Hon Christopher Finlayson

CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) : I am conscious of the time, but I want to emphasise on behalf of the National Party that we will be supporting the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill. The process of reconciliation with Tainui was started by National in the 1990s, with Sir Douglas Graham and Sir Robert Māhuta, and this led to the very first settlement—the Waikato Raupatu settlement—in May 1995. In that settlement certain claims were excluded and were to be dealt with later, and this was one of them. The other two relate to the west coast harbours and to what may loosely be called the Auckland lands beyond the river to the north.

It is appropriate to acknowledge the huge contribution made to New Zealand by Sir Robert Māhuta. I know from discussions I have had with Sir Douglas Graham how much Sir Douglas enjoyed working with Sir Robert in the 1990s. I also acknowledge the work of Lady Māhuta and Tuku Morgan. I think that Tainui’s consultation with my party has been excellent. They have kept us fully abreast of all developments, and I thank them for that.

It is almost completely unnecessary to emphasise the importance of the Waikato River to Tainui and to the Waikato. This importance is referred to in the deed of settlement and in the legislation, and is comprehensively set out in the preamble. Over the years there has been increased pollution and degradation of the river, and that has been a cause of great distress to the people of Tainui. That is why, looking ahead, so much emphasis is placed on co-management to ensure that the river can be restored. Now there is an opportunity for the guardians, the local authorities, and the Crown to take up the responsibility for ensuring that the river is healthy for future generations. That is good for Tainui, good for the region, and good for the community.

The bill proposes the establishment of a statutory body called the Guardians of the Waikato River to restore and protect the health and well-being of the river for future generations, and to implement a vision and a strategy to achieve a coordinated approach to the management of the river. The Guardians Establishment Committee was formed in March 2008 to develop the vision and strategy for the river. The committee conducted public consultations on the draft vision and strategy before amending it and recommending it to the Crown and to Waikato-Tainui.

The bill, once enacted, will establish the statutory board. The principal functions of the board are to assist and support Waikato-Tainui in the exercise of their mana whakahaere over the river and to support and promote the special relationship of Tainui with the river, in order to achieve the implementation of the vision and the strategy and to ensure compliance with it. The board will facilitate the effective co-management of the river through interaction with the Crown, local authorities, and other interested stakeholders. The board will also evaluate, at least every 10 years, relevant policies and plans relating to the river and activities in the catchment that affect the river. In the early development of the package, all relevant local authorities in the region were consulted in the development of the board.

This is very interesting legislation, and my friend Mr Henare is correct when he calls it unique. This looks to be an innovative settlement, and overall a very good one. There are, however, a few issues that the Māori Affairs Committee will need to look at closely. The first of these relates to the Kiingitanga Accord, which is the collateral deed between the Crown and Waikato-Tainui, dated 22 August 2008. This accord forms part of the overall settlement, and its integration will likely see the introduction of a number of Supplementary Order Papers, which means that the House as yet does not know the full details of what will be passed into law. When considering this settlement bill, the select committee will also need to pay close attention to the interests of other iwi and hapū within the region, to ensure that the interests of all parties are safeguarded.

National congratulates all interested parties on their achievements to date. As I said, we will support this bill. We look forward to hearing submissions and working with other parties at the select committee.