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CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) : As previous National speakers have said, we will support the second reading of this bill. We will also support the Government’s proposed Supplementary Order Paper 250 and its amendment to clause 12. I am particularly pleased that the Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations has tabled an amendment to clause 5, which we can deal with when the Committee discusses Part 1.
 
 
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.
 
 
CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) : The National Party enthusiastically endorses the Public Lending Right for New Zealand Authors Bill, and we will support its third reading. As I said last night during the second reading debate, it is one of those strange pieces of legislation. If one is a property rights person, one can be very much in favour of the public lending right from a property rights point of view. If one is a socialist or a social democrat and believes that everyone should be on welfare, then likewise it is utterly acceptable. So there is no reason why anyone in this House should oppose this legislation. It serves our excellent New Zealand authors very well indeed, and my personal hope is that we will be able to do more for authors in the years to come.
 
 
CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) : The National Party will support the Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Bill through all its stages.
 
 
Part 4 Commercial redress

CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) : I will take a brief call on Part 4. I do not intend to say much about Subpart 1, which deals with the “Transfer of commercial redress properties”. These properties are defined by clause 10 as meaning “the licensed land” and “a deferred selection property”. That is all in order and can be supported.
 
 
CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) : As the Minister in the House, Judith Tizard, knows, National will support the second reading of this bill. I look forward to the Committee stage, because some interesting definitional matters will need to be dealt with, and I will explain the rationale for those in a moment.
 
 
CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) : As my colleague Georgina te Heuheu said, National supports the third reading of the Affiliate Te Arawa Iwi and Hapu Claims Settlement Bill and congratulates all those who have put so much work into it. I believe that above all this bill is evidence of statesmanship by the affiliate, which has shown a huge willingness to compromise. As the Minister rightly said, huge generosity of spirit was shown by the affiliate’s leaders throughout this entire process. That has resulted in this settlement and the central North Island settlement, which we will consider shortly. I have always enjoyed my meetings with the leaders of Te Arawa. They are principled and they are patient, especially in the face of delay and disappointment. To paraphrase what a former English judge said of himself—probably incorrectly—they have every Christian virtue except resignation; they have soldiered on very well. A third reading is not the place for reviewing the mistakes of the past. Now we must all move forward in a spirit of generosity.
 
 
CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) : Mr Deputy Speaker, may I begin my third reading speech on the Te Roroa Claims Settlement Bill by wishing you all the best. I was very interested in all of your speech last night, but particularly in the part about your youth spent growing up in this area, the rohe of Te Rōroa. I thank you for your friendship and guidance over the years, and I wish you all the best.
 
 
Part 2 Provisions relating to transfers of assets, allocation principles, Crown agreed proportion, and DSP properties

CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) : I am pleased that we will be debating schedule 2, because it would make no sense to debate Subpart 2 of Part 2 without looking at schedule 2.
 
 
CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) : I want to thank the Minister in charge of the bill, the Hon Rick Barker, for those generous comments, and endorse what he said about thanks being due to many people who have made this very important project finally come to fruition. Indeed, the Judicature (High Court Rules) Amendment Bill has had, by the standards of this House at least, a very speedy passage, but there was a very lengthy gestation period.