Ngāti Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill

Hon TARIANA TURIA (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector) Link to this

I move, That the Ngāti Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill be now read a third time. E ngā rahi o Ngā Wairiki, Ngāti Apa, tātou ngā uri w’aka’eke i te Waka o Karahaupō, ngā tuku iho o ngā maunga tūpuna, ngā kaitiaki o ngā awa o W’angae’ū, Turakina, Manga’wero, Rangitīkei; Ngāti Apa, tēnā tātou, tēnā tātou, tēnā tātou katoa. Apa-’āpai-taketake nāna te tapiki i te tākiritanga o te ata.

[To the multitude of Ngā Wairiki and Ngāti Apa, we are the descendants of the Kurahaupō Canoe, the ones handed down from the ancestral mountains, the guardians of the Whangaehu, Turakina, Mangawhero, and Rangitīkei rivers; greetings to us all, three times over, Ngāti Apa. It was Apa-hāpai-taketake who took a hold on the dawn.]

This is a day that Ngāti Apa has been waiting for for many generations and many decades. Today we come together—the Crown and Ngāti Apa—to reflect on a journey that started in 1899, 110 years ago. At that time the Premier, Richard Seddon, sat with our tūpuna to hear their anguish and to understand the sense of disillusionment and despair amongst them. Their pain flowed from the effects of the Rangitīkei-Turakina purchase some 50 years earlier, in 1849. In that transaction the Crown purchased the 260,000-acre Rangitīkei-Turakina block for ₤2,500—a little under tuppence an acre. That one act resulted in the mass alienation of our lands from us, and is the original source of our grievance. It was a transaction that resulted in poverty, not partnership. Worst of all, our identity as mana w’enua—literally, the people of the land—was removed from us with one swipe of the pen.

I refer back to these events because as uri of Ngā Wairiki / Ngāti Apa, the sense of travelling a journey with my ancestors is constantly with me. Today our journey takes a new turn, establishing a strong foundation to restore and enhance the well-being of Ngā Wairiki / Ngāti Apa. Although we look forward to the transformation, we can never forget—nor should we—the injustices that have shaped our history.

It was a history that Ngāti Apa entered into in the genuine desire to establish a positive two-way relationship with the Crown. The first major engagement between Ngāti Apa and the Crown took place on 21 May 1840 when three members of Ngāti Apa signed the Treaty of Waitangi at Tāwhirihoe Pā. Eight years later, the Crown purchased over 400,000 acres of land in which Ngāti Apa had interests. But it was the impacts of the Rangitīkei-Turakina block purchase that left the deepest wounds. The kōrero from the Crown at that time encouraged our tūpuna to believe that they would reap substantial economic advantages from the growth of European settlement around them. Our people agreed to the transaction in the hope that settlement would bring with it peace, protection, and prosperity. As one of our rangatira is recorded to have said in 1849, “We have married our land to the Europeans and entirely given our greatest property to the Europeans”.

One of the tragic facts of our story was that our ancestral aspirations for a positive two-way relationship never eventuated in their time. The Crown did not properly protect the 35,000 acres of reserves from the Rangitīkei-Turakina sale. The operation of the native land laws—in particular, awarding land to individual Ngāti Apa, rather than to iwi or hapū—made our lands more susceptible to partition, fragmentation, and alienation. So when Premier Seddon came to the marae, our elders spoke to him about the erosion of their access to mahinga kai and their dwindling tribal estate. They shared with him their grief at the decimation of traditional tribal structures based on collective tribal and hapū custodianship of land, and the alienation of nearly all of Ngāti Apa’s remaining lands. They recommended that the Crown pass an Act of Parliament to protect their lands, but the reserves for Ngāti Apa never eventuated.

Yesterday, when the Māori Party and the National Party announced the establishment of the very significant process of constitutional review, a fascinating insight was made by a young man on the street. He remarked that we simply do not do enough to look at ourselves as a nation to know our history. Never a truer word was said. For the hapū collectives that make up Ngāti Apa, we have deliberately joined together to learn our history, and to familiarise ourselves with our land interests, which stretch from Mōtū Karaka south to Ōmarupapako, and inland to the upper Rangitīkei area. We proudly claim the statutory acknowledgments that have been recognised over sites within our rohe.

Through this bill, deeds of recognition and place name changes will recognise Ngāti Apa’s traditional, cultural, and spiritual relationship with their area of interest. The area known as Mount Curl will now be known as Parae Karetu. The Round Bush Scenic Reserve will be known as Ōmarupapako / Round Bush Scenic Reserve. Another recognition of our relationship with places and sites within the area of interest is that 12 Crown sites, totalling 214 hectares, will be transferred to Ngāti Apa.

But it is the prospect of cultural revitalisation that probably fills me with the greatest sense of anticipation. The settlement provides for the gifting of five papakāinga properties: AgResearch Lands, Parewanui School, part of the Santoft Forest, part of the Lismore Sands forest, and the Kauangaroa School. It provides for funding to assist in preparing and implementing a cultural redevelopment plan. This plan includes marae development and investment in programmes and initiatives covering areas such as te reo, the arts, and taonga or mātauranga. It provides for settlement funding to assist with compiling a comprehensive historical record, and clearing two papakāinga sites located within licensed Crown forest land.

Alongside all of these developments, the financial redress part of the settlement package will help Ngāti Apa to re-establish and grow their economic livelihood. Financial redress includes a cash payment of $16 million, the ability to purchase licensed Crown forest land and receive associated rentals, and the right of first refusal for 50 years to buy four Crown properties if they are declared surplus to requirements. The rūnanga has also agreed to provide Whanganui iwi with an option to buy 50 percent of the land beneath the Wanganui Prison.

I come back to the journey that we are on. I stand to honour our four outstanding young leaders who have championed our settlement: chairperson Adrian Rūrawhe, Toko Kāpea, Pāhia Tūria, and Toroa Pōhatu. It is no coincidence that three of these named are affiliated to tūpuna who travelled the world to take their petition to ratify Te Tiriti o Waitangi to King George. It is in our w’akapapa to continue the search for resolution. My own grandfather, Hāmiora Uru Te Angina; my adopted father, Tariuha Manawaroa Te Aweawe; and my mother’s two sisters, Rīpeka and Mihiterina, also travelled with Tahupōtiki Wīremu Rātana to get the Treaty ratified. Tahupōtiki Wīremu Rātana asked the Labour Party to ratify the Treaty of Waitangi. It could not and did not honour that agreement. I hope that the constitutional review we embarked on yesterday takes our journey forward in such a way as to honour our tūpuna as he deserved.

When the deed of settlement was first signed I remember my nephew Adrian speaking of the amazing gift of generosity given by iwi to the nation. He was referring to the fact that iwi, through the course of negotiations, give up the right to claim up to 97 percent of what they are entitled to. Such is the extent of the manaakitanga that they bring to this nation. How hard it is to listen to some of the redneck rhetoric that is espoused by some who are unable to accept the noble generosity of spirit expressed by tangata w’enua in the Treaty settlement process. Our struggle for justice over successive generations has today come to fruition. I weep for those who are no longer with us. I am in awe of the leadership of our young, and I say to Ngā Wairaki / Ngāti Apa that we can celebrate that all this work was not in vain. I commend this bill to the House.

Hon MARYAN STREET (Labour) Link to this

E ngā iwi o Ngāti Apa, tēnei te mihi ki a koutou. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora koutou katoa. It gives me great pleasure to rise to speak to this third and final reading of this Ngāti Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill, which has been a long time in the making. I pay my respects to the tūpuna and the leaders of Ngāti Apa who have gone before and who have not lived to see this day. I pay my respects also to those who have carried their torches faithfully—the young people whom the Minister has just named in her kōrero—who have now brought this settlement to fruition. I pay my respects to them also.

I think it is a striking element of this settlement that we have the emergence of a generation of young leaders who are now more than well-equipped to settle a grievance of long standing. I recognise that, and I recognise the people who have gone before them, because they are the ones who have prepared them and equipped them for this task. I hope today that, in fact, the Government, with this third reading, puts the seal on something that should have been honoured a long time ago, as the Minister has said.

I will make a couple of points about the legislation, and I will refer to a few things one of my colleagues said earlier in his first speech—I think in addressing the first reading of this legislation when it came to the House. My colleague the Hon Mita Ririnui had this to say about this legislation: “Ngāti Apa entered into a process, which basically began with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, for a simple purpose: they encouraged settlement but at the same time they wanted to be recipients. They wanted to be in the position where they could benefit from much of the technology brought here by the settlers. So they entered into many discussions with Crown agents, many of whom are mentioned in the preamble to this bill. Certainly they are mentioned in the historical account.

But that did not happen. In fact, Ngāti Apa went through a process of being subjected to land confiscation and land acquisition to the point … where they were left with simply 1 percent of their original land holding. For them, that had a tremendous impact … It led to the undermining of their culture, the loss of their language, and the fragmentation of whānau, hapū, and iwi to the extent that they did not participate in the development of the Rangitīkei area. In fact, they were what we might call onlookers. The development of that area was undertaken at their expense, and they at no time were able to participate in it.”

The history of this settlement is painful to read. It is good that it is traversed in some detail at the beginning of this legislation, so that it is written down in our law for all to read that the land confiscation, the alienation, and the oppression of Ngāti Apa, which deprived them of economic well-being, as well as spiritual and physical well-being, can be referred back to by anybody who cares to look, because it will now enter our statute.

From a brief traversing of the history and by reference to my colleague Mita Ririnui’s words, but also in recognition of the words the Minister spoke a few minutes ago, the next step to come to in the legislation is the apology. Because the first thing that must happen in order for a settlement to be a settlement of a grievance is an apology. There is no settlement without the apology. I quote from the text of the apology in the bill: “(1) The Crown recognises the efforts and struggles of the ancestors of Ngāti Apa (North Island) in pursuit of their claims for justice and redress from the Crown and makes this apology to Ngāti Apa (North Island) and their descendants. (2) The Crown profoundly regrets and unreservedly apologises to Ngāti Apa (North Island) for the breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi, and its principles, acknowledged above. (3) The Crown regrets and apologises for the cumulative effect of its actions and omissions over the generations to the present day which have had a detrimental impact on the traditional tribal structures of Ngāti Apa (North Island), their access to customary resources and significant sites, economic and social development, and their physical, cultural, and spiritual wellbeing. (4) Accordingly, with this apology the Crown seeks to atone for its past wrongs, begin the process of healing and make a significant step towards re-building a lasting relationship based on mutual trust and cooperation with Ngāti Apa (North Island).”

If I say nothing else in this speech tonight, the text of that apology is sufficient to begin a settlement process. Also within this legislation are the other elements of a settlement process, with which we are now familiar. There is the cultural redress, there is the compensation, and there is the return of lands. All of those elements are prerequisites for New Zealand, Aotearoa, to begin to move forward as people who work with each other, and treat each other in a way that is respectful and equal. We can start to build a different society on that basis. It is my great pleasure to commend this third reading of the Ngāti Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill to the House. Kia ora.

Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) Link to this

I welcome those who have travelled from the Ngāti Apa rohe and are here in the gallery today to listen to the third reading of the Ngāti Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill. Some people in the gallery may have found it a little strange that I exited the House when Mrs Turia was speaking. The reason for doing that was that I am the Minister in charge of the passage of the bill, and I am not allowed to be in the House if another Minister is addressing it. So it was not out of any disrespect to her—far from it. She is an outstanding ministerial colleague and valued parliamentary colleague. I think she is an utterly principled and brave member of this Parliament, and out of deference to her it was entirely appropriate that she led off the debate today, and that is why I left. Mind you, there are other people in the House for whom—from a point of principle—I leave, as soon as they stand up to speak. Mrs Turia is not one of them. Maybe a ginga on the other side of the House could come into that category.

Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti) Link to this

E tika atu i runga i te tū nei ki te mihi kau ana ki a koutou katoa o te wāhi, o te whenua o Ngāti Apa. E tuku aroha ki ngā pākeke e kore i konei kua rere atu rātou, kāre e kite i te otinga o te hīkoi roaroa atu pēnei tonu. Nā te mea i roto i āku, i whakaaro atu mō te taumahatanga e mahi atu te Kāwana ki a koutou. Nō reira e mihi kau ana ki a koutou o te Kurahaupō mō tō kaha ki te tae ki te rangi nei, mō tō whakaaro ki te tuku awhi, tuku manaaki ki a tātou ngā kanohi Māori e manaaki atu te kawenata nei. Nō reira tēnā koutou. Mō rātou e rere ana, e tangi hoki te ngākau. Nā te pai o te whakaoti pēnei tonu kua tae atu ki te wā mō te whakatikatika i ngā hea e puta ana mai i te Kāwana. I takahia atu te tangata o te whenua, i mau kaha atu ngā riri, ngā āhua e mōhio atu rātou ngā uri o Ngāti Apa. Nā te mea i roto i āku e kite atu te kaha o te mīharo, e kaha ana rātou ki te mau atu i te āhua o te hūmarie, tō rātou kaha ki te whakatikatika. Tērā anō te tino mihi i roto i āku mō rātou. Nō reira tēnā tātou.

[It is appropriate that I rise to specifically congratulate you all, the people of the land and region of Ngāti Apa. I extend condolences to the elders who passed away and werenot able to see the completion of a journey that has taken so long. Personally, I think it was the pressure that the Government imposed upon you. That is why I really adnire you of Kurahaupō for your efforts to make it here today, as well as providing assistance and support to us, the Māori members, in regard to this settlement. Congratulations.As for those who passed away, the heart grieves. Because the settlement process has gone so well, it is time now to look at how the Government intends to address it. The people of the land were mistreated; there were long-held grievances and situations that only those descendants of Ngāti Apa know about. Their ability to remain humble and work rigorously for resolution amazes me. I really admire them for that. Greetings to us.]

I mihi to the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, who has led the debate and discussion this afternoon because she is of Ngāti Apa descent and has been involved in this matter for a longer time than the present Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. But I do want to recognise the present Minister, and I say that now just in case I forget on the way out, and he stands up next. I say it quite seriously. I had the honour on 8 October 2008 to be there to sign the deed, and I want to mention my former colleague Dr Michael Cullen, and Mita Ririnui, who gives his apologies. He is up in Tauranga on a matter to do with the foreshore and seabed legislation. I also want to mention the people who signed with us, Lillian Ruihi Manawaroa Te Aweawe, Rōpata Te Hina—e mihi kau ana ki a Rōpata. E tata ana ki tōna rere haere—

[a special acknowledgment to Rōpata Te Hina, whose death is impending]

—Arikihānara Mare Mare, and Mariana Shenton. Those people had the gumption and the notion to give direction to the young group that finalised this deed and settlement, and that is something I want to talk about later on.

There is a whole lot of history to this settlement—what Land Claims Commissioner Spain did, what the other commissioners did, and what the Native Land Court did. The Ngāti Apa settlement is a very, very important settlement. People can take a lot of lessons out of it. Ngāti Apa waited for 100 years - plus to get to this point. I say to the Minister—I see he left as soon as I stood up, but I will say it because it will be recorded—that in the summaries and when he signs this document, I hope he is very clear about ensuring and understanding the support that Ngāti Apa will need in the sense of economic development. The bill in itself has a whole lot of ramifications and it should attest to a whole lot of future activity in order to put the past behind us and go forward.

There is simple logic in the background of this settlement. In 1840 North Island Ngāti Apa in the Rangitīkei-Manawatū area had land interests stretching from Mōtū Karaka, about midway between the Whanganui and Whangaehu rivers, south to Ōmarupapako, just north of the Manawatū River, and inland to the upper Rangitīkei area. As Minister Turia said, three members of North Island Ngāti Apa signed the Treaty of Waitangi at Tāwhirihoe Pā, a Ngāti Apa kainga near the mouth of the Rangitīkei River. The preamble sets out all of that. The reason I mention that is a whole lot of things have happened, and if people go to Rangitīkei now, or the area of Ngāti Apa, they will see it is one of the most flourishing economic developments in this country. I hope it is remembered that the Ngāti Apa people were paid tuppence—I did not know that Minister Turia was old enough to remember pennies—an acre or whatever. When we put something right, then let us ensure that we correct the imbalance. This settlement is only one part of ensuring that. When we see the wealth that abounds there, and in Taranaki and in Hamilton, we wonder and we ponder what was in other people’s minds in the past.

The apology has all those parts in it. Clause 8(4) states: “Accordingly, with this apology the Crown seeks to atone for its past wrongs, beginning the process of healing and make a significant step towards re-building a lasting relationship based on mutual trust and cooperation with Ngāti Apa …”. They have some neighbours next door to them who have been running a formation called a paepae rangatira, which involves all these Government agencies with a whole lot of funding supposedly getting together in an effort to support those people. I suggest the Minister makes sure he keeps his finger on it, because the other one is waning a bit.

The cultural redress is really important. Protocols are to be issued to the trustees. I mention to the two Ministers in the House that it is important that the Minister of Conservation, the Minister of Fisheries, and the Minister for Arts, Culture, and Heritage are involved, even though I grumbled a bit at the time. But we must remember who took these things off Ngāti Apa and ensure that there is a comparable line-up on the other side, so that there will not be just one-way traffic in one direction for another hundred years. I think it is more important sometimes in Treaty settlements that that is remembered. This edict or legislation of this House should not compound what has taken a hundred years to correct. I encourage the Minister to do that, and I will not walk out the next time he speaks.

I want to quote from Mita Ririnui, who wanted to be here today: “It is incredible that young people of Ngāti Apa could bring this settlement to the House without too many problems.” I can see that what problems they did have were handled very well. I say to the nation and to those involved in other settlements that they should take a leaf out of the book of the young people who led this settlement. Well, they are not too young; I think Toroa is older than young, and so is Andre. But that is what happens in Māoridom; people are called young if they are under 70. But I say seriously and with respect that people should take a leaf out of this young group’s book; they got to the end. I mention Adrian Rūrawhe, Pāhia Turia, Toroa Pōhatu, and Toko Kāpea; that is what they did. It was wonderful to see that the old people could give the direction, hand it down, and the young people had to go and do the job.

In conclusion, I tell members that after World War II many members of North Island Ngāti Apa moved away from their tribal lands to urban areas. It was part of a national trend. Economic opportunities appeared to be better in urban areas than in rural areas. In 1962 the Department of Māori Affairs was pursuing a policy of providing housing in Whanganui and evacuating families from Kauangaroa. The department was trying to encourage Māori to move from remote rural areas to urban districts where more employment and better social amenities existed. Most Ngāti Apa people now live outside of their boundaries. There is approximately only 1 percent of their people in their traditional lands, and that needs to be paid for, recognised, and supported.

Without further ado, I commend this bill. Labour members will certainly be supporting it. I thank all the people who have been involved in it.

DAVID CLENDON (Green) Link to this

As ever, it is a pleasure and a privilege to stand and speak on a bill of settlement. On behalf of the Greens, I acknowledge the presence in the gallery today of representatives of Ngāti Apa. I also acknowledge their long struggle and the courage and determination that have been shown over many, many decades to bring to fruition the Ngāti Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill, which will be passed in the House today.

We will, of course, continue to support this bill, as we have supported it throughout its various readings and as, indeed, we will continue to support bills that restore the recognition of mana, recognise kaitiaki status, and seek to redress some of the historical and contemporary grievances. The commitment to the fulfilment of the Treaty relationship is embedded in our Green Party constitution, as is recognition of Māori as tangata whenua. In that spirit, clearly we genuinely take real pleasure in seeing the settlements made over time.

One of, perhaps, the secondary benefits of these settlements—clearly, the primary benefits are the restoration, redress, and recognition of mana—not often enough commented upon is the fact that within the bill there is recorded the history of these events, the lands, the people, and the actions that occurred over time. This bill, like others, contains a narrative of how we came to this place and this position today. These narratives are very accessible and, in one way, easy to read. For that reason, they are of considerable benefit beyond the immediate benefits.

They are not easy to read in the sense that they record over time the loss of land through illegal actions by the Crown and other agents. They record suffering and hardship over many years, and the gradual erosion of the possessions and well-being of people. Nevertheless, it is important that these documents are made available. The fact that they are here and accessible is a major benefit, as I say.

I will reference a particular section of this bill that caught my eye, which is the reference to the fact that in the 1840s the Crown’s land purchase policy was generally to acquire land at the cheapest possible price in the belief that Māori would reap benefits in addition to the payment made for the land. In this instance, it says that Ngāti Apa agreed to the transaction at a lower price than their initial request or expectation because they wished to obtain various benefits from the establishment of a European settlement in their vicinity, including peace, protection, and prosperity. Those are very humble aspirations to wish for. They are quite low expectations. They are very reasonable expectations. By fulfilling their part of the Treaty relationship, they could reasonably expect a degree of peace, some protection from the Crown, and, indeed, a degree of prosperity. Sadly, of course, history now tells us that none of these expectations were fulfilled, and it is to the credit of this Parliament today that we seek to put right at least some of that.

I guess I make these remarks in the context of having recently sat on a select committee, as many of us have, and heard people who constantly refer to settlements and other forms of recompense to Māori as if they acknowledge some particular special privilege or unearned benefit for Māoridom, rather than simply being quite minimal settlements to pay back and return what was taken, and being recompense and redress for the wrongs that were done in the past.

The notion of so-called special privilege that an uninformed but very vocal minority continues to insist upon is clearly at odds with the reality of all the social statistics that typically put Māori at the high end of all the wrong sorts of statistics. Clearly, these settlements can give Māori in their own hands some resources, tools, and ability to rebuild an economy and the prosperity and well-being that was sought so very many years ago. It is to be hoped that those who choose to criticise these settlements and these bills will take the very small amount of time necessary to sit down with these documents and read these very simple but very powerful narratives that tell the story of why it is necessary that we recognise and make redress in the appropriate time.

I join with others in acknowledging that this Government—despite its various other shortcomings, which we comment upon on occasion—has seen the progress of a number of these settlements. We hope that that progress will continue and that settlements are made in a timely fashion without neglecting the opportunity, of course, for everyone to have their say and to ensure that we get appropriate settlements that genuinely restore justice.

On that note, I again acknowledge the long battle and the long struggle for Ngāti Apa to get to this point, and I wish them very well into the future. Kia ora koutou.

HONE HARAWIRA (Māori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) Link to this

Kia ora. Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker , tēnā koe. Huri rauna, tēnā tātou katoa e ōku hoa o te Whare, koutou anō rā, e ōku whanaunga o te waka o Kurahaupō, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora tātou. Kia ora tātou, mai i a māua ko Shane, ngā uri o Kurahaupō o Te Tokerau, ki a koutou anō rā e Kurahaupō o Ngāti Apa. E mea ana a Shane, ko Shane te tuakana. Engari e mihi atu ki a koutou, e whakarangatira ana i tō tātou waka i tēnei rā, e Ngāti Apa.

Hara taku tū i te tū roa, engari tū ana au ki te tautoko i taku rangatira a Tariana i kōrero tuatahi i tēneki rā, kia mihi atu ki a koutou mō ngā take nunui e pā ana ki a koutou mai i te tīmatanga o tēnei hīkoi tae noa ki tēnei rā. Me te mihi anō hoki i runga i te whakaaro kotahi, te tāhae whenua, te takahi mana, me ōna āhuaranga katoa. Engari i tēnei wā, kei te ora tonu mātou. Kei te ora tonu tō tātou reo, kei te ora tonu tō tātou tino rangatiratanga. Nō reira kia kaha koutou, kia kaha tātou. Kia kaha tātou i roto i tēnei hīkoi, ahakoa kua rongo nei au i a ia, e whakaae ana a Ngāti Apa kia waihotia te 97 pai hēneti o tā koutou kerēme, kia oti pai ai tēnei raru. Tangi ana te ngākau, ko tātou katoa rā ēnā. Hakoa ko tēhea te iwi, tērā te ture o tēnei Whare.

Engari, kua tae mai koutou i tēnei rā, me mihi atu ki a koutou. Mihi anō hoki i runga i te whakaaro o Ngāpuhi i tae mai i tēnei rā te kōrero atu ki te Minita, i roto i tōna tari, kia tīmatangia i tēneki hīkoi. Tata ana ko te iwi mutunga tērā a Ngāpuhi, te tīmatangia ai tēnei hīkoi. Nō reira kua kite au i a rātou kōrero ana ki te Minita i tēnei rā, i te ahiahi nei ko koutou rā wēnā e tata whakaoti nei i te kaupapa. Nō reira, mihi atu ki a koutou mai i tā mātou pāti, hei tautoko anō hoki i taku rangatira Tariana. Nō reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou. Huri atu, huri noa, kia ora tātou katoa.

[Thank you. Greetings to you, Mr Assistant Speaker,greetings.Greetings to my parliamentary colleagues throughout, and to you, as well, my relatives of the Kurahaupō Canoe. Salutations to us from Shane and I, descendants from the north of Kurahaupō, and to you Kurahaupō ones also of Ngāti Apa. Shane is saying that he is the elder one. Nonetheless, congratulations to you, Ngāti Apa, who are promoting our canoe today.

It is not as though that I am going to address you at length , but I shall merely tak e a short call in support of my leader , Tariana Turia , who spoke first today , and also to commend you in respect of matters of huge significance to you from the beginning of this journey to the present day . I acknowledge the fact that you were all of the same view that the land was stolen, control was tampered with, and all that went with it. But at this point in time, we have endured. Our language lives on, and our sense of self-determination continues to survive. So you need to be resolute, and we need to be, as well. We must be strong in this journey, even though I have heard him say that Ngāti Apa agree to leaving 97 percent of their claim so that this settlement is resolved well. The heart weeps because that is all of us. Regardless which tribe it is, that is the law of this House.

But that aside, you have arrived here today , and I must congratulate you. Indeed , I commend you , knowing full well that Ngāpuhi arrived here today to have discussions with the Minister in his office that will set this journey off . The Ngāpuhi tribe is nearly the last one to start this journey. I saw them today in discussions with the Minister , and now there you are this afternoon ab out to conclude the settlement. So congratulations from our party , and on your support of my leader , Tariana , as well . Salutations twice over . Than ks to us all throughout the House. ]

CHESTER BORROWS (National—Whanganui) Link to this

E ngā iwi o Ngāti Apa, kia ora mai tātou, tēnā tātou katoa. I acknowledge the iwi in the gallery today and I thank them for the manner in which they have entered into these negotiations. I congratulate them on the place that they find themselves in today, with the moving of the third reading of this bill before the House, the Ngāti Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill.

I have read the biography of T W Rātana. I have read of the steady resolve with which he went about seeking Government actions that were consistent with the Treaty of Waitangi to redress the wrongs of the past. It was palpable to see the energy with which he directed himself and his people towards that goal.

I am pleased to live in a community in Whanganui and in Taranaki where iwi have moved to heal the wounds of the past and have moved well over halfway towards Pākehā, who are slowly resolving that they need to be there, too. I welcome the new identity of those communities, particularly around Whanganui, and the acceptance of a oneness that will preserve the uniqueness of the communities but will at the same time recognise all those things that we have in common.

I am also pleased to see that through this new understanding, we are prepared to cut a new track through old hurts, old bigotry, and old redneck persuasions. That is largely down to the manner in which iwi have addressed these negotiations and the understanding and the enduring patience that they have shown, which has allowed the rest of us to catch up.

I thank iwi for the patience they have shown and the spirit in which they have engaged—congratulations. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Labour—Hauraki-Waikato) Link to this

Kurahaupō Waka, Ngāti Apa iwi, tēnā koutou. Tēnei e tāpiri atu i āku nei whakaaro ki ēra kua waihotia ki te whakatau i a koutou i waenganui i a mātou i tēnei rangi whakahirahira. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

[Acknowledgments to you, the people of Ngāti Apa, and to the Canoe of Kurahaupō. I add my sentiments to those expressed in welcoming you here amongst us on this great day. So greetings to you all, greetings.]

It gives me great pleasure to offer a small contribution on the third reading of the Ngāti Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill. Without restating the history that was put by Minister Turia in the House today, I will make a number of brief acknowledgments and offer some comment.

The long history of Ngāti Apa working towards their settlement has in some part been addressed and resolved today. As Minister Turia started her speech there was a call, probably of a mokopuna, in the gallery. There is something very honest and pure about the voice of a young child. It immediately made me reflect on the generational opportunity that is afforded as a result of reaching this particular point in history.

Many speakers before me have commented on the long progress it has taken to get to this point. That progress has not been without struggle or sacrifice, and it has been made with the enduring vision to take a people forward. But there is hope in it, and that is what that young voice reminded me of. There is hope for the future, because if, as a Parliament, we continue along the road of ensuring that Treaty settlements continue to be a defining part of what our nation must do to look forward—and I sincerely hope that every party in this House will do this—then we can all celebrate today.

We cannot be partisan on this point. Every political party in this House has the huge responsibility to continue with the Treaty settlement process so that we have an enduring solution for the future. I have been concerned in past years when political parties have not seen this settlement process as a part of the essential fabric of what our nation will look like, and I remain concerned about that. I believe that the voices of those young children, like the child whom we heard in the gallery, urge every one of us to take the responsibility here at this point in time to say that Treaty settlements must continue, like this settlement for Ngāti Apa, so that their kids, and their kids after them, have a future, an opportunity, and a hope that can be realised because it was given to them by their ancestors.

I will also comment on the aspects leading to this point. The negotiators made a huge effort. It is certainly worth noting that the greatest challenge for many iwi is to have successful succession planning. I say that with all due respect to all tribes; I reflect on only my own. It is a huge ask for people who have carried the baton for so long to say that it is OK and they can give it over. But here we see that another generation has come forward, and there has been faith in those negotiators to get their people to this point. All I can say is it is a huge example that many other iwi can look to for some inspiration as to what can be achieved by a younger generation with different skills but with the same heart for progress.

It also signals that the new generation of leaders is able to see what the challenges ahead are. Once we reach a settlement, the hardest task is the post-settlement phase. In this instance, it is now for Ngāti Apa to look out the window of opportunity and meet the challenges of post-settlement development. It will come with challenges. There will be ups and downs; there will be high points and low points, and great successes and great challenges. But that is their experience, and if anything can be learnt from the Treaty settlements of other tribes, then it should be to share that experience to fast track some of the learning difficulties, to make it easier, and to make the path a little flatter along the way.

Minister Turia raised the comment about Labour’s reflection of the Treaty of Waitangi. Well, all I can say is that at points in time and history, there have been high expectations on both the main political parties, I expect, but more so on Labour with regard to its relationship with the people—down in Whanganui specifically, with the Rātana movement. That progress has been steady. It has not been as fast as people would have liked it to be, and I think the historical context has at some points inhibited the level of progress that people would have liked to see. But I can say that without some of the critical things that Labour has done in the past, we certainly would not be at this point. I absolutely believe that and it is a point in the historical record. I am looking forward to the new relationship that Labour can have with the future of where Māoridom wants to go, and that is certainly my intent while still being a member of this political party.

I acknowledge the efforts of the advisers for iwi and for the Crown. Terse words have been spoken behind back doors and there have been reflections on the quality of the negotiations at some point. That always happens, but without the technical advice and support offered to both iwi and the Crown, we could not have had the quality of the settlement that we have today. I know that both Minister Turia and Minister Finlayson are all too well aware of that, and so are we.

The Māori Affairs Committee has had a hard task trying to manage expectations. Once bills get to the select committee, if there is still dissent amongst iwi over these types of things, the expectation is that the Māori Affairs Committee can all of a sudden change a deed, but that is actually not the case. Once a settlement has been negotiated with the Crown and put into legislation before the select committee, no substantial change can be made without the express consent of the iwi concerned. The Māori Affairs Committee has a huge challenge and task. At best, it may be able to achieve some technical amendments, but it can make no amendments of substance, although that has not been the situation with this particular settlement.

Finally, I thank the clerks of committee who have brought together the report so that we, as parliamentarians who have not sat in on the select committee process, can be better informed. Without their hard work and effort we cannot as parliamentarians hope to comment unless they are doing the work that they are there to do.

Finally, it is my pleasure to offer Labour’s continued support of the Treaty settlements in principle, and of Ngāti Apa in particular. We wish them well for the future. We wish those young voices in the gallery today all the hopes and aspirations and dreams of their forefathers, that they can be realised in their time, and that they can continue to put out a strong voice of hope for the future of their people in Ngāti Apa. Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa. Kia ora.

JONATHAN YOUNG (National—New Plymouth) Link to this

Tēnā koe, Mr Assistant Speaker Roy. Tēna tātou huri noa e te Whare. I also extend my greetings to the iwi of Ngāti Apa on this, the day when we come to the third reading of the Ngāti Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill. To the iwi, I say that it is a great day for this House and for their house that we come to a place of settlement. I believe settlements must lead to “settledness”, where people can move forward. I join with the previous speaker, Nanaia Mahuta, and concur with her comments in wishing Ngāti Apa’s representatives in the gallery all the very best for their future. I trust that this future is strong for them and their iwi. I acknowledge those who have gone before them who have persevered and endured, and who have held up the strength of their people in their rohe and their area. I am sure that today they see them here with pride.

The reports we received stated that back in 1849 Ngāti Apa entered into an agreement with the Crown with the wish to obtain the benefits from the establishment of a European settlement in their vicinity, including peace, protection, and prosperity. I believe that today the House joins together to wish this upon the iwi. It is our prayer that they will find great prosperity in their time ahead, that throughout the generations that follow there will be great strength and great success, that they will have protection and peace, and that all success will come to them. Kia ora.

Hon SHANE JONES (Labour) Link to this

I te tuatahi me whakahaere wēnei kōrero ōku ki roto i tō tātou reo Māori. E te iwi, koutou ngā uri a Apa-hāpai-taketake kua tatū mai ki Te Ūpoko o te Ika tēnā koutou katoa. Pēnei me tā taku whanaunga a Hone Harawira e kōrero nei, ngā maramara a Kurahaupō, he Kurahaupō i roto i tō koutou rohe, he Kurahaupō anō hoki i roto i tōku rohe. Nō te putanga mai o Kurahaupō kātahi ka pākarukaruhia ki Rangitāhuahua. Nā, ka whakatikangia, ka whakaterengia tonutia ki waenga tonu i a mātou, ki Muriwhenua, ka kitea ko ngā rākau e pua ana. Ko te hanga o wēnā rākau i te takutai, he kura, he whero. Kātahi ka tangotangohia ngā huruhuru tapu, i utaina ki runga i tō tāua waka mai i te motu a Enua Kura i roto i Te Moana Nui a Kiwa, kātahi ka piua ki ngā kare o te wai. Nō te putanga, tatanga, ūnga mai ki uta kātahi ka kitea ko ngā rākau, he kura, he whero, e pōhiri mai ana ki ō tātou tūpuna, kia tae mai ki Aotearoa. Nā me pēnā rawa te kōrero mō ō tātou nei taketake e hoki ana ki te ao kōhatu noa atu. Nā reira tēnā koutou katoa.

[I will make these contributions of mine in the Māori language, from the outset. To the people and descendants of Apa-hāpai-taketake who have arrived here in Wellington, greetings to you all. As my relative Hone Harawira said, oh chips of Kurahaupō, there is a Kurahaupō, as well, in our area.When the Kurahaupō appeared it got damaged at Rangitāhuahua. When it was repaired, it sailed directly into our midst in the far north and saw the trees in flower. Those trees on the beach were red and glowing. The sacred red feathers from the island of Enua Kura in the Pacific, which adorned our canoe, were then removed and tossed on the waves of the tide. When the Kurahaupō appeared, drifted closer to shore, and beached, they saw the red and glowing trees welcoming our ancestors to Aotearoa. Now, that is the sort of talk that explains our origins, which go all the way back to the Stone Age. Therefore, greetings to you all.]

I stand with my colleagues and welcome members of Ngāti Apa here today. I observe that they give as their historical roots descent from Apa-hāpai-taketake and also find great strength and meaning in their proverbs and sayings. I repeat what I observed recently: there is a Ngāti Apa in the South Island as well, and there is a Ngāti Apa whose name is etched in the pages of history. It was they who took the original claim as to whether residual rights belong to Māori in the seabed and foreshore. Small though their numerical strength may be, large is the shadow on the activities of politicians that the name of their tribe casts. Perhaps that is why they have inherited the saying “Apa-wetewete tapiki i te tākiritanga o te ata” [Apa—remover of the hold on the dawn] as referred to by Minister Turia.

This claim is a further step along what is proving to be a protracted process. However, the current Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and colleagues in the Māori Party are advancing the issue of Māori claims towards its inevitable historical conclusion. But every claim that is settled requires a new cluster of skills, and I acknowledge the younger people who have also arrived here. We as Māori must not be like that Japanese soldier from World War II. When he was discovered in the jungles of the Philippines 25 or 35 years later, it was a matter of ignorance for him that World War II had stopped. It is important that we do not repeat the errors of that lost soldier: fighting wars and fighting battles that the world has moved on from.

These settlements, as we address them and pass them into law, require a new level of engagement and a new set of skills, because once the capital is restored to the iwi, each generation needs to grow it and to ensure that it contributes to the overall development of the country. It is only by avoiding the trap of Māori believing that they can be an island unto themselves that we will ensure that the legacy grows.

It is a solemn day, in a sense, because many of the people whom we knew of are no longer here. This group of Māori, this tribe of Ngāti Apa, have, as Minister Turia has said, a proud heritage. They are the people, amongst other things, who have produced the kuia matakite Mere Rikiriki, who laid her mana upon the prophet Tahupōtiki Wīremu Rātana. Indeed, there was some discussion, if my history serves me correctly, that another promising young man, Rangi Māwhete, may actually inherit her mantle. He ended up in the Legislative Council in this House and played a key role marrying the vision of the Māori of Ngāti Apa and other Kurahaupō waka associated with the Rātana Church with that of the Labour Party. That was his contribution not only to his own people from Ngāti Apa and Rangitāne but to the affairs of this House.

I mention their names because they are so easily forgotten, and the names of such powerful figures in our Māori history, who have influenced our overall New Zealand history, must not be obscured on a day like this.

When we go forward with these settlements, it is pleasing to see that the names of the areas are slowly being restored. I did some background research and learnt that the name of Marton came from the name of where James Cook originally came from. That came as an utter surprise to me, and I was in fits of laughter. Recently, I was in the township of Marton visiting a daughter who goes to school up there, and I heard some of the local Māori telling me that the original name of the place was Tūtaenui. I am yet to ascertain whether that is actually correct. But when I hear Simon Power testing my patience in the future, I will explain to him in another speech that Tūtaenui is an appropriate appellation if that is the quality of his contribution.

We should ensure that days like this are a chance for us as proxies for ordinary New Zealand men and women to say that we are prepared to embrace these small but important episodes. It is easy, as I have said in earlier speeches, to say that this settlement is giving too much away or that it is not enough. But I repeat that unless we can capture and sustain legitimacy through taking people with us and ensuring that these settlements cause the ordinary New Zealand taxpayer to by and large believe that they are making a better country for our children and grandchildren, no rūnanga and no Parliament through fiat can command how we as New Zealanders think about each other. It is almost a matter of faith and goodwill.

I am confident that underneath the settlement—when we take away all the ebb and flow of anger, hurt, and dealings with the bureaucracy and indifferent Ministers, etc.—there remains the bedrock feelings of willingness to compromise, and willingness to join together and create something bigger than our own sense of entitlement or our own sense of anger. That is the deeper thing that I hope all of us as parliamentarians, with whatever tribe that comes here, pass on to our children.

Settlements are only a stepping stone. If we want to address the deficit in investment and the deficit in jobs and to encourage firms, we need to ensure that we plumb the depths and not only make a commitment to turn these settlements into flourishing enterprises but also to ensure that the people who are entitled to benefit from the fruits actually do so.

One thing I am not entirely comfortable with is to hear a number of our relations say that this settlement has nothing to do with the iwi, that it is an article 3 or an article 1. These are iwi settlements and “iwi” means people. Wherever an iwi finds its people it ought not only to engage with them but also to ensure that the resources associated with this settlement and the ongoing high-quality relationship, hopefully, with the Crown are dedicated to improving the prospects of the people. As that famous Māori proverb says, “Pluck forth the tender shoot of the flax bush, you will hear the bellbird cry. What does it say? It says the greatest gift of all is humanity, humanity, humanity. Hutia te rito o te harakeke, kei hea te kōmako e kō? Māu e ui mai ki a au, he aha te mea pai? Māku e kī atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata”.

Today is an opportunity for us to celebrate with Ngāti Apa and encourage them to take this settlement to the next stage, but at all times let us remember that it is people whom we need to bring with us as we advance the Māori agenda and the Treaty settlement agenda. Kia ora tātou katoa.