Historic election ahead as iwi urged to nominate for new governance board

Iwi negotiators sign a Deed of Settlement between iwi collective Te Korowai o Wainuiārua and the Crown at Raetihi Marae in July last year. Photo / Robert Milne

Members of three central North Island iwi are preparing to elect their first board of trustees since signing a $28.5 million Treaty settlement with the Crown.

The settlement signed by iwi collective Te Korowai o Wainuiārua at Raetihi Marae last year recognises breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and provides redress including cash, cultural redress and property.

Te Korowai o Wainuiārua is the post-settlement governance entity set up to represent hapū affiliated to the three iwi, Uenuku, Tamahaki and Tamakana, and manage their settlement assets.

An interim board made up of trustees of the settlement negotiating group, Uenuku Charitable Trust, has been acting as a placeholder since the signing.

Tribal members are being encouraged to nominate for a new governance board. They have until noon this Friday, October 18, to submit nominations for the nine trustee positions.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our uri to step forward and contribute to the leadership, direction and future of the trust and the people it represents,” a Te Korowai o Wainuiārua spokesperson said.

Uri (descendants) are being urged to nominate people with “the passion, vision, skills and commitment to represent our community effectively”.

To nominate a candidate, uri must register with Te Korowai o Wainuiārua and then select a primary tūpuna electorate, choosing Uenuku, Tamahaki or Tamakana.

Each of the three tūpuna electorates will elect three trustees. Nine trustees in total will be elected.

Those voting can vote only for up to three trustees in their chosen tūpuna electorate.

Uri who are not registered can vote by requesting a voting pack from Electionz.

Voting opens on November 13 and closes December 13.

The three tribes were left virtually landless when the Crown waged war, confiscated land and drove them into conflict with their own kin.

After 10 years in the negotiation process, Uenuku, Tamahaki and Tamakana signed Te Tihi o te Rae in July last year. The settlement will deliver $21.7m in financial and commercial redress, $6.85m in cultural funding and the return of 19 sites of cultural significance and 12 commercial properties, including Crown forestry land at Erua and the former prison site at Waikune.

The iwi also received an apology from then-Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little on behalf of the Crown.

The Deed of Settlement includes a range of relationship agreements with Crown agencies, an overlay classification and conservation management redress, the right to nominate a member to the Tongariro-Taupō Conservation Board and establishing a joint committee to enable governance-level engagement on conservation issues.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.