Hon Christopher Finlayson

Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) : I move, That the Whanganui Iwi (Wanganui (Kaitoke) Prison and Northern Part of Wanganui Forest) On-account Settlement Bill be now read a second time. Perhaps because I am Acting Leader of the House, I will resist all efforts by the chief Government whip for the House to lift before 6 o’clock; I think we should work to rule—work until 6 o’clock.

The bill gives effect to aspects of the deed of on-account settlements signed by the Southern Whanganui Cluster / Tūpoho working party on behalf of Whanganui iwi and the Crown on 31 July 2009. It protects iwi interests in the northern part of the Wanganui Forest and the half share in the land under the prison. The agreement by the Crown to enter into an on-account settlement was a result of discussions between Ngāti Apa North Island and the working party to address concerns Whanganui iwi had with aspects of the Ngāti Apa settlement. Addressing overlapping interests is a difficult and complex aspect of the negotiations process, and the on-account settlement is a creative solution to those issues.

The deed of on-account settlement provides the working party with an opportunity to acquire a half share in the land under the Wanganui Prison and the half of the Wanganui Forest not offered to Ngāti Apa North Island. The right of deferred selection offered to Whanganui iwi over these properties is subject to Ngāti Apa North Island deciding whether they wish to purchase the half share of the land under the prison or the forest. The value of the assets transferred in this on-account settlement will be taken into account when the Crown makes an offer of redress for the final settlement of the iwi historical claims. The transfer of these properties is closely linked to provisions in the Ngāti Apa bill to transfer the land under the prison and the southern part of the forest.

I propose that this bill be progressed through its stages as a companion measure to the Ngāti Apa (North Island) Claims Settlement Bill we have just dealt with in order for the bills to receive Royal assent on or close to the same date. I thank the members of the Māori Affairs Committee for their excellent work. The hearings were held in Marton on the same day as the Ngāti Apa bill at Turakina Māori Girls College. The committee has examined the bill and there are a couple of minor technical changes reflecting the name. I want to thank Mr Henare and his team for the excellent work they did, and I want to thank members of the working party for their work in reaching this on-account settlement in such short time frames. Once again, I thank the committee for their work.