Source: Auckland Council
After 15 years in motion, the Ngāti Pāoa Treaty settlement came into effect yesterday, marking a significant milestone for the Auckland iwi and for Tāmaki Makaurau as a whole.
The settlement includes a Crown apology, cultural recognition measures, financial redress of $23.5 million, and the return of a number of culturally significant sites across the Auckland region.
Ngāti Pāoa’s interests extend along the western shores of Tīkapa Moana / the Hauraki Gulf and the eastern parts of Auckland, from Te Aroha to Warkworth, including Waiheke Island and across to the Coromandel Peninsula.
The Ngāti Pāoa settlement is the first historical Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi settlement made in Auckland since 2018. It forms a part of a wider programme of settlements across Tāmaki Makaurau, both completed and still to come.
Yesterday’s date also carried historical significance. On 4 March 1840, several Ngāti Pāoa rangatira signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi at Karaka Bay in Tāmaki Makaurau. The settlement coming into effect on the same date echoes that earlier moment when Ngāti Pāoa first entered into the Treaty relationship with the Crown.
The Ngāti Pāoa Claims Settlement Act 2025 gives effect to the Deed of Settlement signed in 2021. The legislation, which received Royal Assent in November last year, settles historical Treaty claims arising from Crown actions prior to 21 September 1992.
Working together into the future
Auckland Council welcomes the settlement legislation coming into effect.
“The settlement of historical grievances is an important step for Ngāti Pāoa and for the region. It supports the growth and development of Ngāti Pāoa and strengthens our ongoing relationship with the iwi and our work together across Tāmaki Makaurau,” says Nicholas Turoa, Tumuaki Huanga Māori / Director Māori Outcomes.
A joint management arrangement is already in place at Ōmaru (formerly Point England Reserve), supporting shared stewardship of a public reserve while maintaining access for the wider community.
Mayor Wayne Brown has written to Ngāti Pāoa to acknowledge the settlement being finalised and to affirm the council’s commitment to continue working together on future aspirations.
“I congratulate Ngāti Pāoa on the passing of its Treaty settlement. It is a significant milestone, and I acknowledge the decades of perseverance it has taken to get here. This milestone has taken a collective effort by the iwi. As a council, we have valued our long-standing relationship with Ngāti Pāoa and look forward to working together on our shared priorities,” says Mayor Brown.
Historical context
The agreed historical account records extensive land alienation through early Crown purchasing practices in Auckland, and the operation of native land laws in the 19th century.
In one example, land in Kohimarama purchased by the Crown in 1841 for £100 and goods was later subdivided and sold for significantly higher amounts, with no reserves set aside for Ngāti Pāoa despite assurances that they would share in the benefits of settlement. Over time, Crown purchasing practices and forced public works takings resulted in the alienation of much Ngāti Pāoa land, leaving the iwi largely landless in the wider Tāmaki area.
The settlement formally acknowledges these historical grievances.
Sites returned and recognised
Twelve sites of cultural significance have been vested in Ngāti Pāoa, including land at Ōmaru, Waiheke Island and other parts of the region.
At Ōmaru, near Glen Innes, the Treaty settlement enables Ngāti Pāoa to establish a marae at Pāoa Whanake and papakāinga housing at Hine-nui-o-te-paua, overlooking the Tāmaki River and Tīkapa Moana / the Hauraki Gulf.
Other redress includes statutory acknowledgements on sites and areas of significance to the iwi, and the recognition of Ngāti Pāoa associations with maunga and places across Tāmaki Makaurau and the Hauraki Gulf.
Several Crown protected areas will also adopt Māori or dual-language names, including in Pūkorokoro / Miranda and Te Haupa Island (Saddle Island).
Together, this settlement redress supports iwi development and formally recognises the enduring connections of mana whenua to place, to landscape, and to the history of this region.
