Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara/Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill
Clauses 1 and 2
← Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara/Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill
e Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara/Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill., Ō-Rākau on 31 March 1864 was one of the most significant events in history—and her-story—of Aotearoa New Zealand, Ō-Rākau being the last battle in the war in the campaign of the Crown in Waikato. Compounding the loss of life experienced by whānau, hapū, and iwi who fought there was the loss of whenua itself. The year after the battle, in this Whare, the Crown confiscated hundreds of thousands of acres of land in the Waikato—1.2-plus million acres—similar in nature to our whānau in Taranaki, including the site at Ō-Rākau., This legislation seeks to return the whenua te whenua i rere ai te toto , Ō-Rākau site for themselves, ā-tinana, ā-kanohi [in person, with their own eyes], to see and feel for themselves the profound importance of this place. I acknowledge and thank the members of the committee for their diligence and for their mahi, and I thank the many who made submissions and brought forward the names of tūpuna to be recorded in the legislation. I mihi out to our uncles and aunties, Dr Robert Joseph, and others who have done that tireless work—and it hasn’t finished. I’m sure in the future we will also find other tūpuna who we forgot or who didn’t quite make it into this legislation, and we can add them., They heard, as many of you will know, those , Ō-Rākau., Alongside its national importance, there are many whānau, hapū, and iwi for whom this site carries a very deep personal significance, because they descend from the traditional owners of the land or from those that took part in defending Ō-Rākau. I know some of those descendants who are not here today—like Uncle Harold, Uncle Denny, and others—many of them have passed on and they are represented here today by many of you, all of you, actually, who are represented here today and the many descendants throughout Aotearoa and indeed throughout the world, including, might I add, , Sentencing (Reform) Amendment Bill →
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Members, we come now to the final debate, clauses 1 and 2, “Title” and “Commencement”. The question is that clause 1 stand part.
Clause 1 agreed to.
Clause 2 agreed to.
Bill to be reported without amendment.
House resumed.
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Mr Speaker, the committee has considered Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara/Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill and reports it without amendment. I move, That the report be adopted.
Motion agreed to.
Report adopted.
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Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara/Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill is set down for third reading immediately.
Third Reading
🗣️ Spoke in this debate (2)
- Hon Gerry Brownlee (New Zealand National Party — List Member)
- Barbara Kuriger (New Zealand National Party — Member for Taranaki-King Country)