go on to Māori Television and to check out the Chatham Islanders TV series, because there’s a lot that you could learn about the good people that inhabit those islands. I encourage you to go on and watch the whole series, and it will give you a snapshot, but only a small snapshot, of the life that they live over there and the past that they’ve had but also the future that they’re looking forward to as well.

I celebrate with the imi and I lift them up because their future’s looking good. They have got a long road ahead of them, but they’ve started right. The TV series is out, but on top of that their app is also downloadable on the phone. For all those people that gapped it from the Chathams all those years ago and are living in other various other parts of Aotearoa—well, to those people, I say, download the app, whānau. You can find it on the Google store. Just have a look for the Moriori language app and you’ll be able to learn a little bit as well, maybe as a precedent for your eventual trip over to the Chathams, and I know that they would love to see you.

They are an island that also welcomes tourists, and as we’ve all been shut down by COVID-19, so have they. So I encourage New Zealanders, if you’re thinking about somewhere to go over the summer period, go over there. There’s some Moriori whānau that will be welcoming and are looking forward to your visit.

On top of their grasp for the future, as I found out at lunchtime—thank you, Māui—if you go to Spotify, you can also check out some new music which has actually been crafted from some old music. I wanted to take a moment of the House’s time—just a minute—to be able to listen to some of those old songs which have been made new again by some young, talented artists. So, as I play that, I ask that we just take a moment to consider the beautiful rē Moriori and their waiata Moriori. If you go on to the Spotify app, you’ll find it on the Hokotehi Moriori Trust, and the first song up is called “Hokotehi Me Rongo”. I’m not sure if this has been done in the House before, but, anyway, let’s go. [Member plays song on phone] And it goes on—“Hokotehi Me Rongo”—and there is my place to finish this speech.

To our Moriori imi that are here in the building, that are listening from all around the country, and that are listening over on Rekohu, we stand next to you. We look forward to your journey, we look forward to your history being recorded, we look forward to more of your songs, and we look forward to embracing your rē and brushing up on our own cultural capability when it comes to your language. I commend this bill to the House.

The next call is a split call.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It’s a pleasure to rise and take a call on the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill, and I think it was particularly beautiful, actually, to note that last moment from the previous speaker Tāmati Coffey. I’ve always loved seeing the unique aspects or learning more about the unique aspects of different cultures, and sharing that with us was quite special.

I also am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to have travelled out to the Chatham Islands, and it is a magical place, an amazing place, a beautiful part of New Zealand. It is rugged, windswept, and it gets a bit of rain, too, out there, but it is a really unique part of what it is to be in New Zealand with some of this diversity, these unseen, unspoiled parts of the country that most people don’t have the opportunity to travel to. So I can imagine what it may have been like for the Moriori travelling out there and establishing themselves on that beautiful part of the world.

Of course, when we look back in history with the benefit of hindsight, we understand that just about every culture goes through significant challenges in its time. Today, we have the ability to address some of the challenges that the Moriori faced, some of the suffering that they went through that they should not have, and I think we’re fortunate as a country to be able to make some of these retrospective considerations that do help to bring peace and enable the next step in a journey to be taken for people. So, on that basis, we absolutely support the bill on this side of the House as well.

Obviously, the historical account of the events that occurred under Part 1, as well as the apology offered by the Crown—no culture, no community, should have to suffer enslavement and suffer the challenges that the Moriori did, and there was a slowness to act from the Crown. After the 1842 signing, that should not have taken so long for the inequities to have been addressed. Unfortunately, it did. The enslavement by Māori tribes of the Moriori was unfortunate, and it should have been addressed by the Crown sooner.

Having said that, we are now in this place where we have taken those points on board: the historical account; the commercial redress as well, under Part 3. Obviously, some financial contribution towards that of course doesn’t fix the problem in and of itself, but is a contribution towards enabling those next steps that I mentioned to be taken for people to draw a line in the sand and to say, “Now we can move forward and we can carve out our own future as we see fit for us, with some additional support to achieve that.”

So, on that basis, as I said, we do support this bill. The Chathams is a beautiful part of New Zealand. I would encourage anyone who hasn’t had the opportunity to take that opportunity, to find the opportunity, to go out there to experience what it is to be a part of that most eastern part of New Zealand and to embrace the culture. The people there are unique, they’re hospitable, they’re friendly. They’ll give you a bit of a tough time, but it’s all in jest and good fun, and it is absolutely worth the trip. So we support it. We support the ongoing success the Moriori, I’m sure, will enjoy off the back of this as well, and I commend the bill to the House. Thank you.

Tēnā koe e te Pīka. Tēnā koutou e ngā hau e whā ka huri noa o ngā motu, ā, ka nui taku mihi ki a koutou te iwi Moriori o Rēkohu, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Greetings, Madam Speaker. Greetings to those here from all around the islands, especially to the Moriori people of the Chatham Islands, greetings, greetings one and all.]

It is an honour indeed to rise and speak to the third reading of this legislation, the Moriori settlement claim—the final stage, but the new stage of hope and recognition of you. Te Paati Māori support Moriori in the endeavours through your reinvigoration. We remember and pay homage to your karāpuna. We acknowledge your resilience as an uri of Aotea waka. I bow in humility for your pain and perseverance. As an uri of Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahine, Ngā Rauru, Pakakohi, without knowing all of your history, we have been blessed and felt your karāpuna. You have led our wellbeing and the spiritual significance of pacifism for my whānau, hapū, and waka within Taranaki, with the extension of your tikanga—values—into Parihaka. Because of you, we wear the raukura. Because of you, we have the strength of pacifism and forgiveness. You have led the example of absolute resilience and tenacity. You are the reminder of humility, often seen in tuakana. We have learnt and we have continued to learn from the example that you showed, the strength of unity, and that we will learn to know and never forget what is so wrong. We stand here to remember the biggest lesson, of aroha ki ngā tangata.

So we have a short call to say that we are here to affirm this settlement process and we remind that it should not be full and final. This is a small percentage—1 percent—of what was taken and what’s owed as the breach of Te Tiriti. Te Paati Māori will continue to fight in hard support for the next generations returning for the remaining 99 percent.

I turn to all your rangatahi and all your mokopuna who we have felt rise in their whakapapa, who we have heard rise in their reo, who we have seen stand side by side with their mātua in this process. May you continue to grow strong and confident; know we will always be here to support you. We commend this bill to the House.

Nō reira, he Hōnore, he kororia ki te Atua. He whakaaro pai ki ngā tāngata katoa, tēnā koutou. Kia ora koutou katoa.

[Therefore, honour and glory to God. Goodwill to all people, greetings, and be well, one and all.]

Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare. Tēnā koutou ōku rangatira. E te imi Moriori, tēnā koutou. Nau mai, whakatau mai ki te ana o te raiona e takatū nei. He rā nui tēnei, he rā, nō koutou tēnei, he rā nui whakahirahira. He Hōnore nui ki te tū i tēnei pānuitanga tuatoru.

Ka huri tū, me mihi atu ki ngā mate huhua o te wā, kua whetūrangitia koutou, haere, haere atu rā.

Hoki mai ki a tātou te kanohi ora e pae enei me ngā mema Hōnore huri rauna i tō tātou Whare, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Greetings to the Speaker. Greetings to my esteemed colleagues. To the Moriori people, greetings. Welcome, welcome to the lion’s den, which is prepared for you. This is a great day, this is your day, a very significant day indeed. It is a great honour to stand at this third reading.

I now turn and must greet the many deceased of this time, you who have become stars in the heavens, may you rest in peace.

Returning to the representatives of the living sitting here and the honourable members all around this House, greetings, greetings, greetings one and all.]

It is such a privilege to be able to speak in this third reading of the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill. I have sat through many Treaty settlements over my years in this House, both as a member of the Māori Affairs Committee and also just witnessing the debate, and they’re all very special.

I believe, just like all Treaty settlements, the Moriori settlement casts a shadow over the history of our country, of Aotearoa, over the atrocities which have taken place. We have a very colourful history in this nation, and to be able to see the history that has now been written down through the deed of settlement and now reflected in this bill, the history of the Moriori people, it’s very poignant that we mustn’t forget. We celebrate these occasions, whereby we can now use this as a marker to be able to ensure that there is a new relationship between the Crown and Moriori that can move forward, because we know there have been terrible acts of omission of the Crown.

There were terrible events that took place between Māori and Moriori, and Māori and Māori. We hear this in every Treaty settlement, but it’s captured—it’s captured. This is the history of the Moriori people. It has been painstakingly—every word of the deed of settlement, the historical account, and likewise—reflected in the bill. Every word, every phrase, is the history of their people, which has now been recorded for all time through this settlement, which marks this new era of a Treaty relationship with the Crown.

So I want to acknowledge the Moriori people. I want to acknowledge the many years that have taken place in this long, long journey. I think of all of those that have passed on who were part of the journey in this recent time. Yes, this day is a day of remembrance. We must remember all those that have played a part, a significant part.

I’m very privileged: a big part of this settlement and of the terrible wrongdoings that were committed against the Moriori people was about the portrayal or the stigmatisation of the Moriori people, but I never ever encountered that. I’m so fortunate. I’m so fortunate that since I was a young lad, I have had nothing but the most awe-inspiring images of the Moriori people. I’ve gotten to know the people and gotten to spend time on Rēkohu as a young child, and, indeed, as I’ve grown up through life, I’ve had the privilege to be able to be engaged in various activities, mostly iwi-to-iwi activities, with the Moriori. So I have had just wonderful memories.

My first memory of Moriori, I do believe, was a TV show. It was like a documentary, and it was Māui Solomon and his brothers. They were, I think, dressed in nothing but a loincloth, and they were clambering over the rocks on Manukau, I believe. They were finding these turtle-sized pāuas, and they were eating those pāuas and chewing on those pāuas, and then they were handing it on, and I was just absolutely bedazzled by these Moriori warriors. I thought, “Wow, that’s amazing.” They were able to eat raw pāua off the rock, and so that inspired me.

I was so fortunate that just a couple of years after that, I was able to go to the Chatham Islands to celebrate the unveiling of the statue of Tommy Solomon, the tupuna of Māui and his whānau. It’s still standing there beautifully, the statue there, and that really marked the renaissance of the Moriori people. That momentum has just continued over the years, when I think back to the efforts of Māui in fisheries negotiations for the Moriori imi right through to the establishment of their beautiful marae, Te Kopinga Marae, through to the acquisitions of significant assets on the island which they have required to build up their commercial base, and through to, now, the completion of this settlement. It’s been a very action-packed past 35-plus years—close to 40 years—of this particular journey, and so this is a real milestone for Moriori.

I think of the relationships that we have, and I know I’ve mentioned that in previous speeches, but I have a fond memory. It’s such a long journey, these Treaty settlements, but I remember I was in the Wellington Airport, and Tom Lanauze and a dear kuia that was with him, who were on the negotiating team, were holding some consultation hui, I believe, with Moriori whānau. It was just wonderful to see them. So we got talking and, as all good Ngāi Tahu whanaunga do, I gifted them a bucket of muttonbirds, much to Tom’s joy.

💬 Hon Simon Bridges: Is that legal? That doesn’t sound legal.

I’ve always got muttonbirds handy, always at the ready, as the member for Te Tai Tonga. I gifted the bucket of prized muttonbirds that we have down in the South to Tom Lanauze and this dear kuia, and they were very much appreciative, because I recognise and we recognise, as Māori, the importance of the mahi that they were doing. It’s so important, and it was that expression of just goodwill and whanaungatanga that we have for our relations on Rēkohu.

So we have been involved in so many things over the years, and this is a really important marker. I want to acknowledge all those that have been involved in this settlement on both sides: te imi Moriori and, obviously, the Crown: Dame Fran Wilde and all her team, all the officials. There’s more to come—there is more to come—because we know there are some shared settlements that are yet to be coming through for Wharekauri Rēkohu, and I’m really looking forward that we can once again, as a House, come together to acknowledge those shared settlements that will also be given effect to by legislation between Moriori and Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri.

So there is much to celebrate and, just in closing, I want to acknowledge the waiata that the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, Tāmati Coffey, played for the House. That is a first—that is a first. He might have set a trend. We’ll be coming out with the old boom boxes and letting it rip. But I do want to acknowledge that beautiful waiata because I think it just captured, in the beautiful ambiance, in the wairua, of that waiata—we could feel the wairua of the Moriori people coming through, from their own uri singing forth their beautiful waiata, which was, no doubt, composed by their rangatahi.

So that is what we want to base this celebration day on: the future for their rangatahi, the future for Moriori imi. I congratulate them all. Me rongo, me rongo, kia ora mai anō tātou katoa.

[In peace, in peace, thank you one and all.]

Oh, this has been a great debate. We’ve had music from Tāmati Coffey, and I’m not sure that was within the rules, to be honest, but it seemed culturally inappropriate to stop it. I’m just going to say to Tāmati Coffey, don’t go doing that with Snoop Dogg. You know, it’s probably not the right thing to do, but it was good.

I also very much enjoyed what I heard from Rino Tirikatene there. I loved that image of him gorging on the pāua. He really got into it with his hands—you could almost taste those pāua when he was telling that story, and then the buckets of muttonbirds. I’m not sure: is there a limit on those muttonbirds? Is that like undersized crays that he’s been getting? “Pretty legal”, as Steven Joyce used to say, I think is the expression there.

It was a great speech, from a great member of Parliament. I think that the member Rino Tirikatene, who’s just sat down, along with Mr Eagle, are actually like co - local members of Parliament for the area—is that all right, Mr Eagle?—because Rino Tirikatene, of course, is MP for that whole area. So it’s good to hear from him, and also from Mr Eagle, I’m sure. I think he’s limbering up to give a speech on this.

I spoke about him in my last speech in this House on this, and, like Rino Tirikatene, he’s a fine local member of Parliament. He doesn’t know this, but when he’s Mayor of Wellington, I’m actually—from a hundred yards, we look very similar. So when there’s like protests—[Interruption] No, not you; you too, actually—you too. One of us is a little smaller, but we won’t go there—it’s all that pāua you’ve been eating. I digress.

💬 Hon Member: Back to the bill.

No, no, the bill’s coming—the bill’s coming. At a hundred yards, we look the same, so when those Extinction Rebellion protesters are coming for you, I will insert myself and they will think that it’s me—they will think that I am you, that is, and I will keep you safe.

It’s been really good to speak on this bill at each stage. I haven’t been on the committee, but in a sense one doesn’t need to to get a sense of the flavour of the law and to read it and get a sense of what it’s all about. You know, all jokes aside about some of the members in the Parliament who have played us music and told us tales, this is, I think, a nice part, if I can say that. It’s a good part of the House.

These bills are non-contentious. We’re not bickering about them, as the House does on a number of laws. We come in agreement to settle and provide redress for past injustices, and here we have a situation where for the Moriori people, we are righting gross historical injustices, and I’m not going to retell those. We’ve spoken about them at length now in this House at various readings of this bill, but they are there, and so the redress that is provided by the Crown in terms of apology redress, cultural redress, and financial redress—I think it’s around circa $17 million to $18 million worth—is token. It doesn’t, in fact, accommodate what has happened. It’s not like for like—not apples for apples, if you can put it that way—but, nevertheless, it is some redress.

I think one theme that’s come through in the discussion in the first, second, and third readings of this bill is that one of the greatest injustices here has been one that in a sense—I’m 45. I know the members opposite find that hard to believe. Not a lot of grey hairs—a full head of hair that I have. But even a young buck like myself can remember when growing up that the Moriori people had myths and stigma around them. I can sort of remember, bluntly, that they were the ones that had been made extinct, even though that wasn’t actually the truth. There was a sense of—and I’d say this in quotes; it’s not what I believe now and it’s certainly not what I know to be true with the passage of this law and the historical record that is encapsulated in this law—“inferiority” there.

So we, in this law, put that right. In doing so, we are in a sense righting the worst, or one of the worst, injustices that have happened to Moriori people—those myths, those stigmas, that were untrue and that were perpetrated by many, including the Crown. For the Crown, it wasn’t simply what was done, although there were injustices done in the Māori Land Court—or the Native Land Court, I think it was at that time—but also in what was not done: what was taught and what was not taught in our classrooms. So we in our way, in this law, put it to rights.

It’s sad, I want to say—and I appreciate it’s probably because of COVID and restrictions; I presume that’s right—that the Moriori people aren’t here today to be here for the third sum-up. Well, I’ll put that right if I see them in the gallery—

💬 Hon Member: Next door.

Oh, they’re next door—I see. We won’t hear the waiata in this House, at least, and I always enjoy that. It’s a fitting endnote, if you like, to these sorts of bills.

National, when it comes to the Treaty process, I think’s got a proud heritage—a whakapapa, if you like—on these bills. We started it, and I simply say that to say, you know, we may not get the votes in this area, but we are part of the heritage, the whakapapa, the mahi, when it comes to the Treaty settlement process, and that is important, I think.

So, with those remarks, it’s good to have been part of this journey in a small way at the first, second, and third readings. I am gratified that we are, in a sense, in some tokenistic ways, righting the wrongs that have been perpetrated on the Moriori people from those Chatham Islands out to the east of where we are here in Wellington. As I say, it’s a pleasure and a privilege.

Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare. What a pleasure it is to be the final speaker on this, the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill. There is a sense of excitement in here, as there always is when we talk about Rēkohu / the Chatham Islands / Wharekauri, and what excites me most is that, finally, I am getting every single member in this House excited about a small part of the Rongotai electorate but also of Te Tai Tonga, where Rino Tirikatene and myself represent the good people of Rēkohu. I want to just acknowledge that despite this excitement, there is pain, and can I acknowledge all those who identify as Moriori and those who are about to go on their journey to identify themselves and say, “Hey, I too am Moriori in the karāpuna and all of those who have gone before.”

I want to just also acknowledge everyone involved, as the last speaker. There have been many. I say I’m privileged for a good reason, because in the Banquet Hall there is a small part of the Moriori community here—not everybody. I had hoped to look around the green leather seats up top and see it full, and I’m sure, though, that they too would have liked that as well. But we have the Moriori negotiating team. It’s not all members, but we have, of course, Māui Solomon, who has been mentioned in many a speech. It’s been his life’s work, backed up strongly by others who have been part of that negotiating team on both sides. Tom Lanauze isn’t here, as is the claims manager Susan Thorpe, but I did see Grace LeGros there, I saw Paul Solomon there, and I saw the back-up team who have been with them all the way.

These settlements are no easy feats, and Māui reminds us of that when he speaks. He outlines the pain, as it’s taken so long. I’ve got a document here that outlined the deed of settlement signing ceremony, which I was privileged to attend back in February of 2020 at Kopinga.

On the Crown side, Dame Fran Wilde is there with the team from Te Arawhiti, and I mention them because, as we know, these things take a long time. They take perseverance, and so they are part of the process, too. I want to acknowledge those Ministers who have been here before, like Dame Annette King; the Hon Chris Finlayson, who helped and who was the former Treaty negotiations Minister; and, of course, our own Hon Andrew Little, who has led this through to its completion.

Some of you may not know that there are others on the island who have played a key role. We’ve heard about Alfred “Bunty” Preece—the late Bunty—but also Alfred Preece, a former mayor; the current mayor, Monique Croon; and the Chatham Islands Council. There have been many leaders, many people on-island, and it was great to see the new members of the Hokotehi Moriori Trust. They will become the entity that takes this forward, and that’s why I’m most privileged.

Often, I get the honour of going across to the Chatham Islands / Rēkohu, and I’m reminded how warm they are to receive me. Every trip has meant some new experience. What I most enjoy is when I get to visit the primary schools. They have three. One of those, and the biggest, is Te One School, and I’m constantly enlightened by their demands. They are small but important. One child, Brodie, who’s now a little bit bigger and is boarding at St Bede’s, said to me once, “If you could do one thing, Mr Parliamentary Member, that’s bring me a peanut slab.”, and so my trips there have been to bring some mainland food of goodness to them. Whilst we’re outside the gifting season, and the Kilbirnie KFC doesn’t quite cut it, it does remind me how the little things really matter. For me, the little things that come back to me are the fact that they in some way have, I guess, a trilingual experience—English, Moriori, and Māori—and they’ve got the most fascinating school song. But that is for another day.

But I extend that warmth to the experiences that people on the Chathams open their doors to me. They educate me a little bit more. I might get two different stories, but what I do generally get is that this is the feeling of Moriori people and this is what happened, and this is why this is so important. So, today, we are capturing everything we can through this settlement, but can I just say to you that there is so much more. That’s the excitement I talked about when I stood up and I heard several people say, “Look, something that’s not seen is their commitment to many things, and one of those things is the environment.” Right now, on-island, there is a project called Recloaking Rēkohu. That’s their commitment to looking after what we’ve often seen, and that’s the kopi tree art. For those that get the privilege of going to Hāpūpū reserve there, there’s no longer those trees where the art is, and that’s happened during my short time as the member.

They’re big into tree planting. One of the things I most enjoyed when I took over representatives from Trees That Count, the Project Crimson Trust, and I saw the enthusiasm that members had in terms of planting trees, regenerating the land, and making sure it was sustainable for the future, not to mention—and, dear I say it, one of my favourite people there is Loretta Lanauze. She’s actually the chef, Mr Bridges. So she’s the chef at Kopinga Marae, cooking up to fine perfection, in true Moriori style, the pāua, the crayfish, and the many other delights that some members here have experienced.

My point there is they are on that journey already. Settlement in approval stages or not, they’ve started, they are moving, and they are doing a good job, and every week there is someone from Rēkohu needing some help—just like any other constituent for those of us who are electorate MPs—who comes through the office, and we have dedicated resource and communication lines into the island. There’s only 12 phone lines and the internet’s not too flash, but any day now the first mobile phone call will be made, and I’m hoping the Hon David Clark will take that call with Her Worship, the mayor there—

💬 Hon Simon Bridges: No, he’ll be mountain biking.

—and just show that we are moving. There could be a cycleway trail too, but that’s for another day.

But those hui at Kopinga are about ta rē Moriori, the language revitalisation. They hui often at that marae, and this is all part of their revitalisation, in a sense, for all Moriori people: having a place, a tūrangawaewae, that they can call home. So when people do return home, there is a whare, Loretta’s cooked the warm, healthy kai for them, and they have history being told. We saw Tamati Coffey give a wee snippet, and I bet you Heather Beaton has been working hard there on the app and Spotify to make sure, using technology, to truly transmit, literally, their language, their values, and what makes Moriori strong.

Can I say, I know the next stages for them are going to be in ensuring that the governance of the island truly reflects the partnership with both Moriori and Māori. I know that our governance review being led by the Hon Nanaia Mahuta and the Hon Jan Tinetti will allow them to truly be in a position to make decisions for the future of Rēkohu, Rangihaute, and the other islands that make up the Chatham Islands group for ever and ever.

As I bring this speech to an end, can I finish just by saying thank you to the Māori Affairs Committee for shepherding this report through. I know it was a truly significant experience for many, and, as I said at the start, I’m hoping every single member now understands a little bit more when they hear about the Moriori / Chatham Islands / Wharekauri. Kia ora.

Motion agreed to.

Bill read a third time.