There are only two days to go for the third and final reading of our Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill in Parliament: 6 September 2018.

When this happens, Parliament will enact the settlement, and it becomes law. We are so excited for this incredible and historic event for our iwi to happen on Thursday. This is a huge milestone for all our iwi, hapū and whānau – and we have been busy making plans so you can join in on the celebrations.

Following on from our initial email on there have been some changes to the times. Below are the confirmed event details.

Programme of events for the day

12pm:

  • Meet at Parliament if you have been selected by your kāhui to go into Parliament.
  • For those who won’t be able to get into Parliament, meet at Pipitea Marae from 12pm onwards.  The Third Reading will be livestreamed by Parliament TV and you will be able to follow the proceedings from Pipitea Marae.
  • Please email Project Manager, Ropata Rotohiko Ainsley by email (ropata@ttotw.iwi.nz) or phone 027 911 2726 if you will be at Pipitea Marae during that period. It is important that we know how many people we need to plan for.

12.30pm:

  • Proceed through Parliament security.

1pm:

  • Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa are ushered to the Grand Hall where they will receive the call into the Legislative Council Chamber.

1.15pm:

  • Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa will be welcomed in the Legislative Council Chamber by the Parliamentary Kaiwhakarite, Kura Moeahu, Ministers, and MPs.
  • The Legislative Council Chamber holds approximately 250 people. Remaining iwi will be seated in the adjoining Grand Hall which opens onto the Legislative Council Chamber. Screens in the Grand Hall will also show events in the Legislative Council Chamber.

2.00pm:

  • Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa to be ushered to the House gallery and are seated in preparation for their reading.
  • The House Gallery holds approximately 150 people. Remaining iwi will be seated in the Grand Hall where they will view the reading on screens. Tea and coffee will be made available.

2.00pm:

  • Question time starts.

2.45 – 3.15pm:

  • Third reading speeches for the Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill begin following the completion of Question Time.

4.45 – 5.15pm:

  • Reading finishes. Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa exit Parliament and depart for Pipitea Marae for hākari.

6.00pm:

  • Dinner is served at Pipitea Marae.

8.30pm:

  • Dinner concludes.

Please note:

  • Suit jackets are required for men seated in the Speakers gallery.
  • When the reading begins is uncertain as it depends on when question time finishes and whether an urgent debate is called. Question time usually runs from 2.00pm to 2.45 – 3.15pm.
  • An urgent debate can be called without notification and can be agreed by the Speaker of the House on the day. An urgent debate can delay the beginning of the reading for up to 90 minutes. It is therefore possible the reading can start as late as 4.45pm and finish as late as 6.45pm.

Waiata

We will be singing four waiata to celebrate our Third Reading. These are:

Click on each song title to listen to the waiata. We encourage you to learn the words so you can join in when it is time to sign our waiata during our Third Reading celebrations. The words to the waiata can be found here.

Transport

Thank you to all those who got in touch early to reserve their seat on the buses. The buses that Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust organised for each kāhui are now full, and we have filled the seven plane seats for some of our kaumātua.

If you are driving, we encourage you to carpool if you can, and to allow plenty of time to get to Parliament on time.

Livestreaming

If you cannot make it to the celebrations, you will be able to watch the Third Reading on Parliament TV or listen on Parliament Radio.

Parliament TV also livestreams from inside the House of Representatives, so you will be able to watch via your phone or computer in real time the third and final reading of our Iwi and Hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Claims Settlement Bill in Parliament.

More information on how you can tune in, can be found here.

We encourage whānau to let our elders in particular know this option is available and show them how they can access Parliament TV, Parliament Radio or the Parliament livestream.