Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill

I present a legislative statement on the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill.

SPEAKER: The legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on Parliament’s website.

Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: I move, That the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time.

Tihei mauri ora. E te Atua, nōu te korōria. Ko koe te tīmatanga me te whakaotinga o ngā mea katoa. Te Whare e tū nei, tēnā koe. Te papa i waho nei, tēnā koe. Te mana whenua o tēnei rohe, e Te Ātiawa, tēnā koutou.

E ngā mate, haere, haere, haere. Haere ki te wāhi ngaro, haere, haere atu rā ki te pō. E te hunga ora, tēnā tātou katoa.

E koro, Tamakana, Tamahaki, Uenuku ki Manganui o te Ao, nā Tūkaihoro, tēnā koe. E Te Kāhui Tupua, e mihi ana.

[I sneeze, it is the breath of life. Oh God, thine is the glory. You are the beginning and the ending of all things. To the House standing here, greetings. To the land outside, greetings. To the authorities of this tribal area, Te Ātiawa, greetings to you.

To the deceased, farewell, depart. Travel to the hidden place, depart to the night. To the living people, greetings to us all.

Sir, Tamakana, Tamahaki, Uenuku at Manganui o te Ao, of Tūkaihoro, greetings to you. To Te Kāhui Tupua, I greet you.]

Welcome to this House, everybody. It’s a great privilege to stand here today to support the third reading of this bill, Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill. I’d like to extend again my warm welcome to the members of Tamakana, Tamahaki, and Uenuku ki Manganui-o-te-Ao, nā Tūkaihoro, three iwi of the central Whanganui region who are represented in this settlement negotiation. Thank you all for coming here to Parliament today. It was good to meet with you this morning and to have a wonderful time together. I also want to welcome those who could not be here in person, who are watching online or on television.

I want to start by thanking all those on the iwi side who have led the settlement negotiations over the past decade—in particular, Aiden Gilbert, the Chair of Uenuku Charitable Trust, Chris McKenzie as lead negotiator, and negotiators Paora Haitana and Steve Hirini. Thank you for your dedication to this significant milestone.

This settlement is a testament to the hard work of many, many, many people negotiating with the Crown, and, as I said this morning, I don’t think the average New Zealander understands the amount of effort that is put into negotiating these settlements, often by volunteers on their weekends and in their evenings, travelling large distances and getting plenty of advice from many people, and the challenges that come with that. To the people of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, you have endured a long wait to settle your historical claims and I acknowledge your patience, your commitment, and your fortitude.

I also acknowledge the work of the chief Crown negotiators, Rosemary Banks and, more recently, Katherine Gordon, and the officials of Te Arawhiti and other partner agencies who supported this effort. I want to acknowledge Ministers of the Crown, past and present—and, in particular Andrew Little, and Chris Finlayson before him—and thank you for all your support in achieving this.

Significantly, I want to acknowledge those members from Te Korowai o Wainuiārua who are not with us today and cannot witness the outcome of years of effort, courage, and commitment to achieve this settlement. Our thoughts are with you today.

Today marks the final stage of the progression of this bill. It’s been a long settlement journey. The first Wai claims were submitted to the Waitangi Tribunal in the 1980s, and although no settlement can fully atone for the Crown’s past injustices or compensate for the hurt that the people of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua suffered, it’s my hope that we can look forward to the future, when Te Korowai o Wainuiārua and the Crown work together for the benefit of future generations.

The passing of this bill will give full effect to the deed of settlement between Te Korowai o Wainuiārua and the Crown signed at Raetihi Marae on 29 July 2023. The deed acknowledges historical Treaty of Waitangi claims relating to the area, acknowledges the Crown’s past acts and omissions that breached the Treaty, and recognises the injustices and the pain that those injustices caused.

In May 1840, 14 rangatira signed the Raukawa Moana Treaty sheet at Whanganui, placing their trust in the Crown. The Crown failed to uphold its responsibilities under the Treaty to respect the tino rangatiratanga of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua and to actively protect the taonga that Te Korowai o Wainuiārua wished to retain for their descendants. The people of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua have suffered as a direct result of the Crown’s Treaty breaches, causing them to endure significant economic and social deprivation.

The Crown did not protect the interests of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua when it purchased their land blocks to facilitate European settlement and development. In the early 20th century, the Crown continued to purchase their land and compulsorily acquire land for large-scale public works. Land was then used for the North Island main trunk railway, scenic reserves, defence purposes, and power generation, and was included in two national parks. These Treaty breaches have undermined the wellbeing of Uenuku, Tamakana, and Tamahaki, and have left their people virtually landless. Many of their people have left their homeland, and their ability to retain their language, culture, and tribal identity have been severely weakened.

As I’ve said, no settlement can ever fully provide compensation for the wrongdoing of the Crown or make amendments for the enormous suffering and hurt Te Korowai o Wainuiārua have endured across many generations, and we do acknowledge that. However, it is my hope that this settlement will be the beginning of a strengthened relationship between Te Korowai o Wainuiārua and the Crown based on partnership, mutual trust, and cooperation.

This bill seeks to give effect to the settlement package as outlined in the legislative statement. The settlement provides financial, commercial, and cultural redress totalling $28.6 million. It includes the transfer of 19 sites of cultural significance; 11 land-banked properties, including the former Waikune Prison site; and 39 properties on a deferred selection basis.

The settlement recognises and supports the aspirations of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua to establish a wildlife eco-sanctuary at Pōkākā, near Waimarino. The eco-sanctuary will bring together tikanga and traditional practices, conservation best practices and research, and a dedicated predator-control plan so that kaka, whio—the blue duck—and other birds and wildlife can again flourish in that region.

The settlement will contribute towards supporting the aspirations of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua to help the iwi to grow their economic base, provide housing for their whānau, develop their culture, and enhance the natural environment. It’s my sincere hope that this settlement will provide the basis for a positive future for the people of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua and a renewed relationship with the Crown based on respect.

Thank you all, again, for coming today. This is a special occasion, one of those rare occasions when the House comes together as one, recognising our past, recognising the wrongs that have been done, and seeking to make amends. I commend this bill to the House. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare. Reo Māori. E ōku nui, e ōku rahi, i mihihia te ao Māori ki runga i te papa tū waewae i Te Matatini. I Te Matatini i whakakāhui te ao Māori i ngā mate huhua o te wā, o tēnā kāinga, o tēnā kāinga, o tēnā kāinga. Ka waiatahia tātou i ngā waiata, ka maringi roimata o te hunga mate kua riro atu.

Nā ka kawea mai te mauri o tō tātou huihuinga o Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga ki tēnei kaupapa kua whakamine mai tātou i te rā nei.

Kei te pērā tonu ngā whakaaro. Kei te maringi tonu ngā roimata o te hunga kua ngaro atu ki te pō. Te hunga nā rātou tēnei kaupapa i kōkirihia ki roto i ngā tekau tau kua kōrero mai nā e te Minita, o ā tātou tūpuna i mate i te wā o te pakanga, o ā tātou tūpuna i peia i ō rātou whenua, anā, kia noho manuhiri ki runga i tō rātou ake whenua.

Nō reira, koinā tāku e mea atu ana ki a tātou e ōku rangatira, kei te maringi tonu mai ngā roimata. Kei te mōhio ina maringi mai te roimata, ko te hiahia kia mā te whenua, kia tīmata anō tātou te ao Māori, otirā koutou e ngā tapu nui, ā, te tirohia ki te taumata moana, ki te ao o āpōpō, ki ō tātou reanga hou kei te haere mai nei.

Nō reira, āpiti hono, tātai hono, rātou ki a rātou. Āpiti hono, tātai hono, tātou ki a tātou. Nā, i te pānuitanga tuarua o te pire, i kake mai ētahi o koutou ki runga ki tēnei Whare, me te mea anō hoki kua kite atu koutou i te whare o Peeni Henare.

Taku amuamu ki ngā nekehanga kua kitea e au, i taku tāima ki roto i te Whare Pāremata, engari i tēnei wā tonu, ka tae atu ki te pānuitanga tuatoru, te pānuitanga whakamutunga o tēnei pire, me kī pēnei taku kōrero ki a koutou, e ōku rangatira.

Ko ngā kokonga o te whare, ka taea te kite. Engari ko ngā kokonga o te ngākau, e kore e taea te kite. Koinā te hōhonu o tēnei mahi. Koinei te hōhonu o ngā mahi i oti i a koutou, tōku tuakana Chris, i kite ahau i a koe, koutou, ngā ringa raupā i kōkirihia i tēnei kaupapa.

Kua kōrero mai te Minita i ngā kōrero tika mō tēnei tūāhuatanga, te mahi tatū ngā kerēme a te iwi ki mua i te aroaro o te Karauna. Kei te tika wāna kōrero. Ehara i te huarahi māmā, he huarahi uaua. He aha nei te utu? Ko te tangata. Ko te tangata te utu.

Kua kōrero mai te Minita mō te āhuatanga o ētahi kāore i konei i te rā nei. Nā, koinā te take kei te maringi tonu mai ngā roimata, ahakoa te āhuatanga o ngā kōrero kei roto i tēnei pire.

E ōku rangatira, kua kōrero atu ahau mō te ekenga o Ngāpuhi ki roto i a koutou ki te mahi reriwei, ki te topa rākau, ki te whakatō rākau anō hoki. Tētahi o ngā kupu ki roto i a au nei, ā, anā, ko te pōkākā.

Ki te nuinga o ngā iwi, ki tāku e whakapae nei ki roto i ngā rārangi kupu o te reo Māori, anā, ko te pōkākā ki roto i a mātou, anā, he parekura ki roto i ētahi atu iwi. Arā, koinā ko tā mātou o Ngāpuhi ka kīia he pōkākā, he parawhenua mea, e kōrero ana mō tētahi matenga nui o te ao Māori, o tētahi pakanga, anā, koia, kua mate te tini o tātou.

I a au e pānui atu ana i ēnei kōrero kua whakaritehia e ngā kaiwhiriwhiri, arā, me te Karauna, koinā au e tautoko atu ana. Engari ka whakaaro ake mō te āhuatanga o ngā kupu kei roto. He aha te take i tapaina wā tātou tūpuna i tēnei ingoa ki runga ki tēnei wāhi, i tēnei ingoa ki runga ki tēnei mahi? He rangatira ki roto i tērā mahi.

Mehemea ka tirohia tātou ki wō tātou reo Māori, ka kitea atu, he aha i konei i mua i te taenga mai o te Pākehā? He aha i konei i te taenga mai o te Pākehā? He aha kei tua atu i te wā i peia e te Pākehā i a tāua? Koinā te pai o te reo Māori. Nē?

I te ata nei i whakatau koutou ki runga i te marae o Pipitea. E hoa, mōhio ana tāua te āhuatanga o te pipi. He kai pai ki te Māori. Engari, kei te mōhio ahau ko te mea ko te takutai, ana ko te onepū ki raro iho nei, ko tōna ingoa tika, anā ko Waititī.

Nā, kei te mōhio ahau he aha te take ka tapaina ko Waititī ki runga ki tērā wāhi. Nō reira i a au e pānui ana i ngā whakaritenga ki roto ki tēnei pire, ka kite atu ahau i te māramatanga o ā tātou mātua tūpuna. O wāna kōrero i marere iho mai ki a tātou i tēnei rangi, ki ō tātou uri whakatupu e haere ake nei.

Ko ēnei ingoa, ko ēnei kōrero, ko te hiahia kia haere, kia kaua e ngaro noa atu. Kia ū tonu ki roto i te ngākau o koutou, kia ū tonu ki roto i te ngākau o tātou.

Kia kaua ngā mema o te Whare nei e pōhēhē, ā, kua oti noa taku pānuitanga tuatoru o tēnei pire. Kāhore. Ahakoa ka oti i te rā nei, e hoa, ka tīmata ngā mahi ka kōrerohia ki roto i te pire. Nō reira, koinā tāku atu ki a tātou i te rā nei.

Koutou i rongo atu i taku pahupahu i te ata nei, anā, he maha wēnei momo tatūnga take Tiriti kua kitea e au ki roto i ngā tekau tau kua pahure ake nei. Āhua rerekē te nuinga, he āhua ōrite ki ētahi. Engari, ko ngā rerekētanga kua kite atu au ki roto i tēnei, kei te aro matua, ko te aronga matua o koutou, anā, kia tiakina i te whenua, kia tiakina te whenua mō te painga o ā tātou tamariki, mokopuna, ka kite atu ahau. Koinā tāku i tino mīharo nei.

I taku taenga mai, i taku taenga atu ki te marae o Raetihi i taua tāima, ko au te Minita mō ngā take Turuhi, mō ngā Take Tāpoi. Nā ko ētahi o koutou i haria au ki te wāhi e kīia nei i roto i te pire ko Pōkākā, ki te taha o Waimarino.

Ā, i kite atu ahau i te whenua rā, kātahi rā te mīharo, kia mīharo anō hoki nā te mea kua whakaritehia e koutou hei painga mō ngā uri whakatupu, mō te taiao. Ēnā mea katoa e tino ngākaunuitia ana e koutou, otirā e tātou katoa o Aotearoa.

Nō reira, e tātou mā, i mea mai tōku hoa rangatira ki a au nei nā, tā te mea ko ia tētahi nō Mōkai Pātea. Kua tiro atu ki ngā whakaritenga ki roto i te pire nei, kātahi ia ka tangi, ka tangi ia mō te āhuatanga ahakoa ngā mahi kua whakaritehia, engari, ko te mea kīhai i tutukihia ki roto i tēnei o ngā pire.

Anā, i taua tāima anō hoki ko au te Minita mō ngā take Wawaonga, arā ko te Minister of Defence, i kite atu ahau i te whānui o te whenua, i tango ake e te Karauna mō ngā take o Ngāti Tūmatauenga, kua kite atu ahau.

Kua rongo atu ahau i ngā kōrero a tēnā iwi, a tēnā iwi. Ia tāima ka whakapakari a Ngāti Tūmatauenga i a Ngāti Tūmatauaenga ka pahū anō te pū, ka pahū anō te pūrepo. Kīhai rātou i whai whakaaro ki te āhuatanga o te Māori, me te mea nei, ka rongo atu i te pakō o te pū, ka pēhea te mauri me te wairua o te Māori i te rongo atu i tērā mahi. Kua kite atu ahau, kua kite atu ahau.

Nō reira, koinā tāku e tautoko atu ana i te whakapāha a te Karauna ki a koutou. Engari, kei te mōhio ahau he nui tonu ngā mahi kei mua i a koutou, kia whakatikahia i ētahi o ngā tūāhuatanga ka whakaritehia e te pire, kāore anō ka whakaritehia e te pire.

Nō reira, e ōku rangatira, ki roto i ngā hēkona whakamutunga māku, heoi anō, ko tāku hei tukuna atu rā koutou ki wō koutou wā kāinga. Mā Te Atua koutou e manaaki, e tiaki, i roto i te roanga atu o tō koutou hokinga atu ki te wā kāinga, me te roanga ake, me te nui ake o ngā mahi kei mua i a koutou, otirā kei mua i a tātou, ki te whakatutuki i ngā oati i oatitia nei e koutou, ki roto i tēnei pire. E ngā tini whanaunga, e mihi atu ana ki a koutou, huri, huri noa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora koutou.

[Greetings to the Speaker of the House. In the Māori language: to my esteemed and revered ones, te ao Māori was acknowledged on the stage of Te Matatini. At Te Matatini the Māori world brought together the numerous deceased of the time, from each and every settlement. We sang the waiata and shed tears for the deceased who have been lost.

And so the essence of our gathering Te Matatini of Te Kāhui Maunga is carried here to this initiative for which we are assembled today.

The thoughts are still similar. The tears are still falling for the people who have vanished to the night. The people who drove this initiative in the decades which have been referred to by the Minister, our ancestors who died during the war, our ancestors who were banished from their lands, behold, to live as guests on their own land.

Therefore, that is what I say to us all my chiefs, tears are still flowing. It is known that if tears are flowing, the desire is for the earth to be cleansed, for us as te ao Māori to start again, and indeed you the holy ones, and looking at the sea level, tomorrow’s world and our new generations that are coming.

Therefore, the lines are drawn, the dead to the dead. The lines are drawn, the living to ourselves. So, at the second reading of the bill, some of you came to this House, and it would seem as if you had seen Peeni Henare’s house.

My complaint about the proceedings I’ve seen in my time in Parliament, and indeed at this very time, on arriving at the third reading, the final reading of this bill, this is what I have to say to you, my chiefs.

The corners of a house can be seen. But the corners of the heart are unable to be seen. That is the depth of this work. That is the depth of the work which you have completed, my senior Chris, I saw you, all of you, the hard workers who championed this initiative.

The Minister has expressed appropriate statements about this aspect, the work to settle the iwi’s claims before the Crown. His statements are correct. It is not an easy path; it is a difficult path. What is the price? It is people. People are the price.

The Minister has spoken about the characteristics of some who are not here today. So, that is the reason that the tears still flow, despite the features of the narratives in this bill.

My chiefs, I have spoken about the settling of Ngāpuhi amongst you to build railways, fell trees, and plant trees. One of the words amongst my people is pōkākā.

To most iwi, in my opinion, in the Māori language vocabulary lists, behold, the pōkākā amongst us, there, a calamity which occurs in other tribes. Namely, that is what we of Ngāpuhi call a pōkākā, a tsunami, referring to a significant death in the Māori world, of a war, hence, many of us have died.

When I was reading these narratives which were prepared by the negotiators, namely, with the Crown, that is why I am supportive. But I thought about the characteristics of the words therein. For what reason did our ancestors give this name to this place, or this name to that action? There is nobleness in that task.

If we look at our Māori language, it is apparent, what was here before the arrival of Pākehā? What was here on the arrival of Pākehā? What was beyond when we were banished by the Pākehā? That is the benefit of the Māori language. Isn’t it?

This morning you were welcomed on to Pipitea Marae. Friends, you and I know what the pipi is like. It is a food favoured by Māori. But I know that the coast, and the sand below, its correct name is Waititī.

Now, I know the reason that place was named Waititī. Consequently, when I was reading the provisions in this bill, I saw the insight of our ancestors. Of their narratives which have been given freely to us in current times, and our descendants to follow.

These names, these narratives, I hope they continue, and don’t disappear. That they hold fast in your hearts, and in our hearts.

The members of this House should not mistakenly think that my third reading of this bill is over. No. Although it will be completed today, friends, the work referred to in the bill will commence. Therefore, that is what I share with you today.

Those of you who heard me rabbiting on this morning—indeed, I have seen many of these types of Treaty settlements in the decades which have passed. Most are different, and some have similar aspects. However, the differences I have seen in this one, in main focus, your main focus, indeed, is for the land to be looked after, for the land to be looked after for the benefit of our children and grandchildren, I see that. That is what really amazes me.

When I arrived at Raetihi Marae that time, I was the Minister of Tourism. So some of you took me to the place referred to in this bill as Pōkākā, beside Waimarino.

And, I saw that land, goodness gracious it was amazing, and I am amazed again because you have provided for the benefit of the descendants and the environment. All those things which you love, and indeed which all of us of New Zealand love.

Therefore, to us all, my wife said to me, because she is from Mōkai Pātea—she looked at the provisions in this bill, and then she cried; she cried for the circumstance that despite all the work which had been arranged, but, the thing which wasn’t achieved in this bill.

Behold, at that time also I was the Minister for Defence, I saw the vastness of the land which had been taken by the Crown for the New Zealand Army; I saw that.

I have heard the stories of each tribe. Each time that the New Zealand Army are training, the gun bangs again, and the cannon booms again. They didn’t consider the situation Māori were in; it’s as though, upon hearing the resounding of a gun, what happens to the life force and spirit of Māori upon hearing those actions. I have seen—I have seen.

Therefore, that is why I support the Crown’s apology to you. But I know that there is still much work ahead of you, to correct some of the sorts of things which the bill provides for, which have not yet been provided for by the bill.

Therefore, my chiefs, in the last seconds for me, and so, my task is to send you on your way to your homes. May the Lord take care of you and protect you throughout your journeys returning home, and throughout the increased work before you, and indeed before us all, to achieve the promises which you made in this bill. To my many relations, I salute you, to all gathered here, I acknowledge you all.]

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. E tangi hotuhotu kau ki a koutou, ngā uri o rātou mā mō te kuhu mai ki roto i tēnei Whare Pāremata mō tēnei pānuitanga whakataunga kerēme mō te Tiriti o Waitangi e. E mihi ana ki ngā mate maha kei waenganui i a koutou e pīkau mai nei i tēnei ata, me te taimahatanga ki runga i a koutou e. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou.

He tū whakaiti tēnei ki mua i te iwi, Tamahaki, Tamakana, Uenuku. I taku noho ki roto i te whakatau, ka rongo ahau i te mamae, ngā taimahatanga o rātou mā, te rironga whenua, te hamahama o te Kāwanatanga ki runga i a koutou, ki runga i te iwi Māori. Nō reira haere mai, haere mai ki roto i tēnei Whare Pāremata. Haere mai ki roto i tō tātou Whare Pāremata kia rongo mātou i tērā mamae e pīkau ana koutou i ngā tau maha.

[Thank you, Mr Speaker. I grieve and cry for you, the descendants of those who have passed on for entering into this House of Parliament for the reading of the claim settlement for the Treaty of Waitangi. I acknowledge the many deceased that are among you, being carried by you this morning, and the heavy burden upon you. Greetings and thanks.

I stand humbly before the iwi Tamahaki, Tamakana, and Uenuku. As I sat in the hearing, I felt the anguish, the difficulties of those past, the loss of land, the hammering of the Government on you, and on the Māori people. And so welcome, welcome into this House of Parliament. Welcome into our House of Parliament so that we might hear that anguish that you have carried for so many years.]

In sitting in the whakatau this morning, I felt very clearly the wairua of those ancestors that our iwi brought into the whare, and I acknowledge all those mate [dearly departed] that come on your shoulders and all of those that you have lost through the generations. I’m very mindful of the burden of knowing and feeling and experiencing landlessness, for landlessness is what has affected you, and being labelled as rebels—as hauhau—and losing land, and seeing railways and national infrastructure imposed upon you without your consent.

I understand and I feel that mamae when you know that you have lost elders who have waited for far too long to see this negotiation completed, because it’s the red book that dictates this negotiation—eh, Chris? It’s the red book, and it’s a Crown-imposed process. This isn’t our rule book. It’s not an agreed process, because it’s a Crown policy that dictates how it’s going to go.

I acknowledge you and your patience and your grace. I acknowledge the way that you have come as willing tangata whenua, signatories and uri of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, who said, “Nōnāianei, time to redress the wrongs of the past.”—time to redress the loss of Ruapehu, time to redress all those rerewei ways across your rohe, and all that Department of Conservation land, eh, that sits there. E mihi atu ana ki a Aotearoa, nō rātou te whiwhi. [I acknowledge New Zealand, who is so fortunate.]

Your patience and your grace, in a long negotiation that was Crown-determined, brings you into this House, and I acknowledge that, yes, you’re going to get one to two cents in the dollar. Yes, you’re going to get some mountains, rivers, and a few co-management agreements, and it is great to see that you’re getting the Pōkākā Eco-sanctuary, which you can whakahaere, and, yes, may you charge—may you charge—because nā te wera o tō rae ka whakahaere ēnei whenua. [it is due to the sweat of your brow that these lands are managed.] At what point will you get rangatiratanga over your lands, assets, resources, and people, as Te Tiriti o Waitangi guaranteed you?

I have riri as well, because I am taimaha for you, for what you have suffered, as I read the history of the peoples, and knowing that we enjoy driving through the Desert Road. You know, we enjoy it, eh? We take the selfies, we’ve got the pictures, but that’s your whenua, that’s your maunga, and yet it’s been given to the people of New Zealand for public works. Nā wai i teka? Nā wai i teka he mahi pai tēnei ki runga i te iwi Māori, ki runga i ō koutou pokowhiwhi, ki runga i ngā tūpuna. [Whose lie is it? Whose lie is it that this is a beneficial endeavour on the Māori people, on your shoulders, and on the ancestors.]

So, yes, I’m an angry Ngāpuhi, like my tungāne, but I’m also really honoured to be here to address you, because when we had the first reading, it was a rushed process, too—remember? We just quickly picked up, and you just came. We need to be honourable in this space, and if we’re going to genuinely look to our past, agree on a package, and then move forward into the future, hand in hand, rangatira ki te rangatira, may we take the time. May we take the time and not rush our iwi kāinga, because you’ve been waiting for 184 years for some type of redress. You’ve been waiting for a really long time.

Yes, you have a package to start a rebuild, but I also think about the capability, because we have capacity that will be coming, but it’s also the capability to move forward into the future. Your rangatira and your young people are a part of the now and into the future, and, as Te Rōpū Kākāriki, we stand here humbly before you, as colleagues and as whanaunga, and say that it’s a job well done to those who did the work to negotiate this. But where is the honourable Crown—where is the honourable Crown—for this one to two cents in the dollar is not enough.

May you continue on and strive for your rangatiratanga, for tō tātou rangatiratanga. Kia ora tātou.

Ka tangi te tītī, ka tangi te kākā, ka tangi hoki ahau, tihei mauri ora.

E te Pīka o te Whare, tēnā koe. E ngā uri o ngā iwi e toru o Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, ko Tamahaki, ko Tamakana, ko Uenuku. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Tēnā koutou i tō tātou tini mate kua whetūrangitia, koutou kua wehe atu ki Hawaiki Nui, Hawaiki Roa, Hawaiki Pāmamao, haere, haere, haere atu rā. Tēnā anō koutou kua tae mai nei ki te Whare Pāremata o Aotearoa. Koutou kua mauria mai āu mamae me ō aroha i te kaupapa whakahirahira nei. Kāore tēnei he whakamutunga, engari he tīmata hou. Kei te tika ana te kōrero i ō tātou tūpuna, titiro whakamuri, kōkiri whakamua.

[As the muttonbird and the kākā cry, so too do I, I sneeze, it is the breath of life.

To the Speaker of the House, greetings. To the descendants of the three tribes of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, Tamahaki, Tamakana, and Uenuku. Greetings and salutations to you all. Greetings with regard to our many deceased who have become stars, you who have departed to Hawaiki Nui, to Hawaiki Roa, to Hawaiki Pāmamao, farewell, go thence. Greetings also to you who have arrived at the Parliament House of New Zealand. You who have brought your pain and your love in this significant initiative. This is not the end, but a new beginning. The saying of our ancestors is appropriate: look behind to progress forward.]

This is not the end of the story or a relationship, but one of many unfolding and infinite beginnings. Such is the nature of whakapapa that we may simultaneously look to the past and the future through the lens of the present, and in this way, we must acknowledge those who have come before and who are yet to arrive—the ancestors and descendants of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. They are with us now and for ever through the power and transcendence of whakapapa, an intrinsic connection shared collectively through their tūpuna Tamahaki, Tamakana, and Uenuku. They also share in the kaitiakitanga that connects them to the whenua in which they reside, and are the original custodians—an ancestral descent from the Waimarino Plains, Te Kāhui Maunga, and Te Awa Tupua o Whanganui.

The lands of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua were once covered in ancient ngahere, tall forest ecosystems, which housed abundant native wildlife. There are stories of the noisy kākā, which were once so ubiquitous their resounding call saturated the soundscape. It is for this reason that Te Korowai o Wainuiārua have aptly chosen the name Pōkākā for their eco-sanctuary, a visionary act of restoration and care.

Though let us reflect also on the reasons this eco-sanctuary is so needed in the first place. Why is it that native birds like the kākā no longer sing in multitudes? Why is it that ancient ngahere no longer cloak Papatūānuku from mountain to shore?

To restore is to bring back what has been lost, or, in this case, what has been confiscated or destroyed. The taking of lands for reserves, railways, roads, defence purposes, and a prison; the intensive logging of native forests and subsequent destruction of habitats; and the severance of peoples from their rights and customary practices of guardianship, cultivation, and connection is a textbook example of colonial domination. At the hands of the Crown, ngā iwi o Te Korowai o Wainuiārua have been left virtually landless. The deed of settlement describes the devastating effects of these violences, which continue to impact upon uri to this day.

It has been said many times by people much wiser than me that a treaty cannot be settled; it must be honoured. This bill goes some way to address the agony caused at the hands of this very institution we represent. It seeks to forge a pathway forward by addressing the realities of the past—realities which cannot be erased, but for too long have been denied and ignored.

The return of lands, of rights, and of names—these things are so important because they are so fundamental. Whose record is regarded as true or official and whose history is held up as accurate is so often a matter of cultural dominance. Under colonisation, the script is written by the Crown and reified by historical amnesia. It seeks to erase the indigenous narrative in an attempt to justify the unjustifiable—those heinous acts of invasion, confiscation, and violence.

Today, the record is set straight and the account—a lived reality, inherited pain—is recognised and recorded. E te Pīka, e te Whare, e rau rangatira mā, e tautoko ana au i tēnei pire. Nā reira, tēnā tātou katoa.

[To the Speaker, the House, and the many chiefs and others, I support this bill. Therefore, greetings to us all.]

Hapū and whānau of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, tēnā koutou katoa. Tamahaki, Tamakana, and Uenuku, ngā mihi. Thank you for coming here today to listen to the Crown acknowledge what has been agreed to in this Treaty settlement bill.

I acknowledge also my colleagues who have spoken so far. The term “the red book” is an interesting term to have heard, and it describes a lot about what can be seen when people are trying to come together and understand each other, and processes that can be imposed, or not. Your grace, which has been spoken to, and your forbearance and what you have done by coming here today to listen to the Crown speak an apology to you, is bringing with you those ancestors that haven’t been able to come here today and hear it.

When I was thinking about how to deliver my speech, I thought back to the time I spent a year building in Ohakune and Raetihi. I’m from Tauranga, and so I had to come down and work and stay for a few weeks at a time in the cold draughty house that I was staying in. I thought about the strength and the unbelievable persistence of your tīpuna, who managed to survive in a thriving ngahere full of kai and that, but also I was wondering what did these guys eat—how do you sustain yourself when the growing season is not so long?

I thought about the knowledge that was brought by your tīpuna about how to survive on that land but also the ability to travel around the vast areas to gather kai, which is something that can’t be addressed by simply acknowledging the massive amount. I think I’ve written here that it’s 411,196 acres, which is a term for measuring land, but how do you measure the paths and the tracks and the places where you could gather kai? It’s hard to measure.

The ability for your tīpuna to survive up there just shows what resilience you have managed to hold on to, proudly. Through the great strength that has allowed those who were landless—landlessness is a term we’ve heard in the speeches so far. To maintain that strength and cohesion and your whanaungatanga between everybody during a time when you’re not—well, you always had a place that was your land, whether the title said it or not.

I think about some other things I’ve heard today, and that’s place names and the history of what you can learn. New Zealanders, I encourage you to take an interest in place names around New Zealand and the Māori names for places because it unveils a history. The etymology of a word can lead to great deal of understanding about the people and actions in the past in an area. Pokākā: “stormy”, “sharp”—I don’t know what the dictionary says, but I can well imagine there’s a story behind that that I would love to hear. I congratulate you on all that.

I don’t want to tarnish this third reading speech in any way, but I would just like to address something that the House has heard regarding how this process is going today. This House has a kawa and a tikanga about it, and one of the things is the Business Committee, which structures a day. The Business Committee represents all parties, and all parties agreed to our structure today, so I just wanted to put that out there.

That shouldn’t take away from this moment, which can be bittersweet for those who feel it should go further and more. It is also sweet in a way we can move forward and taste the fruits of the work that’s going to come ahead from what you have got a setting here today to work on for you whānau and your hapū.

Look, I could talk more about things I don’t know about, but I don’t think that’s going to do anyone a great edification or be a great use of your time. I sincerely would like to pass on, on behalf of the party which I’m speaking for—the ACT Party—our sincere apology as part of the Crown, and also our support for this bill. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. E Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, nau mai, haere mai ki waenganui i a mātou, te tōrangapū. E hari ana tōku ngākau ki te tū i tēnei wā ki te whakamana, ki te whakarangatira i a koutou, me te whakamāmā i ngā mamae kua kawea e koutou i ngā tau maha kua pahure.

Ko tēnei rā he tohu nui mō te tika, mō te pono, mō te whakahoki i te mana kua roa e tangohia ana i a koutou. Ka mihi atu ki tō koutou manawanui, ki tō koutou ū ki te kaupapa ahakoa ngā uauatanga. Kei konei mātou he hoa haere, hei pou tautoko i tēnei ara hou kua huakina mō koutou mō ngā uri whakaheke.

Anei tētahi uri nō Hokianga-whakapau-karakia e mihi kau ana ki a koutou.

He poto te tangata, he poto hoki te kōrero, nō reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, huri noa, tēnā koutou katoa.

[To Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, welcome, welcome among us, the politicians. My heart is gladdened to stand at this time to endorse and honour you, and to ease the anguish that you have carried for so many years past.

This day is a symbol of justice and truth, and for the return of the mana that has for a long time been taken from you. I acknowledge your resilience, and your commitment to the programme despite the difficulties. We are here as companions, as pillars of support on this new path that has opened for you and for future generations.

I am a descendant of Hokianga-whakapau-karakia that greets you.

One of short stature keeps their comments brief, and so greetings and thanks all around the House, greetings to you all.]

In the Māori language—our Māori language—what I said was: Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, welcome. Settle in amongst your politicians. I am overjoyed that the injustices, the pain, the suffering, the wrongdoings against you are finally acknowledged. I also acknowledge your perseverance and dedication, and the many hardships endured to get you to this point. We—Parliament—stand in support as you, the new generation, move forward in a new direction. I, a descendant of Hokianga, acknowledge you all. I am short, and so is my kōrero. Greetings to you all and, again, to everyone here.

I’d just like to give a little explainer. My father was born in Hokianga in 1925. In December this year, it will be a hundred years since his birth. Now, he was of a generation where his mother would not teach him the reo, so I grew up in a family that didn’t speak the reo and I have great understanding of what loss of language means.

The reason I talk about my father is—well, it just occurred to me about five minutes ago to, but one of the other reasons is the connection with Maunga Ruapehu. He, in the 1950s, loved tramping. He helped build a hut on the mountain, and so, as a child growing up, we would go through that area and spend time tramping and skiing, and he used to say that he was the only Māori on the maunga who was a skier. He also met my mother there and proposed to her there. We also got snowed in many times and had to walk down the maunga, as little kids with our frozen little waewae, crying and thinking it was the most dreadful thing because of how cold it was. But, really, it was a place of great warmth for my family and the wonderful memories we shared, and I just wanted to share that with you today.

With Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill, as I mentioned in the second reading, it is really wonderful to stand in this House today and hear the stories and the connections to a place that other members—our colleagues across the House—have too, relating to the place that we’re talking about, relating to a Treaty settlement. I acknowledge all those members who connect to this area as well. It’s really lovely to also remember my memories of this area in travelling up and down the country, which I’ve been doing regularly over the last eight or so years, getting my daughter to and from school, down in the Manawatū, and university, and carting horses up and down. We always stop on the Desert Road somewhere and take photos of the beautiful maunga, and we’re always in awe.

I must pass on greetings from my colleague the Hon Shane Jones. Matua Shane sends his well wishes to you all, alongside that of my leader, the Rt Hon Winston Peters.

In the first reading speech, Matua Shane talked about the tangata whenua from that part of the North Island, which he regards as the coldest that God ever put breath into. However, the warmth of the people should not be underestimated, and there is some warmth—great warmth—in the House here today.

Matua Shane also talked about how it’s a complicated settlement, and although modest in fiscal size, its complication derives from many instruments that are in there. It’s complicated because it represents a great deal of responsibility to monitor and to exercise oversight of in terms of the multiple pieces of land and the statutory representations that are reflected in this bill, which you have to share with a number of your neighbours. Of course, sharing and having those overlapping interests requires another level of relationship and of managing and nurturing those relationships, and so we wish you well into the future with that.

He also mentioned that involvement in the Māori political economy. We know that, number one, it’s not easy, and, number two, if it’s not carried out in an efficient manner, it can be very, very burdensome. So we hope and send you good wishes that as you manage those relationships into the future, there is benefit for everybody.

I’d like to make a comment on my colleague and whanaunga from across the floor, Hūhana Lyndon, who mentioned being an angry Ngāpuhi woman. I think that the kōrero that you bring—really, we must release our anger. I think it’s really important that when we hold on to anger, whether it’s through grievances that the Crown has created—to make sure that that anger, that trauma, doesn’t settle into our own DNA, because when we pass that on to our children, we pass on a burden to them that we should not be doing. I hope that in terms of this Treaty settlement and through this process, we get to a point today, at the third and final reading, where you’re able to leave in this House your mamae, and you cast it down upon this place so that you no longer carry that burden of trauma and pass it on to your future generations. It’s important that you do that today.

New Zealand First believes that Treaty settlements must be final, just, and forward-looking. New Zealand First has always been committed to fairness in Treaty settlements. That entails ensuring that some settlements are complete and they maintain the mana of the relevant iwi, that they do not lead to ongoing disputes or competing claims, and that these Treaty settlements actually restore the mana of the Crown. It’s critical that settlements are substantial when it comes to economic and commercial potential so that the iwi can make viable economic bases for the future of their children, because it is about the future. While we don’t forget the past, we must release the pain of the past so that we can move forward into the future.

We support this bill because it provides a just and enduring solution for the people of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. It’s an act of reconciliation and accountability. It ensures that this settlement marks the end of the historical grievances for this iwi. It’s also about being just, ensuring the Crown acts as it should, and giving Te Korowai o Wainuiārua the foundation to build a better future for all of your people. I commend this bill to the House.

Tēnā koe e te Pīka.

Ko Aotea taku waka, ko Tipuahororangi te tata

Te hoe ko Koutū-ki-te-rangi, ngā tai e Rīwaru

[Aotea is my ancestral canoe, Tipuaororangi is the ceremonial bailer

Koutū-ki-te-rangi is the paddle, the tides of Rīwaru]

Whakarongo ake rā ki te reo hōruarua i Pari-te-tai-tonga e pāorooro atu nei ki te whenua tahora, ki te whenua tomato tomato, tau atu rā ki Te Awa Tupua. E rere kau mai te awa nui mai i Te Kāhui Maunga ki Tangaroa. Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au

Kei ngā uri o Te Wainuiārua, ngā uri o Tamahaki, o Tamakana, o Uenuku, tauti mai rā ki tō koutou nei Whare. Nā koutou tēnei rā ki te w’akanui, ki te w’akahōnore. Nā koutou i w’akapau kaha i ngā tau maha kia tutuki ai tēnei kaupapa.

Nō reira haere mai koutou, w’akakotahi mai tātou i runga i te aroha, i te tika me te rangimārie. Pai mārire.

[Listen to the hollow voice at Pari-te-tai-tonga that echoes out across the open land, the lush land, all the way to the W’anganui River. The great river flows from the Alpine Clan to the sea. I am the river, the river is me.

To the descendants of Te Wainuiārua, the descendants of Tamahaki, of Tamakana, of Uenuku, welcome to your House. This day is yours to celebrate and honour. It was you who expended your strength over many years to bring this endeavour to fruition.

And so welcome to you, let us unite in compassion, in truth and peace. Goodwill to all.]

As an uri o Muru Raupatu, I mihi to ngā uri o Muru Raupatu. As an uru o te Hauhau, I mihi to te uri o te Hauhau. As an uri o Te Kāhui Maunga, I mihi to te uri o Te Kāhui Maunga. I mihi to Te Tihi o te Rae. I share your hurt, I share your trauma, and I share your deep aroha for our nation.

The Crown were kino in their land grabs. They were greedy; they still are. We don’t believe in final settlements—I need to probably refer to everything the last speaker said, but I’m trying to keep on the kaupapa. We don’t believe in any finality to Te Tiriti, because it must be honoured. It’s not a settling document. It’s not like a jam jar—you preserve it, it settles, and you put it away on the shelf. It’s our living being, our essence, our hope.

I want to be really clear today that we support ngā uri o Uenuku, Tamakana, and Tamahaki, and I support what my whanaunga Adrian Rurawhe said in the first reading, which was that there’s a reason why those names aren’t well-known. So I’m going to say them again: Uenuku, Tamakana, and Tamahaki. There’s a reason why people don’t know where to look for these iwi, and they tried really hard. But today, I address and I celebrate your resilience, because not only are you up there; you’re down here too. You’re in the House, you’re out of the House, you’re on the House, you’re around the House, and we salute the fact that even colonisation couldn’t take you out—it could not succeed—and we celebrate your resilience.

What would this House have done? Imagine Hobson seeing us here, dressed like this, and Governor Grey, John Bryce, FitzRoy, and Hobson. Ha! Imagine their horror. You survived and, despite what everyone else thinks, you thrive.

E kī, e kī—you never left the ngahere. It might be on a piece of paper, and ka pai! Huge mahi, Chris. I mihi to you, I always loved you, and I’m always proud of your mahi. I’m so proud that you’re with our grassroots whānau because so many only want to go to the flash kaupapa. I’m so proud that you could feel and see and hear that they never left the ngahere, never left our whenua, never left our maunga—e kī, e kī! Pieces of paper.

There’s a lot in this House to show that in spite of, despite of, as matatini prove, we thrive, and we’re coming back in a way that the world is so excited to see. There’s a lot to be sorry for in this place and there’s really never enough making up, but we must continue to remind ourselves that we don’t need to be taught how to work together. We have w’akapapa. W’akapapa is something that no one else can take off us, and it’s going to be hard—it’s going to be hard—but we just have to remember the strength and the power of our w’akapapa. That is the story of aroha—Aotearoa New Zealand mā. This is a love story. This is a love story of our whānau who, despite and in spite, have shown their love and deep forgiveness for everything that this paru Whare has done—everything.

To our post-settlement governance entity trustees Aiden Gilbert, Hayden Turoa, Tāwhiao McMaster, Uncle Baldy—sorry, I don’t know your real name; I’m so sorry, I was trying to think what is his real name—Marilyn Karimu, my brother nō Wayne Cribb, James Foster, Missy Edmonds, Greg Robinson, let your pain strengthen your progress. Uniting is progress, restoring Waimarino is progress, remembering to remember is progress, an 11 percent increase in iwi membership is progress, asserting our tūpuna names is progress, remembering and asserting iwi names is progress, and I think we have to remind ourselves and our mokopuna of the progress that we potentially will always be in this nation. Fostering whanaungatanga is something we’re really great at, and no one else in this country can do it like we do.

I want to reflect on a few things, too, that we’ve seen go down in these settlement processes, and the fact that you must not be strangers to this House. While everyone will sit here and unanimously agree that Te Tiriti is important, so is everything else connected to Te Tiriti. I want you to never forget those who tomorrow will forget you, and what honouring Te Tiriti looks like.

Heoi anōhere, [However,] I want us to return back to the kōrero. I am deeply in honour of you not just because of our w’anaungatanga but also because of the relationship that you have in giving me my nieces and my mokopuna Colleen. We have for years and generations had w’akapapa together, and I am absolutely in awe of the fact that you manaaki my sister, that you manaaki our whānau, and that you have brought us back together in w’akapapa, in marriage, and mokopuna.

There’s something that we had shared that my brother-in-law—and I remember also many who have passed, including “Boy” Cribb. I don’t know how many years he used to talk about Uenuku, Tamakana, and Tamahaki. I hadn’t heard it. It was hard enough remembering our own Taranaki stories, but he would carry on and on in a way that you know “Boy” Cribb could.

One of the things he did—and I want to acknowledge those who walked before us, who lit the ahikā—and there was a story that was shared by Koro Mark Cribb, which I’d like to share with you before we finish up. When our ancestors first set foot upon this land, they lit the fire—ahikā—because the fire is a representation of our life principle that fire is not just about physical warmth; it is our identity, our connection to the land, our w’akapapa, and the essence of who we are as a people. No matter how much time has passed, no matter the challenges or the struggles, that fire continues to burn within us. There was a time when we were led away from our whenua and were made to believe that it no longer belonged to us, but, as Koro Mark reminds us, “we do not have to fight to get it back, because it never went anywhere. We were only directed away from it and now we are returning.”

Now is the time to rebuild and to re-establish ourselves upon our whenua. Only on our own land can we truly stand on our mana, raise our ancestral houses, and shelter the mauri—the life force—of our people. This is not about our war or conflict. It is about restoring balance, reclaiming what has always been ours, and ensuring our tamariki and our mokopuna inherit the strength of their tūpuna. Let us walk forward with determination, guided by the wisdom of our past and carrying the fire of our ancestors into the future. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Ata mārie, and welcome once again to all our whānau from our Te Korowai o Wainuiārua iwi. Welcome again to your House, to Parliament House. Haere mai.

I’d like to begin with maybe a light note, if I may. I noticed this morning when we were at the pōwhiri at the Public Trust building that I seemed to somehow get the memo that I’m wearing the colours of your iwi. The reason why I say this light-hearted comment is that I whakapapa to Lebanon, and what I realised when I started being embraced by our Māori brothers and sisters in South Auckland is that we’ve got a lot of similarities.

The first time I went to a tangi at Papakura Marae, the CEO over there, my friend Tony Kake—beautiful man—was translating and explaining a lot of the tikanga that was taking place, and I was shocked to learn how similar Lebanese and Māori are in certain situations like tangi. I noticed that after the formalities, there’d be some serious talk, and then there’d be some light-hearted comments and it would go a bit back and forth, and what I realised is that, like Lebanese, Māori grieve deeply. We wail, we cry, and we allow ourselves and our families to cry together, but we allow for some humour, and maybe that’s to dull some of the pain that we’re feeling—and that’s why I hope you don’t mind that I said the light-hearted comment about the colour scheme.

I saw this firsthand today at the pōwhiri. What I also learnt from Tony Kake was the karanga and the beautiful women that sing that, and what they’re doing is they’re calling upon those that have gone, the ancestors, the tūpuna. These tūpuna, when we call them, or when you call them—and thank you to the beautiful lady who sang today—you’re calling them and they’re with us. That’s why for me, brothers and sisters, when it was explained to me that we go into a state of tapu, I take it seriously, and I don’t leave any pōwhiri without having a sip of water because I take seriously what’s important to you, our Māori brothers and sisters.

Today, as we were sitting down and we were listening to many of our kaumātua and our Ministers reflect on the kaupapa that we’re here for today, I allowed myself to imagine that a number of those tūpuna of yours were sitting on those empty seats and standing around, and I tried not to get emotional. I think they really were there, and they’re here right now, as we’re talking about what we’re going forward with—the grievances that you collectively have suffered.

I’d like to reflect on some of those grievances, if I may. It’s important, and I know a number of us have reflected on it, but for those that have just tuned in from beyond our walls, there was warfare during the 19th century, led by the Crown in many situations, and these actions disrupted the social structure of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. There was the land confiscation, which we’ve heard of, for public works, and yet we got some trains built and some railways built, but it was still on confiscated land.

There was the formation of national parks—the establishment of the Tongariro and Whanganui National Parks. This involved incorporation of ancestral lands without your consent, I say to those of you in the gallery—your ancestors—without consent or compensation, and when I realised this, I thought about how beautiful the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is and that national park. It’s so interesting: they’re beautiful and they’re breathtaking, but when you’re eating an apricot that is so sweet but it’s been stolen from a tree, that consumption is always underpinned with guilt, and that’s what I thought of when I realised that these beautiful places are actually on confiscated land.

There were social, economic, and cultural impacts. Cultural displacement, as we’ve heard, and the loss of land and access to sacred sites of course disrupted your traditional practices. This is part of what we’re acknowledging with this settlement bill today, and it’s important that we acknowledge it and it’s important that we try and find some type of resolution, which we really have tried with this process.

Finally, I’d like to end with just a small quote from one of the submitters, Pieta Gilbert—and I hope you’re here, and, if not, I hope you’re listening. Pieta said, “Our settlement has come in God’s timing. Although it will never be enough considering all the loss many generations of our people have endured, as a result of our lands being taken. We hope that through this settlement we can work together with the crown, government agencies, and community groups in achieving the bigger picture”.

Our settlement, as they have said, has come in God’s timing. God bless you as you go forward and create great opportunities for your mokopuna. I commend this bill to the House.

Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare. Ka tangi te tītī, ka tangi te kākā, ka tangi hoki ko ahau. Tihei mauri ora. 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. He mihi mahana ki a koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

[Greetings to the Speaker of the House. 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 warm greetings and acknowledgments to you and to us collectively.]

I would first like to acknowledge the fact that I was not able to come to your pōwhiri today, and I am sorry for that, and I would also like to acknowledge that you were not able to be here for the second reading of this bill. I would like to acknowledge the fact that we’re here today to right the wrongs of the past and acknowledge that, for too long, te iwi Māori have been required to conform into constructs that are not made for them, and yet still, today, your reading and your legislation and the commemoration ceremonies for this legislation have overlapped. Once again, Māori have been required to conform to fall into this form. I would like to acknowledge that the speech I gave in the second reading—when you were not here—I will be giving again now, because I crafted this speech for you to hear.

Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill: this represents a milestone in a long and deeply painful journey towards justice for the people of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. This bill being passed today will give effect to the deed of settlement signed on 29 July 2023, settling the historical Treaty of Waitangi claims for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. In doing so, it acknowledges in law the immense injustices suffered by the iwi of Tamahaki, Tamakana, and Uenuku ki Manganui-o-te-Ao, and it also lays the future foundations for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua so that you can claim your rightful place as the kaitiaki of your whenua, awa, and 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 grievances that echo through the centuries and continue to impact on whānau, hapū, and iwi.

Te Korowai o Wainuiārua have long occupied the central North Island, and span an area of over 600,000 hectares, including large parts of Whanganui and Tongariro national parks, the upper Whanganui River, and the National Park township. Your lands are bordered by the rohe of eight other iwi and also reflect the rich and interwoven histories of tangata whenua across your region.

The story of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua over the past two centuries has been one of relentless pressure, forced conflict, and systematic alienation from your whenua and your rights as tangata whenua. The first wound came in the form of war, which 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, lands taken, and traditional structures of governance and authority shattered.

The second wave of destruction came with the relentless march of Crown purchasing. The supposed agreements and transactions of the 19th century were often conducted in bad faith, with the Crown failing to uphold its promises to set aside and protect land as tribal reserves. Instead, vast areas of land were alienated, leaving Te Korowai o Wainuiārua virtually landless. Public works takings then compounded this loss. Land was seized for hydroelectric projects, for railway construction, and for defence purposes, always with little or even no regard for those whom it affected the most, or for the rights and the wellbeing of the people who called this land home.

The construction of the North Island main trunk railway is one example. It cut through the very heart of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua lands, yet iwi were left without benefit, without redress, and without whenua. Perhaps most wrongly, large tracts of land were taken for the creation of Tongariro and Whanganui national parks—parks that remain places of great natural beauty and cultural significance, and yet those parks were established without the consent of the very people who had cared for these lands for generations and generations. In effect, Te Korowai o Wainuiārua were left as strangers in their own whenua with the pressure of the Crown’s attempting to sever the connection of tūrangawaewae, and it is testimony today that you are here in this House, with members of Parliament, and also in the gallery to stand defiant in the face of that force.

The loss of land was devastating. The Crown’s actions and omissions led to generations of social and economic deprivation. Without land, economic stability was impossible, and without economic stability, communities struggled. Poverty took root where prosperity should have flourished, opportunities for advancement were 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 social structures. Along with that, 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 immeasurable. There is no settlement that can fully restore what has been taken, but today, through this bill, we acknowledge these injustices and we take a step towards reconciliation.

This settlement provides a bill that is long overdue. It is the recognition at the highest level of the wrongs committed against Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, and it represents a promise—a promise that such injustices will never be repeated, even though this House is still considering the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, which is in select committee right now.

This settlement has provided a range of redress, and it also contains a formal historical account of the injustices suffered by Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. In that acknowledgment, it includes the Crown’s apology and acknowledgment. Words alone are not enough, but they are necessary. They mark the Crown’s acceptance of its past failures and signal a commitment to a different future, but this is but a drop in the bucket of what has been lost and what has been taken.

Part 2 of the bill provides statutory acknowledgments over 22 different areas and recognition over 13 sites. It provides overlay classifications that will restore the role of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua as kaitiaki over lands of deep cultural significance and it changes place names, ensuring the stories of whenua are told in the language of its people; the vesting of 19 cultural redress properties, including three that will be jointly held with other iwi; and the inclusion of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua in the governance of the Tongariro-Taupō Conservation Board and the development of its conservation management strategy. That’s called partnership, and it’s also called co-governance. These provisions ensure that Te Korowai o Wainuiārua reclaim their rightful role as protectors of their land, with a voice in the decisions that affect their rohe.

I’d like to conclude by saying that these are not handouts. This is not charity. This is a small portion of what was unjustly taken, and it is now returned to Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. I know that this will not anywhere near meet what has been lost, but I hope that this will provide a strong foundation for you, for your tamariki, and for your mokopuna in generations to come, and I wish you all the very best. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Tēnā koutou katoa. Ko Ruapehu te maunga, ko Turakina te awa, nō Rangitīkei ahau. Ko Dossor Redmayne tōku w’ānau, ko Suze tōku ingoa. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Greetings to you all. Ruapehu is the mountain, Turakina is the river, I am from Rangitīkei. Dossor Redmayne is my family, Suze is my name. Greetings thrice to you all.]

Nau mai, haere mai ki te Whare Pāremata. Nau mai ki tō koutou Whare i tēnei rā—welcome to your House today. I want to celebrate the coming together of the people of Tamahaki, Tamakana, and my people, Uenuku, the god of the rainbow. Uenuku tū wae rua—a rainbow stands in two places. You are connected through shared experience, and today I am privileged to walk in your shoes, privileged to share your connection for the third reading of the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill.

One hundred and eighty-five years ago, rangatira from Te Korowai o Wainuiārua signed the Treaty of Waitangi with the expectation of fair treatment, justice, and honour between Crown and iwi, but the good faith of your people was not matched by the Crown. Te Korowai o Wainuiārua persevered through land confiscation, unmet promises for the preservation of whenua Māori, and a complete lack of engagement on the developments and activities the Crown proceeded with on your land. You fiercely defended these actions by the Crown. Your people were drawn into conflict, fighting in battles that define New Zealand’s history, such as those at Moutoa Island, Ohoutahi, and Pīpīriki Pā.

It’s important today to acknowledge the impact of the loss of your lands. Despite the strength of your people, by the 20th century you were virtually landless and were forced to face the social and economic challenges which followed. Casualties of the Crown’s actions included the loss of mātauranga Māori due to discouragement of te reo Māori and the destruction of your tribal structures. This bill acknowledges breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi which literally left hapū and iwi landless and caused significant and ongoing social and economic harm.

Aidan Gilbert—kia ora, e hoa—has also talked to me about the symbolic division of the Whanganui River at Pīpīriki with Whanganui to the south and the three hapū of Uenuku, Tamahaki, and Tamakana to the north. Those to the north were labelled Hauhau, or rebels, by the Crown. He told me how they endured the stigma, the whakamā, of the Hauhau label, and they endured the subsequent painful divisions between their iwi and the iwi of Whanganui.

Although Tamahaki, Tamakana, and Uenuku are distinct tribal entities, you are tightly connected through whakapapa and a shared history. In negotiations, you demonstrated manaakitanga as a people and as iwi. You’ve bound yourself together under a vision for collective prosperity. The outcomes of this settlement mark a starting point for redressing those harms. They’re a springboard for hope and progress.

I want to acknowledge the negotiators, Aidan Gilbert, Chris McKenzie, Paora Haitana—“Uncle Baldy”—and Steve Hirini, and the many others who supported them. You’ve navigated changing Governments and hard conversations with neighbouring iwi. I commend you for your persistence and your patience.

I also want to acknowledge those who aren’t here to witness this special day. There have been many over the years who have advocated tirelessly for recognition and redress. I pay tribute to kaumātua and kuia who aren’t here any more who also fought hard and were among the first to submit claims to the Waitangi Tribunal in the 1980s. Kua roa koutou e tatari ana—you have waited a long time.

I want to congratulate the recently elected board of trustees for the Uenuku Charitable Trust: for Uenuku, Aidan Gilbert, Lesley Edmonds, and Tāwhiao McMaster; for Tamahaki, Paora Haitana, Wayne Cribb, and Greg Robinson; and for Tamakana, Hayden Turoa, Marilyn Davis, and James Foster. This election was historic, and I wish you all the best for your efforts to build a prosperous future for the benefit of our region and all its people.

As the proud MP for Rangitīkei, I’m excited about what this settlement means for you and for our region. I enjoyed a candid conversation with Elijah Pue just the other day. We talked about the much-needed shot in the arm, as he described it, that this settlement will bring to Waimarino at a time when we most need it following the mill closure and the harsh economic realities. We also talked about the political environment peddling division. Well, this bill signifies the opposite. As Elijah reiterated, this is the start of new beginnings, and a time to focus on shared commonalities and to focus on what brings us together, not on what divides us: the health and wellbeing of our people, and the health and wellbeing of the environment and of our communities of interest.

This bill signifies the end of a long and tumultuous claim period. What comes across so strongly is a shared desire and a steely determination to make this settlement work for everyone. There are green shoots. The trust is already starting to do great things, and I look forward to seeing this shared vision of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua come to fruition. Initiatives like the Raetihi Community Hub and the Pōkākā Eco-sanctuary give us just a glimpse into what the future might hold.

Uenuku tū wae rua—a rainbow stands in two places. To the people of Uenuku, Tamahaki, and Tamakana, you are connected through shared experience, and today, in this House, we are all connected to you.

It’s my privilege to commend the bill to the House. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Glen Bennett—a five-minute call.

Kia ora, Mr Speaker. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou, and I bring warm Taranaki greetings to you this morning, from my whānau to yours. We have a shared history, and, you know, a love story. It didn’t go quite so well for us, but that’s OK. You benefit from the Whanganui Awa, and I say thank you for allowing us to—from your story of love—have our beautiful Taranaki Maunga watching over my people and the lands that I live in.

To those who have gone before you and who weren’t able to be in this place today to commemorate where we have come to, we acknowledge those who have gone before: your ancestors, those who have departed these realms. But to the living, to those who are here today and those whom you represent, I say welcome, and I look forward to seeing the progress and the movements that this moment in history will make for the future.

We must acknowledge the past—it is so important—so to the iwi of Tamahaki, Tamakana, and Uenuku, I say welcome and thank you for your patience, but also continue to challenge and push those of us in this place and what this place represents for a thriving future together. We have to acknowledge our past to look forward to our future. We look at the warfare, we look at the martial law on your lands, we look at the confiscation, and we look at what was taken in terms of your awa—for what? For some roads, for some rail, for some electricity, for some tanks and warfare, and for the main trunk line.

Like with most iwi and hapū around Aotearoa, it was your resources and it was your lands that forged a pathway for my people to build our towns and our cities. It was your forests that were cut down to build our schools and our houses and our main streets. It was your lands that were taken for the sake of transporting the goods and my people to the places we wanted to go and to heat our homes, to run our factories, and to build profit and prosperity, leaving your people behind, landless and, in many ways, with resources taken from them. But I take great comfort—“comfort” is the wrong word; I apologise—in the mana that I see not only today but in the fight that has gone on for more than 140 years for your lands and your resources.

I want to acknowledge those who have come before, but I look forward to seeing those who are yet to come—your tamariki and your tamariki to come. I look forward to today being a pivotal day, not of settlement, but of some kind of redress that will see a thriving and inclusive community, iwi, and hapū that show my people in Aotearoa what the future holds: honouring Te Tiriti and walking together. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

Ki ngā iwi e toru o Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, Tamahaki, Tamakana, Uenuku. Nōku te honore, nōku te whiwhi, nōku te tino maringanui ki te tū ki tō koutou aroaro, kia tautoko ai te pānui tuatoru o tēnei pire.

[To the three tribes of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, Tamahaki, Tamakana, Uenuku. It is my honour, gain, and great fortune to stand before you to support the third reading of this bill.]

Can I just start by acknowledging the previous speaker Glen Bennett’s point. I loved the way that he moved away from the language of settlement and towards one of hope and of promise. This is, indeed, of course, a settlement, but it’s for that purpose.

I had a speech written for this occasion, of course. I finished it last night, but then, this morning, I went to the mihi whakatau. We’ve heard a number of critiques this morning of the process of this House, both here and generally, and the suggestion and the call made that you all needed more time in this place. I didn’t hear you ask for that this morning; rather, I heard you inviting us to your place.

It was my privilege to sit on the Māori Affairs Committee. I was so sorry that with the cancellation with the tangi that came up, we didn’t get the opportunity and we weren’t able to reorganise, and I apologise for that. I won’t let that happen again in the future. I will move heaven and hell to make sure that for any iwi with whom we are going through a process like this, we get in front of it.

Hearing you this morning at ko te whakamōmona o te māramatanga [the enrichment of understanding], can I acknowledge just two of the speakers in particular. To Hayden Turoa, he ātaahua tō kōrero i te ata nei, e hoa. [your speech this morning was beautiful, my friend.] Āe. Kua rangona au tō wero, kua hīnātore ināianei. [Yes. I have heard your challenge, it is now clear.]

Your challenge about the disconnect of much of this city was, for me, further emphasised when moments later, I had to miss the hākari to race back here because this House demanded my presence at 9 a.m., and not a second later. He kupu whakarite, nē? [It’s a simile, eh?]

To Paora Haitana, nāu i whakatau te wairua mā te karakia, mā te waiata ki te atua o tō tātou whakapono [you settled the atmosphere through the karakia and waiata to the god of our faith]. I a koe e kōrero ana ki tō koutou tipuna, i kākahutia ō kupu e te tangi o te mokopuna, a Hunter Cribb.

[When you were speaking to your ancestor, your words were cloaked with the grandchild Hunter Cribb’s cry].

For me, the most powerful moment this morning—and it’s the picture that will stay with me for as long as I am graced with years on this earth—was when you were speaking to your tūpuna about where we had come and where you were and where we were this day, and Hunter’s cries were addressing your words. That picture from Hunter, through his dad, Gordon, to his ancestors—they say a picture is worth a thousand words. I think you will have had to have listened to about 20,000 words by the time you’ve finished here today, but that’s the picture that will summarise it all for me.

I can’t wait to meet Hunter again a few years from now—an uri of this moment—for the bill that we pass today recognises that Te Korowai o Wainuiārua has suffered greatly through incredible land loss through social and economic deprivation, through the decline of te reo Māori, te tino taonga tuku iho nō ngā tūpuna [a precious resource handed down from the ancestors], and the fragmentation of your tribal structures. The intent, the purpose, and the hope of this moment, and what I heard you yearn for this morning, is that Hunter will mature and grow on the land of his ancestors, that that land will flourish and thrive, and that Hunter, fluent in te reo takitaki, te reo o te whenua, te reo o te rangi, te reo o ngā tūpuna, will spend his days strengthening the ties of his iwi and hapū.

Koirā te tino tūmanako. Koirā te take o tēnei pire. Koirā te tino wawata o tēnei Whare. Koirā tō koutou wawata.

[That is the ultimate hope. That is the purpose of this bill. That is the ultimate dream of this House. That is your dream.]

I commend this bill to the House.

Tuatahi, e tika ana kia huri atu ki a koutou, ngā iwi e toru nei, Tamahaki, Tamakana, Uenuku ki Manganui o te Ao, nā Tūkaihoro.

Tēnei ahau e whakapiri ana aku mihi ki ngā mihi tino flash a ngā rangatira nei, a Peeni Henare, a Tama Potaka, tae atu ki te whakamoemiti e tuku atu i te mokopuna o āpotoro Paora Hekenui, arā ko Takutai Tarsh Kemp, tae atu anō ki te whakataukī whakahua ana a Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, tae atu anō ki te karanga o Hūhana Lyndon ki a koutou, tae atu anō ki ngā mihi katoa o te Whare nei, tēnei ahau e tuku mihi atu ki a koutou. Nau mai, haere mai, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, otirā, tēnā tātou.

[Firstly, it is appropriate to turn to you, the three tribes of Tamahaki, Tamakana, and Uenuku ki Manganui o te Ao, of Tūkaihoro.

This is me appending my acknowledgments to the very flash acknowledgments of these chiefs, Peeni Henare, Tama Potaka, inclusive of the prayer delivered by the grandchild of the apostle Paora Hekenui, namely Takutai Tarsh Kemp, and including the proverb expressed by Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and also including the ceremonial call of welcome by Hūhana Lyndon to you, and including all the acknowledgments of this House, here I am delivering acknowledgments to you. Welcome, welcome, greetings to you and indeed to us all.]

It’s an honour to stand in the House today to acknowledge this bill and the third reading of this bill. I remember that I accompanied the Hon Andrew Little on his first visit to Waimarino, where he was told about the vision that the people had. We heard a lot of kōrero about what has materialised in this bill, and I’m thankful that we have arrived at this day to see its fruition.

A lot of work has gone into getting to this point and I, like others in the House, acknowledge the leadership and tenacity of te rangatira, taku tuakana a Aiden Gilbert, otirā tōna tīma katoa, i mahia ēnei mahi. [the chief, my senior Aiden Gilbert, and indeed his whole team, who did this work.] We all know it’s not an easy task, and it’s made more difficult by the hurdles and barriers that iwi go through to get a settlement. To be the referee amongst overlapping claimants, with other iwi, and to deal with the perpetrator of the breaches of the Treaty, who is also the decision maker about whether or not you get a settlement—it takes a huge amount of determination to get to this point, and I acknowledge it, as we all should.

We’ve heard a lot of kōrero—most of it really good—in this Whare, in this debate. Some of it was a little bit disconnected—however, good intent there. One should never forget the breaches and, yes, we should move on for the future generations, but let me tell you that in this bill, there’s an apology. I always say that apologies are only worth anything if the perpetrator never again perpetrates, and whilst we are passing this bill in its third reading, there are other actions that this House is considering which will directly impact on all three iwi in this settlement.

I’d take it with a little bit of a grain of salt when someone says to move on, probably because I’m a whanaunga of yours, and when I’m hearing that, I’m not hearing it as a member across the other side of the House. I’m hearing it as an uri and I’m considering it in that context, and I just hope and I challenge this House to never again trample on the mana of these iwi—ever—and that when certain bills arrive back into this House, they take that on board.

I want to take the opportunity—and I’m not going to speak for too long, but I do want to speak directly to the next generations. Your mātua, your koroua, and your kuia have done this today, and they have done this for your future and they have done the best under this construct that it allowed them to do. One day in the future, I know you will return to this House. You kind of have an obligation to do that, and don’t look at it as trampling on the mana of what your mātua and your tūpuna have done—no—but look at it as challenging whether or not things like relativity to other claims has been achieved, and whether or not this is in fact full and final, because it can only be full and final, or can be assessed to be so after all settlements have been done. There is work for you to do in the future, e ngā rangatahi. You should be proud today of your iwi—I certainly am.

I’m going to finish there with—I don’t usually do this, but I’m going to do it today. Korōria, hareruia ki a koe, Ihoa o ngā mano. Tūāuriuri, whaioio, kī tonu te rangi me te whenua i te nui o tō kororia.

Anā i mātou i tono atu ki a koutou kia hōmai piki te ora, piki te kaha, piki te māramatanga me te rangimārie, kia manaakitia hoki ēnei iwi e toru a Tamahaki, Tamakana, Uenuku ki Manganui o te Ao, nā Tūkaihoro.

Manaakitia ōna ā rātou tamariki mokopuna me te huarahi i mua i a rātou. Nō reira, ko koutou nā hoki te tīmatanga me te whakaotinga mai a mātou tūmanako atu nei i roto o koutou kororiatanga. Ko te māngai i tautoko mai, āia nei, ake nei, āe. Āe.

[Glory, hallelujah to you, Jehovah of the masses. Eternal and enduring, the heavens and the earth are filled with your glory.

We also ask that you give us increased health, strength, enlightenment, and peace, and to look after these three tribes, Tamahaki, Tamakana, Uenuku ki Manganui o te Ao, of Tūkaihoro.

Look after their children and grandchildren on the road before them. Therefore, you are the beginning and end of our hopes in your glorious kingdom. May the divine speaker confirm this prayer now and for ever, yes. Yes.]

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā iwi, tēnā koutou. Ki ngā mate, haere atu rā. Ki a tātou katoa, tēnā tātou.

[To the esteemed people, voices and tribes, greetings to you. To the deceased, go yonder. Greetings and salutations to us all.]

Many of us enjoyed the mihi whakatau this morning, and I rise to speak as the last speaker in the third reading on this settlement bill. Today, we take another important step towards settlement for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua. This is a moment that has been a long time coming, one that has taken years of hard work, dedication, and persistence from many people. In my first reading speech, I acknowledged that, indeed, in my context this has been what you would call a lifetime of work for many people.

As the 12th speaker, I know that some of what I’m going to say today will be repetitive for those of you in the gallery, but, hopefully, I’m going to add something new to the kōrero this morning. I want to start by acknowledging those who have fought for this settlement, both past and present. In particular, I want to acknowledge how so many of those who began this journey in the 1980s are not with us any longer, as we complete this part. To the negotiators, the kaumātua, the legal teams, and the whānau who have given their time and energy to get to this point, it has been a hard road, and today is part of recognising that mahi.

The history behind this claim is hard to hear, but it needs to be acknowledged. The people of Uenuku, Tamakana, and Tamahaki have suffered through war and through decisions of the Crown that left them with almost nothing. The label of “rebels” has stuck with them for generations, causing harm not only to their land holdings but to their identity and their future opportunities.

The impact of that loss was not just economic; it was cultural, it was social, and it was personal. When you take land—when you take whenua—you take away a community’s ability to determine its own future. That is what happened here.

A critical part of this settlement is the Crown’s formal apology. Words alone cannot undo the past, yet they matter. They acknowledge what happened and who was responsible, they acknowledge the hurt caused, and, hopefully, they enable both iwi and the Crown to reorientate for the future.

This settlement also, as we know, includes financial and cultural redress. The $21.7 million is an acknowledgment of the damage done. It’s not a replacement for what was lost, but a foundation to help rebuild. The $6.85 million in cultural revitalisation funds will support the strengthening of language, traditions, and history for future generations, for your mokopuna and for all of your uri.

Then there is also the return of 19 sites. These are not just parcels of land; they hold deep significance. They are places of whakapapa, places of connection, and places that tell the story of all these three iwi.

Over the past few days, I’ve taken some time to look at topographical maps of the rohe and where these sites are. It really reinforced how much was lost and why this redress matters. If you have not ever looked at a topographical map of the area, take some time to do so. Some of the places in this settlement are right beside the Whanganui River—like Ramanui, where one of the hapū recently journeyed down the awa, reconnecting with their whenua. That’s what the settlement is about. It’s not just looking back but it’s creating opportunities for people to reconnect to what was taken.

I asked Don Robertson about his journey and asked what he wanted me to say in this House today. He said, “I started the grievance process in 1983”—literally, the year that I was born—“which, at times, has been a long and painful journey. A lot of people who started with me have now passed. A few weeks ago, my whānau paddled down the awa, and I was able to stand there with my 85-year-old brother and 80-year-old sister and, in anticipation of tomorrow,”—today—“recount our process with our wider whānau. Ātaahua—beautiful.”

This settlement also recognises the role of these iwi as kaitiaki of their whenua. That’s an important step, particularly in relation to Whanganui and Tongariro national parks. The ability to be involved in protecting and managing these areas is vital. The establishment of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Trust is another key part of this settlement. It is already seeing more engagement from whānau. Membership in 2024 had increased by 11 percent, which shows that people are seeing the opportunities that this settlement creates.

We are also seeing that in the strategic projects already under way, which were mentioned by my fellow member Suze Redmayne, the MP for Rangitīkei. These initiatives are about investing in the future, creating opportunities, and ensuring that this settlement leads to long-term benefits. There will also be some passing of the rākau to the next generation to lead through the next part of your story.

Some people might ask why we are still doing this. The answer is simple: because justice matters, and when something was done wrong, it should be put right. This is not a handout. It is a recognition of harm, an effort to restore what was lost, and a way to ensure these iwi have the means to determine their own future. When iwi are strong, their communities are strong. When the past is acknowledged, we can move forward properly. This settlement will not fix everything, but it is a step in the right direction.

It is an honour and a privilege to stand here and be the final member to commend this bill to the House. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Motion agreed to.

Bill read a third time.

Waiata—“Uenuku Tamahaki Tamakare”

Haka—“Ka haere ngā weri”