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The Crown has signed a deed of settlement for all outstanding historical Treaty claims with Ngāti Ranginui at Te Ranga near Tauranga today, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Christopher Finlayson announced.

The Crown was represented at the signing by Mr Finlayson and Minister of Maori Affairs, Dr Pita Sharples. The signing was witnessed by local Member of Parliament Simon Bridges.

Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson is attending the fourth annual Quintet meeting of Attorneys-General, being held in Ottawa, Canada, this week.

The annual meeting is also being attended by the Minister for Home Affairs and Justice of Australia, Hon Jason Clare; the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of Canada, Hon Rob Nicholson PC QC; the Attorney-General of England, Ireland and Wales, the Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC, and the United States Attorney-General, Eric Holder Jr. It is taking place on the 15th of June.

The Crown today initialled a deed of settlement to collectively settle the historical claims of 13 iwi and hapū over shared interests in the Auckland area, including maunga (volcanic cones) and motu (islands), Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Christopher Finlayson announced.

The deed initialling took place at at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and was attended by Mr Finlayson for the Crown, representatives of 12 of the iwi and hapū groups, which have been negotiating as the Tāmaki Collective, and also Mayor Len Brown.

An expert panel will review Te Ture Whenua Māori Act with a view to unlocking the economic potential of Māori land for its beneficiaries, while preserving its cultural significance for future generations, Associate Māori Affairs Minister Christopher Finlayson announced today.

There are over 27,137 blocks of Māori land under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act, comprising 1.42 million hectares, or around 5% of the total land in New Zealand.

The Crown has signed a Deed of Settlement for all outstanding historical Treaty claims with Raukawa at Aotearoa Marae near Te Awamutu today, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Christopher Finlayson announced.

The Crown was represented by Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and the Minister for Whanau Ora, Hon Tariana Turia. The signing was witnessed by local Member of Parliament Louise Upston.

Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson and local MP Louise Upston have had a very constructive and useful meeting today with local landowners which would help inform negotiations on the role of Maungatautari reserve in historical Treaty settlements, Mr Finlayson said.

Culture and Heritage Minister Christopher Finlayson expressed his disgust at protestors who chose to use the National War Memorial in Wellington for political campaigning this morning by hanging banner from the carillon in Wellington.

“The National War Memorial commemorates all those soldiers who died protecting our freedom,” Mr Finlayson said, “and to see it defiled for political reasons is offensive to the whole community no matter what an individual’s political beliefs.”

Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Christopher Finlayson and Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss today welcomed the beginning of the 12th New Zealand Music Month, saying it was a great way to sample from a full range of local music offerings nationwide.

Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Christopher Finlayson this afternoon expressed his sadness at the death of Grant Tilly, a founding member of Wellington’s Circa Theatre.

“Grant had been unwell for some time and his passing is very sad,” said Mr Finlayson. “It is impossible in a press release to list all his achievements in the theatre. He was one of a small group of people who formed Circa Theatre in 1976 and built it into its pre-eminent position today.”

Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Christopher Finlayson has named Greg Donson as The Clark Collection/Creative New Zealand Scholar for 2012. Mr Finlayson said he was delighted to announce the 2012 Scholar as the Scholarship is a partnership which enhances New Zealand's body of expertise in the decorative arts and built heritage.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council and local iwi are leading the way in the management of natural resources, said Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Christopher Finlayson after attending the opening ceremony of the Hawke's Bay Regional Planning Committee.

The government is calling for applications for 2012/13 to its regional museums policy fund for capital Construction projects, Arts Culture and Heritage Minister Christopher Finlayson announced today.

The fund assists regional museum and art galleries that house collections of greatest national significance to improve access to and care of these collections through major construction projects.

About $3 million will be available for allocation to qualifying museum and art gallery redevelopment projects.

The Crown today initialled a Deed of Settlement for all historical Treaty claims of Ngāti Ranginui, the first of three Tauranga iwi. Initialling a deed of settlement signals the end of substantive negotiations.

The deed was initialled in a ceremony at Huria Marae in Tauranga, with Kingi Tuheitia attending. The Crown was represented by Minister of Consumer Affairs Simon Bridges, who is also Member of Parliament for Tauranga.

The House today passed five bills giving effect to historical Treaty of Waitangi settlements, the most Treaty bills passed in any calendar year since the settlement process began in the 1990s.

“Today marks the end of a long journey to settlement for Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Whare, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Pāhauwera,” Mr Finlayson said.

This morning Labour MP Annette King appeared on television and made allegations about the Operation Eight investigation which occurred when she was Police Minister.

There are three on-going matters in the trials arising out of that operation:

1. The defendants’ sentencing on the firearms charges where guilty verdicts were returned;

2. The possibility of the defendants appealing those guilty verdicts; and

Parliament has agreed to extended sitting hours today and, if necessary, to sit on Friday 9 March to give five Treaty settlement bills their first readings and to progress several Treaty bills through other house stages, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Māori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples and Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Christopher Finlayson confirmed today that New Zealand will be sending a waka taua (war canoe) as the country's official participant in the Thames River Pageant, which marks the Diamond Jubilee celebrating the 60th year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II on 3 June.

The New Zealand Government condemns the vandalism of war graves in Libya where hundreds of Commonwealth soldiers are buried and joins the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in expressing shock and sadness, Arts Culture and Heritage Minister Christopher Finlayson said today.

The Air Force Museum in Wigram will be available for the restoration, storage and rehabilitation of heritage and cultural collections displaced by the Canterbury earthquakes thanks to funding from the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust and government, Arts Culture and Heritage Minister Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson has welcomed the findings of a review of the scope and focus of the Solicitor-General’s role and the operating model of Crown Law, released today.

The review, by Auckland barrister Miriam Dean QC and Simpson Grierson Special Counsel David Cochrane, was commissioned by Mr Finlayson in October last year. The role of the Solicitor-General had previously been looked at in 1986 and 2006.

Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Christopher Finlayson on behalf of the Government today congratulated actor and musician Bret McKenzie for winning best original song in the Academy Awards.

Solicitor-General David Brian Collins QC has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Justice Collins graduated with an LLB (Hons) (First Class) from Victoria University of Wellington in 1975, subsequently gaining an LLM in 1976 and an LLD in 1993, also both from Victoria University.

The Government’s commitment to progressing Treaty settlements is being boosted by extended House sitting hours and utilising cognate bill options, Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Christopher Finlayson said today.

Mr Finlayson welcomed the decision of Parliament’s Business Committee to extend the House’s sitting hours for Thursday 16 February and to sit on Friday morning, in part to progress at six bills giving effect to settlements of historical Treaty claims.

The Governor-General has amended the reporting dates for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Building Failure caused by Canterbury Earthquakes, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

The Royal Commission’s report will now be delivered in parts, to allow the fullest examination of important issues while allowing the rebuild of Christchurch to proceed without unnecessary delay.