Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations) : 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: Oh, Minister!
Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: Mr Horomia is not one of them, either. The passage of this bill concludes a long journey for Ngāti Apa. The claim started in December 1991 with the lodging of Wai 265 with the Waitangi Tribunal. That claim, as well as Wai 655, will be settled with the passage of this legislation. I very much want to acknowledge the many kuia and kaumātua who are no longer with us, who provided leadership and inspiration during this long journey towards settlement. It is a fact, and I have seen it time and time again, that those whose names were on the claim forms to the Waitangi Tribunal are no longer with us, but their children, and sometimes even their grandchildren, carry the burden of the claim through to settlement. When we settle in those circumstances, it is deeply moving and humbling. I too endorse the comments of Mrs Turia in paying tribute to the visionary leadership of the negotiating team, who have conducted a superb set of negotiations throughout the various stages of the process.
The previous speaker referred to the Crown apology. It is an essential component of the exercise we have been undertaking for so many years, because, as a part of this settlement, the Crown apologises to Ngāti Apa for past dealings that breached the Crown’s obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi. Those breaches included a failure to ensure that Ngāti Apa were left with sufficient land for their present and future needs, a failure to ensure that the Native Land Court gave effect to the terms of the 1849 Rangitīkei-Turakina purchase deed, and a failure to protect Ngāti Apa’s traditional tribal structures. The Crown can never fully compensate Ngāti Apa for their losses and dispossession, but through the settlement in this bill, we can provide the means for them to move forward to achieve their future, which I am sure will be great. So I hope the Crown apology and settlement will lay the ground for rebuilding a lasting relationship of trust and mutual cooperation between the Crown and Ngāti Apa.
I acknowledge the role of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Apa in the settlement of these claims and the hard work of the negotiation team. I commend the work of the Office of Treaty Settlements in negotiating this settlement on behalf of the Crown, and in particular I acknowledge the work of Ross Philipson as chief negotiator. It is my hope and my intention to deliver the Crown apology on a Ngāti Apa marae early next year for all Ngāti Apa people to hear their historical grievances acknowledged and addressed, and that is always such an important part of what we are doing. Just a couple of weeks ago I dealt with another Ngāti Apa at Ōmaka Marae, Kath Hēmi’s Ngāti Apa, and when I read out the apology silence fell, everyone was very intently listening. It is an extremely important part of the exercise we are undertaking.
So the Ngāti Apa settlement is one of the many settlements this Government is progressing, towards our aspirational goal of justly and durably settling historical Treaty of Waitangi claims by 2014. I wish Ngāti Apa well in their future endeavours. I look forward to meeting with them, as I said, on one of their marae early in the new year to read out the apology formally. I commend this bill to the House.
