Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill

I present a legislative statement on the Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill.

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website.

I move, That the Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill.

Tākiri mai ana te ata, ki runga o ngākau mārohirohi. Korihi ana te manu kaupapa, ka ao, ka ao, ka awatea. Tihei mauriora.

E mihi ana ki a koutou kua tae mai nei runga i te karanga o te kaupapa o te rā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. E mihi ana ki te hunga mate, haere, haere, haere atu rā. Ki a tātou te hunga ora, tēnā tātou. Tēnei au, otirā mātou te Kāwanatanga e mihi nei ki te kaupapa o te wā, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne o Wairarapa, Rangitāne o Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Dawn breaks, a new morning and a dauntless heart. The voice of this issue now sings, a new dawn leads to the full light of day. I now begin.

Greetings to you all who have responded to the call of this issue to be here today. I acknowledge those who have passed. May you rest in peace. And to us who remain, welcome one and all. I stand here, we the Government stands here acknowledging the issue of the time. Therefore, to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, o Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne of Wairarapa, Rangitāne of Tāmaki-nui-a Rua, greetings to you all, greetings, greetings, one and all.]

I’m pleased to be able to speak today at the first reading of Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill. This has been a long journey for these iwi, and we were reminded at the powhiri today, it’s a journey that started in 1990, so we are 32 years on.

First, I wanted to thank members of Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne o Wairarapa, and Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua. I want to acknowledge those representatives who’ve been able to travel to Parliament today to watch this reading, and, of course, those who are watching remotely. I sincerely appreciate the work, commitment, and tenacity of Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne o Wairarapa, and Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua which has brought us together on this important day. I particularly want to acknowledge those who are no longer with us who carried this important work. Today, they are in our thoughts and are with us in spirit.

I’d like to start by thanking iwi negotiations teams, including for Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, Ron Mark, Ian Perry, Robin Potangaroa, Hayden Hape, Haami Te Whaiti, and Marama Tuuta. For Rangitāne o Wairarapa and Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua, John Sproat, Jason Kerehi, Mavis Mullins, Tipene Chrisp, and Richard Jones. Their commitment to finding a shared path to carry these treasures forward for future generations is commendable, and I thank them for their work and dedication. I also want to acknowledge the work and support of the Crown negotiation team, my ministerial colleagues, Government agencies, and local councils who have helped build this package.

Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill gives effect to certain provisions contained in the deeds of settlement signed between Rangitāne o Wairarapa, Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua, and the Crown in August 2016, and between Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua and the Crown in October last year. For generations, Wairarapa moana has been a jewel in the lives of the people of Wairarapa. The annual hinurangi, or flooding, historically provided kaimoana, enabling iwi to trade far outside of the Wairarapa rohe.

However, in 1853, as the Crown first began purchasing land around Wairarapa moana, disputes arose over the purchases and encroachment of the natural boundaries of the lakes. This resulted in a royal commission of inquiry, and in 1896, the lake was gifted to the Crown by iwi as tuku rangatira—a chiefly gift—with the intention of ending the disputes and to, hopefully, protect the lakes. In return, the Crown was to provide iwi with ample reserves in the vicinity of the lakes. However, this didn’t occur, and instead the Crown provided reserves that were several hundred kilometres away, in the King Country. The settlements each provide for Crown apology redress, which details this history, and this bill facilitates the overdue return of the lake to its rightful owners. Throughout the negotiations, the Crown has heard how the devastating effects of land loss have caused Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne intergenerational suffering. It’s a testament to both iwi that despite all they have endured, they have continued to engage in negotiations in good faith, and have committed to rebuilding a new partnership with the Crown.

I’d like to highlight how this bill offers joint redress over Wairarapa Moana, and the Ruamāhanga River catchment, to both Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne, acknowledging the significance of the taonga for both iwi. The Crown-owned part of the bed of Wairarapa Moana will be vested in Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu as undivided, unequal shares as tenants in common. The Wairarapa Moana statutory board will be established to act as a guardian of Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamāhanga River catchment for the benefit of current and future generations. Significantly, half of the board will be composed of iwi members. The other half will comprise members appointed by the Department of Conservation, Wellington Regional Council, and the South Wairarapa District Council—you might say a joint governance process. The Wairarapa statutory board will administer the Wairarapa Moana reserves. A natural resources committee of the board will be established, which will provide advice on sustainable management of natural resources in the Ruamāhanga River catchment.

The joint redress bill will also vest two other sites jointly in Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu. A property in Mākirikiri to be vested in the name of the tipuna Te Rangiwhakaewa, and a joint management board will be established to administer the reserve. A property in Mataikona will be vested in both iwi as tenants in common, as undivided half-shares. Further key redress for iwi will be an overlay classification that recognises the traditional, cultural, spiritual, and historical relationships of Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne with the Castlepoint Scenic Reserve. The redress offered in this bill to Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne acknowledges the significance of these sites for both iwi and their special connection as kaitiaki of these lands.

I hope that this joint redress provides the foundation for a new relationship, as we look together to a better future for Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne, and the Crown. I’m hopeful that this bill is an opportunity for all of us to move forward towards a true partnership—one that is based on cooperation, genuine mutual trust and respect for Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles, and a vision to stand together and share the future. I look forward to continuing to take this legislation through the House, to provide redress to both iwi. It’s my hope that the bill will progress swiftly in the select committee process. I commend this bill to the House. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’m pleased to rise to speak as the member of Parliament for Southland and as National’s Treaty negotiations spokesperson on this first reading of Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill. To Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne: ahakoa kei hea koutou poipoiā e tēnei whenua, e tēnei motu o Aotearoa, he mihi tēnei ki a koutou. Wherever the descendants of Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne may be, may they be cared for by this land and this country of Aotearoa New Zealand.

I acknowledge all those who are watching these proceedings, and I extend my warmest greetings to one and all. The National Party supports this bill at first reading, and we look forward to it progressing through to the Māori Affairs Committee, which I am on, and I’m looking forward to hearing the submissions from members of Rangitāne, Ngāti Kahungunu, and the community.

This bill, Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill, will give effect to specific cultural redress shared between Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne and provided for in the respective deeds of settlement. It excludes redress for each of the settlements as provided for in the respective settlement legislation as required. The respective Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu settlement legislation will settle all the historical claims of each group.

Ngāti Kahungunu has a population of approximately 12,000 people and consists of two of the six taiwhenua regions that make up the Ngāti Kahungunu iwi: Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki nui-a-Rua. The Ngāti Kahungunu area of interest spans from Cape Turnagain down to Cape Palliser, and encompasses the wider Wairarapa and Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua regions.

Rangitāne is an iwi of approximately 3,000 people. The Rangitāne area of interest spans from Mākaramu, near Porangahau, down to Cape Palliser, and encompasses the wider Wairarapa and Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua regions. I’ll just make a personal note here as I was born in Waipukurau, and I spent a small part of my childhood in Porangahau, so I’m quite familiar with the area. Kia ora.

This bill recognises that while Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne are different groups and trace descent from different eponymous ancestors, they are also closely interconnected. Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne share whakapapa and hapū affiliations throughout the Wairarapa and Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua regions. The term “joint redress iwi” is used to refer to Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne in this bill.

Following nine weeks of hearings between March 2004 and March 2005, the Waitangi Tribunal released the Wairarapa ki Tararua report in June 2010 at Te Ore Ore Marae in Masterton. The report covered 28 claims filed by members of Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne hapū, and other claimant groups. The inquiry district covered the south-eastern corner of the North Island inland to the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges and northward to southern Hawke’s Bay. The claims investigated by the Waitangi Tribunal concerning Wairarapa ki Tararua covered the Crown’s purchase of land, including land around Wairarapa Moana, and the compulsory acquisition of Māori land for public works.

The grievances of Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne included the Crown’s acquisition of vast areas of land and its failure to ensure that adequate reserves were protected in their ownership; and the Crown’s failure to provide ample reserves near Lake Wairarapa as it had agreed under the tuku rangatira of the lakes; and the Crown’s failure to protect the iwi from virtual landlessness and from the erosion of their tribal structures, the social deprivation that resulted from that, and the loss of te reo Māori. Both Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne have gone on to negotiate, conclude, and ratify their respective settlement agreements with the Crown. Joint redress was agreed between the Crown, Ngāti Kahungunu, and Rangitāne as part of their respective negotiations.

Various provisions in this bill provide for shared cultural redress. Cultural redress is intended to recognise the cultural, historical, and traditional association of Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu within the areas of interest. The bill recognises the Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu statements of association with land, describes the underlying values and principles associated with that land, and identifies actions to protect the land. The bill also jointly vests shared properties which are specified in Schedule 3 of the bill. Additionally, the bill provides for the making of regulations, under the Fisheries Act 1996, for management of customary fishing in the Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamāhanga River catchment.

The respective deeds of settlement provide that the Crown, the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Ngāti Kahungunu settlement trust, and the Rangitāne Tū Mai Rā Trust are committed to working collectively to explore the development of customary fisheries regulations for Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamāhanga River catchment.

A unique arrangement in this settlement is the Wairarapa Moana framework. The bill establishes an inclusive governance structure that includes representatives of both iwi, the Ministry of Conservation, the Greater Wellington Regional Council, and the South Wairarapa District Council. This structure, the Wairarapa Moana Statutory Board, will act as a guardian of the Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamāhanga River catchment for the benefit of present and future generations by administering the Wairarapa Moana reserves for the purposes set out in the Reserves Act 1977 and the joint redress legislation, including the protection and enhancement of their cultural, spiritual, and ecological values. It also will be the manager of the Wairarapa Moana marginal strips. It will provide leadership on the sustainable management of the Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamāhanga River catchment, and promote the restoration, protection, and enhancement of the social, economic, cultural, environmental, and spiritual health and wellbeing of Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamāhanga River catchment as they relate to natural resources.

The settlement redress is to be managed for the benefit of all members of Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne, wherever they live. Importantly, the bill also provides that the overlay classification does not affect the lawful rights or interests of a person who is not a party to the deed of settlement.

The title of this bill, Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill, refers to a rohe-wide committee established by iwi in the 19th century under the Maori Council’s Act 1900 to address health and welfare issues among their people. This joint redress legislation recognises the enduring bonds that exist between Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu. It is important that a settlement process enhances rather than jeopardises those bonds.

Last year, after Rangitāne Tū Mai Rā Trust board took an urgent application to the Waitangi Tribunal—it was asked to review the Crown’s actions in failing to engage with Rangitāne regarding the additional redress of Wairarapa Moana in the Ruamāhanga River, and alleged breaches of its commitments to Rangitāne in its deed of settlement. The Waitangi Tribunal found that the Crown had failed in its Treaty duty of good faith to Rangitāne. It did not continue to negotiate with them about Wairarapa Moana in good faith, as required by clause 7.6 of the Rangitāne deed of settlement, and it breached the principle of whanaungatanga, knowing the nature of the engagement and relationship between the two groups in the past, and the Crown’s historical errors putting Rangitāne interests under those of Ngāti Kahungunu. The Crown should have taken active steps to ensure that the relationship between them was not harmed by its approach to shared or joint redress.

In view of these findings, the Waitangi Tribunal recommended the Crown pause the introduction of settlement legislation to take steps to rectify its Treaty breaches around the joint redress concerning Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamāhanga River, help Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu to work together to ensure that the further redress and processes do not jeopardise the relationship, and to do so before any matters that were concluded about redress concerning the Wairarapa Moana and Ruamāhanga River.

I look forward to examining this bill, as I said at the outset of my speech, at the Māori Affairs Committee and hearing from the relevant parties and, importantly, from Ngāti Kahungunu and, I should say, from Rangitāne. I hope that we have an opportunity to visit as well, and we have had, with COVID lately, a lot of appearances where we’ve had to do it on Zoom, and I certainly hope in this new environment that we can actually come and visit and do it kanohi ki te kanohi.

So with that I recommend this bill to the House at this first reading and I look forward to the progress of it through this House.

E te Māngai, tēnā koe, e ngā Mema katoa, tēnā tātou katoa. E ngā iwi Ngāti Kahungunu Wairarapa Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne ki Wairarapa, nau mai, nau mai haramai. Nau mai, haramai ki tō whare, te Whare Mīere o Aotearoa. Nau mai haramai ki te kaupapa whakahirahira. Nau mai haramai i runga i te wairua o te rangi. Tū tonu, tū tonu, tū tonu. Nō reira, ōku rau rangatira mā, e kui mā e koro mā, tēnei koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[To the tribes, Ngāti Kahungunu Wairarapa Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne ki Wairarapa, welcome, welcome, welcome. Welcome to your house, New Zealand’s Beehive. Welcome to this important issue. Welcome in the spirit of the heavens. Stand firm, stand firm, stand firm. Therefore, to my many chiefs, and female and male elders, greetings, greetings, greetings, one and all.]

I’m pleased to take a call on this significant day, the significant day where we receive the first reading of this bill, Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill. I did want to acknowledge the whānau, our iwi, who have arrived here in the gallery, and can I say it is so nice in these recent times to have people in our public gallery. Due to COVID, it has been quite a pōuri undertaking in this House doing first, second, third Treaty readings with no whānau in the public gallery. So it is a special day in acknowledging your presence here today and for those that can’t be here.

This is a shared cultural redress bill that the Minister has outlined between two very formidable iwi that are based in the Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua region and the Wairarapa region, and I mihi to you all here today. I don’t plan to go in detail but I do understand in reading the bill that there are four cultural redress instruments that I just want to highlight before I respond to some of the kōrero that was received at the pōhiri.

I want to acknowledge one of the instruments, being the overlaid classification over Castlepoint Scenic Reserve. I want to acknowledge the customary fishing regulations of the management over Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamāhanga River catchment. I want to acknowledge the vesting of cultural redress properties: Mataikona property, Wairarapa moana property, and, of course, Mākirikiri property to the tipuna Te Rangiwhakaewa. I want to also acknowledge the Wairarapa Moana framework, which establishes a board and enables the development and the setting of the vision and desired outcome statements for that board.

It’s important to acknowledge rangatira on both sides, to those that are no longer here with us, to the Minister of Treaty settlements, but also to the negotiating team. I want to acknowledge you all. As a former Treaty negotiator, I know it’s never ever easy—never ever easy. It’s often a thankless task and you’re always told you never quite got it right. But I want to say to you, the negotiators that have joined us here, thank you for your leadership; thank you for your preservation in staying at the kaupapa. But, more importantly, thank you for coming together as two iwi. I had a big smile on my face when I knew that this bill was coming to this Whare for us to debate and to passage through as the completion of what we’re setting out here to do.

I want to acknowledge our officials, Te Arawhiti, for the work that they’ve been doing. But it was really the coming together of two peoples, two iwi, who share common interests in Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua and Wairarapa. We all know the stories. We’ve always experienced them, no matter which side we sit on. But it lifts my heart to know that we are all here together as one seeing the passage of this bill. And, like I said at the beginning, may that continue—the working together, acknowledging our uniqueness, our mana motuhake, our tino rangatiratanga, but in an area of interest that we all passionately love—our awa, our maunga, our moana, our puke. It’s important that occasions like this continue, because only when we work together can we achieve great gains.

At the pōhiri, it was talked about, the importance of shared whakapapa. And, interestingly, before we started this bill, we had another kōrero in this House, which is the general debate, where we generally have a bit of a crack at each other across the House on what’s been achieved and the Opposition saying what we haven’t achieved. And the issue of whakapapa and identity as a Māori was discussed in this House prior to this bill. So I wanted to draw that out because it came in the pōhiri, and the strength of shared whakapapa, as opposed to a hindrance or a prohibitive—shared whakapapa, collective responsibility, working together for all. I want to acknowledge our speakers Paora and Mike—Paora Ammunson and Mike Kawana—who spoke on the paepae today. Of course, Uncle Haami Te Whaiti and, of course, Tipene Chrisp, who shared their perspective as negotiators.

But that point around shared whakapapa, it’s not lost on me in terms of what was shared at the pōhiri—but also a message to us in this House to remind ourselves about our collective responsibility for the nation and to not go down rabbit holes that divide and rule us, but actually enhance us as a people.

The other point that I want to just address briefly—and, look, four minutes isn’t going to do it. But the kōrero around seamless negotiations, or trying to aim for seamless negotiations when it comes to grievances and working with the Crown—so that was also raised at the pōhiri, around how we look for systems improvement, and I’m pleased that the new head of Te Arawhiti was there to hear that kōrero too.

As Rongowhakaata negotiated, the Government of the day introduced the large natural groupings, which was to do exactly that. It was the fast-track Treaty settlements. Eleven years later—nowhere near as long as 32 years—we finally settled. So there is a point to always remind the Crown around how we can improve it. And one idea—and it’s appeared to me because I’ve had many settlements across the rohe—is the front loading of us just talking as Māori, as hapū, as marae, and as iwi, before we enter the formal process of negotiations. Because once you enter the formal process of negotiations, it is no longer your process. And what comes undone—and I’ve seen it many, many, many times with counterclaims and going back to the tribunal—is that we’ve jumped into that process, in my view, sometimes too soon and not spent time at the front end to getting an understanding of what is critically important, including cross-claims, including interest from other iwi in our rohe, and all those critical issues and trying to head them off before we start negotiating with the Crown.

I think the Crown has a responsibility. I’m not the Minister of Treaty settlements, but the Crown simply has a responsibility to enable that part of the process before we start the process proper. And those are my thoughts. Those are my thoughts personally around how we can streamline settlements.

But today is a great day for the people of Rangitāne o Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua, Rangitāne Wairarapa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Wairarapa o Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua to celebrate the coming together in the passing and this consideration of Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill. It is a way forward that I’m proud of; that I hope those in our gallery are proud of, and all the people that you represent back on the homelands. This is far-fetching work. It will bring huge benefits to our respective region and to our respective iwi. It will create the opportunities around those properties, but it also enables us to tell our story as we see fit. And it’s always about the future generation, with our rangatahi, that we always think of at times like this.

So, without further delay, it has been my absolute honour to have a small kōrero around this particular bill at its first reading. It will go through its process and I look forward to it coming back to the House so we can consider what the public has viewed on it, but, more importantly, to end this part of the process for the people of Rangitāne and for the people of Ngāti Kahungunu, Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua, and Wairarapa. For those few words, I commend this bill to the House.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It’s a pleasure to speak to this, Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill, at its first reading. As it is with many bills, you do the preparation, you do the background, and I learnt so much more around the bill. Of course, I’m sure we’ll learn more through select committee and through other readings. But this interests me particularly as the bill speaks to the Wairarapa and the Wairarapa Moana, and particularly to the Ruamahanga River and its traverse through many electorates, actually. I was speaking with my colleague Ian McKelvie and it turns out that this river actually traverses through his electorate and around through Masterton as well. So it’s been an interesting exploration, looking at what this bill is trying to address as it goes to select committee, and looking back at the work that brings it to this point.

Of course, the deed of settlement was signed between Ngāti Kahungunu and the Crown in October 2021, so credit here to the Office of Treaty Settlements and the team who have brought the bill to this place today where it’s ready to go through its first reading.

The main provisions are relatively clear and concise. I know a number of bills sometimes, as we talk to redress and acknowledgments, can be quite wide-reaching. I found this to be quite concise. The main provisions talk to the deed of settlement for Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua and Rangitāne o Wairarapa and Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua, as I’ve said.

The key points of cultural redress—Castlepoint Scenic Reserve. This is what I mean by doing the background and preparation before you come to a bill. So I need to sort of then go to the geography and say, now, whereabouts is that? What do I need to know about that? I’m more informed and better here as I come today, and will be more informed as we go through select committee—in fact, somewhat distracted by, oh, is that where that point is? How did it get its name? What is this bill going to do that’s going to change or improve that? How’s it going to help the iwi?

Regulations for the management of customary fishing in Wairarapa Moana, as I said, and the Ruamahanga River catchment, and the vesting in fee simple of three cultural redress properties is what the deed of settlement is also talking to. There are three Schedules, each which talk to the Wairarapa Moana and the river.

I think, as I look at this bill overall, what we’ll see more detail around is the cultural redress and the grievances. So it’s quite skinny at this point in time. This is what the select committee particularly will flesh out with submissions and with select committee hearings and evidence.

So far be it for me to stand in the road of this bill. I’m better informed than I was a week ago as to what this Treaty settlement is looking to do, and I’m very encouraged and excited to see this go through select committee. Even though I don’t sit on this particular select committee myself, my colleagues who do—Harete Hipango and Joseph Mooney—will keep us up to date with the progress of this bill. It’s fair to say I now have a knowledgeable interest to overview it as it makes its progress as well, and I’m excited for the people—excited for the iwi who have been able to come here and to join us in the gallery, which is an unusual event of recent days, to actually have iwi here, due to COVID. It adds an ambience and a wairua to the deliberations that we’re making here today.

So let’s move this bill along. Let’s get it to select committee. Let’s do the work and let’s give the benefits to those who should receive the benefits. Kia ora koutou.

Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare. It is a pleasure to take a call on Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill. This bill gives effect to specific to the cultural redress shared between Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua and Rangitāne o Wairarapa as Rangitāne o Tāmaki nui-a-Rua and provided for in their respective deeds of settlement. I would like to begin by acknowledging the members of Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne who have travelled to Parliament today and those who are watching and participating remotely. I mihi to you all.

As others speakers have noted, it is wonderful to have you all in the gallery today. Madam Speaker, I’m not sure if Mr Speaker is watching, but I wonder if he has made a ruling on whether we will allow waiata in the Whare today. One of the most special moments of participating in this Whare is the waiata when we finish a reading of a Treaty redress bill. Something I have had the privilege of learning is kapahaka, as a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir, and waiata in this Whare, and that is something that I’m really looking forward to, and I’m going to stay specifically for that. I hope that it will ring around this Parliament as something we haven’t heard in here for a very long time.

Today we’re beginning this particular legislative process to further acknowledge you and the historical wrongs against your people, but the work to get to this point was started a very long time ago. I want to acknowledge all who were involved in this process and who have passed since that time. This bill will give effect to specific cultural redress shared between Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne and provided for in their respective deeds of settlement. You may be wondering a little bit about why a Pākehā MP from Whakatu in Te Wai Pounamu would have anything to say on this particular bill. I consider this to be the first opportunity I have had to give a speech, a kōrero, in this Whare on a Treaty settlement bill. I’m really proud to whakapapa back to Wairarapa, where my mother grew up and where members of my whānau still live, and where I spent a lot of time as a child, and I’m proud also to have grown up in Manawatū, which is also a whakapapa to Rangitāne. As the MP for Nelson, Whakatu, we have eight iwi in our rohe, one of which I spent a lot of time working with—Rangitāne o Wairau. My colleague Barbara Edmonds earlier in her speech today mentioned the Wairau Affray and what happened to Te Rauparaha and the history, which is so important for the area that I come from and I know this is whakapapa that many of you here today will share.

I just want to note that it is so important that these stories and your history—the history that has led us to this place for this kōrero so that we can right these wrongs—are shared properly in Aotearoa. We are currently in New Zealand having a discussion at times about the role that history plays in our country, and it’s because of times like this, in my view, that that history really matters so that we don’t end up with Pākehā MPs like me standing up here today, having had to do the research. This research and this history should be taught to our tamariki early in their lives, because it’s part of who we all are.

As previous speakers have pointed out, there are a number of things that this bill does. It provides for an overlay classification over Castlepoint Scenic Reserve. Castlepoint is a place I visited a lot as a child with my whānau in Wairarapa. It provides for the making of regulation for the management of customary fishing in Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamahanga River Catchment. It jointly vests the Mataikona property in fee simple with both iwi, and it also jointly vests the Crown-owned parts of the Wairarapa Moana property in fee simple.

The bill establishes the Wairarapa Moana Statutory Board. The bill sets up the functions, membership, procedure, and committees of the board and it also sets out the preparation and approval requirements of the documents in a vision statement for the Wairarapa Moana.

I want to make a specific point about the role that our local government and our territorial authorities have played. When reading through the bill, I was particularly interested to see the contribution from local government—the Tararua District Council making available the Mākirikiri Recreation Reserve; the Masterton District Council relinquishing its control and appointment of the Mataikona reserve; and the fact that the Crown and the trustees of the Ngāti Kahungunu Settlement Trust and the Rangitāne Tū Mai Rā Trust have agreed, along with Wellington Regional Council and South Wairarapa District Council, to be part of the Wairarapa Moana Statutory Board. Those parties, together with Masterton District Council and Carterton District Council, have agreed to be part of the Wairarapa Moana Statutory Board’s committee for natural resources.

Again, I point this out for quite a specific reason. Again, we are having conversations and kōrero in Aotearoa at the moment about the role of co-governance and the role of iwi and Māori relations in local government. Part of that conversation at times has gotten very ugly and inappropriate. In my view, this is an example of the work that local government and iwi have been doing for so many years, in such a positive way, to work together in the true spirit of partnership. There is so much that the Crown can learn from that and there is so much that all of Aotearoa can learn from that. I wanted to point out specifically how good it was to see the inclusion of work by our councils in getting here today.

This is the first reading today, and from here we go through that select committee process. And from here we have an opportunity to hear from people further as this bill progresses through this Whare. I’m not here to hold this up any further. We want to hear your voices ringing out through this Whare tonight, celebrating another step in this milestone. So I commend this bill to the House. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise today to take a call on behalf of the Green Party on this, the first reading of the Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill.

As has been stated by others, this bill gives effect to specific cultural redress shared between Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua, and Rangitāne o Wairarapa as provided for in their respective deeds of settlement.

The redress in the bill includes sites to be jointly vested, including property at Mākirikiri Gravel Reserve, the beautiful Mataikona, the bed of Lake Wairarapa property—the Crown share of that, I understand from the Minister—and provides for an overlay classification over Castlepoint Scenic Reserve, being a site of significance to both iwi. And it provides for the establishment of the Wairarapa Moana Statutory Board, who will act as a guardian of the Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamahanga River catchment for the benefit of the present and future generations. Such important work.

I’d like to particularly note this magnificent wetland of international significance within their care and the stellar work of Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne that they’ve been leading to restore the mauri of Wairarapa Moana. All of this is essential to the affirmation of the kaitiaki responsibilities under Te Tiriti justice, and we know we need to see more of this.

Today, too, I would like to acknowledge the negotiators and hapū, for whom this day has been a long time coming, who will quite naturally feel a sense of urgency and hope to be able to move on towards a new relationship with the Crown, to be able to really start restoring the whenua, awa, moana, and rebuild as whānau. I want to be very clear that the kaha of the negotiators for this rohe cannot be disputed and we uphold their efforts to right past wrongs and move forward. But the Greens at this point in the process have some outstanding questions about the Crown process that we hope to resolve through the select committee process before we can offer our support to this bill.

Our questions arise primarily from the proximity of this bill to the Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua settlement and the need for some reassurance that the recommendations of the Waitangi Tribunal in relation to that settlement are being followed and not in any way ignored to the benefit of the Crown. There is intra-hapū disagreement on most, if not all, settlement bills. Sometimes corrections are made through the select committee process, but mostly we just have to acknowledge those who oppose the deeply imperfect process enforced by the Crown while we stand by and congratulate the majority for their hard-fought-for settlement.

The Treaty settlement process leading to the aspects of this bill, though, have been heavily criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, and at this stage our concerns relate primarily to the following points.

So the Crown has indicated an intention to settle with the Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua Settlement Trust, whom the Waitangi Tribunal has found does not have a mandate to settle on behalf of the claimants in Wai 429 and Wai 85, and the Waitangi Tribunal’s primary and strong recommendation was that the proposed settlement with Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua does not proceed at this stage because, as they said, and I quote, “the cumulative effect of the deficiencies we identified, the process was unfair, will exacerbate divisions in the claimant community, and will not be durable.”

Our third concern is that the Waitangi Tribunal also found that in this settlement process, the Crown failed in its Treaty duty of good faith to Rangitāne: “It did not continue to negotiate with them about Wairarapa Moana in good faith as required by clause 7.6 of the Deed of Settlement. It also breached the principle of whanaungatanga. In its dealings with Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu about Wairarapa Moana, it should have been aware of the implications for the mana of each.” In relation to this claim, they recommended the Crown pause to take steps to rectify its Treaty breach, and before any matters were concluded about redress concerning Wairarapa Moana, help Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu to “work together to ensure that any such redress, and the process for agreeing upon it with the Crown, [do] not jeopardise their internal and external relationships;” and reimburse Rangitāne for the costs of the urgent claim.

And the final paragraph of that Waitangi Tribunal ruling stated—again, I will quote: “We have recommended that, in relation to all the claimants, the Crown should now pause to rectify the deficiencies that have made the settlement process we heard about unsound and unfair. If the Crown acts on our recommendations, there are implications for the deed of settlement already signed. It is for the Crown to satisfy itself on what basis and how it should withdraw from the deed of settlement.”

To have a related bill introduced and proceeding to first reading only a few sitting weeks after this ruling worries us. The Greens have met with some of the interested parties who have been in the courts over this issue, and I want to stress that not one of those parties has wished to trample on the mana of the negotiators. Everybody expressed to us a wish for a settlement to go ahead, just without the sections of concern or the inclusion of Ngāi Tūmapuhia-a-Rangi and Wairarapa Moana ki Pouakani Incorporation and that is what we need reassurance of in the select committee process.

We will vote to support this bill if we are confident that it will not lock in a deed of settlement that the Waitangi Tribunal said should pause and will have no impact on the resumption of litigation in front of the courts and will not in any way undermine the mana of Rangitāne Tū Mai Rā Trust.

So I’ll finish by lamenting the fact that Te Arawhiti in their briefing to the incoming Minister, most recently, had to note that the Waitangi Tribunal made a number of findings in recent years suggesting the Crown has been too keen to achieve settlement and has not taken sufficient time to resolve overlapping claims between Māori or to ensure there is widespread and ongoing support for the mandated entity representing an iwi. In seeking to resolve past wrongs, the Crown should not create new grievances. The Green Party wholeheartedly shares this view, and whilst seeking to uphold the mana of all the negotiators and hapū who have been subjected to this process, we will still need reassurance that no new grievances are being created by the Crown. The Green Party believes in the need for a tikanga-based approach, where all parties are given the opportunity to determine and collectively agree what the redress process and outcome looks like. To us, that is tino rangatiratanga.

So we look forward to the select committee discussions but will be abstaining on the bill today. Tēnā koutou katoa.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The ACT Party wishes to acknowledge those who have come to the House today to hear the first reading of the bill, Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne, and we want to let you know that the ACT Party will support this bill at first reading to go to select committee, where any remaining details can be ironed out, hopefully to the satisfaction of the claimants and to those who may be affected by some provisions of this bill. There are a couple of matters that I’d like to canvass very briefly.

Firstly, the ACT Party believes that New Zealand is unique in that we have a Treaty between the indigenous people of New Zealand and the Crown, Queen Victoria, which sets out the rights and privileges of all citizens, and that we are all equal before the law. The ACT Party believes that is one of the truly unique and wonderful things about New Zealand, that founding document. We support the process—that is, to bring historical grievances to a tribunal where all of the evidence can be documented and then worked through for the purpose of achieving a settlement to deal with historical grievances, which have often held back the development—the economic and social development—of people whose lands were alienated by the Crown or by the actions of others. So it’s important that we recognise that this process is vital for past grievances to be addressed and that it is one of the most important things that leads New Zealand to a place of social cohesion. For that reason, the ACT Party supports this process.

It’s also wonderful to hear that the interests of the iwi and hapū in the very important wetland are to see the values of the wetland enhanced, the biodiversity and the ecology of the special place protected, and that there is also a provision for people who wish to fish in this wetland and to enjoy all of the benefits of the natural resources that this wonderful wetland produces. So, again, those are shared values and that is recognised by the settlement.

I was surprised to hear from the previous member who spoke, Jan Logie, that in fact the Crown might have been too keen to settle the claim. That surprises me because in my short time in the House I’ve seen the Crown, as represented by the current Government, be extremely reluctant to acknowledge problems and to seek to settle them unless it becomes too embarrassing. So I think it’s wonderful that the Crown is keen to settle the claim and I think, at the risk of creating new grievances, that’s what the select committee process is for—so that, in fact, if there are risks which haven’t been sufficiently resolved they can be addressed through the select committee process.

It’s important also to consider whether settlements that benefit some of the parties who have rights and interests in land and waters do not conflict or override the rights of others who believe they also have interests in lands and waters. So in order for the settlement to be durable, all of those matters must be fully explored—and despite the fact that some parties might feel that actually they haven’t been able to recover all of their property or to have all of their rights and interests fully acknowledged, that they are sufficiently satisfied with the deal that’s on the table and that it means they can move forward as a group, as an iwi, as a hapū, and have sufficient economic power to actually go about and develop their own business and their own land in a way that benefits them for the long term. So that is the purpose of the settlement process and ACT supports that.

I do note at some stage in the bill it refers to setting up statutory boards that will have a co-governance approach to the wetland, to reserve land, and to conservation land. Now, where the scope and the purpose and the objectives of those statutory entities is clear, and that revolves around ecology and making sure that the people who have an interest in these lands and waters are satisfied that the ecological and the biodiversity values are being enhanced, then, look, there may very well be good reasons to have a co-governance model. But there will always be concerns from some people who feel that in the absence of a democratically elected pathway to people who control reserves and other what are currently common lands held by the Crown for the purpose of administering them so that all New Zealanders can access them, that a co-governance arrangement may, in fact, exclude some people who wish to be heard.

But I do note in the bill that there are extensive provisions for consultation on reserve management plans that the statutory board wishes to implement and so it seems like, in this particular case, many of the concerns that people have about co-governance could, in fact, be allayed by very high quality legislation that delivers the best of both worlds. So on that note, I would like to confirm that the ACT Party supports that this bill should go to select committee for further investigation and, on that note, ACT commends this bill.

Tēnā koutou ngā uri o Rangitāne, ngā uri o Kahungunu. Nau mai, haere mai hoki mai ki tō tātou nei Whare, te Whare Pāremata.

[Greetings you, the descendants of Rangitāne, the descendants of Kahungunu. Welcome to our House, the House of Parliament.]

It’s wonderful to see you here today. I acknowledge your presence and I acknowledge those people of Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne o Wairarapa, and Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua, from the regions of Wairarapa and what is now known as the Tararua District.

Wairarapa Moana is a beautiful site. It is the site that gives our beautiful region its name. “Glistening waters” is what it loosely translates to. Anyone that has left Wellington on the train to head to Wairarapa, leaving the dreary, miserable weather of Wellington, going underneath the Remutaka Pass, and emerging to the beautiful sunny valley of Wairarapa, to the right sees the beautiful site of Wairarapa Moana.

It’s wonderful to see in this bill today recognition of the cultural redress that needs to occur in regards to recognising the unique and special role that iwi have in the management of Wairarapa Moana. How good is co-governance? That’s what I have to say. Because it recognises that there is a special and unique role that should never be overlooked in the management of important cultural assets, be it Wairarapa Moana, be it out Castlepoint or Mataikona. It is vital that the wrongs of the past be acknowledged and attempts to address that be made, and that is what is outlined in this bill today.

This is the first time that I’ve spoken to a redress bill, and it is a great privilege to be able to speak to it today. For the first time, listening to the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Andrew Little, acknowledging those that took part in the negotiations, I was able to sit back and say, “I know those people.” That meant a lot to me, because I know that this means a lot not only to Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne but also to our region. This shouldn’t just be seen as something that’s important to local iwi. This should be seen as something that’s important to all of us.

I’ve been reflecting on my family’s heritage in leading up to this contribution, and I remember back in 2014, when I first stood for Parliament, and I told the story of my great-grandmother’s great-grandfather, who built the first building in what is now Featherston, which was the first pub. I was really proud of that. Rawiri Smith, who was running for Te Paati Māori at the time, came up to me and said, “That’s pretty impressive, but don’t forget how long we’ve been here.” And I haven’t.

But I also reflect on my great-grandfather’s great-uncle, Daniel O’Connell, who the main street of Dublin is named after. He was a politician of the time and led the fight against the British to have the Irish recognised in their own land. I was raised being told of this, raised to be proud of this—that fighting for the rights of the people who were there before they were colonised is something to be proud of. If I were to stand today here not only as the member of Parliament for Wairarapa but with that as my background and not support this and not support co-governance, then I would be a hypocrite, and I’m not going to be a hypocrite. I support this wholeheartedly.

To those that suggest that co-governance should not go beyond the management of natural resources, I would point them to Te Ahu a Turanga, the Manawatū-Tararua highway that is currently being built at the moment. Now that Transmission Gully has finished, it is the largest earthworks project in the country.

💬 Hon Gerry Brownlee: Yeah, still one of ours.

It is a case where a unique approach has been taken. While some may want to interject and try and play petty politics on roading projects, there is a serious point to this, and that is that unlike previous projects, the New Zealand Transport Agency and the alliance of which it is part formed a relationship with local iwi—recognising the unique role, recognising the importance of the land to them—and had a co-governance approach to that construction. Some may argue that there is no role for that in such things. But this project has taken into consideration the unique and special insight that local iwi were able to provide. It has taken into consideration the importance of preserving the mana of the land, the water that flows through the Manawatū River; the importance of restoring the land, once the road is built, with native planting, but also working with local iwi to ensure that actually the majority of the people working on that project are from local areas.

Those are the sorts of practical, tangible benefits from taking the time to recognise the unique role that mana whenua have and the possibilities that working together brings. Mavis Mullins mentioned at the time when the Hon Phil Twyford came to Woodville to sign this agreement that this was the Treaty principles at work, and I couldn’t agree more. Something like building a road can follow Treaty principles, and I think it’s a prime example for those that try to say that co-governance is something to be scared of. Go up to the Tararua District and see it in action, and I promise you, it’ll be nothing to be scared of at all. I wholeheartedly commend this bill to the House.

Rau rangatira mā, tēnā koutou katoa.

[To the many chiefs, greetings to you all.]

National is very pleased to support the Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill, which, along with the Ngāti Kahungunu settlement legislation that was introduced in February, will complete Treaty settlements in the Wairarapa.

Can I acknowledge iwi and whānau gathered in the gallery this evening. New Zealand is a very small country. My mother is a St Hill-Warren of Porangahau, and her family married into the Mohi whānau, so I have Ngāti Kahungunu cousins. So I mihi to you.

I want to also acknowledge the Hon Chris Finlayson, who settled the Rangitāne negotiations in 2016, and the Hon Andrew Little, who signed the settlement with Ngāti Kahungunu late last year and finalised the joint redress that we are here canvassing this evening.

The Minister and other speakers have already spent time on the settlement redress itself, but I do want to say something about the role of cultural redress in settlements. There is a reason that so much cultural redress is related to the environment, as is the case here. It’s an attempt by the Crown to recognise the aspirations of iwi to be involved in the management of natural resources of cultural significance that matter deeply to them, and also to make room—most importantly—for the exercise of their rangatiratanga. It is a vital part of Treaty settlements and relies on the enormous generosity of the negotiating iwi to make what can be at times difficult compromises.

Like other settlements, the bill we are debating this evening provides for environmental and cultural redress, the joint vesting of property, and new arrangements for the Crown and iwi to work together to make customary fishing regulations. The centrepiece, however, is the new statutory board to govern the Wairarapa Moana. It’s been formed as an important part of the negotiations and sits squarely in the middle of the Waitangi Tribunal’s Wairarapa report, to use the tribunal’s own words. One of its primary roles will be to produce a Wairarapa Moana document setting out the vision and the aspirations for this management. It will also set out a reserves management plan and a natural resources document for the Ruamahanga River catchment.

We often see in the headlines the dollar figures, the amounts spent on the settlements, and the financial redress, but it’s the cultural and relationships redress that I think has become most important. It is the part that often places continuing obligations on the Crown and local government to make things work. So when Parliament legislates for the Wairarapa Moana Statutory Board, it does so in the expectation that the Crown and local government appointees work to make the agreement that Parliament legislates here to work in practice.

Chris Finlayson always says that if the Crown doesn’t respect its obligations, Treaty settlements will not last the distance. In my humble view, “New Zealand Inc.” needs this legislation, along with all other Treaty settlement legislation, to last the distance. I am very pleased to commend this bill to the House.

Tēnā koe e te Pīka otirā tēnā tātou i te Whare. Tēnā tātou i ō tātou tini mate o te wā. Ko Kahurangi June Jackson, ko te kuia a Aunty Barlu tērā, ko Tā Wira tēnā, ko Marina Sciascia anō hoki tērā, arā ko wai atu, ko wai atu. Rātou te hunga wairua ki a rātou.

Ka hoki mai rā ki a tātou, e hika mā, kua pae nei, tēnā anō hoki tātou katoa. Kahurānaki tū mai rā, Ngāti Kahungunu iwi, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, karanga mai whakatau mai rā. Tēnā tātou i te āhuatanga o ngā tawatawainga anei rā tō mokopuna, te uri o Kahakura Mihiata, e mihi nei e tangi nei. Ngā pae maunga o Ruahine, o Tararua, tū mai rā. Rangitāne o Wairarapa, Rangitāne o Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, karanga mai, whakatau mai tā. Tēnā tātou i tā tātou tipuna, te tipua kaitā ko Rongokako. He nui ngā kōrero mō te tipua nei ki roto i awahau ki te Tai Rāwhiti, ā, ki Te Whānau-a-Apanui hoki. Kei reira tonu tōnu tapawae kei ngā toka tū moana ki Waiōrore, Te Whānau a Hinetekahu ki Toihau. Nō reira ngā mihi nui ki a koutou e whakawaha nei, e hautū nei i tēnei kerēme. Tēnei tātou i te āhuatanga o tēnei taihonotanga kerēme Tiriti a Ngāti Kahungunu me Rangitāne me ngā kaupapa kua poua ki roto i tēnei kerēme i tēnei rā, ā, te paparua i a Castlepoint Scenic Reserve, te mahi tahi mō te tiaki i te moana ki Wairarapa me te awa o Ruamahanga, te whakahokitanga mai o ngā whenua tāpui a Mākirikiri me te Mataikona Scenic Reserves anō hoki. E hika mā, kei te mihi atu rā ki a koutou i ngā whakatōpūtanga o ngā rawa nei.

Ahakoa ngā tūāhuatanga o tēnei kerēme kāore e tarea te whakatika i ngā hē o te Kāwanatanga me ōna ture, ka roa nei e apo i a tātou. He apo whenua, he apo tikanga, he apo tangata, he apo mahara a te Māori. Kātahi te taniwha whakawehewehe tangata ko tēnei, whakawehewehe whānau, whakawehewehe hapū, whakawehewehe iwi hoki. Heoi anō. Ko te tūmanako ka tarea tonu te whai oranga i roto i tēnei tūāhuatanga, te waihanga pakihi, te tipu mahi, te whakaora hapori, te whakaora tikanga me te reo me wērā mea katoa. E tūmanako nei e tātou i roto i ēnei rangi tonu ā, anō hoki i runga i te mahi tahi. Ahakoa kotahi pai heneti noa iho kua whakahokia mai ki a mātou, me waiho ake mā ō tātou mokopuna te iwa tekau mā iwa pai heneti e toe ana e whawhai.

Heoi anō, kei roto i tō mātou kaupapa here Mana Motuhake te huarahi mō tēnei tūāhuatanga. Kei runga i te pīrangi a Te Paati Māori hei tauawhi i ō tātou iwi me tahuringia i te whakaaetanga whakaatu whakataunga kerēme, te whakakore i te kōpaki putea, the full and final settlement me te large natural grouping, te whakamana i ngā whakataunga a te Taraipunara o Waitangi me te whakatikatika i ngā WAI kerēme e tārewa tonu ana, ā, te whakatūngia i tētahi komihana Tiriti o Waitangi hei āta mātautau i te Kāwanatanga me ōna tari katoa, ā, me te whakahoki i ngā whenua rāhui katoa ki ngā iwi. Nā reira, e hika mā, kua rongo tātou i ngā kōrero whakaparahako, arā a ngā pāti pērā anō i a ACT i tātou me tō tātou mana motuhake me tō tātou tino rangatiratanga. Kia kaha anō tātou i runga i te huarahi e whai nei tātou, me te mea hoki kei a tātou ko tātou mana. Waiho mā Māori anō a Māori e kōrero, waiho anō a Māori anō a Māori e rangatira.

Nō reira, Ngāti Kahungunu, koutou ko Ruahine kei te mihi atu rā ki a koutou i tēnei rā, nau haramai, e hika mā, ki Te Whare, ki te pānuitanga tuatahi o tō kourou kerēme. Ka whanga awahau ki te wānanga ki roto i te komiti Māori me te whakarongo ki ngā kaupapa katoa kei roto i te kerēme nei. Āe tae ake rā ki te pānui tuarua me te pānui tuatoru. Nō reira, e hika mā, Ngāti Kahungunu Rangitāne, maranga mai, tēnei te Pāti Māori e tautoko kaitā nei i tēnei o ngā kerēme i tēnei rā. Kia ora tātou.

[I acknowledge the many dead at this time. Dame June Jackson is one, the elder Aunty Barlu another and Sir Wira, as well as Marina Sciascia and others. Let the dead be with the dead.

Returning to us who are sitting here, greetings one and all. Kahurānaki who stands there, Ngāti Kahungunu tribes, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, I call to you and formally welcome you. Greetings to all. With respect to our connections, I am your relative, the descendent of Kahukura Mihiata, I greet you and mourn with you. To the mountain ranges of Ruahine, of Tararua standing there. Rangitāne o Wairarapa, Rangitāne o Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, I call to you and formally welcome you. I acknowledge our supernatural giant Rongokako. There are many stories about this giant in my territory in the East Coast, in Te Whānau-a-Apanui too. His footsteps are still on the coastal rocks at Waiōrore, the subtribe of Te Whānau a Hinetakahu ki Toihau. Therefore, I acknowledge you who are carrying and guiding this claim. Greetings, everyone, to this joint Treaty claim of Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne and the issues that have been established within in today, the Castlepoint Scenic Reserve, the collaboration to care for the body of water at Wairarapa and the Ruamahanga river, the return of the reserved lands of Mākirikiri and Mataikona Scenic Reserves as well. Well, I congratulate you on the consolidation of these properties.

Despite the attributes of this claim, it cannot rectify the wrongs of the Government and its laws, which have for so long been appropriating from us all. Appropriating land, destroying customary practice, exploiting people and wrongly acquiring Māori thought. What a beast this is, adept at separating people, breaking up families, splitting sub-tribes and dividing tribes as well. It is hoped that it will still be possible to find benefits in this situation, to create businesses, to grow work, to revive sub-tribes, to enliven customary practice and language, along with other things. That is our desire here today, and of course to work together. Although only 1 percent has been returned to us, we must leave our grandchildren to fight for the other 99 percent.

In addition, in our Mana Motuhake policy, is the way out of the current circumstances. To enable the Māori Party’s desire to support our tribes, first we must overhaul the current Treaty settlement process, end the fiscal envelope, the full and final settlements and the large natural groupings, make Waitangi Tribunal decisions binding, and resolve all outstanding WAI claims, establish a Commissioner for the Treaty of Waitangi to oversee the Crown and all its departments, and to return all reserve land to the tribes. So we have all heard the disparaging comments—that is, from parties such as ACT—about us and our independence and self-determination. We must stay true to the path ahead, where it seems we have our own authority. Let Māori themselves speak for Māori, let Māori themselves ennoble Māori.

Therefore, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ruahine, greetings to you on this day. Welcome to the House, to the first reading of your claim. I await for the discussion with the Māori Affairs Committee and listen to all the issues within this claim—yes, right up to the second and third readings. Therefore, Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne, rise up. This is the Māori Party completely supporting this bill today. Thanks to all.]

E karanga au nei ki ngā uri o Rangitāne o Wairarapa, Rangitāne o Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou i tēnei wā. Nau mai, haere mai i roto i te Whare nei. Ko au Harete Hipango he uri nō W’anganui. Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou i tēnei wā.

[I call to the descendants of Rangitāne o Wairarapa, of Rangitāne o Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, and of Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua. This is my greeting to you all at this time. Welcome, welcome in this House. I am Harete Hipango, a descendant from Whanganui. Warm greetings to you all.]

I’m standing to address the House but, more significantly and importantly, the uri of those tribal peoples and hapū I have acknowledged and addressed today for the first reading of Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill. I was unaware that I would be taking a call on this bill until just earlier today, and so the time that I have had in preparation has been somewhat compromised, but I assure those who are gathered here, and who have travelled afar—and I acknowledge you; thank you for coming—and those of your people who are not able to accompany you today, that we will give this bill the due diligence that is necessary and is appropriate before the Māori Affairs Committee.

This legislation is required to give effect to all cultural redress shared between, as I said in my mihi, Rangitāne o Wairarapa, Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua, and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua, as was contained within the deeds of settlement signed between Rangitane and the Crown on 6 August 2016, and the deed of settlement signed between Ngāti Kahungunu and the Crown on 29 October 2021.

When these matters come before the House—and this is a joint redress bill to those previous Treaty settlement matters that have been locked in under the deeds of settlement, but this is a history lesson for New Zealanders, also. The people of the tribal and the hapū areas who are here today are but a representation of a small part, because there are many of your forbears who are present in you today and, importantly, these bills are also about moving forward into the future—the aspirations and the hopes to be fulfilled.

This bill was introduced to the House on 3 February 2020 and here we are on 30 March 2022 with the first reading. It will move to the Māori Affairs Committee for all members to give this the due diligence and the scrutiny that it is deserved of. With that scrutiny, there will come differing viewpoints, and that has been touched on by some of the members in addressing the House today. Those differing viewpoints take into account part of the journey that has been traversed to date. There is more to traverse in terms of the settlement of the bill as it passes into law with this joint redress.

I well know, in terms of our Wanganui River settlement, that, over the course of decades—in fact, over the course of generations and lifetimes—the stories, the lived experiences of our people are aired and viewed, often with agreement, often with disagreement. And the beauty is how we are able to address and redress those differences amongst ourselves. It takes time. Often this process that’s imposed by the Crown can create division, but we draw deeper where we can also create unity. I look up in my blurred vision—part of the blurring of the vision is the ageing of the eyes but never of the heart—but also with these readings, with this kōrero in the House, there is the emotion that’s tinged. So I look amongst you all in addressing the people gathered here today, and I recognised one of my own whanaunga, Mavis. Mavis, you were also W’anganui but, importantly today, you are Rangitāne, and I acknowledge you and everybody who is joined with you and before you, your tupuna, your father, and the journey that is being traversed over time.

When this bill comes back to the House, I will speak more pointedly to the detail of this bill, which is in three parts. It is a bill that has some 122 clauses and three Schedules, and with my legal eye, I will give the due diligence and scrutiny that it is deserved of. But today, I stand to acknowledge that, with the journeys, comes the challenge that we have, out of a measure of divisiveness, how we pull together and create unity.

The timing of this, also; the last time, in fact—and I’m being somewhat intimate and personal—that I reached out to Mavis, by text, was when I happened to view on Māori TV on Waitangi Day, episode five, a replay of The Negotiators, and it was part of the journey that many of you have been on to arrive at this point here, and further points moving forward with aspiration and hope into the future. We know full well, those of us who’ve been on the journey, of these negotiations and settlements as it traverses through into law, the challenges. However, with those challenges, as I’ve repeatedly said today, we draw within and look to our tikanga for the tika and the pono of getting and making things right.

Some of us are aware of the application to the Waitangi Tribunal. What I drew from the limited information that I have to hand is that—it was noted in the reports in the media; the findings, the recommendations from the Tribunal, but what I picked up, importantly, was one of your tribal peoples, one of your own, said, “We will take this back and we will kōrero further, to strive to find a solution.”

As has been noted, there are two deeds of settlement. This bill is a joint redress bill which identifies within those 122 clauses, within the three parts and the three Schedules, the significant features and landmarks, the significant watermarks and waterways, but significantly, the aspirations that will be fulfilled moving forward into the future so that—from the opportunity—prosperity will grow. Prosperity will be potentialised so that, out of Te Rohe o Rongokako and this joint redress bill, with those two deeds of settlements—with the differing views of others who feel that their needs have not been addressed—the Māori Affairs Committee will pay due recognition and take heed of what those of you will further submit and talk to.

On that note, the National Party supports this bill to the first reading, through to the Māori Affairs Committee, to hear further the kōrero and the heartfelt and the lived experiences and stories of the people of Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu. I commend the bill to the House.

Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare, e mihi ana nei ki a koutou kua tae mai i runga i te karanga o te kaupapa o te rā. Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne o Wairarapa, Rangitāne o Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, tēnā koutou, kia ora koutou katoa.

[Mr Speaker, greetings to you and to all of you who have travelled here responding to the call of the issue of the day. Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne o Wairarapa, Rangitāne o Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, greetings to you all, be well.]

Mr Speaker, thank you for this honour to be able to speak to this redress bill, the joint redress bill, Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill. It’s been some journey to get here, and I’m a real fan of today, because it is the first reading. I want to acknowledge the members of the three iwi and those representatives who are here today, sitting with us here in te Whare Pāremata, our Parliament, to experience this process, which gives effect to certain parts of the deed of settlement, signed by the Crown and the iwi in August 2016 and, I’ll just add, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki Nui-a-Rua and the Crown in October last year. So it has taken some time, but we’re here now, and I want to acknowledge those with us but also those who are no longer with us who have been part of this process.

I know that, being a member of the Māori Affairs Committee—and can I acknowledge all members, and particularly the chair, Tāmati Coffey. But these are always a learning process, because you get to hear about some horrific pain and the journey that our iwi across the motu go through.

Can I acknowledge those iwi negotiation teams. I know the names of the members have been read out, but I want to applaud them for one particular aspect, and that’s that they saw the need to do a joint redress. I know there are other settlement claims coming through the process through Te Arawhiti Māori Crown Relations, on through into the Māori Affairs Committee, and I’m a fan of just ensuring that the joint redress components of these Treaty claims is put forward as soon as possible. Too often, I notice with others, is that as claims are dealt with with singular entities, there’s a real overlap, and it would be far more useful, in my view, that sometimes if we did the joint redress up-front, maybe we could iron out some of those raruraru as we go through.

But all credit to those negotiation teams, our Crown negotiation team. Can I acknowledge the Minister the Hon Andrew Little and the councils involved, who have really helped build up this package that’s before us.

When I look at the purpose of the bill, I said that it gives certain provisions contained in those deeds of settlement effect, and I know and in talking to people from the iwi they certainly recount their history in some pain. It goes back to 1853, where some of that land purchase and what was gifted with the intention of ending these disputes actually, with the hope of even protecting those lakes and there was going to be some return with some ample reserves—these just did not happen. I heard the Minister talk about that some of the reserves provided by the Crown were, in fact, located away in Te Rohe Pōtae, the King Country. That’s unacceptable, and I know that those devastating effects of the loss of land that had caused this intergenerational suffering is now well documented, and it’s important. We’re on our history waka to ensure that it’s recorded accurately, and I want to applaud those involved in this negotiation to get that history documented accurately and correctly.

So the redress, the joint redress over the Wairarapa Moana, the Ruamāhanga River catchment, to both Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne acknowledges the significance of that taonga. I know there are other sites, and there is one aspect of this that I think is worthy of mention, and that’s that Wairarapa Moana Statutory Board to act, as I’ve learnt in other settlements, as a guardian of the Wairarapa Moana, the Ruamāhanga River catchment, and that’s really for that benefit, again, of current and future generations.

What’s significant really is the membership of that board, half being iwi members and then we’ve got the Department of Conversation and the Greater Wellington Regional Council and South Wairarapa District Council. This is good. It means that the partners involved in the kōrero are there at the table. They’re in a governance setting, so they are making decisions that have real strength and real impact, no doubt reflecting back into the 1850s and when those other deals were done. There was no certainty of whether they would actually come to fruition. There’ll be a natural resources committee of that board, and they will certainly look at the sustainable management and catchment—sorry, the natural resources of the river catchment.

Just in terms of the Castlepoint Scenic Reserve, which has been mentioned. I’m a regular visitor. But I know that there will be what’s called an overlay classification that recognises some of those traditional cultural and spiritual relationships between iwi and Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne. So this is significant. I too look forward to seeing the process come through the Māori Affairs Committee. I’m hopeful, like I am with all settlements, that this is the beginning of a reset, a true partnership that allows an attempt, I guess, so that some of that suffering and pain that will be addressed in its history is actually acted upon in a positive manner for the future for the people of these iwi and shows a new respect and trust for Te Tiriti o Waitangi and their principles.

I’m proud to speak on this and will be proud to look at the subsequent readings, and I commend this bill to the House.

Tēnā koe e te Pīka o tēnei Whare, otirā ki a koutou katoa Ngāti Kahungunu Rangitāne kua huihui i tēnei, i tērā Whare i tēnei rā. Nei rā te mihi ki a koutou.

[Greetings to the Speaker of this House, and to all of you of Ngāti Kahungunu Rangitāne who have gathered in this, in that House today. This is my greeting to you.]

Can I give my acknowledgments to you of Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne for making it to Wellington today. Not all of us have made it to Wellington, and I acknowledge that there were a few of us missing at the pō’hiri today, but we’re about to spend the next six months together. So that’s a really good time for us to be able to drill down into the settlement, drill down into the details of the settlement, and look into how we can make sure that we make this the best legislation that we can, all things considered.

Can I say to our whānau from Rangitāne, from Ngāti Kahungunu, thank you for honouring this process; thank you for entering into it. It’s a tough process. As many speakers before have said, it can be a divisive process as well. The Treaty settlement process has been something that we have been doing for quite some time in this Whare, for better or for worse. But the overall objective is to try and make sure that everybody leaves with their mana intact, and I hope that, through this settlement, through your settlement, we’ll be able to do that, as well.

You come at a very auspicious time, as well; a time when the country is talking about things like co-governance and things like co-management. It’s a hot topic at the moment. There are some people in the House of Parliament who believe that it is something to be feared and something that we shouldn’t be encouraging. I want to put that on the table right now as something that I hope that you can help us with, because as we traverse forward into this space, not just for your settlement but for lots of settlements, we need to put a message out there to the rest of Aotearoa—as your local MP for Wairarapa, Kieran McAnulty, said earlier—that co-governance and co-management is nothing to fear. We as a country have been doing this for quite some time, and in many parts of Aotearoa, it’s happening really successfully.

But there is a darker part to this conversation and it started coming through in some of our select committee hearings. There’s a very organised group of people who talk about the co-governance and co-management as not being democratic and that it’s against the principles that we all stand for. “It’s against the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.”—we’ve heard that one too. So, on this journey, we’re going to need some support if we’re going to continue to do what we believe is right.

Let me put on record, too, that the New Zealand Labour Party are committed to settling all of our historical Treaty settlements here in Aotearoa—we’re absolutely committed to that. We need to stick true to things that we know work: things like co-governance and co-management. Through your bill, hopefully, we’ll be able to not get some of those submissions through the select committee, but, no doubt, we will because it’s a place where we hear from all sides, all opinions. You will be subjected to that, as well; to hearing some of those submissions.

As the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, I look forward to progressing your bill through the House, and, in quite a different approach, we’re looking forward to actually travelling too. I know, like much of the country, that many of us have been locked down and staying in our whare. Through our Māori Affairs Committee, we’ve been managing to do Treaty settlements via Zoom, which isn’t really what we want; we would prefer to be there ā-tinana, ā-wairua, so that we can come there and we can actually takahi te whenua [walk the land], look you in the eye—kanohi ki te kanohi [face to face]. All of that really matters when we’re dealing with Treaty settlements. We’ve made a decision as a committee that we were very open to travelling out to your rohe, so that we can get a bit of a tiki tour around the sites of significance of the pā in your bill. A decision was made this morning.

So I did note to the committee that whilst it’s our intention to travel, it also relies on our hosts wanting to have us there, as well. So that’s something that we’ll wait for your instruction on. If you’ll have us, we would love to travel to your rohe so that we can talk through and see and meet and eat together with you, as well. We’ll leave that discussion for another day.

The whole process through the select committee is one of honour and one of mana. We as committee members completely acknowledge the work that’s been done to get to the deed of settlement point, and we see ourselves as committing an administrative task in this whole Treaty settlement process, but an important part of that too. Scrutiny is good and we look forward to dissecting the bill, taking your advice, listening to the submissions, and that process will happen immediately. The call for submissions will go out. The usual time frame is a six-week process to call for submissions so that we can gather those in from around the country and tee them up so that we can listen to the kōrero—the good, the bad, and the downright ugly as well. We look forward to having you before the committee, but we look forward to travelling out to your rohe, as well.

I’ve got nothing left on this, other than to say to Rangitāne and to Kahungunu, nei rā te mihi ki a koutou katoa. Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui.

[This is my acknowledgment to you all. Be firm, be brave, and be stout of heart.]

Let’s do this. I commend this bill to the House.

The question is, That Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill be considered by the Māori Affairs Committee.

Motion agreed to.

Bill referred to the Māori Affairs Committee.

Waiata