Ngati Tuwharetoa, Raukawa, and Te Arawa River Bill

Ngati Tuwharetoa, Raukawa, and Te Arawa River Iwi - Waikato River Bill

Ngati Tuwharetoa, Raukawa, and Te Arawa River Iwi - Waikato River Bill Hone Harawira, Maori Party Member of Parliament for Te Tai Tokerau Wednesday 28 July 2010 *** E te kaiwhakawaa, e mea ana a Kingi Tawhiao “kotahi te kōwhao o te ngira e kuhuna ai te miro mā, te miro whero, me te miro pango”,

Mr Speaker, King Tawhiao once said “there is but one eye of the needle through which the white, the red and the black thread shall pass”.

Such are the threads taken up by the people of Ngäti Tüwharetoa, Raukawa, and Te Arawa River Iwi, in their pursuit of the sustainability and health of the Waikato River for present and future generations through this bill which delivers a co-governance framework recognising the enduring relationship of the iwi and the river - no reira me mihi au ki a koutou e nga iwi e whai nei i tëneki kaupapa rangatira.

Last week Ngapuhi hosted the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples, Professor James Anaya - and he rightly noted the vulnerability of the principles of the Treaty, the lack of Maori bargaining power in settlement negotiations, and the lack of outcomes that provide full and adequate redress to Maori grievances.

And I note here that despite the well known pitfalls of treaty settlements and the obvious element of unfairness, the iwi have accepted that the sacrifices they have made are a necessary commitment to ensuring the future health and prosperity of their river, through this bill.

And so again I commend all those who have carried this challenge - for the breadth of their vision, the courage of their long-term view, for being willing to set aside commercial gain and personal glory, to put aside tribal differences, for pulling together existing statutory frameworks, for upholding the obligations of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and for creating co-management arrangements with local authorities, in the best interests of their ancestral river.

But this bill goes further than just the high level stuff; it also deals with the detail – fishing regulations; an integrated river management plan; iwi environmental management plans; accords between Ministers and iwi; mechanisms for dealing with customary activities; and joint management of resource management issues including preparing, reviewing, changing, monitoring and enforcement of RMA plans.

Mr Speaker, the Maori Party supports this bill in advancing the aspirations of Ngäti Tüwharetoa, Raukawa, and Te Arawa River Iwi for the Waikato River, in recognising the vision and strategy for the river as expressed by its descendants; and in allowing these iwi groups to establish tikanga to ensure the wellbeing of their river, with all the rights and responsibilities that come with the status of kaitiaki.

We support that, and we salute those iwi for their progress to date. We respect the patience and the commitment that the iwi have shown in getting the bill to this point, and for all of these reasons, we in the Maori Party are happy to support this Bill at first reading.

ENDS