Anei ke pea te whakamarama o tenei korero.

He taonga ka ngaro i te hau; kia kitea mai, katahi ka puta ko te harikoa.

Ki te ata tirohia nga whakapapa me nga korero o nehe o Turanganui a kiwa katahi ka marama tatou ki te tikanga o te manutukutuku mo tona rere ki taua iwi.

Waihoki, e ai ki tenei pire, he rongonui a Rongowhakaata mo te whakarere manutukutuku.

Koia nei ano hoki ko te mahi a te To Rangapu Maori, he whakaara ake i te take nei, ara kia korerorero, kia wananga ki te taha o te mana whenua, o Rongowhakaata.

Ko ta matou, ko te whakarere i te take nei o te tika me te pono, me te wahanga o te tangata whenua i roto i nga whiriwhiringa.

E te kaikorero, e tino tika ana kia tae mai te Pire nei ki mua i te aroaro o te Whare i tenei rangi tonu nei, i a tatou e ata titiro ana ki te wahanga o te Tiriti o Waitangi hei korowai mo nga ture o te motu.

Ka hoki nga mahara ki te take i kokirihia e te Kaunihera Maori o Aotearoa ki te Kooti Pira. Ko ta ratou, ko te noho a Tiriti he rite ki te noho rangapu, ara he wahanga ki a koe, he wahanga ki a au.

Ko te noho rangapu i waenganui i a Pakeha me Maori e akiaki nei i a raua tahi kia tika te noho, kia pono te noho orite.

He aha tenei tu momo rangapu, ko te noho wahangu o tetehi taha?

Na Rongowhakaata te papa o Alfred Cox i tuku, i runga i tikanga o te ture whenua rahui 1977 “hei painga mo te katoa”.

Kati. He aha tona hokinga mai? He whakahawea, he whakaiti.

Ko te whenua kei te putake o te pire nei, he whenua muru i a Rongowhakaata i raro i te Pire Mahi Tumatanui.

Kei roto i te Pire nei ko nga matapono whakahirahira o te Tiriti o Waitangi, na te Pati Maori tonu i whakairi hei mea wananga ma tenei Paremata.

I te panuitanga tuatahi me te mea tuarua o tenei Pire, i whakatakoto matou i nga whainga matua na te Tiriti i whakatau ki runga i tena, i tena.

Kua korerohia e tatou tenei mea te “kawanatanga” me kii ko te wahanga ki te Karauna, ko te hanga ture, me te tango whenua hei painga mo te katoa o te hapori, me tona whanaungatanga ki te rangatiratanga o te ao Maori ki runga i ona whenua.

Ko ta te Karauna oati ki te tangata whenua, ka pumau tona tino rangatiratanga ki runga i ona whenua.

Engari, i tenei, i noho pohehe ke te Karauna he whenua noho kau tenei, a, kaore he raruraru ki te tuku hei whenua parapara ma te taone.

Kei te kokiri anotia e matou tenei take, kia noho tapu nga korero a te Kawanatanga.

Tino kore matou i rata ki nga tiwaha a nga Mema pera i a Moana Mackey me Anne Tolley.

He korero enei kua puta, ano nei, kaore he whakaaro mo nga tangata e pangia ana e tenei Pire.

Ehara mo te torangapu Maori tenei Pire.

I tu matou i runga i te tika ki te whakaatu i nga whakaaro o o matou hapori.

Kei te pumau matou ki te whakaaro me whawhai mo nga tika a Maori, me kokiri hoki i nga take Maori hei painga mo te whenua katoa.

Mo te Tiriti o Waitangi tenei, kia whaioranga ai ia hei kawenata, hei kaupapa mo to tatou kirimana hapori.

He kirimana e taea ai nga iwi katoa te nohotahi ki te whakaatu i o ratou whakaaro, hei whakaputa hoki i o ratou awangawanga.

Tae noa ki te panuitanga tuarua, kaore i tutuki taua kirimana hapori.

Kaore he hiahia ki te hui ki nga mangai o Rongowhakaata me nga iwi o Turanga nui a Kiwa, korero ai mo nga ahuatanga o te Pire.

Koira kau ta matou i hiahia ai, ko te korero.

I haere mai matou ki tenei whare ki te patai i te patai; he orite te mana o nga hoa Tiriti? Mehemea i pera, i te wa i panuitia nga tono a hapori i te Hongongoi ki te Hakihea o tera tau, kua kitea i whai wahi te Kaunihera a rohe o Turanga ki te korerotahi me Rongowhakaata.

Ko te noho tahi, ko te korero tahi, koina tera?

Ko tona tikanga, ka kaha nei na Kaunihera a rohe, a motu hoki, ki te nohotahi ahakoa whanau, hapu, iwi ranei.

E ai ki ta te Taraipiunara titiro ko te nohotahi i runga i te tika me te pono, me whakanui tetahi hoa Tiriti i tetahi.

I takahia, i tukinohia, te tino rangatiratanga o te iwi e nga whakatau a te Kaunihera a Rohe o Turanga, me nga mema Paremata na runga i to ratou kore korero ki nga tangata whenua, to ratou kore aro mai ki te tino rangatiratanga Maori, na runga hoki i te kore hiahia ki te korero ki te tangata whenua, he huri tuara ke.

Kei te marama tonu tatou me hapai i nga tikanga o tenei whare.

He aha te take kaore i perahia nga tikanga mo tenei pire?

Ko nga matapono o te noho rangapu, ara, ko te nohotahi, korerotahi, i runga i te whakaaro ngatahi, ko tona tikanga ka korerohia te Pire nei ki te taha o nga iwi o te Tairawhiti.

Ko ta te Torangapu Maori i roto i nga korero nei, he tono i a Anne Tolley ki te hoki ki te putake o tenei take, ara, ki te korero ki a Rongowhakaata me Turanga Tangata.

E ai ki ta matou i rongo nei, kua pera ke te Kaunihera o Turanga, kua aro pai ia, ki te tikanga o nga matapono o te Tiriti o Waitangi i raro i tenei Pire.

E tika ana ta matou pakanga mo nga korero hitori o te Tai Rawhiti, me to ratou kaha hiahia ki te tiaki i nga ingoa rangatira, i roto i o ratou whakapapa, ka mutu ki te whakanui i o ratou tupuna.

I tona mutunga ko ta matou noa iho, me wananga tenei take.

He kaha nei to matou nei whakapono, ma te iwi Maori ano ana huarahi e whakarite.

Kua timata tera ahuatanga ma tenei pire, ara ko te Alfred Cox Park Bill. Kei te harikoa hoki te Paati Maori kia kite mai ai ko te haki tino rangatiratanga e iri ana kei runga ake, hei whakanui i te wairua o te Tiriti.

A treasured kite lost to the winds, brings much joy when found again

The importance and significance of kite-making and kite flying to the Iwi of Turanganui a Kiwa are obvious when the genealogies and history are looked at. In particular, as relevant to the purposes of this Bill, Rongowhakaata was a kite flyer of some repute.

In many ways, this was what the Maori Party was attempting to do, when we raised the importance of consultation and involvement of mana whenua, Rongowhakaata.

We were flying the kite of justice, the importance of an appropriate and mandated consultation process with tangata whenua.

Madam Speaker, it is highly appropriate that this Bill comes before the House, on a day when we are debating the constitutional significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

We recall the Court of Appeal in the New Zealand Maori Council case, who declared that the Treaty relationship is akin to, or in the nature of a partnership.

A partnership between Pakeha and Maori that required them to act reasonably towards the other, and with the utmost good faith.

What sort of partnership willingly sets up a scenario to create a silent partner?

Rongowhakaata, originally gifted the Alfred Cox Park, within the constraints of the Reserves Act 1977 and a Deed of Trust which represented the ‘utmost good faith’.

Yet how were they treated? With the utmost contempt.

The land from which this Bill derives its source, was wrongfully taken from Rongowhakaata, under the Public Works Act.

The issues raised by the Bill involved important principles of the Treaty of Waitangi which the Maori Party wanted to flag for the consideration of this Parliament.

At both first and second readings of this Bill, we raised the underlying mutual obligations and responsibilities that the Treaty places on each party.

We have talked about kawanatanga - the Crown’s right to make laws and take land in the public interest balanced with rangatiratanga, the guarantees of protection of Maori ownership of lands.

The Crown guaranteed, to tangata whenua, te tino rangatiratanga, the full authority over their lands.

And yet in this case, the Crown assumed that Rongowhakaata land was idle land, and there would be no great shame in using it as a dumping ground for the town’s rubbish.

We take the time to raise these issues again, because they must be considered part of the public record.

We have not been impressed at the outburst of members such as Moana Mackey and National Party MP Anne Tolley, outbursts which have occurred, seemingly, without a heart for all of the people who stand to be affected by this bill.

This Bill was never about the Maori Party.

We stood to make our points, simply to do what was required of us, in representing the views of our constituency.

Our adamant belief is that we must defend Maori rights; and advance Maori interests for the benefit of the nation.

This is about the Treaty as a living instrument, an ongoing partnership which provides our foundation as a developing social contract.

A contract in which all parties come to the table, able to put forward their views, their positions heard, their concerns reflected.

Even up till the second reading, that social contract was not in place.

There had not been a willingness to meet with the appropriate representatives of Rongowhakaata and Turanga iwi to discuss the implications of this bill.

That’s all we were asking for - the moral obligation to talk.

We also came to this House, asking, if there had been equal status of the Treaty partners, then when public submissions were called in July 2005 and closed in December 2005 the record would have shown that the Gisborne District Council made time to discuss the matter with representatives of Rongowhakaata.

Active participation as a partnership principle, is exactly that.

It means local and central government make the effort to engage with whanau, hapu and iwi.

The Tribunal has found that acting reasonably, honourably and in good faith, requires both Treaty partners acknowledge each other’s respective interests and authority over natural resources.

Tribal tino rangatiratanga was compromised, nay sacrificed, by the decision of both the Gisborne District Council and the local MPs to fail to consult. To fail to respect Maori authority. To fail to initiate dialogue; to ignore tangata whenua.

This House is very clear about the significance of protocol as a means of respecting parliamentary business.

It would have been helpful if for this Bill, such respect for protocol was also taken up.

The principles of partnership, of active protection; the duty to act reasonably, honourably and in good faith should have meant the Bill was discussed with local iwi in Tairawhiti.

The Maori Party, in our speeches throughout this debate, have offered Anne Tolley an opportunity to revisit the issue and seek an audience with Rongowhakaata and Turanga Iwi.

We have been informed that the Gisborne District Council has taken up this opportunity, and that there has been an increasing responsibility for proper regard to be had to the impact of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, as it applies in this Bill.

The tribal histories of Tairawhiti; their determination to protect the place names of significance within their whakapapa - and in doing so to honour their tupuna, were worth fighting for.

At the end of the day, all that we sought, was that the discussion take place.

We believe, passionately, in the right of a vibrant Maori society, to be actively involved in securing their future cultural survival.

That discussion has begun in the case of the Alfred Cox Park Bill - and the Maori Party is pleased to see that tino rangatiratanga flag flying, as it should, to honour the spirit of the Treaty.

ENDS

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