Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) : I welcome the representatives of both Ngāti Manawa and Ngāti Whare who have joined us tonight for this great occasion. Engagement in these settlements requires commitment and courage. It often involves some difficult trade-offs, personally and professionally, by those who are so involved in it. I pay tribute to the leadership, the pragmatism, and the hard work of the negotiating teams of the two iwi who are with us tonight.
It is through the diligent labour of those people that we are here on this occasion. I particularly acknowledge those who are no longer with us, especially the late Ngāti Manawa leader Bill Bird, who provided the leadership and guidance for Ngāti Manawa for so many years. His determination to ensure that the settlement addressed the grievances of Ngāti Manawa and that there was meaningful redress that would benefit Ngāti Manawa now and in the future will be his legacy. He will never be forgotten. Mr Horomia was so right: that ghastly disease weakened and killed Bill, but he fought to the very end. Indeed, I recall my last meeting with him at a hotel in Rotorua. He was so ill it took him about 20 minutes to get from the car into the hotel, but he was a man of great courage and great spirit. He made a huge contribution at that meeting. I think it was at that meeting that we sealed the deal. I am so very saddened he has passed prior to this bill being introduced in the House, but I am heartened that he was able to sign the deed of settlement on behalf of his people. E te rangatira, moe mai rā. [Oh chief, rest in peace.]
I also mention Denise Howden, a negotiator for Ngāti Manawa who has passed away. Her legacy lives on in the settlement, especially in the commercial redress. E te tuahine, moe mai rā. [Oh sister, rest in peace.]
So this is, as other speakers have said, a very important day, not only for those of us gathered here today but for those who have gone before us and for those who will follow us. Today is as much about them as they are about us here today.
As other speakers have said, the grievances of these two iwi are significant and they are longstanding. This bill recognises and addresses those grievances. This bill settles all of Ngāti Manawa and Ngāti Whare’s historical Treaty of Waitangi claims. Both iwi have a close relationship. Their areas of interest overlap each other. It is important to remember that they are intrinsically linked. Ngāti Whare’s ancestor Wharepākau, and Ngāti Manawa’s ancestor Tangiharuru, were uncle and nephew. So it seems only fitting that the two iwi come together as whānau to complete their settlement legislation. In November 2003 the Crown recognised the mandates of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Manawa and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whare, and negotiations began with the signing of terms of negotiation in May 2004. As Mr Horomia has said, both iwi were part of the central North Island collective whose forestry claims were addressed as part of that settlement. Since the central North Island settlement, Ngāti Whare and Ngāti Manawa have progressed largely in parallel to complete their comprehensive negotiations.
In 2009 the Crown and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whare and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Manawa signed separate deeds of settlement to settle all of their outstanding historical Treaty of Waitangi claims. I acknowledge my predecessor, Dr Cullen, and the work he did. I also acknowledge Mita Ririnui and Mr Horomia for their contribution.
It is significant and a reflection of their longstanding whakapapa ties that these two iwi are back together in this omnibus settlement bill. Although they have strong links it is appropriate that their grievances are recognised in their own settlement Acts, so I, in due course, will seek permission from the House to split the bill into two parts: namely, the Ngāti Manawa Claims Settlement Bill and the Ngāti Whare Claims Settlement Bill. These settlements, along with the central North Island settlement and the affiliate Te Arawa iwi and hapū settlement will greatly assist toward the resolution of historical Treaty claims in this region. So today is a very important step in acknowledging the grievances and moving forward together.
Ngāti Manawa’s settlement is intended to meet the traditional historical, cultural, and spiritual interests of the iwi. The aspects of the cultural redress package aim to reinvigorate the relationship between Ngāti Manawa and sites of significance in their areas of interest. Included through the vesting of sites of particular significance are the erection of pou rāhui to mark traditional iwi boundaries, the creation of a body to restore Ngāti Manawa and Ngāti Whare’s mana over their ancestral river and their relationship with eel or tuna, and, importantly, the transfer and gift back of Ngāti Manawa’s ancestral maunga Tāwhiuau.
The redress provided to Ngāti Whare recognises that the nation has benefited greatly from the resources of their rohe. We should recognise that many of the State houses in this country that shelter our people in times of need and in which future leaders have been raised came from the Whirinaki. The Crown has not always appropriately recognised this contribution Ngāti Whare have made to the history and future of our nation, nor has it noted the costs that their ancestral lands bore as a result of the forestry industry.
Following the signing of the deed of settlement in December last year, I had the honour of planting a few trees as a first stage of the regeneration project. I have to tell Mr Hughes that they were not cactus, they were rimu, and I hope that James Carlson is looking after them. It is my sincere hope that in the years to come, future generations of New Zealanders will enjoy the Whirinaki as it was before the forestry industry took its toll on the mighty rimu, kahikatea, and miro. Other speakers are quite right, and they have said it in this debate and in other debates that of course it is not possible fully to compensate iwi for the loss their peoples have suffered. But hopefully the cultural redress in this bill seeks to recognise Ngāti Manawa and Ngāti Whare’s longstanding cultural and spiritual association with this region. The Crown is acutely aware when it enters negotiations that full restitution is impossible; we cannot turn back the clock or return all that was lost. I am very aware of the generosity of both these iwi in accepting this, and I pay tribute to that now. Their gift to the nation in doing so is gratefully received.
I am confident that this bill will settle these claims in a just and final manner, taking into account all of their grievances and the rights of all New Zealanders. I acknowledge these two iwi, who have suffered the breaches of the Treaty and who have carried these grievances, as Mr Horomia said, for far too long. I acknowledge the trustees of both rūnanga. Their dedication and determination on behalf of their iwi have been vital in achieving settlement.
The introduction of this bill begins the last stage of the settlement that seeks to recognise what is important to the peoples of Ngāti Manawa and Ngāti Whare, and to provide redress for historical breaches of the Treaty. It is one of the many settlements the Government is progressing at this time. So I pay tribute to those who are present. I promise them that this bill will be entrusted to the Māori Affairs Committee under the excellent chairmanship of Mr Henare, and I am sure Mr Horomia, Mr Ririnui, and Mr Davis will be there helping. We will get the bill back to the House as quickly as we can and enacted into law.
