Treaty deals give iwi co-goverance of Cape Reinga, Ninety Mile Beach & DOC estate

Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Chris Finlayson. Photo / Supplied

Parliament passed four Treaty of Waitangi settlements for Far North iwi yesterday worth $100 million and created new co-governance bodies to look after Ninety Mile Beach and Conservation land in the Far North.

The four iwi, Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri, Ngai Takoto and Ngati Kuri, will also have joint decision-making powers over conservation land at Cape Reinga, which will also be known as Te Rerenga Wairua.

The iwi will become joint managers with the Department of Conservation of public conservation estate in their area under a new statutory board,
Te Hiku Conservation Board.

Under the co-governance arrangement, half the members of the board will come from the four iwi and half from the public.

The functions of Te Hiku Conservation Board will be similar to the Northland Conservation Board, whose area of responsibility will be reduced.

And the iwi will form a permanent committee with the Northland Regional Council and the Far North District Council to manage Ninety Mile Beach, also known as Te Oneroa-a-Tohe.

That board will comprise half iwi and half local authority members. It will be chaired by iwi and decisions will have to be passed with a 70 per cent majority.

The iwi will become joint owners of the 21,000ha Aupouri Forest and will receive about $2.2 million each in back rentals.

The settlements also contain a social accord which commits the Government to addressing soci-economic issues in the north, one of New Zealand's poorest areas.

The four iwi negotiated with the Crown together but they each have their own settlement act.

Ngati Kahu is the fifth tribe of the region but decided not to proceed with the others.
Members of Ngati Kahi occupied Kaitaia airport yesterday.

Treaty negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson said both Ngai Takoto and Ngati Kahu had been offered the right to buy half each of the airport land but if Ngati Kahu had not settled with the Crown within three years, Ngai Takoto would be able to buy 100 per cent of it. He described the protestors as "miscreants" and said it was not an occupation by Ngati Kahu.

Earlier yesterday, Parliament passed Te Kawerau a Maki Settlement Bill for the iwi whose area stretches from Te Henga (Bethell's Beach) in the west of Auckland across the Mahurangi on the east.

In a settlement worth $6.5 million, the iwi will acquire 86 per cent of Riverhead Crown Forest Licence Land, receive $300,000 towards a marae at Hobsonville and it will establish an urupa, burial ground at Te Henga.

KEY POINTS

• Te Hiku Conservation Board of iwi and public will be responsible for DOC land in the Far North.

• Aupouri Crown Forest land of 21,200ha on the Aupouri peninusla will be jointly owned as tenants in common by Te Aupouri (30 per cent), Te Rarawa (20 per cent), Ngai Takoto` (20 per cent) and Ngati Kuri (30 per cent) and will each receive about $2.2 million in accumulated rental.

• Te Oneroa-a-tohe/ Ninety Mile Beach committee will be responsible for Ninety Mile Beach.

• Te Hiku-Crown Social Development and Wellbeing Accord will commit nine Crown agencies to work with four iwi to address socio-economic issues.

VALUE OF FAR NORTH SETTLEMENTS

Te Rarawa: $33.84 million
Te Aupouri: $21.04 million
Ngai Takoto: $21.04
Ngati Kuri: $21.04 million