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The Crown has settled a 17-year negotiation process with iwi of Tauranga as the Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui Claims Settlement Bill passes its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.
“This has been a long time coming and I thank the Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui Settlement Trust and the negotiating team for their enduring efforts.
“While no settlement can fully compensate for the Crown’s injustices towards Ngāti Ranginui, I sincerely hope this redress package will support Ngāti Ranginui to realise their economic and cultural aspirations for generations to come.”
The redress includes an agreed historical account, crown acknowledgements of its historical breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and a Crown apology.
Key elements of the redress include:
- Financial and commercial redress of $38 million
- The return of 15 sites of cultural significance
- Two properties of cultural significance vested jointly with other iwi
- Relationship redress with key Crown agencies
“In this settlement, the Crown has acknowledged its breaches of te Tiriti o Waitangi, including its responsibility for war and raupatu in Tauranga in the 1860s, the purchase of Te Puna-Katikati blocks soon after, the operation and impact of the native land laws, and the compulsory acquisition of land under later Māori land legislation that left Ngāti Ranginui without sufficient land for their present and future needs,” Mr Goldsmith says.
“I want to acknowledge the people of Ngāti Ranginui who have travelled to Parliament today to witness this auspicious occasion and those who watched the passing of this Bill online from Tauranga.”
Ngāti Ranginui is an iwi based in the Tauranga region with a population of approximately 15,000 people. Their area of interest extends from Ngakuriawharei, north of Tauranga, inland to the summit of Mount Te Aroha, extending south-east along the Kaimai Range to Puwhenua and reaching south to the Mangorewa River.
The Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui Deed of Settlement is available at Te Tari Whakatau – Ngāti Ranginui
The Ngāti Ranginui Claims Settlement Bill can be found at New Zealand Legislation.
