Ngāti PĀoa Claims Settlement Bill

I present a legislative statement on the Ngāti Pāoa Claims Settlement Bill.

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

Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: I move, That the Ngāti Pāoa Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time.

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, rau rangatira mā, e te iwi o Ngāti Pāoa, nā koutou te kaha me te manawanui. Nō reira tēnei taku mihi atu ki a koutou. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[To those with authority, to the representatives, the many noble leaders, to the people of Ngāti Pāoa who have displayed such strength and dedication. Therefore, this is my acknowledgment of you. Greetings and thanks to you, to all of us.]

This is the third and final reading of the Ngāti Pāoa Claims Settlement Bill. It marks the conclusion of the settlement process for the historic Treaty of Waitangi claims of Ngāti Pāoa. It delivers redress agreed in the Ngāti Pāoa deed of settlement and it enshrines in law the Crown’s apology for its breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles.

The bill was introduced to the House in December 2022; it had its first reading in June 2023; the Māori Affairs Committee invited public submissions on the bill and it was reported back to the House for its second reading in April 2024; and as you’ve all just seen, it went through the committee stage just now, and here we are at the third reading. I just want to welcome everybody from across Ngāti Pāoa who have come for this third reading and special moment, and I want to thank the speakers this morning. We had a wonderful gathering this morning to hear speeches and to sing waiata, and to particularly acknowledge those who have been part of the process over the last four decades and who are no longer with us, and to acknowledge the pain of their passing and the heightened emotions of this very significant step in the process that we’ve been going through over a long period of time. I just want to say thanks for the speeches and for the warm feelings that were there.

Ngāti Pāoa have been very engaged in this legislative process. There were 350 submissions received by the committee, the majority of which were from Ngāti Pāoa members. Iwi representatives also attended the first and second readings. In this settlement, the Crown has acknowledged the cumulative effect of its actions and omissions, including raupatu, the operation and impact of the Native Land Courts, and continued Crown purchasing. These left Ngāti Pāoa virtually landless and undermined the economic, social, and cultural development of the iwi, breaching the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles. The Crown also acknowledges it breached the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles when it invaded the Waikato, attacking Ngāti Pāoa, and shelled the unfortified village of Pūkorokoro in 1863, causing the death of iwi members.

In March 2021, at Wharekawa Marae in Kaiaua, the Crown unreservedly apologised for the breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles for failing to protect Ngāti Pāoa from land alienation, loss of life, devastation caused by hostilities, and the policies that led to the loss of whenua and te reo Māori. I’m just conscious that some people might be tuning into this debate wondering which part of the country we’re talking about here, and I mentioned Kaiaua on the western shores of the Hauraki Gulf. A beautiful place, stretching on the eastern side of Auckland - Tāmaki Makaurau. I live in Auckland, and my mountain, Ōhinerau, or Mount Hobson—you look east across to the beautiful islands of Waiheke and Ponui, and the eastern parts of Auckland and the western side of Hauraki Gulf extending further north is the territory that we’re talking about here.

No settlement can fully compensate Ngāti Pāoa for what has been lost. A wide range of redress has been negotiated to provide for the historic and cultural recognition of Ngāti Pāoa and to support its economic base to provide for the iwi’s future prosperity. This settlement includes $23.5 million in financial redress and the opportunity to purchase seven commercial properties. There are provisions to strengthen the relationship between Ngāti Pāoa and the Crown agencies, local government, Health New Zealand, libraries, and museums. There’s also the return of 12 cultural sites of significance in Tāmaki Makaurau, through the islands and coastal areas of Tīkapa Moana, the Hauraki Gulf. It includes sites for a marae, Pāoa Whanake, and papakāinga in the Auckland suburb of Point England.

The settlement provides statutory recognition of Ngāti Pāoa and its association with a number of important cultural sites and includes statements of traditional associations and restoration of traditional place names, placement of pouwhenua, and an additional $1 million for a cultural revitalisation fund. Finally, the settlement consolidates the Waiheke Station farm in the post-settlement governance entity so that all Ngāti Pāoa’s Treaty settlement assets are held and governed by one organisation. This consolidation was strongly supported by iwi members during the ratification process.

I want to acknowledge those members of Ngāti Pāoa who have passed on, as I mentioned, and for whom justice through this Treaty settlement did not come soon enough. Many, many people from Ngāti Pāoa have given their time and energy as volunteers, advocates, and leaders to have their grievances acknowledged and to lay the foundations to realise the collective aspirations of the iwi for a better future. The Crown is grateful for your efforts.

I particularly want to acknowledge the Ngāti Pāoa Rangatira who negotiated the settlement, the late Morehu Wilson, and his co-negotiator, Hauāuru Eugene Rawiri, who is here today standing in the gallery with Morehu’s family, for your significant contribution and sacrifice, and to ensure that this is recorded in the Hansard. I also wanted to thank Herearoha Skipper and Mihingarangi Forbes, chair and deputy chair, respectively, of the post-settlement governance entity and the Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust, who have been responsible for supporting this bill through the legislative process; who, together with the other Ngāti Pāoa trustees, have been entrusted to take this settlement forward for the Crown.

I do want to acknowledge former Ministers for Treaty Negotiations Christopher Finlayson and Andrew Little, and current and former Chief Crown Negotiators Mike Dreaver, the Hon Rick Barker, who’s here in the House today, and Brian Dickey KC, who’s also up there in the audience. I want to thank my ministerial colleagues, Crown agencies and officials, and elected members of Auckland and Hauraki districts for their work and support in negotiating this settlement.

In conclusion, this has been a long journey over many decades. We met with the trustees in Auckland not long ago, and we decided that it was time to complete this, and ideally sooner rather than later, and ideally before Christmas. I’m so delighted that we’ve been able to make this happen, and I just want to acknowledge the support and willingness from members on all sides of the House to make this happen in a timely fashion, and I appreciate that. It is one of those rare occasions where members from across the House all unite in a combined endeavour to continue the work that we are carrying out as a nation to address the mistakes and wrongs of the past, and to acknowledge those, and to find a new path forward.

I want to conclude with a whakatauki signifying the longstanding existence of Ngāti Pāoa as a prosperous maritime and coastal nation, with the ongoing aspirations to reaffirm the prosperity and wellbeing of our people.

Ngāti Pāoa i uta, Ngāti Pāoa ki tai, Ngāti Pāoa ki tua o te pae o Matariki. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Ngāti Pāoa inland, Ngāti Pāoa at sea, Ngāti Pāoa beyond the threshold of Matariki. Greetings and thanks to you, to all of us.]

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Te ao Māori, Mr Speaker. E ōku rangatira, e ōku tini whanaunga, ka tāpae ake ahau i ngā mihi i utaina ki runga i a koutou i te ata nei, inanahi anō hoki ki runga i te marae o Pipitea ki raro iho nei. Nō reira e ōku rangatira, nā koutou te wairua o rātou mā i whakairi ake ki te tāhuhu nui o tō tātou Whare e tū nei. Tēnā koutou, haere mai.

Haere mai e ngā mate, e ngā wairua ki roto ki tēnei nohoanga o tātou. Ki te kite atu ahau i ngā tūru ki runga rā, ka hoki ōku mahara ki tōku tuakana, ki a Mōrehu. I te wā i uru atu ahau ki roto ki tēnei Whare, i hui ngātahi māua ko Mōrehu, mātou ko Hauāuru.

[To my noble leaders, to my many relatives, I offer the acknowledgments that were laid upon you this morning and yesterday on Pipitea marae just down here. And so to my leaders, you elevated the spirit of those who have passed on to the apex of our House that stands here. Greetings and welcome.

Welcome to the recently deceased, to the souls among this sitting of ours. If I observe the chairs up there, my memories return to my senior, to Mōrehu. When I entered into this House, Mōrehu and I met, and Hauāuru too.]

I remember Morehu. When I first entered this House in 2014, Morehu was one of the first people to contact me to say, “Peeni, I need to speak to you as the member for Tāmaki Makaurau.” So he and Hauāuru came to my office, and I think for the first four meetings we argued about Ngāti Pāoa and Tāmaki. We argued about the deeds of my ancestors before the dates that are mentioned in this bill. Once we recognised that after all of that, through marriage and through connections we are whanaunga, we managed to get on to the important matters that both Morehu and Hauāuru, on behalf of Ngāti Pāoa, were leading.

It was through that communication and that interaction with them both that I became familiar with this particular settlement and this particular claim. I want to remember Morehu, because he operated with the virtues that were signalled this morning in the pōwhiri, with pono, with tika, and with aroha. Every interaction I had with that man was always held with those particular virtues at the forefront. The one that we were never ever satisfied on, though, was the ultimate virtue of patience. It’s with that in mind we now come to the third reading of this bill.

I marked my career on the progress of this bill—that’s how I remember it. In fact, one of my first speeches in the House was on the first reading of this bill. Āe, kua kaumātua.

[Yes, I’ve gotten old.]

But that speaks to the tenacity; that speaks to the long-held and strong views of Ngāti Pāoa about advancing forward. When I think of the journey that Ngāti Pāoa have come on, I’m reminded of a number of whakataukī—or whakatauākī for the Panekire crew amongst us—the whakatauākī of our tūpuna. The first one was from my tupuna Kawiti, who said, “If I were to flinch at the first touch of the chisel on my nose, how bad would my moko be?” It speaks to the fact that through these challenges, we must continue to maintain and hold our mana and our dignity and never ever lose sight of a fight ahead of us, whatever that may be. Whether that’s Treaty settlements, whether that’s the revitalisation of our language, whether that’s the wellbeing of our families.

The other whakatauākī of my tupuna Kawiti in his discussion with Hōne Heke, who, once they reached the shallow waters of the battle, Hōne Heke wanted to turn around and Kawiti said to him, “No. You asked me to come to war and my war is with the biggest sharks of the ocean, not with the flounder nipping at your feet.” What that says is, regardless of who is leading the fight or the enemy in front of us, we must always strive forward to make sure that we win that battle against that enemy on the very virtues that I spoke of earlier of aroha, tika, and pono. That’s where Ngāti Pāoa find themselves here today.

The Minister and others in this House, over a number of years, have already covered off the challenges around the Hauraki settlement, the Hauraki whenua, and the Hauraki advancement of their interests over many years. To then take a regionalised approach continues to recognise the role of hapū, the role of whānau, and the role of iwi that aren’t mainly recognised in much of the narrative of our ancestors of the past. I acknowledged Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu this morning and now I continue to acknowledge Ngāti Pāoa here today.

I said earlier that you can’t separate whakapapa, genealogy. You just can’t. So in acknowledging them both, I acknowledge the ancestors who are mentioned in this particular bill, and I want to acknowledge the fact that in the returning of the whenua that have been described or have been laid out in this bill for Ngāti Pāoa, the fight will still continue, that the biggest sharks and taniwha of the ocean are yet to be met. I encourage Ngāti Pāoa and many others who continue to walk on this journey to remember that whakatauākī of my tupuna Kawiti.

In a very rare misstep this morning, the Minister called me Tau Henare.

Hon Willie Jackson: It was deliberate.

Hon PEENI HENARE: Must be the porohewa—he porohewa [bald—I’m bald].

Now, while that might be a jovial moment in what is a very serious occasion, I want to remind Ngāti Pāoa that, actually, these fights and these battles are very difficult. Despite my family having 50 years in this House, Ngāpuhi and my people are nowhere near where you are today. When we were raised—and many of you in this gallery will know—our ancestors and our grandparents and our parents said, “You will go and do this to benefit your people. You will go and be a teacher. You will go and be a doctor. You will go and be a lawyer”, so on and so forth. Well, in my family, the kōrero was “You will go into the House of Parliament, and you will settle all the disputes Ngāpuhi have with the Crown.” Fifty years and kua kore [nothing has come of it].

So, Ngāti Pāoa, I acknowledge you and I honour you. I honour you for the journey that you’ve travelled. Also, recognising my tuakuna Morehu, I’ve spoken about our early connections, and I acknowledge his family here today. When I saw you in the crowd it brought tears to my eyes. I also want to acknowledge Herearoha and my tuahine Mihingarangi. In much of the deliberations, Mihingarangi has been my go-to. I’ve called her on occasions where I thought things could have been different. She’s called me on occasions where things have got difficult. It is true what they say. If you want something done, hoatu ki ngā wāhine Māori [give it to Māori women].

If you want it done, give it to Māori women—pono. We’ve seen that here for Ngāti Pāoa. We’ve seen it over many years for Ngāti Pāoa and indeed across Māoridom. So, to you both, and to the board, in this challenging and difficult time, because I know this road and this journey has not been easy, I acknowledge you and your families for your commitment and for your desire to drive Ngāti Pāoa into the future, to embrace the aspirations that you all have.

So tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou. Ka tahuri atu ahau ki a koe, e tōku tuakana, e Thomas—Thomas Rāwiri. Kua noho tāua ki te kōrero mō te āhuatanga ki wa tāua tamariki mokopuna. Ngā hiahia, ngā moemoeā, ngā maruāpō ka puritia e ā tātou tamariki mokopuna.

Ahakoa te iti kei roto i tēnei pire, e hoa, me teitei ake ko ngā maruāpō, ko ngā moehewa o ā tātou tamariki mokopuna. Ko te hiahia mā tēnei ka tutuki ētahi, engari kei te kapu tonu o te ringa o te Māori ka taea te taumata e wawatahia nei, i whakataukītia nei e ō tāua mātua, e ō tāua tūpuna.

[So, greetings and thanks to you. I now turn to address you, my senior, Thomas—Thomas Rāwiri. You and I have sat to discuss the circumstances of our children and grandchildren. The desires, aspirations, and dreams that our children and grandchildren hold on to.

Despite the miniscule amount within this bill, my friend, the dreams and aspirations of our children and grandchildren must be higher. The desire is that some of them will be realised, but it remains in the hands of the Māori people to achieve the heights that our parents and ancestors dreamed of and proverbialised.]

To our mokopuna and our tamariki, this is but one small step in a long journey. I say to each and every one of you, it is within the clasp of your hand where we, Māori, and in this case Ngāti Pāoa, will reach the highest pinnacles of the achievements and aspirations that they have. It will not be found here, in the House of Parliament, but in the hands of our people. Huri, huri noa, mā te Atua koutou e manaaki kia tae pai ai koutou ki runga i ō koutou whenua taurikura, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātou.

[To everyone present, may God care for you so that you arrive safe and well on your lush lands, greetings and thanks to us all.]

E te Māngai, tēnā koe. Tēnā koutou e te Whare. Ngāti Pāoa ki uta, Ngāti Pāoa ki tai, Ngāti Pāoa ki tua o te pae o Matariki—Ngāti Pāoa, from the land to the sea and beyond the horizons of Matariki.

E te Māngai and e te Paremata, I want to acknowledge today the immense strength and resilience of the people of Ngāti Pāoa to get to this point. It has been a long time coming and, to be perfectly honest with you, it is so much less than you deserve. But this is just one step forward in that enduring and ongoing fight. To that effect, the words and reflections ring in my ears about how, once again, it is Māori who have kept peace in this country when its supposed partner has time and again breached its commitments but, more than that, lied consistently in how it has behaved so consistently dishonourably.

So if I can just put very clearly on the record, as both the member of Parliament for Auckland Central and the co-leader of the Green Party, that we very strongly believe that Te Tiriti o Waitangi and He Whakaputanga are not things to be settled; they are things to be honoured. That requires that our Crown, on an ongoing basis, upholds its commitments and that, in apologising, we recognise that it requires us to behave markedly different moving forwards because, e te whānau, Governments come and go, but Te Tiriti is for ever.

Now, as reflected in this settlement bill, as many other speakers before me have alluded to, we have a summary of the historical account contained within this bill which we will be passing into an Act today, which makes it abundantly clear what the process of colonisation has done to the people of Ngāti Pāoa. We see here, acknowledged in black and white, that the Crown is noting and putting on the public record that not only has it breached Te Tiriti, not only did it attack the people of Ngāti Pāoa, not only did it steal land and resource, it also lied. And through that process of confiscation, alienation, and theft we see the compounding impacts today noted here. I quote: “By the end of the twentieth century, only 27% of Ngāti Pāoa spoke te reo Māori. The decline of Ngāti Pāoa tribal structures and the loss of te reo Māori contributed to a loss of Ngāti Pāoa mātauranga Māori.”

I do not want to dwell on the impacts of the awful behaviour from the Crown in this country. Instead, I would prefer for us to take a moment to acknowledge and to uphold the consistent leadership and grace and patience and mana and fight of Ngāti Pāoa. My major interface with Ngāti Pāoa as the MP for Auckland Central has been primarily through my mahi on Waiheke Island. I just want to acknowledge Whaea Hūhana, who I saw up there, who I know has also been a champion on islands for a really long time for the revitalisation of te reo Māori.

But in talking through the process that we’ve got to get to this day, I think that it would be remiss of any of us to not take a moment not to dwell but to acknowledge how this very settlement process drives and encourages and fans the flames of conflict. This, once again, goes to show how utterly cooked it is when this place, that has been responsible for breaching these foundational agreements in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, then seeks to set the terms of negotiation. This, once again, I think underscores that what we have represented here today, as a result of all of the kaha and the fight to get to this point, is just another stepping stone in upholding the mana of Ngāti Pāoa and denotes that there is so, so much further to go.

However, even without a settlement in place, I have seen the ability of Ngāti Pāoa to respond not only to the needs of the people on the ground but also abundantly to the needs and the cries of the te taiao and particularly our moana, Tīkapa Moana, the Hauraki Gulf. I reflect—and I saw Blair somewhere up there as well—on the day that we had some common dolphins strand on Waiheke. It was Ngāti Pāoa who were among the first on the scene, working with the scientists and making sure that everything was done in accordance with tikanga. So, too, we’ve seen that Ngāti Pāoa have led when it comes to conservation around Waiheke Island, particularly inner moana, with the rāhui that was placed on four of our significant signal species. Again, this is mahi that has been done without that settlement in place, without that resource which is nowhere near adequate to address what has been taken; not lost—taken! So just to address particularly that which has been taken and the aspirations moving forward.

Much like my colleague, I also have on the hotline Herearoha Skipper, and I want to acknowledge her today, because so frequently whenever anything is happening in, particularly, our moana space, we want to know immediately what it is that Ngāti Pāoa has to say about that and the positions that we should be taking and considering in our mahi as parliamentarians. But as Herearoha asked me to reflect on in this Chamber in this third reading today, it has been clear that Ngāti Pāoa have been a people and a force on the whenua and on the moana for hundreds and hundreds of years and will be for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds more to come. That is Ngāti Pāoa mana whenua, mana moana. It is the role of our governments to now get out of the way and support Ngāti Pāoa to continue to resource their aspirations. Because, I think, as all of us who reflect on the experience and the evidence know, when we support what is good for Māori, we ultimately get the best possible outcomes for Aotearoa New Zealand.

I just also wanted to make the point, as my colleague also did, that I believe, if I’m not recalling incorrectly off the top of my head, that the post-settlement entity board is in fact entirely filled with wāhine Māori. I don’t know, that might have some indication of some amazing things that are on the horizon.

But I am just acknowledging, as I feel that we need to, that this is just one next stepping stone in this journey towards justice. This does not and cannot represent justice, because it is a mere drop in the bucket of what was stolen and the compounding inequities that we see faced today. We must acknowledge the grace, the strength, and the leadership of the people of Ngāti Pāoa. The Greens support this legislation, but we will not stop until Te Tiriti o Waitangi is completely honoured.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Kia ora. I’d like to extend a mihi from the ACT Party to the iwi, the hapū, and the whānau who have joined us in the House today, and the ancestors you have brought with you as well. As a member of Parliament, it is a huge honour and a privilege, as part of our role, to be able to see these settlements go through. I don’t take that lightly. I wear the huge burden that it is on not just you but members of Parliament to do you the honour of passing this bill through the House today.

This bill is giving the legal effect to parts of the deed of settlement signed by Ngāti Pāoa and the Crown in 2021. It marks the final settlement of this historic Treaty claim between the iwi and the Crown. The facts are straightforward. Over many decades, the Crown’s actions led to Ngāti Pāoa being virtually landless. It is not acceptable at all.

Military operations against iwi settlements and the operation of native land laws undermined your ability to maintain economic and social independence. Those are matters of historical record. Those are matters that we all know, and you all know, you live and breathe. This bill doesn’t rewrite the history, but it does acknowledge it. The Crown failed in its obligation. This legislation is about putting that on the record and providing a resolution.

The settlement includes financial redress and cultural redress relating to sites of importance to Ngāti Pāoa across areas including Tāmaki Makaurau, the Hauraki Gulf, and parts of Waikato. This bill confirms the finality of these claims. That’s important not just for the Crown but for you, too. You deserve closure and certainty for generations of effort to get to this point. We hope this redress will help your roughly 5,000 members come together for each other and share stories of your past, and, most importantly, I hope that passing this bill helps build your vision for your future. I commend the bill to the House.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. It’s a pleasure to rise on behalf of New Zealand First in support of the Ngāti Pāoa Claims Settlement Bill.

E ngā kaumātua me ngā kuia o Ngāti Pāoa kua tae mai ki tēnei Whare o Pāremata ki te tautoko i te kaupapa o te rangi nei, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. E tū ana ahau, he uri nō Te Taitokerau, ki te mihi atu ki a koutou. Ka nui aku mihi maioha ki a koutou. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Ka mihi hoki ahau ki a tātou katoa kua huihui mai nei, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[To the elder gentlemen and ladies of Ngāti Pāoa who have come here to this House of Parliament in support of the agenda of the day, greetings and thanks to you all. I stand, a descendant from Northland, to greet you. Many kind regards to you. Greetings and thanks to you all. I would also like to acknowledge all of you who have assembled here: greetings and thanks to you all.]

I begin my contribution by acknowledging and paying tribute to all the generations of Ngāti Pāoa who have taken this journey together to seek justice for their people, and the many members of the iwi who have passed over in the course of this journey, who are not here today to bear witness to today’s third and final reading—a significant day for Ngāti Pāoa. To the Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust, the post-settlement governance entity for Ngāti Pāoa, and to all the members of Ngāti Pāoa here: welcome to the House. It is a privilege, and it is my honour, to speak to your settlement bill today.

To say that this settlement journey has taken some time to reach this stage, where you’ve now gathered in the House of Representatives, would have to be something of an understatement, but you all bear witness to the conclusion of the legislative part of this process, and I hope that, from this point on, you can move forward together.

As I said, it’s taken a very long time, and it has been going on for many, many years. I’d like to acknowledge the complexity of all of the issues that you’ve had to deal with—the many issues—and the history of this journey. A number of challenges that you’ve had to come through during this settlement process have been articulated well by the Minister and those who have spoken to previous readings, as well as those in the House so far today. The boundaries in Tāmaki-makau-rau and the overlapping interests create, as we know, some difficulties, so it’s not a straight line that has to be navigated through the course of any Treaty settlement.

I’d like to speak to a couple of things here, and first I’ll look at the area of interest for Ngāti Pāoa: Mahurangi is a place very close to my heart—it’s where I reside; Tāmaki-makau-rau—obviously. I’ve been living in Auckland for a number of years, decades, in fact; the Hauraki Plains; the gulf islands—we all love our beautiful islands; and parts of the Waikato as well.

Ngāti Pāoa is a mana moana people. What does that really mean? It means that, when it comes to the ocean, your concern and care—the kaitiakitanga you have for that—is of the utmost degree. I’d just like to make a couple of examples of that. In my role as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, I’m very interested in the state of the gulf. We know that Caulerpa, the toxic, invasive seaweed pest, has been a great concern for Ngāti Pāoa, and the work that you have done alongside Bremworth to try and smother Caulerpa—although it may not be the ultimate way to get rid of Caulerpa, but many of you have been involved in processes, alongside Nicola MacDonaldWe know that there’s been some progress in that there’s not as much Caulerpa right at the moment, and we’re trying to understand what that is about—what has caused the decrease? Maybe it’s sedimentation, but there is a report due shortly as to where the Government is at in terms of further work that needs to be done alongside our iwi around the Hauraki Gulf.

The other point I’d like to note is around Mahurangi, where I live. We’ve had an ongoing issue with Watercare and the contamination of the Mahurangi River, with sewage being spilled multiple times. It’s an ongoing issue with the failure of the Watercare system, which has affected not just the oyster farmers in the region, but it also speaks to the degradation of our waterway flowing out into the harbour. It is not just culturally insensitive; it is totally objectionable that we’ve had these sewage spills. Just last week, 1,200 cubic metres of sewage was contaminated into the Mahurangi River, and we must continue the fight together—all of the iwi who are connected to the Hauraki Gulf—to ensure that Watercare does the right thing and that the infrastructure is fixed, but also compensation is made not just to the oyster farmers but to the iwi as well.

Waiheke Island is a place that I’ve been to visit multiple times, and I’ve had the pleasure to join the Waihehe Marine Project. This has been a wonderful experiment—well, it’s more than an experiment. It’s, basically, citizen science, where the community has got involved—Ngāti Pāoa is involved as well—in doing the kōura count and finding out what is the state of the crayfish in the region. Recent surveys by the project have shown that the kōura population around Waiheke Island is at historically low levels at the moment, with the population described as functionally extinct. That latest survey this year shows an average of 0.7 crayfish per 1,000 square metres in the Waiheke waters. That is a significant drop from last year’s figure. It’s now in its fifth year, and the results of the survey conducted by the Waiheke Marine Project really speak to what more could be done not just by community but by Government, alongside iwi, in terms of restoring the mauri not just of the waters around Waiheke but of the wider gulf as well.

I’d like to also speak to one of your bright, shining stars. Now, not everyone has the backbone or the guts for politics, but I’d like to mention Kerrin Leoni, who stood for mayor in Auckland—a Ngāti Pāoa sister. Oh, there she is! Lovely to see you, Kerrin. Congratulations, well done, you made yourself and your whānau proud—56,000 votes in the latest mayoral election, and I’m really proud of you, sister. I’d just like to say that’s 30,000 more than Chlöe Swarbrick got when she stood for mayor, so well done, Kerrin; that was a really great effort. Well done to you.

ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Greg O’Connor): Ms Marcroft, some mention of the bill would be good at this stage.

JENNY MARCROFT: Speaking to the bill, Mr Speaker—thank you for that—I’d just like to say that it’s always a pleasure to speak to a Treaty settlement bill, but actually acknowledging the people, the whānau, and the individuals who are a part of a tribe, an iwi, is an important part of when we speak to Treaty settlement bills.

I’d like to just continue to say—and I think it was Peeni Henare who just spoke earlier about grasping hold of your future. One thing I’d like to add to that is that I think it’s really important, when we have a Treaty settlement bill like this one we are speaking to today, that we do more than grasp hold of our future; that we actually take this as a way of reimagining our future. We need to change the neural pathways in our brains. We need to have a new mindset—what does a future look like?—and build that mindset and be able to have our children do that at the same time so that we end up creating that future together.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to finish my contribution now, acknowledging Ngāti Pāoa. Today is a conclusion of many years—14 years—of negotiations, three Ministers, and three Governments. We’ve got it done. Congratulations, Ngāti Pāoa. I commend the bill to the House.

E te Pīka, tēnā koe. Ka hua au i te whaitiri, ka rarapa rā runga ngā pae o Hikurangi. Kāore ia nei ko te unuhanga o te taniwha i tōna rua, ko Kaiwhare. Ka ngaue Tāmaki, ka ngaue Hauraki, ka rū te whenua, ka ngaoko te marama, ka ara a Ngāti Pāoa ki te pae o te rangi.

Pāoa tangata, Pāoa uri, koutou hoki e ngā kuru tongarerewa o Tukutuku. Koutou ngā kuia rangatira o Ngāti Pāoa, ā, puta noa i te rere o Hauraki, o Tīkapa Moana, kei aku whakatamarahi ki te rangi, amohia mai ō koutou tīpuna kia mahana ai tō tātou Whare.

Ā, tēnā, e ngā whaea, hīkina ō koutou kauae. E ngā tāne, e tū takarerewa ki te kaupapa nui whakaharahara o te rā nā koutou rā hoki i kōkiri, nā koutou i kawe, engari kei pōhēhē nō koutou te hē. E hē!

Ehara i a koe, Ngāti Pāoa. Ehara i a koe, te tangata whenua, te hē. E tau mai ki tēnei Whare, te Whare o te Karauna nāna nei koe i tō mai ki konei, ngā whenua haumako o Te Āti Awa ki Taranaki Whānui, o Ngāti Toa Rangatira, o Raukawa me ngā huhua iwi o Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara.

Māku, mā te māngai ia o Tāmaki Makaurau, e kōrero i te poto o te wā kua homai. Māku koutou e kōrero i tēnei wā.

Anei anō te tangi, te aroha i te whakaaro nui a te māngai mō Hauraki-Waikato, arā tō tātou wahine toa, tō koutou tamāhine, a Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, mō koutou katoa kua tatū mai ki Pāremata i tēnei rā. Tēnei te maioha atu a Hana ki a koutou, nau mai, rarau. Ngāti Pāoa, Tainui waka, nau mai, rarau.

[Mr Speaker, thank you. I was born of the thunder, flashing across the ridgelines of Hikurangi. Indeed, it is the emergence of the leviathan from its lair, Kaiwhare. Auckland trembles, Hauraki rumbles, the very earth quakes, the moon itself stirs, and Ngāti Pāoa rises to the horizon of the sky.

Pāoa people, Pāoa descendants, and you, also, the valued descendants of Tukutuku. Yourselves, the noble matriarchs of Ngāti Pāoa, and all across the flowing waters of Hauraki and the Hauraki Gulf itself, my most esteemed leaders—convey here your ancestors to warm this House of ours.

Indeed, to the matriarchs, lift your chins. To the men, stand alert to the very important subject of today that you yourselves progressed, that you brought forward, but do not be mistaken that it is your fault. Not at all!

It is not yours, Ngāti Pāoa. The fault is not yours, the people of the land. Come to this House, the House of the Crown who drew you here, to the fertile lands of Te Āti Awa ki Taranaki Whānui, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Raukawa and the many peoples of Wellington.

Let me, let the representative of Auckland, speak in the short time allotted to me. I will speak for you at this time.

Here, again, do I grieve and lovingly appreciate the wisdom of the representative for Hauraki-Waikato, i.e., our lady warrior, your daughter, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, for all of you who have come here to Parliament today. I offer Hana’s welcome to you; welcome, welcome. Ngāti Pāoa of the Tainui canoe, welcome, welcome.]

You honour me, Ngāti Pāoa. It was an honour to welcome you early this morning alongside my whanaunga [relative] Alishia and her tāne Kura Moeahu, and to hongi and harirū [press noses and shake hands with] you alongside Crown representatives and esteemed guests. It is an absolute honour to speak on behalf of Te Pāti Māori and as the MP for Tāmaki Makaurau. Ko koe ko au, ko tāua.

[You are me, we are one].

As the House considers the third reading of the Ngāti Pāoa Claims Settlement Bill, it really is hard for me to stand here without acknowledging those who started this journey for Ngāti Pāoa. Their faces may not be here in this room today, but their spirit is without doubt here, bearing witness to this historic moment.

The challenge for many of us tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti is that with every Treaty settlement read in this Whare, we find ourselves standing between sorrow and hope, between what was taken and what is being restored. There is a name that needs mentioning: Mōrehu Wilson, te ringa mauī i raka ai te kaupapa ki te ringa katau. Ko wai te ringa katau kua tau ki te Whare? Ko koe, Hauāuru Rāwiri, te mōrehu a Mōrehu kua huri ki tua o te ārai, e aku rangatira, tēnā kōrua. Haria mai te wairua tapu o Hariata ki tēnei Whare kia tangihia ia, kia tangihia koutou.

[Mōrehu Wilson, the left hand crossed this initiative to the right hand. Who is the right hand that has come to the House? It is you, Hauāuru Rāwiri, the survivor of Mōrehu who has turned beyond the veil; my noble leaders, I greet you both. Bring with you the sacred soul of Hariata to this House so that she may be honoured with grief, as you may be.]

The weight of the loss of the instrumental people who carried the weight of the atrocities committed by the Crown against Ngāti Pāoa is felt, and I acknowledge this with great respect and aroha. I wish to respond to some of the wise words spoken by Herearoha Skipper, te manutaki i te pōkaitara o Ngāti Pāoa this morning at the whakatau [the leader of the flock of Ngāti Pāoa this morning at the whakatau]. Herearoha, Hauāuru, Mihingarangi: Te Pāti Māori recognises that with the third and final reading of your historic Treaty claims, we are not just consenting to legislation but we are affirming the dignity of a people, the legitimacy of your claims, and the strength of a partnership. Ko te tino rangatiratanga ki a koutou. Ko te kāwanatanga ki a mātou, te hunga nā koutou tonu i whakatū hei māngai mō koutou, ā tae atu ki ngā hapori puta noa i te rohe o Ngāti Pāoa, atu i Mahurangi ki Ngā-kurī-a-Whārei.

[Sovereignty is yours. Governance is our role, those that you appointed as representatives for you, including communities all around the traditional estate of Ngāti Pāoa, from Mahurangi to the Bowentown Heads.]

We also acknowledge the tremendous skill and perseverance it takes to navigate the Crown’s Treaty settlement process, a process shaped by the Crown’s own policies, its own limitations, and its ongoing struggle to reconcile words with actions.

I runga i tērā whakaaro, ko te mea nui kia tū toa tonu koutou, Ngāti Pāoa. Anei a Te Pāti Māori me Oriini Kaipara e mihi atu nei, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou.

[In that vein, the most important thing is that you stand strong, Ngāti Pāoa. The Māori Party and Oriini Kaipara hereby acknowledge you: greetings and congratulations to you, to all of us.]

The member’s time has come to an end.

Tēnā koe e te Pīka. Nōku te whiwhi ki te tū ki te kōrero mō tēnei o ngā pire.

[Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am fortunate to stand to speak on this bill.]

What a momentous occasion is it to rise to speak with the Greens on this bill and to acknowledge that the Ngāti Pāoa have got three Ngāpuhi that have stood up to mihi to them. I don’t know if it’s your lucky day, but that’s how it is.

Heoi anō me mihi au ka tika ki a koutou katoa, Ngāti Pāoa ki uta, Ngāti Pāoa ki tai, Ngāti Pāoa ki tua o te pae o Matariki. Ko koutou anō tērā e whakatere ana i te moana pukepuke, ngā ngaru o tēnei mea, te whakatau kerēme. I a au e pānui ana i ngā hītori o tēnei pire, i kite au, i rongo au i te mamae, i rongo au i te hītori nā koutou anō i rongo i roto i ngā āhuatanga o te pakanga, pakanga whenua, me te nui o ngā whenua i riro ki ngā ringaringa o te Karauna.

Tēnei tukanga, ehara i te māmā. Tēnei tukanga, ehara i te māmā mō te Māori. He tukanga wehewehe, he tukanga wehewehe whānau, wehewehe iwi, wehewehe hapū. Ko tērā te āhua o tēnei tukanga a te Pāremata. Heoi anō, nā tō koutou taenga mai ki waenganui i a mātou, i kite mātou i tō koutou rangatiratanga, i kite mātou i te ara anamata. Te ara anamata mā ā koutou tamariki mokopuna e kaha nei ki te whai i tēnei mea, i te tino rangatiratanga me te mana motuhake. Nō reira tēnei ngā Kākāriki e tautoko ana i tā Chloë kōrero i ā koutou whakapau werawera kia tae ki tēnei o ngā wāhi. Nō reira tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

He nui ngā kōrero i hora i te Whare nei mō tēnei o ngā pire. I a au e whakaaro ana ko ētahi wāhi o te iwi e noho ana ki Waiheke, ētahi ki Kohimarama, ētahi ki whenua kē atu. Heoi ko tētahi moemoeā i kite au, me pēhea tēnei iwi e whakatū marae ki runga i ō rātou whenua? He whakaaro Māori tērā, he whakaaro rangatira tērā, he whakaaro e ngākaunui ana ā tātou nei tamariki mokopuna.

I rongo au i te ngākaunui mō te taiao. He painga tērā nā mātou o te Kākāriki, te hunga Kākāriki, kia kite mēnā ka tae koe ki Waiheke kia tae ki ngā pari o Tīkapa Moana, o Hauraki, ā, kei reira anō a Ngāti Pāoa e tiaki ana i ngā uri o Tangaroa. Hei aha? Hei painga mō te katoa.

E tika ana hoki kia mihi atu ki ngā wāhine. Mihingarangi, ko koe tērā, e te tuahine, me ērā atu. Karen, kei konei koe. Mōhio pai mātou o te Kākāriki ko te wahine anō, mēnā kei te hautū te wahine ka tae te waka ki tōna tauranga. Pēnei anō i a mātou ko ngā Kākāriki, nō reira e mihi ana ki a koutou e whai wāhi ana ki tērā o ngā āhuatanga.

Ko ēnei tukanga whakatau kerēme, ehara i te mutunga. He ara me kaha tātou ki te hīkoi; he tīmatanga noa iho, he tīmatanga ki runga i ngā āhuatanga e kaha nei ō tātou nei tūpuna ki te moemoeā.

Ko tēnei mea Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ehara i te kirimana noa, i te mea ka rongo koe i ētahi o ngā kaitōrangapū e mea atu ko tēnei mea Te Tiriti o Waitangi he property rights noa iho. E! Kao. Ko tēnei mea Te Tiriti o Waitangi, tōna tuakanga He Whakaputanga, he mea oranga mutunga kore. He mea e kaha ai ngā Kāwanatanga katoa, ngā Pāremata katoa kia whakangākauhia ki roto i ā rātou nei kaupapahere.

Nō koutou anō i haere mai ki te whakatinana i tērā āhuatanga ki a mātou, i rongo mātou. I rongo katoa mātou i te roa o tō hīkoi. Nō reira nā mātou anō, nā ngā Kākāriki e mihi ana ki tō koutou nei māia, e mihi ana ki tō koutou nei kaha, e mihi ana ki tō koutou nei manawaroa. Kua tae te wā kia tae te wā mō te tīmatatanga o tō koutou nei haerenga. Nō reira tēnei ka mihi atu, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Anyway, it is appropriate to acknowledge all of you, Ngāti Pāoa, on shore, at sea, and beyond the horizon of Matariki. You are also the ones that are sailing rough seas; the waves of this thing known as claims settlements. As I read the histories in this bill, I saw and felt the hurt, I felt the history that you experienced within the circumstances of the war, land wars, and the vast lands that were lost to the hands of the Crown.

This process is not easy. This process is not easy for Māori. It is a divisive process, a process that divides families, divides iwi, and divides hapū. That is the nature of this parliamentary process. However, it is due to your arrival among us that we see your nobility, we see the future pathway—the future pathway for your children and grandchildren that are committed to the pursuit of this thing we call sovereignty and self-determination. Therefore, the Greens hereby support Chloë’s comment regarding your expended sweat in order to make it to this place. Therefore, greetings and congratulations to you all.

There has been a lot said in this House about this particular bill. As I was thinking, some of the significant sites of the iwi are on Waiheke, some are at Kohimarama, and others in other land blocks. However, one of the aspirations that I observed is, how will this iwi establish marae on their lands? That is a quintessentially Māori concept, a noble concept, and an idea that our children and grandchildren are committed to.

I felt the commitment to the environment. That is valuable to us in the Green Party, the Greens, to see if you make it to Waiheke, make it to the cliffs of the Hauraki Gulf, of Hauraki, and there also are Ngāti Pāoa who are protecting the descendants of Tangaroa. For what purpose? For the benefit of everyone.

It is also appropriate to acknowledge the ladies: Mihingarangi, that includes you, sister, and others, also. Karen, you are present. We, the Greens, are well aware that it is indeed women; if women are captaining the vessel, it will arrive successfully at its destination—similar to us, the Greens, and, therefore, I acknowledge you who have contributed to that.

This claims settlement process is not an ending. It is a path that we all should walk; it is but a beginning, a beginning that our ancestors were only able to dream of.

This thing we call the Treaty of Waitangi is not merely a contract, because you will hear some politicians say that this thing we call the Treaty of Waitangi is merely property rights. No way! No. This thing we call the Treaty of Waitangi, and its predecessor the Declaration of Independence, are unending things. They are things that every Government and every Parliament is able to cherish within all of their policies.

As you came here to embody that characteristic before us, we felt it. We all felt the length of your journey. And, therefore, we, the Greens, acknowledge your courage, we acknowledge your strength, and we acknowledge your resilience. The time has come for the time to come for the commencement of your journey. Therefore, I acknowledge you, greetings and congratulations to you all.]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I’m pleased to rise and take a call here in the final reading of the Ngāti Pāoa Claims Settlement Bill—the final reading recognising the completion of the legislative stage of this process.

Of course, that is only a very small portion of what it has taken to get to this place, now. I want to acknowledge those members of Ngāti Pāoa who are present in the gallery today and, particularly, acknowledge those that have been more intimately involved in the negotiations and the work getting this claim settlement bill to the point that we are at today. Indeed, that has been over a very extended period of time, and I want to acknowledge the good faith on both sides from negotiators as they worked through the process, acknowledging some particularly challenging situations in the past, trying to find a position where agreement can be reached, to, ultimately, set a strong platform to enable Ngāti Pāoa to move forward with renewed hope and optimism. I think that has been achieved, and those negotiators should, indeed, be proud of what they have been able to deliver, noting the opportunity that it presents and, of course, recognising the difficulties that have gone before.

We see the bill focusing on the Crown apology, an agreed historic account, cultural redress with the return of 12 culturally significant sites, 23 and a half million dollars, and, of course, other support through collective deeds, as well. But that, obviously, only recognises a small measure of what the ultimate view would have been around the impact over a long period of time, and such is the challenge with these Treaty settlement bills. But on this side of the House, this Government is very pleased to continue a strong track record of delivering Treaty settlements in this House, indeed starting the process 30 years ago with the Waikato-Tainui settlement in the mighty Waikato—and of course, now coming right through to today.

We saw earlier today, as well, Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu commencing their legislative stage with the first reading of their claims settlement bill, too, and so it is encouraging to see that progress continuing. As the MP for Waikato, Ngāti Pāoa, having some interest down into our region, as well, with their rohe and, indeed, in some areas overlapping with Tumutumu—understandably, it’s a beautiful part of the country; everyone wants to be there.

It’s pleasing to see, when we reflect on what’s happening in that area—it is a wonderful region. You know, we have strong industry in terms of our food and fibre sectors, fisheries, dairy farming, red meat sector, horticulture in that area, but tourism, manufacturing, as well, and some beautiful environmental aspects with incredible conservation. The mountains, the ranges, the ocean, the rivers—just, I think, highlighting some of the intrinsic beauty that most people would see around New Zealand, but that I’m particularly proud of in the Waikato region, anyway.

I’m very pleased to be able to take a call on this bill as we wind down towards the end of the process, being able to draw a line under what has been a long process but a well-supported process getting to, I think, on balance, a good outcome. So I’m pleased to commend this bill to the House.

Tuatahi e mihi ana ki a koutou, Ngāti Pāoa, kua tae mai nei i tēnei wā, i whakarangatira i a mātou i tēnei wā. Ngā mihi ki a koutou. Ngā mihi ki a koe, e Koro, he rawe tō kōrero i tēnei ata. E tika ana ki te whakaparahako i a mātou, rawe tō kōrero. E mōhio mātou ki tō riri, ne, hōhā ki ngā Kāwanatanga i tēnei wā me ngā Kāwanatanga i ngā wā o mua. Engari ahakoa he nui te kōrero, ahakoa i tau koe mō ngā pīnati me ngā kongakonga, i te mutunga o te rā ka pai ake ngā kongakonga i te kore, ne? I te kore. Engari e mihi ana ki a koe, e te rangatira, koutou katoa o te tīma. Mana wahine, ngā mihi ki a koutou, ngā mihi koutou i whakarangatira i a mātou i tēnei wā. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā anō tātou katoa.

[First, I would like to greet you, Ngāti Pāoa, who have come here at this time, and honoured us at this time. Greetings to you. Greetings to you, Koro, your speech this morning was amazing. It is appropriate to disparage us; your speech was awesome. We are aware of your anger and frustration with the current Government and previous Governments. However, despite the magnitude of the discussions, despite the fact that you settled for peanuts and crumbs, at the end of the day crumbs are better than nothing, right?—than nothing. However, I congratulate you, noble leader, yourself and all of the team. Women power, greetings to you, and thank you for honouring us at this time. Greetings and thanks to you, to all of us.]

A lot has been said, and I was listening to some of the kōrero about the wāhine there, and I think one of the things with Ngāti Pāoa is, no doubt, there was a mana wāhine takeover. I want to acknowledge you all—you know, all the names weren’t read out. So it’s a little bit like the Labour Party, actually, when I see what happened with Ngāti Pāoa—I’ll come back to the negotiators shortly. All the women’s names weren’t read out, so I want to read them all out, I want to mihi to you all: to Herearoha Skipper, to Lucy Tukua, to Tania Tarawa, to Tui Tawera, to Michelle Wilson, and to the infamous Mihingarangi Forbes—well done to all of you. Homai te pakipaki [A round of applause] for our mana wāhine team. [Applause]

I want to say it’s fabulous this mana wāhine team, and Peeni and I were talking about Mihi—done some wonderful mahi for Ngāti Pāoa. I really do think, Mihi, your greatest feat here in Parliament was chasing David Seymour down the corridor, which the only shame I felt was that you didn’t trip him up. I thought it was a terrific job that you did that day, Mihi, and I do thank you, my old friend from many, many years ago, for your mahi for te ao Māori, for your people—and just having a bit of fun there with David Seymour. That’s what it’s like, I think, for all of our people here, who’ve come here today: they are balancing everything. They’re balancing everything, you know, and so I mihi to the mana wāhine team and to the negotiators, to Hau, to Koro, and to others—obviously, Morehu from the past.

We heard the frustration this morning, at our mihimihi this morning. It was a beautiful kōrero. We had about 200 to 300 of the iwi turn up. And I’ll be a bit careful here, Mr Speaker, because last time I was talking like this, you kicked me out of the House—but we won’t go there. It was the last tribal bill; I think I talked lots. I’ve been away for a little while. I thought I’d stay away from some of these iwi kōrero!

This is such an important kaupapa, and I look at how our people—and I listened to Koro this morning: the frustration of our people in his mihimihi this morning. You know, Peeni and I were sitting there, and Hau had just done a beautiful kōrero to the Minister—we thought a little bit over the top, Hau, but kei te pai. Kei te pai. You know, Koro certainly balanced that out—old “Goldie” was feeling on top of the world there for a while, but you certainly changed things. Koro talked about the frustration that our people feel in terms of going through the process, and he talked about, “Hey, this was never our fault.” We made you feel like we had something to do with it.

Chlöe Swarbrick talked about it too, and I want to acknowledge what she was saying: there’s such a sacrifice from our people. We subsidise this country in terms of the Treaty settlements. You’re talking about iwi taking 2 or 3 percent of what the settlement was worth. And that’s what Koro was talking about this morning, you know. It’s either peanuts or nothing, so we take the peanuts, and our iwi have taken the peanuts there.

That does not mean they’re not grateful for the mahi done by the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Paul Goldsmith, by Minister Finlayson, by Minister Little—they’re not ungrateful for that. That’s what we heard this morning: the gratefulness, and then the anguish and the frustration that you have to go through a system that only recognises 2 or 3 percent of the actual loss. I’m sure some of you know, Koro will know, that when Tainui and Ngāi Tahu settled for $170 million, the economic estimate of the settlement was $16 billion to $18 billion. That’s what we are subsidising this country with, and so that’s the type of kōrero we get from the Chlöes, from Mariameno, from Oriini. Our people know about what we commit to the process, but never let it be forgotten what we have sacrificed.

I mihi to you all today, in terms of coming here and doing the business. As the Minister said quite rightly, we do try and strangle each other in the House and give it to each other, but outside the House, we are cordial. We will whakakotahi for the kaupapa, because the kaupapa is what we want in the end. We want a settlement. We want our people to be given an opportunity, but we need the House and Crown to remember the sacrifice—the sacrifice.

Again, as I said, Mr Speaker, I’ll be a bit careful, because we do accept, particularly Minister Goldsmith and Minister Potaka—when we come together for these hui, we do come together. You never see us warring on a paepae or anything, but I have an obligation to remind the House that we come together like this under the shadow of a Government that continues to attack Māori rights. I know it’s a sensitive area here, but it’s hard when yesterday we were talking, my colleague Willow-Jean Prime was talking about, the Treaty clauses being removed in terms of kura. We’re talking about the Treaty being expelled from legislation. That has to be said today—that this is what we’re balancing. And so I—

Hon Nicola Grigg: Speak to the bill, Willie.

Hon WILLIE JACKSON: I’m speaking to the bill. This is part of the bill. You cannot continue to carry on like this without speaking about the constant attack in terms of tikanga Māori. So I’ll say that and leave it there—and leave it there.

I want to want to want to wrap up by doing a mihi to Kerrin Leoni too, because I thought that, Jenny Marcroft, was a bit uncalled for there. Kerrin Leoni actually got 76,000 votes—77,000 votes—and she was the co-chair for Mr Hon Peeni Henare’s Tāmaki Makaurau electorate, so thank you, Kerrin, for your commitment to the kaupapa. And to you, Miss Chlöe Swarbrick, I think you were like 16—weren’t you?—when you stood for the Auckland mayoralty, so 30,000 votes wasn’t bad, I think. It wasn’t too bad at all, Chlöe, so well done to you. No need to talk about those sort of numbers, because I always think anyone who puts themselves up for these positions, we should acknowledge. So well done to you, Chlöe, for what you did all those years ago.

Today, in terms of our iwi who come here today, it is a great day. It is a great day. For all its warts and whatnot, it’s still a great day that we as parties can come together on. It’s great that the Minister can front up and listen to the criticism and whatnot, and we still kōkiri the kaupapa, āe—we still move forward and say, “Right, we acknowledge, we acknowledge. And now we’ve got this pūtea, now we’ve got the settlement. Now what can we do?” I think you’ve got the example with Tainui, you’ve got the example with Ngāi Tahu, we’ve got the example with Ngāti Whātua. I think that’s all in place, and maybe $23 million won’t go a long way, but what you’ve set—your example in terms of fight, in terms of principle, in terms of values—will be held in good stead for all the rangatahi who are coming through.

I mihi to you all, and to Hau, to Koro, to all our negotiators who’ve come through, Morehu, to our mana wāhine team, to Rick Barker, Mike Dreaver, for your work in terms of bringing all us Māori together. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Tēnei te mihi ki a koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā anō tātou katoa. Kia ora.

[I hereby acknowledge you; greetings and thanks to you, to us all. Thank you.]

E te Mana Whakawā, tihei mauri ora. E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā iwi, tēnā koutou katoa. Te Whare e tū nei, tēnā koe. Te papa e takoto nei, tēnā koe. Ngā mate, haere, haere, haere. Nau mai, haere mai, nau mai, hoki mai. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[It is the breath of life. To the authorities, the representatives, and the iwi, greetings to you all. The House that stands here, I acknowledge you. The land that lies here, I acknowledge you. To the dearly departed, rest in peace. Welcome, welcome back. Greetings and thanks to you all.]

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the significance of today. It has been well traversed in this House that it is a special day and one that has come after many decades of mahi nearly 200 years since the Treaty of Waitangi was signed and since the atrocities and breaches of the Treaty that we now acknowledge today. I’d also like to acknowledge the beautiful rohe of the Hauraki Gulf and the Ngāti Pāoa area. Like many in this House, I am a product of the Hauraki Gulf. I was born and raised in East Auckland. I have many fond memories of the Hauraki Plains and down in Thames during Christmas time, and I now live on the North Shore, which is a wonderful place where my family and I live. It is a wonderful area and a place that, I think, as we know, provides sustenance and life to many New Zealanders. It is, I think, the jewel of the North Island, the Hauraki Gulf, and a special place for this iwi, but also a special place for all of New Zealand.

This bill, as we’ve heard, acknowledges the deed that was signed to settle the claim with Ngāti Pāoa, and this bill gives effect to that deed in its entirety. I wish to just account for what is in that deed. It is a historic account, and it is important—and I’d encourage any New Zealander tuning in today to read that historic account—that we do not forget. The second is the Crown apology for the breaches that were made under the Treaty of Waitangi in terms of the land Crown purchases, the confiscation of land, and the native land wars that happened. Next is the redress of $23.5 million, the vesting of 12 cultural significant sites dotted throughout the Hauraki area, and some significant name changes as well.

As a former member of the Māori Affairs Committee—this bill went through the select committee process—I’d like to acknowledge all my colleagues from across the House. As you can see today, there is a lot that we actually agree on in Parliament. My colleague Willie Jackson—there’s a lot of his speech I don’t agree on, but I do agree that in times like today, we actually come together and support such important legislation in the House. This has been an important process, one where we did make, from the select committee, some changes to this piece of legislation. I do want to acknowledge the officials who have worked diligently in this matter, and those of the Ministers. As has been mentioned by Jenny Marcroft, my colleague here, this piece of legislation has been through many Ministers and many Governments. I’d like to acknowledge that.

Most importantly, I’d like to focus on the future, which is really in the hands of Ngāti Pāoa and has been acknowledged by the trust entity, which is full of wāhine toa. I’d like to acknowledge, as Willie did, all those members on that trust board: the chair, Herearoha Skipper; the great Mihingarangi Forbes; and all trustee members. It is in your hands to take what is a small amount—and we all acknowledge that no amount of redress can make up for the loss and the damage that has been suffered by iwi. It was 30 years ago we signed the first iwi settlement with Tainui, and it wasn’t easy. If you speak to Sir Doug Graham or if you read accounts of that, it was a very hard process to get through. And, yes, it was a small amount, an insignificant amount, relative to the amount of damage that was done. As you can see, it may have been peanuts, but other iwi across this country have turned those peanuts into plantations. It is our hope, collectively, in Parliament that that happens to Ngāti Pāoa, that you take what is a small amount and do what you can with it to benefit the future of your members and iwi in your rohe.

It is a good day for this House. It is a good day for Ngāti Pāoa. I’d like to, again, acknowledge all of those who have contributed to this process: Morehu Wilson for his contributions in getting us to this stage. Again, I acknowledge that, on this side of the House, National does have a very proud track record of Treaty settlements, and they will continue. The Minister, Paul Goldsmith, has got ambitious plans to get us to the stage where we actually get a lot more iwi settlements across the line. It is on that basis that I commend this bill to the House. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Rapua te huarahi whānui hei ara whakapiri i ngā iwi e rua i runga i te whakaaro kotahi. Tihewa mauri ora.

E ngā mate, e Papa Mōrehu, moe mai, moe mai, moe mai rā.

E te pāpā, Hauāuru, me ngā whītiki o te kī, ngā kaumātua o Ngāti Pāoa, tēnei te mihi ki a koutou i tēnei rā, tēnā koutou katoa.

Me mihi kauanuanu ki a koutou, ngā whānau, ngā hoa, ngā kaimahi. E Tipu E Rea, Te Kura o Te Onewa, Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau, tēnei te mihi ki a koutou. Tēnā tātou, Ngāti Pāoa.

[Seek the wide pathway as a way of bringing together the two peoples with one purpose in mind. It is the breath of life.

To the dearly departed, Uncle Mōrehu, sleep well, rest in peace.

To my uncle, Hauāuru, and the influential and authoritative, the elders of Ngāti Pāoa, I hereby acknowledge you today, greetings to you all.

I should respectfully acknowledge you, the families, friends and staff. E Tipu E Rea, Birkenhead Primary School, Auckland University of Technology, I hereby acknowledge you. Greetings to us all, Ngāti Pāoa.]

Today is a good day. We come together in kotahitanga. We come from Tāmaki-makau-rau. For those of you from Te Raki-pae-whenua, e mihi ko ana ki a koutou.

Can I acknowledge you all, Ngāti Pāoa, and the mahi that you have done to arrive at this settlement today. Some may talk about the patience that you have, the resilience, but we know that together, as Māori, our resilience, our fight for our future, for ngā Rangatira mō āpōpō [the leaders of tomorrow]—that together, we will make a better tomorrow for them, and that is what this is about.

It is no doubt difficult in one of the most tumultuous Governments that we have seen as Māori. Some have talked about attacks, but those of you who know me will know that, prior to politics, my time was spent in education, and this has been one of the most difficult weeks, as this Government, a National Government, has removed Te Tiriti o Waitangi from our governing bodies in ngā kura o Aotearoa. What that means for us is that there is no longer a requirement for them to reflect Te Tiriti in their practices and, most of all, to protect our tamariki, to grow and to learn in those environments as tangata whenua, as Māori. That makes me sad, and while we celebrate together today, and this is absolutely a celebration, it’s one step forward and two backwards. But, most of all, e whānau mā, while I say it’s one step forward and two backwards, we’re still going forward. Nobody can stop us, and most of all, we will go forward together.

You’ll also know that I am a descendant of Tamatea-pōkai-whenua, our whānau here from Kahungunu, and tomorrow, our whānau from Mōkai Pātea, Ngāti Whitikaupeka, will come here to sign our agreement in principle, so I understand a little bit the long road that Ngāti Pāoa has been on, and we’re only partway through. Today, I acknowledge you, Ngāti Pāoa, and I also acknowledge the Crown, because the whakataukī that I opened with talked about partnership: the aspiration of two peoples coming together in this country. This redress is acknowledgment of that: the hurt, the loss, the impact of colonisation on your whānau at the hands of the Crown. This is merely a small recognition of that, but it’s also an apology. It’s an acknowledgment of the hē, of the wrongdoing that was done by this place and by the Government and Parliament of the day, to take away what was rightfully yours.

I see Whaea Zee there, Janine, and for those of us who come from Te Raki-pae-whenua, Northcote, we often miss seeing our Māori identity around, and I want to acknowledge the stories, the whakapapa, that we are seeing in the Northcote housing development, at Auckland University of Technology; they are your stories, they are your tīpuna, and I mihi to you all today. Nō reira e mihi kau ana ki a koutou katoa. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, mauri ora ki a tātou katoa.

[Therefore, I acknowledge all of you. Greetings and thanks to you; health and wellbeing to all of us.]

Ngāti Pāoa, nōku te maringa nui, nōku te whiwhi, nōku te hōnore nui ki te tū i roto i tēnei Whare, tō Whare, e mihi ana ki a koutou. Ahakoa te mamae o ngā tau, ahakoa te hōhā o tēnei Whare ki a koutou, kua kōkiri koutou. Nā reira ko tēnei he rā e whakanui te anamata, ko tēnei te rā o te tūmanako, ko tēnei te rā o te moemoeā, nā reira ka huri tō mātou mahara ki tō rātou tupuna. Kua moemoeā rātou i tēnei rā, ā, āianei i tēnei rā ka titiro rātou i tēnei tukanga, tēnei rā, tēnei wā. Tēnā koutou ki a rātou, tēnā koutou ki a koutou. Anō, nōku te maringa nui.

I te tīmatanga o tēnei kōrero, i mea a Willie Jackson te kupu: “Tēnei te kotahitanga”, and tika tērā, nā te mea koirā te āhua o tēnei kaupapa. He kaupapa tino rerekē i te nuinga o te mahi e mahia ki tēnei Whare, ā, ko te nuinga o ngā mema ki konei i tēnei rā i whakaahuareka ai ki tēnei momo kaupapa.

Tēnā koe e tāku hoa, Peeni Henare. Mate, when you mentioned that the Minister had misspoken and called you “Tau Henare”, ka huri ōku whakaaro ki tōku wheako ia wā ka kōrero koe ki tēnei Whare, ka puaki tō māngai, ā, ka tau te wairua. He tino rerekē te wairua ki tēnei Whare ia wā ka kōrero koe i te reo taketake, i te reo o tēnei whenua, i te reo o tēnei rangi. Ā, tēnā koe, e hoa. Tōku moemoeā o te rā, kia whakatau koe i ngā moemoeā o tō iwi, and maybe that day, if it is my honour to be there, I will call out and say, “Ko koe, Tau Henare”.

Inā rā, nā te mea koirā te Kaupapa—koirā tēnei kaupapa. Ehara i te hanga o te mana o Ngāti Pāoa, e kao. Ehara i te hanga o te tino rangatiratanga o Ngāti Pāoa, e kao. Mai rā anō te tino rangatiratanga o Ngāti Pāoa, and tēnei rā, tēnei tukanga e whakamana ana anō i tēnei mana. Tēnei tau, tēnei tukanga he whakahou anō i te hononga i waenganui i a koutou me te Kāwanatanga. Koirā te whāinga o tēnei tukanga. Nō reira, ko tōku moemoeā mō koutou katoa kia tipu koutou me te whakatupuranga e haere mai nei nō te tūāpapa o tēnei whakatau. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā rā tātou katoa.

[Ngāti Pāoa, it is my good fortune, it is my good luck, it is my great honour to stand in this House, your House, and congratulate you. Despite the anguish over the years, despite your frustration caused by this House, you have progressed. And so, this is a day to celebrate the future, this is a day of hope, this is a day of dreams, and so our thoughts turn to their ancestors. They have dreamed about this day, and now, today, they will observe this process, this day, this time. Congratulations to them, and congratulations to you. Again, it is my great fortune.

At the beginning of this debate, Willie Jackson said these words: “This is unity”, and that is true because that is the nature of this process. It is a very different process to the majority of the work that is done in this House, and the majority of the members here today are positively disposed towards this type of process.

Greetings to you, my friend, Peeni Henare. Mate, when you mentioned that the Minister had misspoken and called you “Tau Henare”, my thoughts turned to my experience every time you speak in this House; you open your mouth and the spirit calmly settles. The spirit in this House is very different every time you speak the indigenous language, the language of this land, the language of this day. Thank you, my friend. My dream of the day is that you are able to settle the dreams of your people, and maybe that day, if it is my honour to be there, I will call out and say, “It is you, Tau Henare”.

In particular because that is the job—that is this job; it is not to establish the authority of Ngāti Pāoa, not at all. It is not to establish the sovereignty of Ngāti Pāoa, not at all. The sovereignty of Ngāti Pāoa is from time immemorial, and today, this process will reconfirm this authority. This settlement, this process is a renewal of the relationship between yourselves and the Government. That is the goal of this process. Therefore, my dream for all of you is that you develop with the generation to come on the foundation of this settlement. Greetings and thanks to you, to us all.]

Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare. E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha o Ngāti Pāoa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Ka pupuhi te hau e ahu mai a Kohukohunui, koropupū ki te ngākau aroha i te mahara i a rātou mā kua ngaro. E rere haere te hau kōmingo, takoto ai te marino, horahia i waho rā, ka pūāwai aku kamo mō tēnei whenua, o Hauraki. Ko Pāoa-taringa-rahi, Pāoa e tukituki te whatumanawa. Tēnā koutou.

[Thank you, Madam Speaker. To the authorities, the representatives, the many relatives of Ngāti Pāoa, greetings and thanks to you all.

A wind blows that originates at Mount Kohukohunui. My grieving heart wells up in memory of those who have passed on. The swirling wind travels on, leaving behind a calm that spreads out. My eyes blossom for this land, Hauraki. Pāoa-taringa-rahi: Pāoa, who causes the heart to pound. Greetings to you.]

Today marks a significant milestone, not just for this House but for the people who are here today. It is a moment of intense significance that is both hopeful and solemn—solemn because we reflect upon the generations of loss, hardship, and injustice that have been suffered by Ngāti Pāoa at the hands of the Crown, but also hopeful because, today, we move one step closer to Ngāti Pāoa determining your own future.

This settlement represents the Crown’s formal acknowledgment of those wrongs committed against Ngāti Pāoa, and the Crown’s apology for breaching Te Tiriti o Waitangi. As we have already heard from my friend and colleague Willie Jackson today, no settlement can even get near to fully compensating for the depth of loss that Ngāti Pāoa has endured—for the lands taken, for the economic opportunities that have been lost and denied, for the cultural harm, and for the generations forced to live with the consequences of those actions—but what this settlement can do, and what I believe it must do, is lay the foundation for a renewed relationship, one that is built on partnership, one that is built on respect, and also, hopefully, one built on trust.

This bill is not just about the return of whenua and the provision of redress; it is about recognising the right of Ngāti Pāoa to stand strong on your own lands, in your own language, and with your own identity affirmed. The journey to this date has been a long one. Negotiators have worked tirelessly over the years. It was back in 2013 that the Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust was confirmed as your post-settlement governance entity, and it was in March 2021 that the Crown signed the deed of settlement with Ngāti Pāoa, a step that came after years of negotiation, reflection, and perseverance.

What this bill does is it sets out, in clear terms, how the Crown failed to uphold the principles and the promises made in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Those breaches include the confiscation of land—raupatu—the unjust operation of the Native Land Court system, the Crown purchasing that left Ngāti Pāoa virtually landless, and the policies that have eroded economic, cultural, and social wellbeing over the years. The Crown’s apology recognises the pain caused by the rapid alienation of land after 1840, the devastating impacts of conflict, as well as the laws that stripped away the availability to access te reo Māori. While no apology can erase that history, the formal acknowledgment of wrongdoing is such an important start; it is the foundation of reconciliation for a shared future that is based on integrity and mutual respect. The settlement includes redress of $23.5 million, the transfer of culturally significant sites, and the ability for redress payments to support revitalisation in those areas.

Just as important is what the settlement provides; it’s also important to tell the stories that have come with this journey. In the select committee process, one of the submissions stood out so clearly for its heartfelt view of what this represented, and I chose that one today to refer to. It is that of Te Ahipourewa Garner-Forbes. She spoke of watching her mother, her aunties, and her uncles gather at countless hui over the years, dedicating themselves to this long and unforgiving process. She spoke of the anguish in the voices of the negotiators like Hauauru Rawiri and the late Morehu Wilson, who carried that heavy responsibility upon their shoulders. She stated, “Unlike my grandfather or my mother, I have been raised in both te reo Māori and te reo Ingarangi. I recognise the whakamā and the mamae held by those who suffered cruel Crown legislation that silenced them.” Her statement that “We are whenua kore in our special places, and this settlement will go some way to changing that.” captures the very heart of why this bill matters today. The story that she told is one of resilience, manawanui, and endurance in the face of extraordinary loss.

In the 19th century, the Crown confiscations and purchases stripped away nearly all land. They drained the Hauraki wetlands, and the diversion of the Waihou and Piako rivers transformed not only the physical landscape but also the very life for generations. Yet, despite that devastation, Ngāti Pāoa have persevered. That resilience is embodied in the leadership of today’s iwi representation and the collective will of the Ngāti Pāoa people.

An important part of the settlement spirit is partnership, and that is woven all the way through the provisions: mahi tahi. We can already see the fruits of this partnership with the relationship between Ngāti Pāoa and Auckland University of Technology, AUT. It’s AUT’s engagement with Ngāti Pāoa that stands as such a strong example of what it really means to move beyond apology into meaningful collaboration. Together, they have worked to embed Ngāti Pāoa narratives within the AUT North Campus, land on which Ngāti Pāoa are mana whenua. The university’s commitment to shared values—pono, tika, aroha—is exactly what partnership is under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It is a reminder that the outcomes of these settlements must reach beyond legal instruments and into the very fabric of our institutions and our communities.

I want to acknowledge the many people who have carried this kaupapa across decades: negotiators, kaumātua, lawyers, historians, Crown officials, and even Ministers, past and present—acknowledging you, Rick Barker, here today. This journey has not been easy. There have been delays, disagreements, and deep frustrations along the way, but the fact that we are here reading this is testament to the perseverance and also the faith in the process of reconciliation. I would like to acknowledge the work of the Māori Affairs Committee, which engaged all the way with submitters and helped to ensure that the bill was brought back to this House.

I’d like to conclude by looking ahead. While we celebrate this moment, we must also remember that settlement does not mean an end to the Crown’s responsibilities. It marks, instead, the beginning of a new relationship, one that requires ongoing commitment to that partnership. Settlements provide a base, a platform for iwi to rebuild and thrive, but they do not erase inequality or restore every loss. For true reconciliation, we must continue to ensure Māori voices are heard in decision making, that iwi have equitable access to opportunities, and that te reo Māori and tikanga are respected and normalised right across all spheres of life, including our schools.

E kore te mana o te Tiriti e mimiti—the mana of the Treaty will not fade. Our collective challenge as parliamentarians in this House is to uphold that mana through action. As Te Ahipourewa reminded us, this settlement is for her generation and those yet to come. It is about creating a future where Ngāti Pāoa can stand tall, knowing their identity is valued and that their history is acknowledged.

He mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa. Nō reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, huihui mai tātou katoa.

[Warm greetings to you all. And so, greetings and thanks to you, indeed all of us gathered here.]

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’m privileged to be the final speaker, as we close this chapter of this very long and arduous journey, on the Ngāti Pāoa Claims Settlement Bill. I’d also like to acknowledge everyone that’s travelled here today, also from my beautiful electorate of Takanini, which includes areas from Manurewa East, all the way up to Flat Bush in Ormiston—so welcome, haere mai—and I’d like to say that I’m very sorry that many of us from the Māori Affairs Committee were not able to join you this morning. Our hearts were with you, but the mahi that we had here in the House didn’t allow us to be with you. So my apologies in that regard.

I’m very privileged, as I said in my previous speech, to be the deputy chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, and, indeed, privileged because I actually wasn’t born here in New Zealand, and I look at everything with a very open eye and open heart. I’ve learnt a lot from the number of Treaty settlements that we have engaged with since I was blessed to be voted in to this House, and I know that I continue to learn.

I’d like to just reiterate some of the key time line. When it comes to the key time line of bringing this settlement bill into the House, it began with the previous Government, and so I’d just like to acknowledge the Hon Andrew Little and his mahi in that regard. The deed of settlement was signed in 2021, on 20 March, and the bill was introduced into the House on 15 December 2022. It went to the Māori Affairs Committee of that previous administration in June of 2023, and there was a total of 351 submissions.

Now, I do want to say that it was transferred to us, as the new Māori Affairs Committee, in the 54th Parliament, so to speak, but in respect of the submissions and the ongoing correspondence—and this was touched upon by various colleagues across the House—there was the issue of Waiheke farm. I think that it would be kind of remiss of me to not mention it, because it was and still is a very important and ongoing issue, and so I’d like to reference it in the House. Essentially, this is referring to the bill transferring the Waiheke farmland from Ngāti Pāoa Trust Board to the Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust post-settlement governance entity.

I want to say to the people that have different views that the Māori Affairs Committee spoke a lot and in deep detail and considered this issue quite profoundly, and we found that both trusts exist for the same purpose: the benefit of those who whakapapa to Ngāti Pāoa. Here, I’d like to say that something I’ve learnt in my last 13 and a half years in New Zealand is that with Māori, you find a way because your suffering is shared suffering. Sometimes I don’t agree that blood runs thicker than water, but with Māori, I agree that it does, and I have faith that the disagreements will find a way to dissipate and it will be water under the bridge in some time.

Also, because we’ve traversed across the speeches today about the technicalities of the deed of settlement, I would like to just say, if I may, that for those of you who are not familiar with the working of Parliament too much, it could be like you’re asking “Why are we doing this? Why are we going through this process? There was a deed of settlement. Why do we have to go through this process?” If we put it in a nutshell, essentially, in this process here in the House, we’re putting into law what was agreed upon in the deed of settlement. So that contract becomes extralegally binding by us going through this legislative process, and I did just want to clarify that for any of our listeners.

I will end my kōrero with a couple of points. Through our speeches, we’ve heard the term “virtually landless” and that Ngāti Pāoa was rendered virtually landless after all of the land was taken, and other things, as well. I reflect on this a lot, particularly when we’re going through settlement legislation. I reflect on what being virtually landless can mean in practice to one’s wairua and to one’s equilibrium.

I whakapapa to Lebanon, and the Ottoman Empire occupied Lebanon for 400 years and they were brutal. I think to myself that if they took away the land around my beautiful village of Ainata Al Arz, which is very up high on the mountain, I’d feel a lot of anger and I’d walk around with this anger a lot. But I look at our Māori brothers and sisters, and often and often, again—like I said in my speech, about whakatauhia—you teach me a lot about endurance, about patience, and about perseverance, and I’m still learning.

So I pray that after this we can all go forward, quietly close the door on this chapter, open the door on a new chapter, and—as my friend and colleague Dan Bidois has said—cultivate that plantation: the plantation of the mind, of the spirit, of the heart, and of the land, all for your mokopuna. I commend this bill to the House.

Motion agreed to.

Bill read a third time.

Permission has been granted for a waiata.

Waiata—“Rimurimu teretere”

Thank you—that was beautiful. Now we’re just going to take a little bit of time to have our guests move around. We have some more guests coming in shortly, so, for the House, we’ll just take a couple of minutes to do the changeover. Thank you.