Kua mana te ture e noho mai ai te maunga tapū o Taranaki hei tangata.
Ka mutu, ko Taranaki Maunga te ingoa ōkawa mō te maunga, kaua ko Mt Egmont, ko Mt Taranaki rānei.
Inanahi rā, whakakotahi atu ai ngā mana o Taranaki ki te pane o te ika, ki Te Whanganui ā-Tara, kia rongo rātou i te pānuitanga tuarua, pānuitanga whakamutunga anō hoki, o te pire Whakatūpua mō te Kāhui Tūpua.
Ki raro i te ture nei, ka uhia te mana tangata ki runga i te maunga nei, tuia i tēnā, ka riro i a Taranaki iwi te mana whakahaere o te maunga.
E ai ki a Jamie Tuuta, tētahi o ngā kaiwhiriwhiri matua, kua roa ngā iwi o Taranaki e whanga mai ana, kia whakahokia mai te mana o te maunga ki a rātou.
“He rā nui tēnei. Neke atu i te kotahi rau ono tekau tau ō mātou tūpuna e tohe ana, e pakanga ana mō tēnei take, mō tō mātou maunga. Kia hoki mai te mana o te maunga ki ngā uri.”
“Kua roa tēnei rā e wawatatia ana e ngā tūpuna, e ngā mātua, e ngā tauheke, e ngā whakatupuranga kua tae mai nei.”
‘Legal Personhood’ just the beginning for Taranaki iwi
Aside from the formal recognition of Taranaki Maunga as a legal person, Taranaki iwi will also gain a considerable amount of say-so in both the management of the maunga and the decision-making for the national park, which has been renamed Te Papa Kura o Taranaki.
In a landmark move, a new governance structure has been established to oversee the interests of Te Kāhui Tupua.
The statutory body, Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi, will serve as its voice and representative, with its membership equally split between iwi leaders and Crown appointees.
Alongside this, a second entity, Te Tōpuni Ngārahu, has been formed, drawing representatives from the eight Taranaki iwi. This group will work in partnership with the Minister for Conservation to shape the management and decision-making processes for the national park.
Wharehoka Wano, tumu whakarito of Taranaki iwi, says it sets up Taranaki iwi to make decisions.
“Ka eke ngā māngai o ngā iwi o te kāinga, kia noho hei kāwanatanga, me ngā māngai o te karauna, mā te karauna e tohua.”
“Kia whai mana ngā iwi o Taranaki, kia kōkiri, kia whakahaere i ngā kaupapa ki runga i tō tātou tauheke maunga. Hīkaka katoa mātou o te whānau.”
He rā hōu e mahuta ake ana i te pae
Koinei te whakataunga tono tiriti o Waitangi whakamutunga mō te rohe whānui o Taranaki, ā, i mīharo ngā iwi nei ki ngā kupu i whiua e ngā kaitōrangapū, ki te papa o te ana o ngā raiona.
Inā rā, kāore he pōti whakahē kotahi i tuku i ngā kaitōrangapū.
E ai ki tētahi o ngā kaiwhiriwhiri matua, ki a Liana Poutu, i ohorere tōna iwi i te rongotanga atu o ngā kōrero kua puta i ngā rōpū tōrangapū katoa.
“Kāre mātou i te tino mōhio me pēhea ngā pāti katoa. Engari, i te wā i rangona e au, e tautoko ana te katoa o ngā pāti ki roto i te pāremata, e tau ana taku wairua.”
“Kua ea tēnei kaupapa ināianei, kua ea mā ngā mokopuna, kua ea mā ngā tūpuna.”
