Tribunal supports wananga

Te Wananga o Aotearoa head office in Te Awamutu. Picture / Greg Bowker

The Waitangi Tribunal said the Government limited the type of education the wananga could offer. Picture / Greg Bowker

The Government breached its Treaty of Waitangi obligations to New Zealand's largest tertiary education provider, Te Wananga o Aotearoa, the Waitangi Tribunal has found.

The tribunal found the wananga's claim - that the Crown undermined its rangatiratanga (authority) and effectively took control of the institution - was well founded.

In its report released last night, the tribunal said the Crown forced an "unduly limited" idea of the type and range of education the wananga could provide under the Education Act.

The tribunal said this was an attempt to confine the wananga to the teaching of Maori to predominantly Maori students.

The tribunal recommend the Government pay the wananga's costs for the reviews, audits and inquiries imposed on it and that it pay the costs of bringing the tribunal claim.

Harold Maniapoto and Dr Tui Adams, from the Aotearoa Institute - the wananga's parent body which lodged the claim - said it was critical the Government acknowledge the breaches and implement the recommendations immediately.

"We welcome the findings with more sorrow than anger. For too long we have suffered sustained attempts by the Government to control, undermine, downsize and make the wananga for Maori only, despite its indisputable achievements for all New Zealanders," Mr Maniapoto said.

Tertiary Education Minister Michael Cullen criticised the tribunal's findings, saying the wananga's status under the Treaty had to be balanced against its obligations as an institution receiving public funding.

"The tribunal has underestimated two things: the systematic governance and management failures identified in the Auditor-General's inquiry, and the Government's responsibility to ensure that the hundreds and millions of dollars disbursed through the wananga are correctly spent."

The founder of the wananga - which has been under attack for much of the year - Rongo Wetere, resigned last week after the release of the damning Auditor-General's report into the wananga.

The report raised concerns at inappropriate use of taxpayer money, and conflicts of interests worth tens of millions of dollars involving Dr Wetere's family.

Dr Cullen said the Government would do anything in its power to address problems raised by the Auditor-General's report.

"The wananga must be held accountable for the large sums of money it receives."

Yesterday, Mr Wetere said he was happy with the tribunal's report, but declined to comment further.

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples said the findings validated Maori knowledge by saying the Government cannot impose its own charter on it.

The tribunal found the Crown breached the principles of the Treaty several times, including failing to ensure that a partnership agreement between the Crown and wananga was concluded, and failing to ensure continuing consultation.

The tribunal also found the wananga was put in a position where council members resigned to try to avoid the Government appointing a commissioner, leading to a council that could not hold consultations with iwi and other people.