Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Claims Settlement Bill

I move, That the Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Claims Settlement Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee consider the bill.

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I wish to thank and acknowledge Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri for making the journey here today to join us in Te Upoko o Te Ika Wellington for this significant milestone. I speak on behalf of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Paul Goldsmith, who has followed Andrew Little in chaperoning this mahi through on behalf of the Crown and alongside with, and ultimately for, Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri. I acknowledge and extend a warm welcome to iwi members in the public gallery and to whānau watching from throughout the motu on television this evening.

It is a significant milestone for the relationships between Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri and the Crown. This bill gives effect to the deed of settlement negotiated between Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri and the Crown and marks an important step towards resolving historical, and “herstorical”, Treaty grievances and building a renewed set of relationships for the future. The deed-signing ceremony was wet, wild, windy, with the warmth of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri manaakitanga and promise of kōura and rāwaru distinctly Wharekauri. I was humbled by the manaakitanga of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri and the abundance of outstanding aroha, generosity, and also kaimoana. The way that everyone adapted and persevered despite the elements reflected the resilience, strength, and wairua o Wharekauri, particularly the hearty rangatahi who sat for over an hour and a half on cold, probably damp grass, stoically awaiting the conclusion of the pōhiri and the signing ceremony. E mihi ana ki ngā rangatahi.

Before speaking to the settlement itself, I wish to acknowledge those whose commitment, determination, and leadership have brought us to this point. Firstly, the people—

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—this settlement is your settlement alongside and shared with the Crown. It belongs to the whakatupuranga, or the generations, that have maintained identity, tikanga, and their connection to Wharekauri and kept the embers glowing on those islands through periods of profound challenge and change. It belongs to those that carried the historical, and “herstorical”, burden of these grievances, yet never gave up hope that, one day, these would be resolved in a manner that could lead to legislation—and, importantly, that those experiences and those stories are heard and accounted for in the appropriate record.

The current trustees of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust—Melodie, Monique, Deena, Di, Megan Lanauze-King, John Preece, and Paula Page, and others, including the mandated negotiators Tom McClurg and Hariroa Daymond, and all those who represented the iwi through the settlement processes. Of course, prior to the current Government, the mahi that you did alongside the Hon Andrew Little, “Ānaru Paku”, and now with Paul Goldsmith, “Pāora Metekōura”.

Treaty negotiations require a lot of patience, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to future generations. The work undertaken on behalf of the iwi has culminated in the legislation before the House today, honouring the efforts of those who have tirelessly advocated and pursued this kaupapa to realise the aspirations of the iwi, to resolve the claims settlement process, and, of course, to further create balance for the health, wealth, and wellbeing of the people, of the land, and of the sea.

I also acknowledge the kaumātua, tauheke, and kuia whose knowledge, leadership, and stewardship ensured stories of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri were never lost. They persevered and passed through the generations, many of whom are depicted in the pictures out in the Grand Hall this evening, some whose memories remain etched in the hearts and the minds of those that have gathered here today, but the legacy that they bring, and that now you uphold, we reflect through this settlement legislation.

To the whānau who attended the hui and cast votes during the mandating and ratification processes, provided guidance, challenged decisions, and did the mahi—did the mahi—who remained engaged in negotiations: this sort of process can be quite challenging and quite fraught at times, but you’ve stayed the course, and the strength of any settlement lies in the support and the tautoko or the participation of the people it represents.

I also wanted to acknowledge the Te Tari Whakatau Crown negotiators, officials, advisers, and all those who worked in good faith throughout the negotiations that led to the deed of settlement, and on behalf of the Crown, Justine, and others, e mihi ana ki a koutou katoa.

The Treaty of Waitangi settlements/Te Tiriti o Waitangi settlements require us to confront difficult chapters in our nation’s experiences and stories. The settlement deed records a range of Crown actions and omissions that breached Te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi and caused significant prejudice to the people from Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri here today and their predecessors. The Crown has acknowledged that these failures have had enduring economic, social, cultural, political, and, indeed, spiritual consequences for the iwi.

In March 2015, Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri entrusted the trustees of the Iwi Trust with the mandate to recognise a settlement with the Crown and to carry it through to negotiation. What followed was years of dedicated work, as both parties navigated complex engagement, cultural, and commercial matters. A significant milestone was reached in November 2022 with the signing of an AIP, an agreement in principle, and culminated in the initialling of the deed of settlement; and I understand some of those people who initialled that settlement are here with us this evening. Then there was a successful ratification process, demonstrating the iwi support for the proposed settlement and a pathway forward. With that endorsement, the Crown was able to sign the deed of settlement, on a fantastic day out at Wharekauri attended by members of all parties, I recall—all or most of the parties of this House—and a range of officials, bringing a long and significant journey to the point where it can now be considered formally in this the first reading of the settlement legislation.

While no settlement can ever fully compensate for the losses, settlements do provide the opportunity for the Crown to acknowledge wrongdoing, to accept responsibility for the breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and to seek to restore and enable relationships that are damaged by those actions. The settlement package reflected in this bill seeks to support the aspirations of the iwi for a thriving, healthy, and economically sustainable community on Wharekauri, grounded in its people, its culture, and its enduring connection to place.

The cultural redress recognises the unique cultural, historical, spiritual, and traditional associations of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri with place and the surrounding areas. An important component of that, of course, are the relationship arrangements and the redress alongside Te Papa Atawhai, the Department of Conservation; and while the two parties already work closely together, the relationship with Te Papa Atawhai strengthens the mahitahi and provides an ongoing pivot for ongoing collaboration in matters of shared interest and responsibility. The financial and commercial redress, of course, is providing a platform or springboard upon which the members of the iwi of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri can grow longer-term wellbeing, growth, and, ultimately, self-determination for the iwi.

This settlement marks neither the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning, nor the end of the relationship between the Crown and Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri, but it actually just signifies further markers in the Te Takarangi, or the double helix spiral, of relationships that already exist and will exist into the future, particularly with the younger rangatahi and mokopuna here today.

Kia koutou katoa Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri. Today marks the first of three readings that this House will consider for this particular bill, but tomorrow morning, we will be back for the first reading of the shared redress bill, which we look forward to welcoming you back, particularly if we have oysters for breakfast! Kia ora.

I consider that the bill should proceed without delay to the Māori Affairs Committee, of course led by my colleague the honourable and very, very legendary David MacLeod, your whanaunga. I commend this bill to the House. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare.

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I rise on behalf of the Labour Party to stand in support for the Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Claims Settlement Bill. It was a real honour to be there today for the mihi whakatau, and to sit with you and hear those speeches and to thank you for the oysters; they were delicious. It was really nice to sit and hear those stories and share time with you this afternoon and to meet some of you, as well. I appreciate that it’s been a long journey for many of you to come here today. I acknowledge those who are here and have made the journey, and I also acknowledge those tūpuna that you have brought with you today and who are with us here in the gallery. I acknowledge that as well.

Today is a really important day for Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri, for Wharekauri, and Rēkohu, and for New Zealand, as well. This bill gives effect to the deed of settlement signed between Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri on 17 August 2026, bringing us another step closer to being able to address those historical grievances and to be able to strengthen the relationship between Māori and the Crown.

As members of this House, I always believe that we have a responsibility to acknowledge our history honestly. Treaty settlements are not ever about rewriting history. They are about confronting it, about recognising where the Crown got it wrong and failed to uphold its obligations, and taking meaningful steps towards redress and reconciliation; also, for Wharekauri, for the infrastructure and the important things that you need for your motu, and having those things in place for the future. Labour has long believed that settlements are an essential part of honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We believe that acknowledging historical injustice is not in any way a sign of division; it is in fact a sign of maturity as a nation, as we grow together. It allows us to move forward with a shared understanding of our past and also, hopefully, a shared commitment to our future together.

This settlement reflects many years of work. The Crown has recognised the mandate of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri iwi trust back in 2016. Negotiators continued over several years, leading to an agreement in principle in 2022, and that led, ultimately, to the signing of the deed this year. That journey required perseverance and leadership. It required difficult conversations, patient negotiations, and determination to see that progress through. Today, I acknowledge the claimants, the negotiators, the trustees, kaumātua, and whānau whose commitment has brought us to this point in time. I also acknowledge those who began this work and were not able to be with us today. This achievement belongs to them, as much as it belongs to those who are gathered here now.

I was thinking back to the first time I ever got to visit Wharekauri. It was back in 2004, when I was a lot younger than I am now. I was lucky enough to attend the opening of the first Moriori marae, alongside Helen Clark, who was the Prime Minister then, and Margaret Wilson, who was the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi negotiations. I have never ever seen crayfish so big in my whole life, and I’ve never seen them that big again. I was told—[Bell rung]—they were called “packhorse”. Oh, I might have to get going with it! The settlement contains an agreed historical account, and it’s important that we acknowledge those things. I thought I had 10 minutes, Mr Speaker. That’s not fair—I had heaps more material. I hadn’t even got on to the weka.

On behalf of the Labour Party, I acknowledge those who have contributed to the settlement. I also want to congratulate Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri on this significant milestone. It’s important to note that we can’t change the past, unfortunately, but we can change how we move forward together. I genuinely hope that this is a good first step in reconciliation between iwi and the Crown, that this settlement provides you with redress and some hope for your rangatahi for the future. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Kia ora.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Kia ora koutou, Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri. It’s wonderful to have you in the Chamber today for this historic first reading of your settlement claim. I want to acknowledge my colleague in absence, Hūhana Lyndon, who would have liked to have been here but is out of the city, unfortunately, on other business. She hugely valued her trip out to the motu. I also knowledge my colleague the Hon Julie Anne Genter, who is the member for Rongotai, much more appropriately named than Wellington Bays. I don’t see how Wellington Bays captures the Chatham Islands, but it’s wonderful to have you in the gallery here today.

When I read this account, the historical account, of the injustices committed to your people by the Crown and the failures of the Crown to uphold its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, there are so many things over so many years and so many generations, and so we stand today in the House and acknowledge the injustices that the Crown has committed against you. It is the day in which the Parliament of Aotearoa New Zealand recognises it is the Crown that committed these wrongs; that is what the settlement is about. It is in your generosity that you accept this settlement, which is, as we well understood, but a fraction of what has been lost—but a fraction of the cost of the impacts of those failures of the Crown. Thank you for coming here today to accept this settlement.

In recounting your history with Taranaki and your journey from there in 1835, and then back, the relationship with Parihaka, and the peaceful resistance against colonisation, I couldn’t help but remember the words of Ruakere Hond from Parihaka, who said the winds of war still blow through our minds after all these generations. I think of all those decades of conflicts and harms and how it is such a profound and deep journey for a people to travel on, to make amends and to heal from those harms—those winds of war that still blow through the minds of people impacted by the injustices of the Crown. I salute you in your resilience and your determination, and in surviving and being here today as the descendants of your tūpuna who have been on this long journey.

The Crown recognises that it applied mentalities around land acquisition that divided up traditional collective ownership, and that is, sadly, an all too familiar story that we see across the country. It also acknowledges, in this historical account, the denial of the right of your people to speak te reo Māori; that your tūpuna were punished for speaking your language. That is such a deeply sad and profoundly wrong act. It recognises the repeated failure of the Crown to properly invest and support the infrastructure of Wharekauri, and to actually fulfil its obligations under Te Tiriti, to recognise your full rights as citizens of Aotearoa New Zealand, but here—by this settlement, by these acknowledgments, by this apology—the Crown acknowledges today that Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri are fully fledged citizens of Aotearoa New Zealand. Through this settlement, it pledges to build a relationship with Ngāti Mutunga that is based on respect for Te Tiriti o Waitangi, for its principles, and for you as a people. We as Te Pāti Kākāriki commend this bill to the House today. Thank you for being here. Kia ora.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

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Thank you very much for making the journey here, those of you who had to cross great distances of ocean that connect our sometimes far-flung brethren from the mainland of this country that we are proud to be citizens of. As this bill puts into place ngā uri o Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri, you will also be recognised properly and accounted for as citizens in this country. But citizenship comes with a story, and your story has been laid out in this historical account, for all to see. I always say, when I have the privilege of doing a speech in a reading of a Treaty settlement bill, that all New Zealanders should read the historical accounts of our Treaty settlement bills to understand the history of this country.

I won’t take long on this. There’s been a long journey here from 2016, 2020—the hurdles go a long way back, to the 1840s and before. The Islands that you are proud to be mana whenua of are an intrinsic part of New Zealand’s story in these South Pacific Islands, and are incredibly important and historic ones.

I will say that I hope very much to see the economic potential of your Islands realised through this settlement, the one we’re going to read tomorrow, and ones that have gone before. There is so much there. The connections through the mainland to Australia and beyond for kai moana are going to offer so much, and I hope the economic redress starts a proper journey of development and finances and connections that you, your people, and the Island that is so important, can really benefit from. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I commend this bill to the House.

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It is very rare for me to speak on Treaty bills, and I do so on behalf of New Zealand First. There are usually far more appropriate speakers within our caucus. But this bill is different. As Minister for Rural Communities and Associate Minister for Regional Development, I had the privilege of travelling to Wharekauri four times—the Chatham and Pitt Islands—and it’s an enormous honour to have the opportunity to play a role in these acknowledgments today. I’ve been hosted by the warmest of hospitality. I’ve witnessed a deep sense of pride in your whenua—your place, your home—I’ve got to know many of you personally, and I’ve been invited into your homes. There are too many people to mention, but could I mention here Monique Croon, the former mayor, of course, and kuia of Ngāti Mutunga.

They are cherished memories from this term of Parliament. I think back, actually, to one of them: in true Shane Jones style, we turned up with the delegation in an Air Force Hercules, complete with the Rātana Brass Band. Shane brought a chilly bin full of kumara on the way in, and it left full of crayfish, oysters, pāua, and blue cod.

💬 Steve Abel: That was a good trade.

It was a great trade, but the isolation over there is a constant challenge. It is a beautiful place, it is a special place, and it is steeped in history. Today, we acknowledge some of that history, a confronting part of your history—specifically, the wrongs perpetrated on Ngāti Mutunga by the Crown.

You have been dispossessed of your lands not only in Wharekauri, actually, but also in Taranaki. Your tūpuna have been treated, at times, with contempt, and the justice system was weaponised against you. We cannot change those historical wrongs, but today we rightfully seek to acknowledge redress and apologise for those wrongdoings.

You’ve also provided, in my experience, lessons for us all. You do have a challenging history, particularly with the Hokotehi Moriori. But the way that you have worked together, the way you have put your collective shoulder to the wheel for the Chatham and Pitt Islands—and your young leaders have returned the collective sense of purpose to rejuvenate the Islands. You are an inspiration.

As you will well know, I do have a frustration with you as well: your propensity to call the mainland “New Zealand”—as in, “We’re off to New Zealand.” You are New Zealanders, and I will keep reminding you of that. You are very special New Zealanders. Today, we salute your resilience, your patience, and your dignity. I commend this bill to the House.

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I rise on behalf of Te Pāti Māori to support the Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Claims Settlement Bill at its first reading. This bill brings before the House a history defined by the endurance of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri, and by a Crown that treated Wharekauri as distant and marginal for far too long. But Wharekauri was never distant to the people whose whakapapa, identity, and future are bound to those islands. The Crown annexed Wharekauri in 1842, without consulting Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri. The deed acknowledges that this was a profound failure to recognise and respect their mana and tino rangatiratanga. That failure set the pattern for what followed: limited engagement, inadequate services, and decisions imposed upon Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri without their meaningful participation.

In 1870, the Native Land Court awarded most of the land on Wharekauri under the “10-owner rule”. Many customary rights holders were dispossessed, while the individualisation and fragmentation of title made the remaining whenua increasingly difficult to manage and develop. Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri were also taxed for decades while being denied representation in Parliament. They were excluded from voting in parliamentary elections until 1922.

In 1890, two iwi members were imprisoned after refusing to pay a dog tax strongly opposed by their people. The Crown was painfully slow to provide essential infrastructure and services; land was taken for roads in the early 1880s, but construction did not begin until 1945. There has never been a secondary school on Wharekauri, and Ngāti Mutunga children were punished for speaking te reo Māori at school. The consequences have been intergenerational: loss of language mātauranga; poor housing and health; restricted economic and educational opportunities; and the displacement of many uri from their island home. Despite all of this, Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri endured. They maintained their whakapapa, their connection to whenua and moana, and their visions for many generations to come.

After the recent second coronation of our Queen, Te Arikinui, [Authorised reo Māori text to be inserted by the Hansard Office.]

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We are a 31-year settled Treaty settlement iwi for us in Waikato-Tainui, and we know of the many olds who sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears to get a Treaty settlement over the line; to see, 31 years later, you, and also different iwi throughout the motu, come to your first Treaty settlement reading here today,

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Tēnā koe e te Pīka.

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I proudly stand here as an uri of Ngāti Mutunga, myself. It was a blessing for me to be able to have the journey over there just recently for your signing—my first time to Wharekauri. Although the Hon Tama Potaka talks perhaps of the weather that day, of being rather cold, and I see some of the people up in the audience that experience that coldness, it was indeed a privilege to finally get to Wharekauri and enjoy the hospitality and have a very short look around. I managed to get myself to Waitangi and have a look there, as well. It’s pleasing to see that we’ve got the first reading this evening, and, of course, in the next stage, the Māori Affairs Committee—which I have the privilege of chairing, along with many of the members here on the Māori Affairs Committee—will be, indeed, opening this up for submissions as the first step of our process as a select committee and we’ll be doing that tomorrow, after we’ve had this meeting. We want to get this on the road and get it going.

Talking about on the road and hīkoi, some and my colleagues here, where we speak of Ngāti Mutunga and many understand Ngāti Mutunga of North Taranaki, and they’re trying to get the connection. I’ll probably do a poor job with this, and I know that possibly Jamie and Dion might pick up my history, here, but I wanted to talk a little bit about the hīkoi of getting across to the Chathams of Wharekauri. Of course, it started in North Taranaki and it was actually Hana’s ancestors that started the journey off; Waikato-Tainui, Maniapoto. It was actually—many people don’t realise, but Ngāti Toa had a famous rangatira who had the famous haka Ka Mate, Ka Mate—Te Rauparaha. He was of Ngāti Toa, and they were basically moved out of their home at that time of Kawhia, down to North Taranaki. They actually lived with Ngāti Mutunga for about a year, there, and obviously grew some strong ties but the conquest which was Waikato-Tainui and others didn’t stop there. It started to get a little bit risky, and they decided to journey on their way down, this way here; settled a little bit of time on the Kāpiti Coast. Ngāti Mutunga obviously settled down here on the shores of Pōneke Wellington, and the conquest didn’t stop. It was back in the days where there was lots of conquest, the Musket Wars. Once the Māori got the muskets, it was all on at that particular point in time.

Ngāti Mutunga jumped on a ship called the Rodney, I believe it was, and that was back in 1838—[Interjection from the gallery]—35, thank you; before the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, and they went out there. Another fact is a lot of people don’t realise that the Chatham Islands wasn’t actually officially part of New Zealand at the time of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. It wasn’t until 1842 that it got annexed, along with the Auckland Islands, as well, which is all part of the history with Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri. It’s got quite some history, there, with regards to how Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri got all the way out to the islands out there.

Of course, there is interesting history on Wharekauri itself, and tomorrow, as you will know, we’ve also got another bill that we’ll be talking to, which is the redress bill with Moriori and yourselves, also, so we look forward to having the first reading of that and bringing it to our select committee to open it up. So just a little bit of a history, all the way from North Taranaki and all the way out to the islands there. Just reading some of the history: one other little matter I’ll try and get in my time that I’ve got here: it was talking about the medical centre that wasn’t actually achieved after a request for it; it took 50 years for it to arrive. The first doctor was a person by the name of Dr George Redpath. The second doctor was Dr Edward Pōhau Ellison, and that was my grandfather, so I have a connection there as well. With that, I commend the bill to the House. Thank you.

Kia ora, Mr Speaker.

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Well, it’s a fascinating history, isn’t it? Fascinating history; I’m Ngāti Mutunga, too, Mr MacLeod, as you well know, and you all know the history, you heard it all. Everybody’s been reading it out, but I don’t think people can quite get their heads around it, eh? Really, if you ever think about it—you take a step back and you think, how does this work? Jamie Tuuta’s got it all down, you know, because he works it all out, but I mean—because people look at who’s the coloniser and how long were the Morioris there? Are we all related? Did you go down and knock off the Morioris? Yes, you did, and they were there 400 years, but then we’ve got take raupatu and all that, which I told you I totally support. We support all of that, but it’s a complex sort of thing, because we know that the Crown ripped us off but then we’ve got the whole coming together of the two groups on the island. And now you’re related anyway, aren’t you, Jamie? So everybody’s tied into everyone anyway.

I just think when you sit back and you look at this, this is a fascinating story and we’ve seen the challenges from the Moriori in the courts, quite rightly so. We’ve seen the defence from the relations and I think that’s quite right, too. I think we’re not far off coming together, I think; I really do. I’ve followed this for many, many years, so that redress kaupapa tomorrow is going to be good in terms of whakakotahi motukaupapa. From our side, and I should say Mutunga’s side, we have absolute rights because the Crown has breached the rights of our people without a doubt, in terms of the way they annexed stuff, the way they never provided support, and the way they just left our people down there.

Then the other side, if we’re being fair, is saying, well, the whole argument about who really has tino rangatiratanga—it’s a heck of a bloody question, isn’t it? It’s a heck of a blood good question. Who has the tino rangatiratanga in terms of the Chathams? It’s almost like a Palestine question, isn’t it, if you really want to analyse it. I like it in terms of as I’ve watched through the years, and I’ve only been over there once. I went over with Ronnie Mark, who took me over there, and we went to the last Māori Battalion’s hāngī down there. It was a beautiful time.

I’ve known the whānau, all the different whānau there, grew up with the Solomons in South Auckland, been a mate of Maui Solomon. I don’t know if he’s any of your—is he your mate, Maui, Jonah? Probably not. I’m sure he is—I’m sure he is.

This history is incredibly important, because it’s about our life, it’s about our history in terms of this country, it’s about take raupatu, it’s about tino rangatiratanga, it’s about the rights of Moriori, it’s about the rights of Māori, and then the Crown comes in and mucks things up. Then the Crown, on the other side, is trying, in its own way, to fix things up—mucking up along the way, but slowly, slowly getting there in terms of the type of redress that’s put in place for Moriori and for Ngāti Mutunga. I’m pleased that we’ve been able to go down that track and address and give compensation to both sides, but the biggest challenge, I think, with this kaupapa will be how the two groups come together, how we traverse that, how we manage that for all the mokopuna, and how the Crown operates in the years to come. Good luck to all of us. Kia ora anō tātou katoa.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise in support of the Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Claims Settlement Bill in its first reading. It’s so interesting how we all know Māori until we’re in front of a lot of Māori, and then we just freeze up, but anyway.

It’s been an interesting read, and I say this often: I was born and raised in Australia, a Lebanese wahine from Australia, so I’m continuously learning about the nuggets of history of New Zealand. Reading about the history for the Chatham Islands—before I knew about the history, I just knew many years ago, before I met my husband, for some reason I was drawn to the Chatham Islands. I just always used to think I just wanted to go to the Chatham Islands, maybe when I’m 47 or 50—that’s a few years away. Now that I’m here in New Zealand, I feel it coming soon, that I’m going to go visit your beautiful rohe.

I must be honest, as I always am, that I was a little bit confronted when I was reading the history. I started thinking, as one does, and basically I came to the bottom line where two wrongs don’t make a right. There’s been wrongs in the history, and the beauty of settlement treaties is that, as my colleague said earlier to me today, settlement treaty bills just really put a spotlight on this for everyone to learn more and actually to go out into our communities and share what we’ve learnt and why settlement bills are very important. I’m looking forward, as well, to tomorrow’s reading of the redress bill.

When I come back to two wrongs don’t make a right, we all have our dark spots in our histories, but with you there’s some pretty deep dark spots. When we talk about, as we’ve been hearing, the annexation, and we talk about the fact that the Crown used your land to detain prisoners of war without trial, when we talk about decades of taking taxes from your hard-working ancestors but they didn’t even have the right to vote—it’s pretty sick thinking about it, actually. There’s not even a secondary school there—there wasn’t for so long, and there still isn’t, but that’s OK, we can work on that.

Also, as our colleague Steve Abel said, something that I really struggle with since moving to New Zealand and learning about this type of history from my beautiful friend whaea Anne Kendall is the Māori language being forced out of you at school, getting in trouble for speaking that beautiful native tongue. These are points of the history that cut deep, and so I’m glad that these wrongs are being addressed with this bill.

For those of you that are not parliamentary nerds like some of the people in front of me, we’re finishing Parliament tomorrow. We’re going into an election. Us on the Māori Affairs Committee, we don’t know (1) if we’ll be back to Parliament, but (2) if we are back, if we’ll have the honour and the privilege of being on the Māori Affairs Committee again. I’ve loved it so far, and even if I’m not, I will be following the public submissions, because I think it’s important to put those pieces of the puzzle together in my mind, so I look forward to that.

Thank you for coming all the way. I’ve heard about your hospitality; it seems like we’re in competition—the Chatham Island people and the Lebanese—but we’ll see about that when I go there. But I’m sure you’ll win, you’ll beat me. Thank you very much. I’m looking forward to smoothing of some waters as we progress on these bills. God bless you all and I commend this bill to the House.

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I rise on behalf of the Labour Party to speak in support of the Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Claims Settlement Bill. At its heart, this bill is about acknowledging history, acknowledging wrongs, and creating a pathway for a better relationship between Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri and the Crown. I want to, firstly, acknowledge the iwi, hapū, and whānau who have come today and the relevance of this day and this reading to all of your whānau, to the rangatira and the rangatahi and the tamariki, and how much influence this has probably already had and will come, and will have in, hopefully, decades to come.

I sit on the Māori Affairs Committee, so it’s been a great privilege to be able to work through and learn more about a few iwi who we have had the privilege of working through their claims settlement bills. One of the things that always strikes me is the discussions and the kōrero that comes from the iwi about those that have passed and the reflection on the hard mahi that has already been done before this point, and many people who have contributed to get to this point who not be here with us today, so I want to acknowledge those who are no longer with us from your iwi, your whānau, who have made a contribution to this. I know there will be many, many people who have worked very, very hard over many generations to get to the point we are now.

We know that the journey to a settlement is a long journey. The Crown recognised the mandate of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust in 2016, and the terms of negotiation were signed in 2016. An agreement in principle was reached in November 2022. The deed of settlement was initialled in December 2025 and ratified on 17 August this year. So, already, it has been a long process getting this bill through, and I am very pleased that we are able to hear the first reading on this side of the parliamentary term. As colleagues have mentioned, Parliament rises tomorrow. Does Parliament rise tomorrow or do we just finish the parliamentary term tomorrow? I can’t remember the exact term, but we finish in Parliament tomorrow, so this will be heard for the second reading when the new Parliament comes together, but I’m very, very pleased that we’re able to get to this point, and I know that you’ve travelled a long way here today.

I was regretful to not be able to come to the Chatham Islands on the recent visit, but I saw all of the amazing photos, I saw everyone rugged up in their warm clothes, and I hope that I can make it in the future.

I think one of the important parts of any settlement bill—and I’m going to give credit to my colleague from the Greens, Steve Abel, because he gave me this little bundle of information that has formed quite an important part of my understanding of the Treaty settlements—is that these Treaty settlements give that opportunity to write the wrongs of the past and the wrongs of the Crown into law, into our legislation, and it becomes part of New Zealand legislation. I think that’s a really important part of this. Although we know that the wrongs of the past can never be rectified, can never be resolved, that the impacts that they have had for generations are long-lasting and no settlement bill can address that, I think that having it written into legislation is a really important step for us to acknowledge what has gone on and to look towards the future for your iwi. All the very best as you carry on this journey for your people and your whenua. I commend this bill to the House.

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Motion agreed to.

Bill read a first time.

Referral to Select Committee