Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu receive Treaty relativity payments

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By Kelvin McDonald of Whakaata Maori

Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu have received multimillion-dollar adjustment payments under the relativity mechanisms in their Treaty of Waitangi settlements, Treaty Minister Andrew Little announced Friday.

Little said they are payments that “must be honoured”.

Both iwi are able to receive relativity mechanism adjustment payments every five years to ensure the real value of their settlements remains at 17 per cent for Waikato-Tainui and 16.1 per cent for Ngāi Tahu of total Treaty settlement expenditure.

Following their requests for payment, Waikato-Tainui was paid $101.5 million and Ngāi Tahu $96.5m, Little said in a statement.

Waikato-Tainui agreed to their Treaty settlement in 1995 and Ngāi Tahu in 1997.

“The relativity mechanisms are an important part of the settlements agreed with both Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu to ensure the value of their Treaty settlements maintains their relative size compared with the total value of all Treaty of Waitangi settlements to date,” Little said.

“The payments reflect the good progress that has been made in Treaty settlements over the past five years, progress that we’ll continue to make as we work to complete Treaty settlements throughout Aotearoa.

“The relativity mechanisms must be honoured, as with any other commitment made in a Treaty settlement.”

Previous five-yearly payments were made in 2012 and 2017.