Members of Ngāti Pāoa outside Parliament after the iwi's Treaty Settlement passed its third reading. Photo: RNZ / Pokere Paewai
Parliament extended its hours this week to progress three claims settlement bills for Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu, Ngāti Pāoa, and Ngāti Hāua with MPs speaking of redress, apologies, and pardons.
MPs normally gather in the debating chamber at 2pm on sitting days but Tuesday evening's evenings sitting was extended into Wednesday morning specifically to consider these bills.
Claims settlement bills are significant pieces of work that aim to address historical breaches by the Crown of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi. Reaching this stage takes years of negotiations between the Crown and claimant groups so when these bills are before the House, MPs tend to put aside their usual combative approach and instead focus on those directly affected by the bill.
Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Paul Goldsmith, acknowledged the immense effort and compromise of Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu throughout the settlement process which he said started almost 40 years ago.
"I'm keenly aware that Ngāti Tumutumu, of course, have lost a number of esteemed members who contributed to this process and did not live to see this day. This is a special moment in the settlement journey, and it's only appropriate that, at a time like this, we reflect on those who have passed and acknowledge their work and acknowledge the pain and the sense of loss that goes with that."
Green MP Teanau Tuiono said the process is likely to have started even earlier as this was not the first time Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu had come to Parliament on this topic.
"This issue had come to Parliament in 1877 under the Native Affairs Act, where the petitioners argued that Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu were the main occupants of Te Aroha, and they objected to the Crown purchasing land in the block from other iwi," Tuiono said.
Settlement bills include details on the Crown's wrongdoing which Minister Goldsmith said "relate to the Crown's confiscation of land in which Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu had interests after they sent men to fight Crown forces in the Waikato."
He said the Crown's purchasing techniques and control of lands "left Ngāti Tumutumu virtually landless, undermined in their traditional tribal structures, and also caused significant economic, cultural, and spiritual hardship."
The Ngāti Rāhiri Tumutumu Claims Settlement Bill passed its first reading and is now with the Māori Affairs Select Committee which is calling for public submissions on the Bill until 3 December 2025.
One of the three bills has completed its select committee process and was back in the House for its second reading. It's typical at a second reading for MPs to talk about the select committee process and its report, which can include recommended changes to improve a bill.
Minister Goldsmith said the committee process for the Ngāti Hāua Claims Settlement Bill was "expansive and often robust".
Minister for Treaty Negotiations, Paul Goldsmith, speaks during the third reading of the Taranaki Maunga Settlement Bill. There are about 12,000 individual contracts and commitments, with about 150 public organisations. Photo: VNP/Louis Collins
"There was a great deal of interest in the bill. I understand that it has received almost 1,=500 submissions, which is unprecedented for a Treaty settlement bill… I'm satisfied with the committee's recommendations, which had only minor amendments to resolve technical issues and last-minute overlapping interests with a neighbouring iwi. This redress is reflective of a robust negotiation, and many compromises have been made along the way."
There were further details in the speeches on the Ngāti Hāua Claims Settlement Bill about the past actions of the Crown with New Zealand First MP Jenny Marcroft focusing on the Bill's statutory pardon for two Ngāti Hāua ancestors, Mātene Ruta Te Whareaitu and Te Rangiātea.
"They were arrested, tried under martial law, and convicted for partaking in a rebellion against the Crown," she said.
"Te Whareaitu was sentenced to death by hanging and Te Rangiātea died in imprisonment mere weeks after being sentenced. Still to this day their bodies have not been found. This legislation not only pardons them, but it recognises their character, their mana, and their reputation."
The third bill to be progressed by the House during the extended sitting went through the two final stages before a bill is sent off to be signed into law. The Ngāti Pāoa Claims Settlement Bill progressed through both the Committee of the Whole House stage and its third reading.
The Committee of the Whole House stage usually takes longer than a reading as MPs go through the details of the bill line by line to examine if it's going to do what the bill proposes.
But because this bill has been years in the making there is little disagreement from MPs on what changes should be made and the process was more administrative to approve the amendments so they could begin the third and final reading.
Photo: VNP/Louis Collins
It's common for iwi representatives to be in Wellington to watch a claims settlement bill in person but even more so when it's the third reading so rather than speaking to an empty public gallery, MPs were able to speak directly to Ngāti Pāoa and acknowledge their efforts.
National MP Tim van de Molen said negotiators should be proud of what they have been able to deliver.
"I want to acknowledge those members of Ngāti Pāoa who are present in the gallery today and, particularly, acknowledge those that have been more intimately involved in the negotiations and the work getting this claim settlement bill to the point that we are at today," he said.
"Indeed, that has been over a very extended period of time, and I want to acknowledge the good faith on both sides from negotiators as they worked through the process, acknowledging some particularly challenging situations in the past, trying to find a position where agreement can be reached, to ultimately set a strong platform to enable Ngāti Pāoa to move forward with renewed hope and optimism."
He also spoke of the details in the bill for the Crown apology, an agreed historic account and cultural redress which includes the return of 12 culturally significant sites, and $23.5 million and noted that it "obviously only recognises a small measure of what the ultimate view would have been around the impact over a long period of time, and such is the challenge with these Treaty settlement bills."
The third reading might suggest that this is the end of the settlement process but Labour MP Ginny Andersen warned the House that the work is not over.
"While we celebrate this moment, we must also remember that settlement does not mean an end to the Crown's responsibilities. It marks, instead, the beginning of a new relationship, one that requires ongoing commitment to that partnership," she said.
"Settlements provide a base, a platform for iwi to rebuild and thrive, but they do not erase inequality or restore every loss. For true reconciliation, we must continue to ensure Māori voices are heard in decision making, that iwi have equitable access to opportunities, and that te reo Māori and tikanga are respected and normalised right across all spheres of life, including our schools."
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