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Delivered to Parliament

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Ka matakitaki iho au ki te riu o Waikato

Ano nei he kapo kau ake maaku

Ki te kapu o taku ringa

Ka whakamiri noa I toona aratau

E tia nei he tupu pua hou

Kia hiwa ake te Tihi o Pirongia

Ina he toronga whakaruruhau moona

Ki tooku tauawhirotanga

Anaa! Te ngoto o toona ngawhaa I ona uma kiihai I arikarika

A Maungatautari, a Maungakawa

Ooku puke maunga, ngaa taonga tuku iho.

Hoki ake nei au ki tooku awa koiora me oona pikonga

He kura tangihia o te mataamuri

E whakawhiti atu ai I te koopu mania o Kirikiriroa

Me oona maara kai, te ngawhaa whakatupu ake o te whenua momona

Hei kawe ki Ngaaruawaahia, te huinga o te tangata

Araa, te pae haumako hei okiokinga mo taku upoko

Hei tirohanga atu ma raro I ngaa huuhaa o Taupiri

Kei reira ra, kei te orokohanganga o te tangata

Wahia te tuungaroa o te whare, te whakaputanga mo te Kiingi

I look down on the valley of Waikato

As though to hold it in the hollow of my hand

And caress its beauty

Like some tender verdant thing

I reach out from the top of Pirongia

As though to cover and protect its substance with my own

See, how it bursts through the full bosoms of Maungatautari and Maungakawa

Hills of my inheritance

The river of life, each curve more beautiful than the last

Across the smooth belly of Kirikiriroa, its gardens bursting with the fullness of good things

Towards the meeting place at Ngaaruawaahia

There on the fertile mound I would rest my head and look through the thighs of Taupiri

There at the place of all creations

Let the King come forth

I preface my remarks with a maioha from Tawhiao and his reflections on the absolute reverence for his territory; its lands, mountains, sacred places and indeed the Waikato river then full of abundance.

On reflection I am certainly mindful that his reign followed a period of severe trauma with the confiscation of 1.2m hectares of lands. Yet hope and vision to see the restoration of what was lost became a powerful symbol for unity and purpose for the Kiingitanga movement that has endured to this day.

It is a privilege to be speaking in this House for this the first reading of the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill.

I pay homage to those who have gone before us, who carried the struggle of raupatu (the unjust and illegal confiscation of Waikato lands and resources) in search of redress.

In particular I want to acknowledge the leadership of Te Atairangikaahu and Te Kotahi who (like Te Puea before them) weathered the brunt of the vision to move the people beyond grievance towards reconciliation. I also acknowledge the past members of the Tainui Maaori Trust Board and Ngaa Marae Toopu who initiated the Wai 30 claim in 1987.

That leadership was put to the test in the public and more private aspects of their lives. Their decisiveness and determination certainly made this path an easier one to follow. There have been ups and downs but just as the proverbial saying goes "a lot of water has gone under the bridge". Time has played its part. We are now moving forward on one of the four recognised outstanding claims linked to that earlier 1995 Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims Settlement Act, which I might add was assented to by Queen Elizabeth the II in person.

In that regard there is an explicit statement referred to in the Deed of Settlement for the river where the Crown acknowledges that it's "...invasion of the Waikato in 1863 was by land and by the Waikato River which was a double blow to Waikato-Tainui as by the Raupatu the Crown assumed authority over both the land and the river..."

Recognition of this fact is two-fold,

• it reinforces a travesty of our colonial history and
• legitimates the purpose and authority of the Kiingitanga which has acted as a beacon for the aspirations of " te mana motuhake o te iwi maaori".

It is within this context that the approach taken by the previous and current negotiators can be understood which gives insight to the significance of the Kiingitanga Accord contained in the Bill.

First there is recognition that the Waikato River is an indivisible entity; its waters, its banks, its river-bed, its fisheries, vegetation and life source are component parts of the whole. That recognition of ‘Mana o te Awa' extends from Te Hukahuka near Taupo to Te Puaha o Waikato. That Mana is reflected by a korowai that seeks to protect and restore the health and wellbeing of the river. 

Just as the aphorism "Ko Waikato te Awa, Ko Te Wherowhero te tangata, He piko he taniwha, He piko he taniwha" holds true to day this is expressed in the recognition that all iwi along the reaches of the river have an interest and role to play for the long-term.

I acknowledge Tuwharetoa, Te Arawa, the people at Pouakani, Raukawa, Maniapoto who alongside the peoples of Waikato have supported this intent and in time to see its full fruition.

The ‘Guardians of the River' and the vision and strategy deployed by them is key.  I hope that the select committee will give some thought to ensure that the legislative mechanisms are able to achieve consistency across other legislation impinging on the current and future management of the river.

Second the Bill provides for a co-management approach to rekindle the aspiration of Waikato to retain and continue a hands-on relationship to clean up the river its tributaries and contribute to decision-making which impact on the river.

One would hope that the instruments used to strengthen co-management practices will in time see a greater willingness to use existing mechanisms such as S.33 and S.34 of the Resource Management Act. I am mindful that best practice and new technology should aid Waikato to improve the health and well-being of the river. However we should expect further regulatory mechanisms to accelerate that effort and I look forward to the future work of the Statutory Board.

The settlement and its legislation will transform New Zealanders approach to achieving the goals of sustainability of our waterways alongside Maaori.

At a practical level back home where it really matters the benefits are intended to be, for example;

• greater protection and sustainable management of whitebait and fisheries interests at Te Puaha o Waikato
• the regeneration and preservation of eel resources in the Waikato catchment
• bank stabilisation and flood protection of tributaries and along the Waikato
• improved monitoring of water quality, setting of water allocation and ecological flows
• support for science and Maatauranga Maaori research to improve land based practices especially in the agricultural sector
• encouraging Marae to be involved in local projects to enhance the health and wellbeing of river and potentially creating employment opportunities
• that our young people utilise this action as learning models to broaden their experience and career choices

These are but some of the practical benefits.

I expect that the Select Committee may be tasked with considering issues of mandate.  They may also be asked to consider the recognition of interests in the upper catchment that are not captured in this Bill or that of other iwi. 

I am confident as the local MP for Tainui that the process undertaken to get to this point is robust.  The detail of which can be explored at Select Committee.

As the Local MP and the Minister for Local Government I am particularly pleased that both Central and Local Government are locked into this agreement alongside Waikato-Tainui. Everyone has a part to play.

In no way do I underestimate the magnitude of this task and expect ebbs, flows and torrential currents along the way. Our major focus however must be an outcome beyond our generation and for everyones benefit. I know that Waikato-Tainui is not going anywhere and that is the extent of the commitment.

I want to thank Dr Michael Cullen who has shown personal commitment to this and other Treaty Settlements to ensure that Maaori can walk confidently into the future.  I want to thank both Ministers Horomia and Ririnui for their support.  I also want to thank Maaori members across the house for your support and I hope the passage of this Bill at both its first readings will pass unanimously.

Finally, I want to recognise the tenacity and conviction of the principle negotiators Raiha Mahuta and Tuku Morgan, your negotiating team led by Denese Henare, Shane Solomon, Donna Flavell and the Kaumaatua who have walked with you to achieve this outcome.

Like the Raupatu Settlement, the real gains of this River Settlement will only be realised in hindsight. A great deal has been achieved and there will be more to do!! I am proud that a Labour-led Government is prepared to move into new territory through this settlement.

Can I end in the words of the late Te Kotahi Mahuta when in 1999 he said;

"We are not concerned about the ownership of the River but rather its present and future health...Everyone seems to have abdicated responsibility for ensuring the health of the River and thus this is the main thrust of the claim. The sole and principal beneficiary of the claim must be the River......Our principle objective is to clean up the river from the Huka falls down to Port Waikato so that its health  might be restored to enable all people to enjoy the fishing, recreational and other activities associated with the Waikato river..."

No reira, kaati raa koia nei ngaa whakaaro mo tooku awa koiora.

Pai Maarire.

 

 

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