Te Mana o Ngāti Rangitihi Trust has continued to make positive progress with our Treaty of Waitangi Settlement negotiations.
In May, officials from the Office of Treaty Settlement (OTS) visited Rotorua to present a draft Crown offer to Ngāti Rangitihi which had been approved by Cabinet.
The offer included:
- An agreed account of the historical relationship between the Crown and Ngāti Rangitihi
- An acknowledgement from the Crown that it breached the Treaty of Waitangi
- A formal apology for the Crown’s breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi
- Proposed cultural redress in the form of land being returned to Ngāti Rangitihi and place names being changed
- Proposed financial and commercial redress in the form of a financial payment to Ngāti Rangitihi and rights offered to purchase land
A further hui with officials to discuss this offer took place in July. The Trust then made a formal response to the Crown which included a request for additional financial redress. This was to go to Cabinet for a final decision in September although the Trust has since been notified we will be getting an update in September rather than the final
Crown offer.
A Hui-a-Iwi was held later in July to keep iwi abreast of developments.
While awaiting the final Crown offer, the Trust is continuing to take steps towards an Agreement in Principle. In August, members of the Trust’s negotiating team and officials from the Office of Treaty Settlements and the Department of Conservation toured Tarawera and Waimangu to assess proposed sites the Crown has offered to return to Ngāti Rangitihi as part of its Treaty settlement. The tour provided Ngāti Rangitihi an opportunity to explain the sites cultural and historical significance and discuss a range of potential land use options with officials.
We are anticipating the final Crown offer will be made in October. As soon as the Trust recieves the offer we will hold a Hui-a-Iwi to discuss the details. The Hui-a-Iwi will also be an opportunity for Ngāti Rangitihi to discuss a draft Agreement in Principle.