6. TE URUROA FLAVELL (Māori Party—Waiariki) Link to this
to the Minister in Charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations
He aha tā Ngāti Whāoa i roto i te Tikanga Whakaaetanga i hainatia i ngā wiki e rua kua hipa i waenganui i te Karauna me ngā kāhui māngai, e mōhiotia nei, ko te Kotahitanga ā-iwi i Te Puku o Te Ika-a-Māui?
[What involvement has Ngāti Whāoa had in the terms of agreement signed 2 weeks ago between the Crown and representatives of the iwi group known as the Central North Island Collective?]
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) Link to this
Ngāti Whāoa has been included in the Te Pūmautanga o Te Arawa settlement and Te Pūmautanga itself is not a part of the central North Island iwi collective, although it retains a watching brief on the work of the collective. The issue of whether Ngāti Whāoa is part of the Te Pūmautanga collective moving forward is in dispute at the present time, and further work is proceeding on that. The Crown supports participation being as wide as possible in the Central North Island Collective, which is why the agreement includes provision for expanding the membership of the collective in the future.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Would the Minister accept that the forest interests of Ngāti Whāoa, because of the signing of the Central North Island Collective agreement, may be compromised, and how will he move to rectify the situation?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
No, I certainly do not at this point. What those interests are, and how they interrelate with other interests, are matters to be explored as part of this process. At this point nobody’s interests, I think, can be said to have been compromised. I note that the deputy chairperson of the Waitangi Tribunal has ruled within the last couple of days on an application for interference in this process. To quote: “This initiative can only be applauded, and the tribunal would most reluctant to do anything obstructive to achieving the outcome. It is clear that the vast majority of claimant groups in the central North Island are now pursuing this objective.”
Hon Mark BurtonHon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
I saw reports on television this morning where Mr Key announced that he was abandoning a firm deadline for settling historical Treaty claims. He claimed that National had never had a firm deadline for settling with claimants. That is simply incorrect. The policy was to settle historical Treaty claims within 5 years of taking office. This is yet another example of National slipping and sliding around.
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
Very good progress has been made, building on the work of my predecessors Mark Burton and the Hon Margaret Wilson. In addition to signing terms of agreement with the Central North Island Collective, last month we also signed terms of negotiation with Ngāti Mākino and Waitaha. That builds on the end of the year, with the Waikato-Tainui heads of agreement in terms of the Waikato River claim and with the Port Nickerson—[ Interruption] that was a slip of the tongue; I am sure the member never makes a slip of his tongue anywhere—with the Port Nicholson Block Claims Team to settle all outstanding historical claims of Taranaki Whānui.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
What concerns is he aware of about the process that committed Ngāti Whāoa, by being coupled with Ngāti Tahu, into the membership of the collective known as Te Pūmautanga o Te Arawa by being coupled with Ngāti Tahu; and what action will he take to address those concerns?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
I am aware of a dispute, which is with representatives of Ngāti Whāoa, principally Peter Staite and Walter Rika, who played an active part of the Te Arawa group, which is not part of the Te Pūmautanga o Te Arawa grouping. At the moment we are engaged in trying to sort what the facts are in that respect. The Crown facilitator is engaged in a variety of actions, and I expect to receive further recommendations for consideration. My preference, of course, is for people to put aside whatever other differences they may have had and to participate in the Central North Island Collective process at this point, because that is likely to achieve, at the end of the day, the most effective long-term outcome for all central North Island iwi and hapū by maximising the commercial value of any settlement process.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Is the Minister aware that at a hui held at Ōhaaki marae, Reporoa, on 17 July 2003, a hui at which the Crown purports to have obtained a mandate from Ngāti Whāoa, 68 members of Ngāti Whāoa walked out of the hui; and would he not consider that such a unilateral walk-out hardly constitutes a fair and just process?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
It is not for me to comment on whether people should have walked out of a particular hui or not. If they had stayed within the room the outcome might have been different, of course, at that particular point. As I say, I am seeking further advice at this stage, but it would be a great tragedy if, at the end of the day, an attempt to put together an entire collective agreement around the central North Island forest was derailed by an extremely small group of people. I hope people can be kept inside the tent. Every effort is being made by Wira Gardiner and others to get people inside that tent, because I think it would be awful if, in 20 years’ time, we were still talking about the attempt to put together a central North Island forest settlement.