Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Bill

This settlement is a very exciting one for the Green Party, as it provides a new mechanism for the real co-management of natural resources—in this case, the Waikato River. Co-management, if it is truly a partnership between iwi and others, can demonstrate a major shift in trust between the Treaty partners. What we know is seriously lacking in the management of our natural resources is trust that Māori can and do manage natural resources exceptionally well. We know of hundreds of local examples of that in terms of both marine and terrestrial resources. But today we have a bill that lifts it to another level.

Just recently, as I have been travelling around this country to look at a lot of freshwater issues, it has struck me time and again that the kaitiaki who have been looking after our freshwater resources have been local hapū. The Muaūpoko people who have been fighting to protect Lake Horowhenua, along with Ngāti Raukawa, have been struggling for decades to protect that beautiful lake. They have been the ones who time and again have stood up and fought to protect that lake against a whole series of other people who have not been there. We should have trust that hapū will protect those natural resources.

Likewise, just recently in the Hokianga, when I was at Kokohuia Marae on the Hokianga harbour with Ngāti Korokoro, Te Pouka, and Ngāti Whārara, we sat around and talked about the impacts that sewage was having on the beautiful Hokianga harbour. Those local hapū were doing their damnedest to protect that beautiful water resource, and we should trust them to do their damnedest to protect our resources. That is why a co-management model is the way the Green Party thinks that we should go. It should be a co-management model whereby we stand alongside those people as they try to protect resources.

This bill sets out a detailed structure with the primary aim of restoring the Waikato River to a healthy state. The structures are designed to be inclusive and to incorporate a range of other iwi, councils at all levels, the community, and the Crown. That kind of iwi collaboration is a model that the Government should take particular note of. Exhibiting trust in iwi does not come naturally all the time to the Government, as we know.

But I also say there is a tremendous challenge for anyone whose goal is to clean up the Waikato River. The Waikato River is in a disgraceful state, and that is the truth. The clarity of the water at the Huka Falls is such that one can see an object about 14 metres away. One can see an object 14 metres away through the water in Lake Taupō, but by the time one gets to the last 50 kilometres of the Waikato River one can barely see an object one metre away. There the water is so full of sediment and algae, and so heavily polluted that the visual clarity is very, very low.

I say to the people of Auckland that they have a particular interest in this bill. They may think that Waikato does not have much to do with Auckland, but 10 percent of Auckland’s water comes out of the Waikato River. All the future expansion of the water supply for Auckland—drinking water for the people in Auckland—will come from the Waikato River. I have spent a number of hours with Watercare Services and discussed that very issue. Most of the water will come from the Waikato River. The people of Auckland will be dependent on this co-management model to protect their drinking water, and they will be dependent on the iwi on those bodies to actually protect it. So I think that the people of Auckland should pay particular attention to this bill, and thank the iwi that are standing up to protect this beautiful river.

I also say that the challenges for the Waikato River are enormous. We have massive dairy conversions under way in its catchment right now. Hamilton is, hopefully, preparing to improve its sewerage services so that less nitrogen will end up in the Waikato River, but all of that gain will be lost by conversions to dairying. Some of the giant dairy conversions will throw something like 750 tonnes of nitrogen a year into the Waikato River. So although we can say it is good that there are some improvements, particularly around the discharge of sewage, and, hopefully, there will be more to come, we also know that the benefit of those improvements will be entirely wiped out by the dairy conversions that are under way in that catchment. If we do not put some controls around that process, we will not achieve the objectives of this bill. The iwi objectives, along with our objectives, will not be achieved if we do not put a hold on the massive dairy conversions that are under way.

We thank Lady Raihā Māhuta, Tuku Morgan, and everyone who took the time to talk with our spokesperson on Māori issues, Metiria Turei, who sends her apologies because she cannot be here today. We have a much better understanding of both the process that Tainui have gone through and the value of their success, because of the time that was taken to talk to us. We know that this bill will not progress until after the general election, but we very much look forward to hearing in more detail in future about the issues regarding the process.

No doubt concerns about the settlement will be raised, as well. The settlement process is one that does not truly honour the Treaty. It is one that takes from some people to give to others. It is one that picks winners and losers, and expects everyone to be grateful.

We acknowledge that the Crown and its representatives have breached, and continue to breach, Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We support the resolution of, and payment of restitution for, all outstanding historical and contemporary breaches. We continue to work for a process that truly achieves that. In the meantime we know that many, many kuia and kaumātua have worked extremely hard to bring this settlement about, and we respect their work. We give our best wishes to all of them.