Pressure on tribunal as claimants get older

Saana Murray, one of the sole survivors of the original claim, is now in her mid-80s. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Six iwi involved in one of the longest-running Waitangi Tribunal claims will get some answers tomorrow when a chapter believed to deal with the use of te reo Maori is released.

Known as the flora and fauna claim, Wai 262 was lodged in 1991 and is a wide-ranging case in which six iwi are seeking rights to all New Zealand's indigenous flora and fauna.

It covers the guardianship of all taonga where taonga can include anything from traditional knowledge and intellectual property rights over cultural ideas and designs, to the protection of language and waiata.

One chapter of the claim will be released tomorrow and it is understood it deals specifically with te reo, with the claimants arguing that the Crown has an obligation to prevent the misuse of the Maori language. It is a claim the Crown denied.

One of the sole survivors of the original claim is Ngati Kuri's Saana Murray, now in her mid-80s. Her son Bundy Waitai said his family was worried that if the tribunal didn't pick up the work pace, their mother and other elderly claimants would not see a full report in their lifetime.

Mr Waitai said there was a sense of urgency for the tribunal to be pressured to tell the iwi when the report would be released.

"We want her to have a read of it and to have that rangimarie [feeling of peace] that everything that could have been done has been done ... that she's seen it with her own eyes."

The hearings process was interrupted when the presiding officer, Judge Richard Kearney, died in 2005. Former Waitangi Tribunal chairman Justice Joe Williams took over and completed the process in 2007.

Yesterday, a tribunal spokesman could not say when the rest of the report was due.

"The Waitangi Tribunal Unit is unable to provide comment on decisions around the release of a tribunal report as they are judicial matters. Wednesday's release is a pre-publication report and is being released in the standard way. The complete report will be presented formally when it is ready."

Tribes involved:

* Ngati Kuri, Te Rarawa, Ngati Wai, Ngati Porou, Ngati Kahungunu, Ngati Koata.

* WAI 262:
Flora and fauna claim. Claimants seeking rights to all of New Zealand's indigenous flora and fauna.