Upper Whanganui River iwi Ngāti Hāua has initialled its Deed of Settlement for historical Treaty of Waitangi claims, describing it as an historic step forward.
The milestone comes after “a long seven years” of negotiations with the Crown. It now goes before iwi members in a formal, two-month ratification process.
If accepted by the iwi, Ngāti Hāua and the Crown will sign the Deed of Settlement next year in Taumarunui.
Key elements of the settlement are statutory pardons for tūpuna whose wrongful convictions in 1846 remain a source of historical pain, the iwi said.
It said the initialling at Parliament on Thursday of Te Pua o Te Riri Kore was a significant milestone that acknowledged the grievances endured by the iwi and set a foundation for reconciliation, restoration and a revitalised future.
Ngāti Hāua Iwi Trust chair, Graham “Tinka” Bell, said the moment was profoundly significant.
“In 1866, our tupuna erected a niu pou called Riri Kore to mark the end of hostilities with the Crown. However, we continued to be labelled and stigmatised as hauhau, as rebels.
“Since that time our leaders have fought to retain our mana motuhake and our ability to protect and provide for our people, our kāinga and our whenua.”
In the 1840s, the Crown negotiated on behalf of the New Zealand Company with another iwi to purchase land in Heretaunga (the Hutt Valley), where some Ngāti Hāua hapū had settled.
The hapū were ordered to leave under threat of military force. When fighting broke out, the Crown captured and court-martialled Ngāti Hāua tūpuna.
Formal pardons will be granted for Mātene Ruta Te Whareaitu, who was sentenced to death and executed by hanging, and Te Rangiatea, who was sentenced to confinement for the rest of his life and died soon after in prison. Another five tūpuna were exiled to Australia.
Historical information points to these events as a catalyst to further fighting between Ngāti Hāua and the Crown in Whanganui in 1847.
These events and others will be formally acknowledged in the settlement and the Crown will apologise for the impact of its breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Ngāti Hāua, whose traditional lands extend north and west from Mt Ruapehu and include the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, has negotiated financial redress of $20.4 million and a $6m cultural revitalisation fund to support the return of cultural sites and initiatives in language, marae, and cultural heritage preservation.
The settlement also includes the return of 64 culturally significant sites, among them Ngā Huinga and Whakapapa Island Scenic Reserve.
Fifteen original Māori place names will be restored and 12 conservation sites will be transferred in fee simple without reserve status.
The extent of Ngāti Hāua’s loss of land through confiscation and the Native Land Court in the 19th and early 20th centuries meant that the iwi’s economic base was eroded, along with the ability to sustain itself.
“Consequently, Ngāti Hāua have suffered poor housing, low educational achievement and a lack of opportunities for social and economic development,” information from Ngāti Hāua and the Crown states.
“This, in turn, has led to a dispersal of the Ngāti Hāua population to urban centres, and a loss of community, te reo Māori skills, and traditional cultural practices.
“The extensive loss of Ngāti Hāua lands has eroded tribal structures, created severe poverty, and damaged the physical, cultural and spiritual health of generations of Ngāti Hāua people and left them unable to exercise katiakitanga over their forests, waters, kāinga and wāhi tapu.”
Bell said the settlement would provide Ngāti Hāua with a foundation to better provide for kaumātua and mokopuna, marae, hapū and whenua.
“This settlement finally bears the fruits of the peace that our tūpuna sought with the Crown.
“We look forward to taking the settlement to our people and will leave it in their hands to decide whether this settlement is enough for us to move forward and rebuild our tribal nation, for us and those to come.”
The ratification process asks iwi members aged 18 and over to vote on whether to accept the settlement package and approve the establishment of Te Whiringa Kākaho o Ngāti Hāua, a governance entity to manage settlement assets on behalf of the iwi.
Information hui will be held across the motu, providing opportunities for iwi members to learn about the settlement and ask questions. The voting period will run from 9 December 2024 to 31 January 2025.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
