Tēnā koutou ngā uri o Ngāti Rangitihi.
2019 is now underway and it already holds much promise for Ngāti Rangitihi.
The signing of our Agreement in Principle (AIP) at the end of last year was a significant occasion in our settlement journey and we were so pleased to be able to celebrate this with whānau and Crown officials at Rangitihi Marae. You can view a highlights video of our AIP signing, as well as the full ceremony, including pōwhiri and speeches, here.
You can also access our full AIP document here.
You will note from reading the AIP that it is not yet complete. We still have some matters to negotiate with the Crown. This includes the ownership of the Tapahoro Campground, cross-claims issues with Tūhourangi, and some other detailed matters regarding the entity formed to clean up the awa.
Once we have these matters sorted, we can then forge ahead towards the initialling of a Deed of Settlement (iDOS) – the draft content of the settlement. Once this happens, there will be a ratification process, where all Registered Members of Ngāti Rangitihi will be able to vote on the proposed Deed of Settlement. It is you, our people, who will have the final say. We hope for all of this to happen by early 2020, and we will continue working with the Crown to ensure this.
We have included in this pānui an outline of the four key stages in the Treaty Settlement process, and we will be communicating with you in more detail over the coming months on the details of the settlement, what it includes, and next steps.
We are looking to hold regular hui-a-iwi throughout the year with you so that you can ask any questions you have and give feedback before ratification. We will also be producing a series of video to explain the various components that make up our AIP and eventual settlement offer.
If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to read our latest Annual Report which highlights some of our key projects of the past year and which we will continue to work on this year. You will see that apart from our Treaty settlement mahi, there have been a number of initiatives we have also been focusing on to benefit our people.
On behalf of all the Trustees, I extend a heartfelt thanks to the continued support of our office team, our whānau across Aotearoa and abroad, our negotiating team, and all uri of Ngāti Rangitihi.
I look forward to this year and all that it brings for Ngāti Rangitihi as we take the final steps towards reaching an enduring settlement for our people.
Mauri ora!
Leith Comer
Chairman