Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill
Members, in accordance with a determination of the Business Committee, the second reading of this bill is followed immediately by the committee stage, and then the third reading.
on behalf of the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations: I present a legislative statement on the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill.
ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Teanau Tuiono): That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the Parliament website.
Hon TAMA POTAKA: I move, That the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill be now read a second time.
E kī ana te kōrero ko Matemateāonga te maunga, te kōrero a Tūroa, e rua au, he awa au, he Rauru au, aue.
E tahuri ana te whakaaro ki ngā tūpuna o te wā kua upane, kaupane nei ki runga i a tātou. Rātou hoki nā rātou hoki i tā mai i te tāmoko a tūpuna mātua ki runga ki te Tiriti o Waitangi, ā, ko ngā tūpuna i roto o W’anganui. Rere-ō-maki, tērā wahine rangatira, tatū atu rā ki ōna tūngāne, ki a Anaua, ki a Te Māwai, tae atu ki a Takaremi mā nā rātou anō i hiki te kawenata tapu e kīia nei ko Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Nōku te Hōnore ki te kawe mai i tēnei kōrero ki mua i te aroaro o tēnei Whare Pāremata ki te tautoko hoki i te anga whakamua o tēnei pire, Te Pire Whakataunga Kerēme a Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, mō tōna pānuitanga tuarua.
Tēnei pire e whakatinana nei i Te Tihi o Rae, te kawenata i tāia mai e Te Korowai o Wainuiārua me te Karauna i tērā tau, i te Hurae 2023. Me te mea nei tēnei kawenata tapu i whakatau hoki i ngā kerēme hītori, her-tori hoki i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi mō Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, ēnei e whakakanohi nei i ngā ritenga me ngā āhuatanga o ngā iwi e toru e kīia nei ko Tamakana, ko Tamahaki, ko Uenuku ki Manga-nui-o-te-ao nā Tūkaihoro, arā kei roto hoki i te ngahere nui me te awa nui, Te Wainuiārua, te wai heru o ngā tūpuna mātua, te wai tuku kiri o te pō.
Tēnei pire, e toru ōna whāinga. Tuatahi ko te whakatau i ngā āhuatanga e pā ana ki tō tātou tuakiritanga me te taha pūtea, tae atu ki te whakapāha a te Karauna. E kī ana te kōrero a taku hoa Minita, a Minita Metekōura, ā, ākuanei hoki tōna pānuitanga tuatoru ka kitea te nui me te rahi hoki o ōna āhuatanga katoa.
Me te mea nei e tika ana te kōrero ki te āta mihi maioha ki a rātou kua nunumi atu ki te pō, nā rātou hoki i kawe tēnei kaupapa ki tōna māramatanga. Ā, ko taku matua a Boyd Cribb, ko ia hoki he hoa hutupōro, he hoa inu waipiro me taku matua, a Paddy, ki te karapu hutupōro o Raetihi. E hoa mā! Ka nui hoki ērā pō i a au e taitamariki ana e whaiwhai nei, me kī, i ngā aihikirīmi ki ngā toa hokohoko o Raetihi.
Me mihi ki a ia, ki a Matua Boyd, tatū atu rā ki a ngā ruanuku me ngā ruahine katoa o tērā moka, o tērā ripo hoki o ngā awa e tāheke nei i Te Kāhui Maunga; Matua te Toa, Matua te Mana, tae atu ki Te Matapihi ki roto i Te Moana-nui-tāpokopoko-a-Tāwhaki. Nā reira mai i Te Kāhui Maunga ki Tangaroa, e tahuri ana te whakaaro ki a rātou hoki o tēnei kaupapa, Te Korowai o Wainuiārua.
Me te mōhio hoki ka nui te ihi, te wehi, te wana, te wehi i whakapau kaha atu ērā momo pērā i a Boyd Cribb, engari te hunga ora o nāianei. Arā a Aiden, kātahi anō ia ka wehe i a ia mai tō mātou kāhui o Te Wainuiārua ki te whare o te Public Trust, ki reira hoki tū ai te whakatau i te ata nei.
Me mihi kāmehameha ka tika ki a rātou nā rātou i whakatōpū nei i ngā riri, i ngā namu, i ngā āwangawanga hoki o ēnei iwi kia tau ki tōna māramatanga mai i te pō ki te ao.
Tēnei pire i tukuna atu ki te Komiti Take Māori i te 13 o Aperira i tēnei tau tonu. Tekau mā whā ngā pepa i tukuna atu mō te pire nei, ngā tono, me te mea nei e tahuri ana ngā mihi kauanuanu ki ngā mema o tērā komiti, ngā mema katoa ahakoa te pāti kahurangi, te pāti whero, te pāti kākāriki, tō tātou pāti Māori, ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa ko hea tōna tae, e mihi ana ki ngā mema o te komiti nā ratou anō i whakahoki i tēnei kaupapa ki uta kia tae ki tōna taunga, koia hoki kia tae ki tōna taunga, koia hoki ko te rā nei tōna pānuitanga tuarua. Kāore e roa ka tae mai te iwi, ka tae mai te marea ki te whakarewa i tōna pānuitanga tuatoru.
Me te mea nei e mihi ana ki ngā āpiha a Te Arawhiti, a Chris McKenzie mā, engari ki taku tuakana, a Aiden, me taku Uncle Baldy, Paora Haitana tana ingoa tūturu, engari tōna ingoa ko Uncle Baldy. Ko ia hoki tētahi o ngā amokura kaihoe o te tira hoe waka o W’anganui, me ērā o ngā kuia mōrehu, ngā māreikura hoki nā rātou anō i toutou ngā ahi kā i ngā papa kāinga ki runga i Te Awa Tupua, ā, ko Mangapāpapa tērā, ko W’itianga tērā, ko Parinui tērā, ko Tieke tērā, me ērā o ngā wāhi katoa.
E ai ki te kōrero ko Te Waimarino i tēnei wā. Kei whea kē mai te ingoa, a “National Park”, engari ko Te Waimarino tērā. Nā rātou anō i kohikohi i ngā take katoa o tēnei kerēme kia pūāwai mai ngā moemoeā a tūpuna mātua.
I te ata nei i rangona hoki te riri me te mataku hoki, te whakatūpato a taku tuakana, a Tūrama, me taku kaihoe matua, a Hayden Tūroa, e pā ana ki te mata kino o ngā Kāwana tawhito pērā i a Kāwana Kerei mā, pērā i a Kāwana Thomas Gore Browne mā, pērā hoki i ngā tāngata ko ō rātou ingoa e tāia ki ngā ingoa tiriti o Te Ūpoko-o-te-ika. Ā, ko Stout tērā, ko Whitmore tērā, ko Wakefield tērā, me tā rātou whakatūpato ki a mātou katoa o te Whare Pāremata i te ata nei, me kaua e whai i te tauira o ērā tāngata, engari me hāngai hoki ki te anga whakamua i ēnei momo mahi.
Ko aku mihi mai i te ngākau iti rawa ki a Aiden mā, ā, ki a Chris mā, ā, ki a Paora mā, tatū atu rā ki ngā kuia nā rātou anō i whakarewa tēnei kaupapa ki tōna taunga i tēnei wā, mai i te kororipo, ā, ki uta.
Me te mea nei, kore e taea e au te tū wahangū i tēnei wā i te mea i tāngangae taku pito ki te whare ora o Raetihi. I whānau mai au ki reira, i tupu mai au ki reira me te papa hahau korowhā ki Mākaranui, tērā wāhi motuhake ki waenganui i Ohakune me Raetihi. I reira hoki i tupu ake mātou ko taku pā harakeke, me te reo ā-whakapapa, ngā tātai aroha ki roto i ōku ake, me ngā kōiwi o ngā urupā ki Raetihi, tatū atu rā ki Waimarino me ngā awa e teretere mai nā i Te Kāhui Maunga, ā, ko Manga-nui-o-te-ao, ko Mangaturuturuā, tatū atu rā ki ērā wai māori katoa.
Ētahi o ērā wai māori kua tukuna atu ki te roimata tuatahi nā Te Rauamua ki te awa o Waikato, engari ko tōna mātotorutanga me ū ki Te Matapihi.
[The saying goes Matemateāonga is the ancestral mountain, the phrasing of Tūroa, I am of two lines of descent, I am of the river, and I am of Rauru, alas.
My thoughts now turn to the ancestors of this time that have come upon us. Those who made their ancestral marks of identity on the Treaty of Waitangi, and the ancestors within W’anganui. Rere-ō-maki, that noble lady, and also including her brothers, Anaua, Te Māwai, and including Takaremi and others who took up the sacred covenant known as the Treaty of Waitangi.
It is my honour to convey these statements before the presence of this House of Parliament to also support the progress of this bill, Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill, for its second reading.
This bill that implements the Korowai o Wainuiārua deed of settlement, the covenant that was signed by Te Korowai o Wainuiārua and the Crown last year, in July 2023. Subsequently, this sacred covenant settles historical and her-storical claims under the Treaty of Waitangi for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, those that represent the practices and attributes of the three iwi known as Tamakana, Tamahaki, and Uenuku at Manga-nui-o-te-ao of Tūkaihoro—that is, within the great forest and the great river, Te Wainuiārua, the grooming waters of the ancestors, and the bathing waters of those who have passed on.
This bill, it has three goals. First is to settle the features that related to our identity and financial concerns, and also including the apology of the Crown. As my ministerial colleague Minister Goldsmith said, so it will reach it third reading and then the size and scope of all of its attributes will be seen.
Consequently, the statement is accurate that those who have disappeared into the darkness should be generously acknowledged, those who conveyed this initiative to its revelation. And my uncle Boyd Cribb, he is a rugby mate and a drinking buddy of my father, Paddy, at the rugby club of Raetihi. Oh boy! There were so many of those nights when I was a young child pursuing, I should say, the ice creams in the Raetihi shops.
I should acknowledge him, Uncle Boyd, and also all of those sage men and women of that place, of that whirlpool of the river that flows from the Alpine Clan; Tongariro, Ruapehu, and including Te Matapihi in the Tasman Sea. And so from the Alpine Clan to the ocean, my thoughts now turn to those of this subject, Te Korowai o Wainuiārua.
We are also aware of the magnitude of excellence, awe-inspiring perfection, the awe that was expended by the likes of Boyd Cribb, but also the people alive at present. That is Aiden, who has only recently left the organisation of Te Wainuiārua to the office of the Public Trust, where the official welcome was held this morning.
It is appropriate to greatly acknowledge them, those who consolidated all the anger, the irritation, and concerns of this iwi so that it may reach enlightenment from the darkness into the light.
This bill was allocated to the Māori Affairs Committee on 13 April this year. Fourteen papers were forwarded to the committee concerning this bill, submissions, and consequently the respectful thanks go to the members of that committee, all of the members regardless of whether they are of the blue party, the red party, the green party, our Māori Party—regardless of who they are or of what colour they are, I thank the members of that committee who have returned this initiative to shore to its destination, indeed to reach its destination, and this is the day of its second reading today. Before long, the people will arrive, the public will arrive to launch it on its third reading.
Consequently I acknowledge the officials of Te Arawhiti, Chris McKenzie and others, but to my senior, Aiden, and my Uncle Baldy, Paora Haitana is his real name, but his name is Uncle Baldy. He is also one of the noble paddlers of the flotilla of W’anganui, and those surviving matriarchs, the matrons who kept the home fires burning at the homesteads on the Celestial River, including Mangapāpapa, W’itianga, Parinui and Tieke, and all of those places.
They say that it is Te Waimarino at this time. The name “National Park” is awesome, but that is Te Waimarino. They were the ones who gathered all of the issues of this claim so that the aspirations of the ancestors and forebears may flourish.
This morning we felt the anger and the fear too, and the warning of my senior, Tūrama, and my most senior paddler, Hayden Tūroa, regarding the evil countenances of previous Governors, the likes of Governor Grey and others, Governor Thomas Gore Browne and others, similar to those people whose names are stamped on the street names of Wellington. That includes Stout, Whitmore, Wakefield, and their warning to all of us of the House of Parliament this morning, that we should not follow the example of those people, but we should face towards the future in such endeavours.
My humble heart thanks Aiden and others, Chris and others, Paora and others, and including the matriarchs who launched this initiative towards its destination at this time, from within the whirlpool, and to shore.
Consequently I could not merely stand here in silence at this time because my navel was umbilically connected to the house of wellbeing in Raetihi. I was born there, I grew up there on the golf course at Mākaranui, that special place in between Ohakune and Raetihi. That is also the place that my family was raised, in the intergenerationally transmitted language, and the ranks of love within my own, and the bones of the cemeteries at Raetihi, and including Waimarino and the rivers that flow from the Alpine Clan, Manga-nui-o-te-ao, Mangaturuturuā, and including all of those fresh water streams.
Some of those freshwater sources have discharged into the first tear of Te Rauamua, into the Waikato River, but its depths must remain at Te Matapihi.]
This second reading today is another important step in the settlement process before the third reading—funny that, second reading then third reading—which will result in the full and final settlement of the historical and her-storical Treaty of Waitangi claims of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua.
I’m very privileged and humbled to have this chance to convey my acknowledgements to the exemplary work of the negotiators and, in particular, my uncle Boy Cribb, who used to be quite an excitable and enthusiastic colleague of my father at the Raetihi Rugby Club many, many years ago in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
I had the great fortune of being born in Raetihi at the maternity ward that then existed up on the hill behind the school, and grew up in my early formative years for seven years on Grey Street in Raetihi and on Golf Road, on the first hole of the golf course of Waimarino between Raetihi and Ohakune in a place called Makaranui—no shop, three houses: it was us, the Alerbys, and another whānau.
It gives me great pleasure to tautoko the progress of this claims settlement bill to its expected conclusion later on this morning. I commend the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill to the House and thank all those members, no matter which party you’re from or which hat you wear, for the work that has been undertaken by the Māori Affairs Committee to tautoko our whānau to get to this denouement of the settlement. Tēnā tātou katoa.
The question is that the motion be agreed to.
E te Māngai o te Whare. Ka tangi te tītī, ka tangi te kākā, ka tangi hoki ko ahau. Ko te mihi tuatahi ki te atua nāna nei ngā mea katoa. Ko te mihi tuarua ki te Whare e tū nei, tēnā koe.
Āpiti hono, tātai hono, te hunga mate ki te hunga mate. Āpiti hono, tātai hono, te hunga ora ki te hunga ora. Nō reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, huihui mai tātou katoa.
[As the muttonbird and the kākā cry, so too do I. The first acknowledgment is to the god who created all things. My second acknowledgment is to the House standing here, greetings.
The lines are drawn, the dead to the dead, the lines are drawn, the living to ourselves. And so salutations and acknowledgments to you and to us collectively.]
I rise today to speak on the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill. The bill represents an important milestone in the long and difficult journey towards justice for the people of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. This bill, when passed, will give effect to the deed of settlement that was signed on 29 July back in 2023, settling the historical Treaty of Waitangi claims of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. It acknowledges in law the huge injustices done to and suffered by the iwi Tamahaki, Tamakana, and Uenuku ki Manganui-o-te-Ao, and it also lays the foundation, most importantly, for the future in which Te Korowai o Wainuiārua can claim their rightful place as kaitiaki of their whenua, their awa, and their taonga.
The grievances of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua are real. They are lived experiences that have shaped generations—experiences of war, dispossession, economic deprivation, and cultural loss. These are the grievances that echo through the centuries and continue to impact on whānau, hapū, and iwi in Aotearoa.
Te Korowai o Wainuiārua have long occupied the central North Island. Their area of interest spans over 600,000 hectares, including large parts of Whanganui and Tongariro national parks, the upper Whanganui River, and the National Park township. Their lands are bordered by their rohe of eight other iwi, reflecting the rich and interwoven history of tangata whenua across that region. However, the story of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua in the past two centuries has been one of relentless pressure, forced conflict, and systematic alienation from their whenua and their rights as tangata whenua.
The first great wound came in the form of war, a war that forced ancestors of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua into conflict, sometimes with their own kin. The Crown’s relentless military campaigns in Whanganui saw communities devastated, land taken, and traditional structures of governance and authority shattered.
The second wave of destruction came through the relentless march of Crown purchasing. The supposed agreements and transactions that happened in the 19th century were often conducted in bad faith, with the Crown failing to uphold its promises to set aside and protect tribal reserves. Instead, vast areas of land were alienated, leaving Te Korowai o Wainuiārua virtually landless today.
The taking of land for public works then compounded the loss. Land was seized for hydroelectric projects, for railway construction, and for defence purposes, always with little or no regard for the rights and wellbeing of the people who called this land their home. The construction of the North Island main trunk railway, for example, cut straight through the very heart of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua land, yet the iwi were left without benefit, without redress, and without their whenua.
Perhaps most wrongly were the tracts of land that were taken in the creation of Tongariro and Whanganui national parks, parks that remain places of great natural beauty and cultural significance. Yet those parks were established without the consent of the very people who had cared for these lands for generations. In effect, Te Korowai o Wainuiārua found themselves stranded in their own whenua, their connections to their tūrangawaewae eroded by the actions of successive Governments.
The loss of land was devastating but this was not the only loss. The Crown’s actions and omissions led to generations of social and economic deprivation. Without land, economic stability was impossible. Without economic stability, communities struggled. Poverty took root where prosperity should have flourished. Opportunities for advancement were lost and few, and State policies only deepened that divide.
Alongside the economic impact came the slow but deliberate erosion of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua’s cultural and societal structures. The decline of te reo Māori, the fragmentation of traditional governance, and the undermining of tribal identity all resulted from the Crown’s neglect and active suppression of Māori rights and culture. These losses are, quite simply, immeasurable and no settlement can ever fully restore what has been lost and what was taken. But today, through this bill, we acknowledge these injustices, and we take a step towards reconciliation.
The settlement provided for in this bill is long overdue. It is a recognition at the highest level of the wrongs committed against Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, and it represents a promise that such injustices will never be repeated—even though we have the Treaty principles bill.
Part 1 of this bill contains a formal, historical account of the injustices suffered by Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. It includes the Crown’s acknowledgment and, crucially, a formal apology. Words alone cannot be enough but they are necessary and they mark the Crown’s acceptance of its past failures and signal a commitment to a different future together.
The second part of the bill provides statutory acknowledgements over 22 areas, and deeds of recognition over 13 separate sites. It provides opportunities that restore the role of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua as kaitiaki over their land of deep cultural significance. It makes changes to official place names, ensuring that the stories of whenua are told in the language of its people. The bill provides for the vesting of 19 cultural redress properties, including three that will be jointly held with other iwi, and it includes Te Korowai o Wainuiārua in the governance of the Tongariro-Taupō Conservation Board and development of its conservation management strategy. I think that’s what’s called co-governance. These provisions ensure that Te Korowai o Wainuiārua can reclaim their rightful role as the guardians and protectors of their land, with a voice in decisions that affect themselves and their rohe.
The final part of the bill outlines the commercial redress that forms part of the settlement. This includes the transfer of significant commercial property, such the former Waikune Prison site and Crown forest land at Erua. The bill also grants Te Korowai o Wainuiārua a right of first refusal over specific lands in the future, ensuring that should the Crown make land available, the iwi have the first opportunity to claim what is rightfully theirs.
Beyond what is contained in this bill, there is also financial and commercial redress of $21.7 million. Cultural redress agreements with Government agencies include revitalisation funding of $6.85 million. These are not handouts. They are not charity. They are a small portion of what was unjustly taken—returned in recognition of the historical, ongoing harm inflicted upon Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, and they are but a drop in the bucket of what was lost by these people.
This bill has progressed through select committee, and we considered the amendments, and it is important to acknowledge that there have been good changes done through the select committee process. We also acknowledge the ongoing dialogue between Te Korowai o Wainuiārua and Ngāti Hāua regarding their overlapping interests.
In conclusion, this settlement is not the end to this journey but is an essential step forward not only for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua but for Aotearoa. It is a recognition of the wrongs in our past, it’s a commitment to a partnership going forward, and it’s a pathway to a stronger, more just future.
Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, I acknowledge your endurance, your strength, and your unbreakable connection to your whenua and your whakapapa. This bill is for you, your tamariki, and your mokopuna. May it be a foundation upon which you can build, thrive, and reclaim what is yours. Nā reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.
Ki kō, ki kō, ki kō—tirohia!
Kei whea te taunga o te Tītīwaitori?
Parepare mai ra koe i te tautara
E nono tītaka, tē tau i te mauri
Kataina mai rā e te kōkako,
“Kōaka, kōaka!”
Kia whakataukī te manu tūī,
Tuia, tuia, i te pūaotanga
Kia whakapurua ki te remu o te Huia
Ka whakarongo ki te tangi
a te kawekaweā, kawea mai rā
i te tō-matomato-tanga o te tōmairangi.
E rongo koe i te pīpīwharauroa
“Kūī, kūī, whitiwhiti ora!”
Kia whakapainga ki te Manu Tawhiorangi
ka puta, ka ora nā e.
[Over there, over there—look!
Where’s the resting place of the muttonbird
You may be diverted by the fantail
from the crossbeam of the sacred latrine,
by its flitting about, constantly alighting
filled with life’s energy,
and then be teased by the kōkako,
or the godwit.
And when the parson bird proclaims,
“Be bound together, together.”, at dawn,
be adorned with the tail feather of the huia
Listen to the cry of the long-tailed cuckoo
Heralded from way up on high
from whence comes the dew
May you hear the shining cuckoo,
“Cooey, cooey, good health!”,
And may you be adorned
with the blight bird (whiorangi)
Hence arising. and achieving wellness.]
I tēnei ata i noho tahi mātou, mema Pāremata, ki te taha o ngā uri o Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, Tamakana, Tamahaki, Uenuku, me te rongo i te mamae o te ngākau. Tā rātou kī, “He kokonga whare ka kitea; engari he kokonga ngākau e kore e kitea”.
Nō reira ki runga i tērā taimahatanga me te rongo i te tangi hotuhotu a te iwi ki roto i te Whare, e mihi kau ana ki a rātou. Ahakoa kāore rātou i konei, e tika ana me mihi atu.
Me tēnei pao, tēnei mōteatea nā Te Māreikura, ko Ki kō tērā, hei Hōnore, hei hononga ki a rātou kua mene atu ki te pō, me te maha o ngā whakaahua, te maha o ngā ika i kawea mai e tērā iwi, o Te Korowai o Wainuiārua ki roto i te Whare. Nō reira e te iwi, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou.
Tamakana, Tamahaki, Uenuku, e mihi ana ki a koutou.
[This morning, we, members of Parliament, sat together with the descendants of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, Tamakana, Tamahaki, Uenuku, and we felt the anguish of their hearts. They said, “The corners of a house are clear to see; but the corners of the heart can never be seen.”
And so, with respect to those difficulties and hearing the anguished cries of the iwi inside the House, I acknowledge them. Even though they are not here, it is appropriate to acknowledge them.
And this song, this ancient composition written by Te Māreikura, called “Ki kō”, to honour and connect with those who have gathered in the night, and the many portraits, the many dearly departed that were brought here by that iwi, by Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, into the House. So to the iwi, greetings and thanks to you.
Tamakana, Tamahaki, Uenuku, I acknowledge you.]
I mihi to these humble iwi that come before us for an important day for their people and for their mokopuna into the future. Because we heard very clearly today as they came into the Whare for the pōhiri the heaviness of the heart and the many photos that they brought of their mate [dearly departed] who have passed during the negotiations process and their leadership—the tribal leadership—who have carried the mamae of their ancestors through the negotiations.
I acknowledge the chair, I acknowledge the negotiators, and I acknowledge those on the Crown’s side who have done the work to come and bring this settlement to fruition for the uri of Tamahaki, Tamakana, and Uenuku, otherwise known as Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. As they shared, this is a tough time for them as they reflect on the opportunity of today and what today brings, but tomorrow there are still challenges ahead in terms of what is a Crown-Māori relationship. It was shared clearly with us in the pōwhiri the way with which they still hold and worry about the prejudice that Māori face tomorrow, today, and what they are facing right now with laws and acts of the Government of the day.
Landlessness is a key theme of the people of Korowai o Wainuiārua, and I pay tribute to them for the tolerance that they have had as a people—tolerance and patience for the Crown to finally honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi in some small way. This settlement goes a small way in righting the wrongs of the past. It’s not an easy thing to be labelled, to be profiled, and to be called rebels in your own territory. It’s not OK that these people came with open hearts to a negotiating table, carrying those burdens of the past, the blood spilt, the land lost, the fact that much of it was taken through public works and for the benefit of all New Zealanders, and now we come to this point whereby they do still carry the mamae.
I want to pause and just reflect on that mamae, because getting to this point of settlement has been a long-fought journey for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. And while we might give them one to two cents in the dollar for this settlement today, it is about what is the enduring relationship with the Crown. Much of what they have within their rohe is within Department of Conservation (DOC) estate. Much of what they have within their rohe is in private hands. We have national infrastructure going through their tribal rohe. So what mana whakahaere get into the future in their tribal rohe is a question that always weighs heavy on my heart when I think about the losses and the way with which these people were branded rebels.
In the whaikōrero this morning we heard from those who addressed us about the colonial footprint that Aotearoa has and the way with which colonial oppressors—those who represented the Crown, whether it be Wakefield, Onslow, Hobson—they’re all commemorated in street names, they are commemorated in school names. How do we hiki that? How do we actually bring forth the stories so that New Zealand does understand the work of the New Zealand Company and its impact—the footprint across the rohe. How do we tell those stories so that we have a stronger, better connection as New Zealanders to our colonial history so that Korowai o Wainuiārua can stand and say, “Yes, this is a part of the colonial footprint in our rohe and this is what happened to us.”
There was a lot lost, whether it be the Ruapehu purchase, and where they had 40,000 acres within the Whanganui area in 1848 taken for £1,000 and there were meant to be reserves set aside; or whether it was to put that national infrastructure, like the reriwei—the railway—that goes right through their towns, their villages. How do we tell the story of loss? That was something that came through in the Treaty principles bill submissions from Veronica Tawhai, may I share, where she said that, actually, there’s a huge amount of research, there’s a huge amount of stories told in the Waitangi Tribunal, whether it be the technical research, the tribal histories, or the evidence presented. How do we uplift that and make it something that New Zealand can listen, learn, share, and understand better?
The settlement here today is a part of just one part of the story of Korowai o Wainuiārua. The benefit that they have of having this building block of the $21 million in commercial redress is just part of their journey, but, actually, the journey of the tribe to get to this point in the 184 years since the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi is important for community, for our schools, for our civic leaders to understand as a part of our maturing as a nation.
As we heard this morning from kaikōrero, we’re not going to haere ngātahi; we’re going to haere taki rua, iwi Māori and te Kāwanatanga. I thought that was a really nice way of putting it that, actually, we will work on our side as iwi Māori and then as Kāwanatanga—you work on your side and let’s try and move forward together with a really strong, meaningful relationship. I think that this is a good stepping stone to provide a financial building block for the people. There are relationship agreements in there.
I think about the DOC estate, because there’s a huge DOC estate within their tribal rohe. They have aspirations for ecosystem restoration, they have aspirations around how they can tiaki and taiao. It is hoped that through the agreements and the relationships of these negotiations and the settlement, ultimately, that Te Korowai o Wainuiārua has the opportunity to put their hands on the steering wheel and then start directing what is the strategic future for these lands and territories within their rohe.
Now, when I think about some of what is being given back, it does come with a lot of mahi ahead. I think about our post-settlement governance entities and how we can build capacity and capability, because we’re just unlocking the door of capacity, and how do we support as the Kāwanatanga to grow the capability so that the iwi can move forward with confidence? These are some questions that I have in my head as I consider the settlements that come through. We are opening a door and providing resource—we might provide lands, mountains, rivers—and then how do we support building capability so that they can move forward with confidence, working alongside the Kāwanatanga, tari Kāwanatanga, kaunihera even in their own tribal rohe.
I will continue on asking these questions throughout the day, and I look forward to seeing our people join us after they’ve finished their parakuihi. Kia ora.
Good morning, everyone. Thank you very much. I’m going to lean on my ignorance; I don’t know a lot about this piece of legislation. I don’t actually sit on the Māori Affairs Committee, and it’s been a pleasure this morning to hear some of the oratory and the speeches shared about Te Korowai o Wainuiārua and their history.
Mr Speaker, as you rightly point out, the bill acknowledges the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in Whanganui in 1840. Tūpuna of Korowai o Wainuiārua sought to enter a partnership with the Crown and clearly, evident from the speeches this morning, that relationship didn’t come to its fulfilment. The bill acknowledges the Crown breached the agreement and failed to protect iwi, hapū, and whānau of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. The cultural redress regards geographical names, membership of conservation boards, and advisory committees.
The Crown’s failure to actively protect te reo o Whanganui is a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and I think this is something the House is continually canvassing; I certainly heard that this morning. Thus, the Crown acknowledges that, in the second half of the 20th century, Te Korowai o Wainuiārua children who attended Crown-established schools were punished for speaking their own language. I don’t happen to speak Māori; I speak another language. I would be horrified if I was punished for speaking that. This is something of a nonsense and yet, sadly, this happened in our history. They were declined to speak te reo—try and reconcile that.
Major areas of change the bill affects and matters contained in the deed of settlement signed between the Crown and Te Korowai o Wainuiārua on 29 July 2023: it provides for the final settlement of historical Treaty claims resulting in Crown actions or omissions before 21 September 1992; the redress and some of the funds appropriated are $21 million in financial and commercial redress—seems like a small amount given the inordinate loss of land and life and property that went through this journey of these good people—$6.8 million in cultural funding so they can enhance what it means to be the people from this area, Te Korowai o Wainuiārua; the return of 19 sites of cultural significance and 12 commercial properties, including Crown forestry land at Erua and the former prison site which was formerly mentioned; conservation management redress to support establishment of a predator-free - proofed eco sanctuary. What a lovely idea. I think that is certainly something that the Crown would be interested in partnering with these good people. There is a seat at the Tongariro-Taupō Conservation Board, and various other relationships with Crown agencies.
I won’t over-litigate the issue. I’m looking forward to the company of these good people when they come in for the third reading later on today. I think it will be a pleasure to learn more as the speeches traverse the process in the House. Thank you for your time; thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is a privilege and a pleasure to rise on behalf of New Zealand First in support of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill. I’d just like to begin my contribution by acknowledging the Hon Tama Potaka, who led our Parliament this morning in the second reading of this bill.
One of the beautiful things that we get to witness is the whānau connection that we find our parliamentary colleagues have when we’re speaking to claims settlement bills, and noting that the Hon Tama Potaka was raised in Raetihi, in the area that we’re talking about regarding this Treaty settlement bill. No shop, three houses—that sort of takes us and gives us a very clear picture of the life that he grew up in, in a place that we’re talking about today. Yes, it has been a long and difficult journey, as Ginny Andersen has mentioned, and Hūhana Lyndon noted also the tolerance of the iwi of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua throughout this settlement journey.
Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill acknowledges the historical breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by the Crown towards the iwi of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. Now, these breaches include the acquisition of really significant lands, and no one could doubt that; anyone who’s traversed the North Island through those regions around Ruapehu, the Desert Road—it’s magnificent country. These breaches also were the failure to consult or adequately protect the iwi’s interests and the detrimental impacts on the iwi’s culture—that’s without question—the language, and we’ve mentioned that here today, and great impact also on the socioeconomic wellbeing of the whānau there.
The bill outlines a deed of settlement, which will serve as a formal agreement between the parties, detailing the terms of reconciliation, including land settlements, financial compensation, and cultural revitalisation initiatives. That’s the forward-looking part of this Treaty settlement journey: that there is that revitalisation. That’s the restoration of economic wellbeing through the financial redress. Our New Zealand First position is that we believe that Treaty settlements must be final, just, and forward-looking. That’s why I mention that here. These historical grievances must be addressed in a way that is really sensitive to the past but also actually allows the iwi and the wider community to look forward and move forward together. Settlements such as this one are essential to that restoration of economic independence and the construction of cultural identity, so that the iwi have the means by which to construct their own future, reclaiming their power, not just culturally but also from an economic position as well.
I would like to talk a little bit about the historical grievances that relate to the experience of war in Whanganui, which forced Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, their ancestors, into conflict with each other—conflict with their own kin. I think it’s a really hard thing for us to imagine what that would be like today if we were forced to fight our own family. The Crown’s purchasing and the failure to make and protect tribal reserves; the public works takings, in particular for hydroelectric generation, defence purposes, and the construction of the North Island main trunk railway line; being made virtually landless, in particular Tongariro and Whanganui National Parks; the decline of te reo Māori; and the fragmentation of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua tribal structures—those impacts are huge and they reverberate for generations.
The cultural redress as part of this Treaty settlement will provide statutory acknowledgments over 22 areas, deeds of recognition over 13 areas, two overlay classifications, changes to five place names, the vesting of 19 redress properties, provisions for iwi involvement in the Tongariro-Taupō Conservation Board, development of the Tongariro-Taupō Conservation Management Strategy, and commercial redress, which will provide $21.7 million in financial and commercial redress.
Just acknowledging the committee process, it didn’t really seem that long ago now that we had our first reading and then it went off to the select committee. It was referred to the committee on 11 April 2024. They considered submissions from 14 interested groups and individuals and heard oral evidence from eight submitters. I’d like to thank the chair of the committee, Dan Bidois, and the rest of the committee, made up from members from across the House, for the work and diligence of shepherding the bill through. They recommended all amendments unanimously, and there were a number of amendments: changes relating to the Erua Forest sanctuary, changes to Part 3 around commercial redress, also land adjacent to Waimarino Reserve and the national park. There were a number of changes that came through the committee and all recommended unanimously.
In conclusion, as it is important that we are here and ready for the third and final reading when the whānau come to the House, I’d like to conclude my speech by saying that New Zealand First supports this bill. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Matua, Tama, Wairua Tapu me ngā Anahera Pono, me te Māngai hei tautoko mai.
Tēnā koutou e te Whare, e te iwi whānui o Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, tēnā koutou katoa.
As a mokopuna of te whānau Hikinui o Mangamingi Marae in Raetihi, I rise today with a heart full of aroha and respect to mihi to you my whānau for your relentless work, and to support the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill. This has been a journey of struggle, a journey of heartbreak and of resilience. For generations, our whanaunga of Uenuku, Tamakana, and Tamahaki have fought for their right to be recognised for their whenua, for their reo, and their tino rangatiratanga. Today, this bill is one step towards honouring that fight. The mamae carried by Te Korowai o Wainuiārua is not just a story of the past; it’s the lived experience of our people—the raupatu, the confiscations, the alienation from our whenua left our own landless.
As previously mentioned, the Crown acquired land for public works—including hydroelectric generation, defence, and to build the North Island main trunk railway—leaving Te Korowai o Wainuiārua deprived of our own potential. They were stripped of the ability to exercise kaitiakitanga over their taonga. The Crown actions severed their connections to the whenua, to our reo, and most importantly, to each other. And yet you, e te iwi, have fought relentlessly with dignity to get to this very moment.
Today’s settlement returns the tools which were wrongly taken, which can now be rightfully used for rebuilding, restoring, and reclaiming the mana that was stripped away. Importantly, this reaffirms our right to kaitiakitanga over our whenua within the Whanganui and Tongariro national parks, and ensures that our taonga are protected with the love and manaaki that they deserve. This is about more than compensation; it is about reclamation, it is about mana motuhake, and it is about protecting our taonga for our mokopuna.
One of the most exciting parts of the settlement is the vision for the Pōkākā Eco-sanctuary, a kaupapa that embodies what this settlement is really about. This will not just be a conservation project; it is a calling, a recognition, a way to bring back the mātauranga of the past to shape our future. It is the commitment to ensuring that the whenua is protected, that the ngahere thrives, that the manu—the kiwi, the whio, the kārearea—all return home. This is about the next generation growing up knowing they are the rightful kaitiaki of this whenua.
Despite this Government running rampant over our people over the last 16 months, from this day forward they are legally bound to the expectation of acting in good faith to Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. No longer can the Government make decisions about Te Korowai o Wainuiārua without them at the table—their voice, their whakaaro, their mana must be recognised and upheld. They can try and legislate the Treaty away, but by supporting the settlement today, every member in this House acknowledges that you are the sovereign—always were; always will be. This is a foundation for the future—a future where the decisions affecting these lands are made with their rightful kaitiaki leading the way.
Let’s be clear: no settlement will ever be enough to truly compensate for the harm that was done. We cannot undo the past. We cannot bring back the whenua that was stolen, the lives that were impacted, or undo the pain that was caused. But what we must do today is ensure that this redress sets a foundation for the future, that the tamariki and mokopuna of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua grow up knowing that their history has been acknowledged, that their rights have been restored, and that their people stand tall.
To Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, ngā mihi maioha ki a koutou. [To the Korowai o Wainuiārua, warm greetings to you.]
To the negotiators, the kaumātua, and the leaders who carried this kaupapa on their shoulders, you have done your people proud. Your perseverance, your patience, and your dedication to justice have brought us to this moment. E kore e mimiti te puna o mihi ki a koutou. [The fountain of thanks to you will never recede.]
This is your moment; this is your time. Ka tika, ka tika, ka tika. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.
Whakataurangi ake te here ki taku ate
Pupū ake nei te mauri o te aroha
He hononga ki te iwi kua whakangaro ki te pō
Te pōuriuri, ki te pō i oti atu
Kei ngā whakaoati i herea ki te rangi
Hei huarahi atu
Tihei mauri ora
[Pledge to bind to my heart
The lifeforce of love is welling up
A connection to those who have vanished to the night
The darkness, the night which never ends
In the oaths which were bound to the sky
As a pathway thence
I sneeze, it is the breath of life]
E te Pīka, e te Whare, e ngā paepae tapu, tēnā koutou katoa. Ko tēnei te wā whakatau i te pire mahurangi. Nōku te honore hei tautoko ana au mō koutou uri o Te Korowai o Wainuiārua.
[To the Speaker, the House, the sacred benches of speakers, greetings to you all. This is the time to settle this important bill. The honour is mine to support you, the descendants of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua.]
I extend my most heartfelt and profound thanks to the many descendants of Tamahaki, Tamakana, and Uenuku who have made the journey here today, and to those too who have not. One hundred and eighty-five years have passed since the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and with the flow and ebb of time, so too have generations arrived and departed. I acknowledge with love those who have been carried here in spirit and in heart, those ancestors and elders for whom today has come too late. Te Korowai o Wainuiārua will have gathered today to witness the passing of this bill into law so that the journey of truth and reconciliation, of healing and redress may begin a new chapter.
We in this House have the immense honour and indeed duty to stand on behalf of the Crown to bear witness and give support to this piece of legislation. As this bill is set down for all remaining phases in the House today, I wish to give a brief call for the second reading and will follow with a more substantive address during the third reading. Therefore, I commend this bill to the House.
E rere ana te mauri aroha ki a koutou. Nā reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā rā tātou katoa.
[To the Speaker, the House, and the many chiefs and others, I support this bill. Therefore, greetings to us all.]
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise in support of the second reading of the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill, and I rise as a member of the Māori Affairs Committee. I’m really privileged to be part of that committee and to really get a deep insight into our Treaty settlements and into the kaupapa involved with coming to the point that we are at now, this second reading in the House.
At this moment, if I can start, please, by acknowledging members that have travelled to Parliament to listen to our second and third readings—and thank you very much. We all took part in the pōwhiri this morning. It was very beautiful, it was very moving, and thank you for bringing those photos of your ancestors, your relatives, who have, unfortunately, passed along the way, waiting for us to reach this settlement. May their souls rest in peace.
I’d like to also acknowledge that sitting beside me is our current chair of the Māori Affairs Committee, David MacLeod, an excellent colleague and local MP, and also I’d like to acknowledge my mate Dan Bidois, who was the chair when we were going through this process. When it comes to the second reading, we reflect on that select committee process and on how we opened up for submissions and what took place before and during the submissions and, indeed, after. As has been traversed very briefly, when it came to the submissions, we received 16 submissions, with 14 public submissions. I think it’s very important to acknowledge today in the House that eight of these 14 submissions were opposed to the bill, and the opposition was around a few concerns.
In the process, usually we try, as a committee, to go out to the whenua to listen to the submissions on a marae or in a local community hall, and with this situation, we tried. We tried a few times, didn’t we? Unfortunately, there were some sad circumstances with the iwi—there was a tangi—and we had to cancel our going to you, but I want you to know that we really would have loved to have come to you because it’s only the right thing to do. Thank you, all, for trying to do that and accommodating us in the absence of that.
With respect to the opposition to the bill, I want to reassure those who did oppose that we asked some really deep and profound questions of the advisers. We probed a lot, as a committee, and in the end we felt comfortable with the mandate process and we felt comfortable with what we saw before us. I know, as we’ve traversed it in the House many times, that the Treaty settlement process is not perfect and that some would say that it’s flawed, but it’s what we’re working with and we’re trying our best. I know that the advisers and the negotiators and those from our iwi try their best to come to what is a good and workable and, to an extent, fair situation for going forward.
As I’ve mentioned many times in the House, nothing, actually, will suffice to repay for the deep loss and the deep grievances that you rightfully have. I guess I can say that for me, as a person who was not born in Aotearoa New Zealand but who has come to New Zealand: one, the more I learn about the history, the more my heart crumbles with how little we know, actually, and how little many of our fellow Kiwis know about the horrific history that many of you have gone through; and, two, my desire and my hope is that we learn so that people will understand that when Treaty settlements are made, there’s a reason why there’s a recognition of these grievances.
Very briefly, I’d like to also recount just some main objectives of this settlement package, if we can put it that way. The deed of settlement was signed on 29 July 2023, and if I can, in essence, recount it, it includes a financial and commercial redress of $28.5 million in total. That’s broken up into $21.7 million in economic compensation and $6.8 million in cultural revitalisation funding, and there’s also land and cultural redress. Nineteen cultural sites are being returned to iwi—rightfully so—there are statutory acknowledgments of over 22 areas and deeds of recognition of over 13 areas, and there are five place name changes. We heard from our colleague Hūhana Lyndon, who asked: when names are given that actually refer to a very negative moment in history, how can someone go ahead and continuously see those names and not feel a building up of mamae—as we say?
There’s also going to be conservation and environmental redress. This includes the Tongariro-Taupō Conservation Board allowing iwi to contribute to environmental management, and also a commitment to Pōkākā Eco-sanctuary, a longstanding aspiration, as we know, of our iwi to really restore our native species.
With this, Mr Speaker, I see that our beautiful guests are making their way into the gallery, so I will end it at this point, if I may, and we’ll listen to the rest of our colleagues around the House. In this second reading, I commend the bill.
Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare. Kāti, ko taku mahi tuatahi hei tautoko ake i ngā kōrero whakatau a Minita Potaka i te ata nei. Ahakoa kīhai wā tātou manuhiri rangatira i tae mai, i whakatau ia i te kaupapa o tēnei pire ki roto i te Whare.
Me tāku e kī atu ana ki te hunga, ā, wā tātou manuhiri rangatira e noho mai nei ki runga, ko te āhuatanga o taku kōrero i te pānuitanga tuarua o tēnei pire, ehara tēnei te whakahē i ngā mahi kei roto i te pire. Heoi anō, kia aroha mai ki tēnei e wero atu ana i te āhuatanga o tātou, o tō tātou ata nei.
[Greetings to the Speaker of the House. Well, then, my first task is to support the welcoming statements from Minister Potaka this morning. Although our chiefly visitors hadn’t arrived, he welcomed the matter of this bill into the House.
And what I say to the people, to our chiefly visitors sitting here above, the nature of my speech at the second reading of this bill—this is not to find fault with the tasks in the bill. However, please be kind to me as I challenge the circumstance we are in and of this morning.]
I want to stand in the second reading—and I’m glad the Minister is here—to express my dismay at the way that the process was run this morning. Now, I appreciate that it is an agreement, that we might try different things where we can have the second reading, the committee of the whole, and the third reading all in one sitting. My knowledge is that this House makes those rules, and also makes the process. In my 11 years here in Parliament, that is a process that has rarely been done—and there are reasons why you don’t truncate the process. They are so that we can plan and schedule, so that we can continue to hear submitters and make sure that the expectations of thorough due diligence on bills can continue to be heard and prosecuted in this House, from the first reading to the third reading.
That’s a well-known function of this House. It’s why we have the first reading, the second reading, the committee of the whole, and the third reading. For our whānau who have walked in and our whānau listening at home, we know the first reading introduces the bill, the second reading discusses what the committee heard through the select committee process and from the submitters—those for, those against, those with their own ideas—and then, of course, technical amendments are made in the committee of the whole, and then, finally, the legislation comes into law, into effect, after the third reading and its Royal assent.
Now, it’s already been described this morning in the speeches the dissatisfaction of not just our whānau who have come here today with the settlement process—because this is true about every single settlement that’s been done: a dissatisfaction with the process of that settlement. However, our whānau and our iwi and our hapū endure because they want to look towards a bright horizon. I accept that, and I congratulate them on that, and you’ve heard words in the House this morning that we acknowledge the whānau for their humility and their willingness to work on a way forward. However, when we look at these processes, with respect to how it’s worked this morning, it was clear that by the time the second reading started, our whānau weren’t here. Now, we control that—we control that—and in the six years I was a Minister, I had never seen anything like that. In fact, we’d have a second reading and we’d invite our whānau, at another time that worked for them, to come in here for the settlement. We’d have a pōwhiri process around midday, and then we had the third reading in the afternoon.
That allowed a far more inclusive process that allows our people to see something that is truly special, and we all agreed to that. We all agree that this is special. I want to put on the floor and on the record in this House, as consideration for the Minister, that as we progress other settlements, we look towards this process and do something that’s far more agreeable, not just for the whānau who have come so far to be here but also for the House, for the satisfaction of the House and the members within it to make sure that we get these things right. That’s important.
One of the reasons why I say this to members of the House is I think about my own people of Ngāpuhi. Ngāpuhi currently have over 500 hapū, and if a Ngāpuhi settlement wants to be achieved in whatever way, shape, or form, that’s entirely up to the Minister. I accept that, but to have a truncated process that might see people miss out on readings in this House—a process that this House controls—is simply unacceptable to me. I’m expressing that dissatisfaction here on the record and in the presence of the Minister in the hope that we can work across the House. I know the Business Committee does what the Business Committee does, but this is a suggestion whereby we can do this and do this better—and that’s the point I’m making—so that our whānau can be a part of this, so that second readings and the committee of the whole House are actually proper functions performed properly in this House as they were intended to be.
I bet for some of the whānau in the gallery here today, as we look to make technical amendments in the committee of the whole, what does that mean? It’s not getting the proper scrutiny that one might expect when these bills pass in this House. Like I say, I’ve been in this House coming up 12 years. I’ve seen a whole number of settlements passed through this House, and we’ve all agreed that not all of them are perfect—in fact, Māori give far too much in their settlements—but that’s their agreement and that’s what they negotiate with the Crown. For processes in this House, those are things we control, and I think we can do better—I think we can do better.
There are a number of settlements that are coming up into the future, and, of course, I’ve already mentioned a potential Ngāpuhi settlement, whatever that might look like. I can tell you: there’ll be an expectation that every single process in this House will give that particular settlement bill the due diligence to make sure that every voice of the 120,000-plus Ngāpuhi in this country is heard—that’s the least we can expect, because that’s the process that this House has determined for the passing of legislation.
More importantly, that should be the process that allows our people, regardless of their iwi or hapū, to have their voice heard on such important pieces of legislation—that these settlements are enduring, that they are, as my tupuna described, ka titia ki te ngākau, ka parania ki te rae. Titia ki te ngākau, parania ki te rae. [fastened to the heart and branded on the forehead. Fastened to the heart and branded on the forehead.] That they are enduring in the heart and for ever branded on your rae, or your memory, on your mind; not the failure of a process that we can control. That shouldn’t be the enduring memory. The enduring memory should be that whatever we decide, and pass in this legislation that’s been negotiated, and hard-fought-for by iwi in negotiation with the Crown, should be the enduring memory—not that, sadly, some of our whānau are only just walking in on the second reading of their bill. That’s the problem I have.
I can see the Minister scowling towards me, but that’s a fact. This House controls that process. The Minister controls that process, and that’s what I want our whānau, today, to hear. I apologise that the start of my kōrero—because I know that when these bills pass through the House, there is agreement across the House on these matters; of course there is, and there will continue to be through the third reading—but, as I said in Māori, I make no apology for challenging a process that this House controls. We can do better, whānau. I say that to my colleagues across the House: we can do better, because it’s one thing—and if you check the Hansard and all the records on all the settlements in the 12 years I’ve been in this House, I’ve heard people say, “Well, you know, aroha mai.”, and all these nice things, but, hey, we control this process. Let’s do it better—let’s do it better, whānau.
Heoi anō, e te Māngai o te Whare ki roto i taku miniti whakamutunga, ka hoki atu anō ahau ki te taumata o waku kōrero. Hēnā kōrero whakatau a Minita Potaka ki wāna whanaunga maha, kua tatū iho mai ki roto i tēnei whare. E mōhio ana au kua oti kē ngā mihi ki runga o Pipitea. Engari he whare anō tēnei.
Heoi anō tāku, hei karanga mai ki te kaupapa kua whakakāhui tātou, hei karanga mai anō hoki ki ngā mana, ki ngā tapu, ki ngā ihi, o ā tātou rangatira, o ā tātou whānau kua tae mai i te rā nei.
Nō reira e ōku rangatira, e ōku tini whanaunga, kei te mōhio au ki te tini o Ngāpuhi e heke iho mai ki roto i a koutou. Mahi reriwei, mahi topa rākau.
Heoi anō ko ā tātou whakapapa e noho ngātahi ana, kei te whakaae ki tēnei pire, ā, taihoa ake nei ka tīmata te pānuitanga tuatoru, ka haere tonu ngā kōrero e pā ana ki tō koutou ake kaupapa. E te Māngai o te Whare, kia ora tātou.
[However, Mr Speaker, in my final minute I return to the pinnacle of my discourse. Minister Potaka’s welcoming statements to his many relations, who have arrived in this House—I know that the formal acknowledgments have already been completed on Pipitea, but this is another House.
So all I have to say is to welcome the matter which has brought us together, to again give the welcoming cry to the authorities, to the sacred ones, to the powers, of our chiefs and families who have arrived here today.
Therefore, my chiefs, my many relations, I know that the multitudes from Ngāpuhi migrated down amongst you, building railways and felling trees.
However, our genealogical ties reside together, I agree to this bill, and before long the third reading will begin, the discussions will continue about your own initiative. Mr Speaker, I acknowledge us all.]
Tēnā koe. My understanding is that we are truncating some of the speeches that we are going into.
Tēnā koe e te Māngai, otirā tēnā rawa atu tātou katoa kua huihui mai i tēnei rangi ātaahua. Tēnei rangi titiro whakamua, ā, tēnei te mihi atu ki a tātou katoa. Heoi anō rā, ka tautoko au i ngā mihi kua mihia ki tō tātou nei runga rawa. Nāna i tae mai koutou ki tēnei Whare o tātou, nau mai, haere mai.
Heoi anō rā, ki te kōrero au ki te wāhi ngaro. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a rātou mā, kāore i tae ā-tinana mai, nā rātou i tīmata, i whakawhārikihia tēnei ara hei takahia ō koutou tapuwae ki konei. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a rātou mā, heoi anō rā ki a rātou mā, ngā mate huhua o tēnei rā, haere, haere, haere atu rā koutou, otirā huri noa ki a tātou. Tihei mauri ora.
Tēnei au e mihi atu ki a koutou Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, heoi anō rā koutou a Tamahaki, a Tamakana, a Uenuku iwi. Ko te tikanga me mihi atu ki a koutou i te tuatahi, nā koutou tēnei rangi.
Ahakoa he rangi tiro whakamua tēnei, kei te rongo tonu au i te pōuri, i te taumahatanga kei runga i a koutou. Nā reira, tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou i tae hūmārie mai ki roto i tēnei whare, nei rā te mihi.
Ki tua atu o tēnā ka huri au ināianei ki te Kāwana o te rā, otirā ki a koe, Minita Goldsmith, ki a Tama Potaka te kaikōrero tuatahi i tēnei rangi, ki a Dan, tētahi o ngā Tiamana o te komiti Māori. Heoi anō rā ki a koe i tēnei rā Dave, te Tiamana hou. He whakaatu tēnei, he whakaaturanga tērā o te hūmārie o tēnei iwi ki tēnei Whare.
[Greetings Mr Speaker, and indeed my utmost greetings to us all who are gathered together on this beautiful today. This forward-looking day, I acknowledge us all. And so, I support the acknowledgments of our Lord above. Because of him, you arrived to this House of ours, welcome, welcome.
And so, if I address the invisible realm. I acknowledge them, those who didn’t come in person, those who began and laid out this path to be trodden by your footsteps to this point. I greet them, and also to those, the many deceased of this day, farewell, go yonder, and indeed turning to us. Behold, it is the breath of life.
I greet you, Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, there is none other than you Tamahaki, Tamakana, and Uenuku tribes. By rights you should be acknowledged first; this is your day.
Although this is a forward-looking day, I still sense the sadness and weight on you. Therefore, I acknowledge you who have arrived peacefully within this House, greetings.
Beyond that I now turn to the Government of the day, indeed to you, Minister Goldsmith, to Tama Potaka the first speaker of this day, to Dan, one of the chairs of the Māori Affairs Committee. And indeed to you today, Dave, the new chair. This is a showing, that is a demonstration to this House of the peacefulness of this tribe.]
I’m just going to turn to English now, and once again I welcome you and thank you for coming here and the demonstration of grace and patience you have shown this House and the Crown.
I just acknowledge the four Ministers and the chairs of committees that you have had to deal with. That is a demonstration of grace and patience and a demonstration that while there are frustrations out there in Aotearoa about the process of Treaty settlements, iwi continue to demonstrate their understanding of partnership, and their grace. In one hearing, I have named four parties they have had to deal with, demonstrating their commitment to the future of a positive relationship with the Crown. Tēnā koutou. Heoi anō rā, i runga i tērā, ka hoki ngā mahara ki tērā o ngā Minita, arā ki a Andrew Little, nāna i tīmata ai i tēnei ara i tō koutou taha.
[Greetings to you. And so, on that note, my memories return to that Minister, namely to Andrew Little, who started this path at your side.]
I just want to acknowledge a quote that Andrew—well, first of all, I want to return to the loss that you have suffered. While this is a great day and a day of opportunity, there’s just no way we can understand what you have been through for generations. I think Andrew Little summed it up when he said that you were left virtually landless. Kāore e taea te whakahua i te ngau o taua āhuatanga. [It is not possible to express the hurt of that situation.] I’m just saying we can’t understand the bite of that pain, that agony. And so me kōrero tātou mō te wāriu [we should speak of the value]—the value of the settlement.
It’s been acknowledged that the redress package includes $21.7 million in financial and commercial redress; $6.8 million in cultural funding; the return of 19 sites of cultural significance and 12 commercial properties, including Crown forestry land at Erua and the former prison site at Waikune; conservation management redress to support establishment of a predator-proof eco-sanctuary at Pōkākā; a seat on the Tongariro Taupō Conservation Board; and relationship agreements with Crown agencies.
I want to talk about value or te kupu Māori me kī rā, te wāriu [or the Māori word, so to speak, the value]. He aha te wāriu o te whenua? [What is the value of land?] For my non-Māori colleagues, one thing that you will be able to understand is, in Māori, “whenua” is also the placenta, the placenta which gives sustenance to the child. When you take that sustenance away from people, how they have survived, endured, and thrived when their sustenance was torn away from them must be acknowledged, must be understood beyond the value written on this paper. However, he tīmatanga noa iho tēnei ki a koutou. [this is simply a start for you.]
I had the privilege of hearing some of the submissions on the Treaty principles bill. I was told to keep this dignified and I shall; ha, ha! Actually, it was an honour and I left filled with hope. I just want to reiterate something: the phrase “Treaty-ism” was coined, and I want to reiterate—as has been acknowledged by every part of this House—through that sustenance, lives have been lost, generations and future lives impacted. People have gone; they are not here to see the conclusion of the path these people have taken on behalf of their tūpuna; a path they are treading with grace and dignity because they demonstrate the understanding of partnership. You know, you look at whenua: we have gripes when someone builds their fence a metre on our land. They were left virtually landless, and here they are, demonstrating partnership, accepting the apologies of their partner—“I’m sorry”; they are here in good faith. We need to remember that as we traverse Aotearoa and the world, and people come at us with phrases like “Treaty-ism”, as if we are doing a favour to people who are settling—they are doing this Crown a favour, maintaining the dignity of their tūpuna and demonstrating that they understand partnership.
Heoi anō rā, hei whakakapi, tēnei anō te mihi, kei te tū whakaiti au i mua i a koutou hei mema o tēnei Whare. Ahakoa he iti ēnei koha kua hoatu ki a koutou, he tīmata noa iho, ko te tūmanako, kei te mōhio pai au ka ora rawa atu ō koutou mokopuna i ēnei rawa.
Nā reira, ki a koutou Tamahaki, Tamakana, Uenuku, tēnei te uri a Ngāti Porou e tū whakaiti i mua i a koutou, e mihi kau ana ki a koutou kua tae mai i runga i tō koutou ake mana motuhake i tēnei rā, tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou katoa.
[And so, to conclude, this is again an acknowledgment, I stand humbly before you as a member of this House. Although these gifts which have been given to you are but small, simply a start, the hope is, and I know well that your grandchildren will thrive on these resources.
Therefore, to you, Tamahaki, Tamakana, Uenuku, this is a descendant of Ngāti Porou standing humbly before you, acknowledging you who arrived here on your own authority today. This is an acknowledgment of you all.]
Motion agreed to.
Bill read a second time.
This bill is set down for committee stage immediately. I declare the House in committee for consideration of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill.
In Committee
Part 1 Preliminary matters, historical account, acknowledgements and apology, and settlement of historical claims