Ngati Hine follows the Hokianga

The rift within Ngapuhi over the government accepting Tuhoronuku's mandate to negotiate the tribe's Treaty grievance settlement widened last week with Ngati Hine withdrawing from the Crown-endorsed process.

With Ngati Hine, which claims 40,000 members, and Hokianga hapu spurning Tuhoronuku, only about half of the estimated 120,000 Ngapuhi may participate in the poll under way to create the Tuhoronuku Independent Mandated Authority (IMA), which would appoint three to six people to negotiate a settlement with the Crown.

A spokesman for Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson said the Crown had facilitated discussions between Tuhoronuku and Te Kotahitanga, including representatives of Ngati Hine and the Hokianga, resulting in substantial changes to the mandate, including much greater hapu representation than initially proposed.

It also resulted in fresh elections, now under way, so all Ngapuhi would have the opportunity to elect the 22 representatives on the proposed Tuhoronuku IMA.

"It is disappointing some Ngati Hine leaders are discouraging their hapu from participating in, or being directly represented in Ngapuhi's negotiations with the Crown," the spokesman said.

A Hokianga taiwhenua hui at Whirinaki a fortnight ago unanimously resolved not to take up seats on the proposed Tuhoronuku IMA, but to return to the Waitangi Tribunal and the courts to seek an urgent inquiry into the way in which the Crown facilitated the establishment of Tuhoronuku to "suppress" the voices of the hapu.

Saturday's annual meeting of Te Runanga o Ngati Hine voted unanimously to withdraw from any action that could be considered to be supporting the Tuhoronuku mandate.

"We debated this issue from every which way, including capturing of the organisation and effecting change from within," re-elected runanga chairman Waihoroi Shortland said.

"We simply couldn't get past the notion that committing Ngati Hine to a Ngapuhi one-size-fits-all settlement was neither just nor durable."

Ngati Hine had resolved to withdraw and litigate against the Tuhoronuku mandate, while seeking its own mandate and settlement agreement with the Crown.

When Mr Finlayson and Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples recognised the Tuhoronuku mandate on February 14, they said the IMA would have to report to the Crown every three months on any representation issues that could arise.

Now Ngati Hine want to know what the Crown will do about their and the Hokianga's withdrawals.

Willow-Jean Prime (Ngati Hine) said greater hapu representation on the Tuhoronuku IMA was no guarantee hapu, such as Ngati Hine, could get the settlement they wanted, as the hapu would have an estimated three representatives out of 22 on the IMA.

"We want to have our own negotiations, settlement and post-settlement process," she said.

Ngapuhi ready to talk - page 3.