Negotiator Aiden Gilbert says "the healing has to start". Photo / Moana Ellis
Three central North Island tribes were left virtually landless when the Crown waged war, confiscated land, and drove them into conflict with their own kin.
A Deed of Settlement signed on Saturday between the Crown and Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, which represents Uenuku, Tamakana and Tamahaki iwi, includes redress worth nearly $30 million.
Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little delivered a Crown apology to hundreds of tribal members, dignitaries, supporting iwi and Crown officials at Raetihi Marae.
Little said the tribes paid the price for the nation’s development.
“The Crown acquired land that would later become Tongariro National Park, without consulting Te Korowai o Wainuiārua or paying compensation. Large parts of your rohe have been subsumed into the conservation estate.
“The extraordinary natural beauty of your rohe has made it an attraction for many New Zealanders and international visitors alike who’ve come to play and explore but who do not always recognise this whenua as your home, as your source of kai, mātauranga and rongoā, and as a sacred place where you lay your loved ones to rest.
“Over the years, the Crown also acquired land for public works including defence, electricity generation and railways, leaving Te Korowai o Wainuiārua virtually landless. It is your tūpuna who paid the price for our nation’s development.”
The tribes’ areas of interest include the middle reaches of the Whanganui River, parts of the Tongariro and Whanganui national parks, and the townships of National Park and Raetihi.
The minister said the redress package would be a foundation for the future prosperity of Uenuku, Tamakana and Tamahaki.
It includes $21.7m in financial and commercial redress, $6.85m in cultural funding, and the return of 19 sites of cultural significance and 12 commercial properties, including Crown forestry land at Erua and the former prison site at Waikune.
The Deed of Settlement, Te Tihi of te Rae, acknowledges the iwi vision for an ecosanctuary at Pōkākā. It includes an overlay classification and conservation management redress, the right to nominate a member to the Tongariro-Taupō Conservation Board, and establishing a joint committee to enable governance-level engagement on conservation issues. A range of relationship agreements with Crown agencies is also included.
The minister said no settlement could compensate Uenuku, Tamakana and Tamahaki for what they suffered. The tribes were among the first to submit claims to the Waitangi Tribunal 35 years ago in the 1980s.
“You have waited a long time for this day,” Little said.
Te Korowai o Wainuiārua did not at first want a Crown apology.
“I understand that you’ve been suspicious of the Crown, that you feel you have had no good reason to trust the Crown. Your historical account is a painful story of conflict and loss. Nevertheless, it’s important the Crown acknowledges this history, the grievances, the injustices, and takes responsibility for its role in the harm it has caused to Te Korowai o Wainuiārua,” Little said.
“In the 1860s, Crown actions were responsible for the outbreak of warfare in your rohe. For the deaths you have suffered, for the stigma of being labelled rebels, and for the painful divisions among your people and the iwi of Whanganui, the Crown unreservedly apologises.
“The Crown undermined your rangatira in its single-minded pursuit of European settlement and economic development. After the Native Land Court began investigating land in your rohe, it was nearly impossible for your tūpuna to avoid the court lest others gained ownership of your land.
“The Crown is sincerely sorry for the prejudice caused by the native land laws and for its extensive and relentless land purchasing practices that breached Te Tiriti o Waitangi.”
The minister said the Crown regretted creating a national park around the Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro mountains without considering or consulting the three tribes.
Te Tihi o te Rae recognises the importance to the iwi of the Whanganui and Tongariro national parks and records the Crown’s commitment to negotiate collective redress for the national parks in good faith.
Uenuku, Tamakana and Tamahaki made significant efforts to retain their remaining land in the early 20th century but the Crown continued buying and compulsorily acquiring land for large-scale public works projects such as the North Island main trunk railway, two national parks, scenic reserves, defence and for electricity generation.
Little acknowledged the “dire socio-economic consequences” of Crown breaches of Te Tiriti.
“Many of your people have left their rohe and your ability to retain your language, tikanga and iwi identity has been severely weakened. The Crown is profoundly sorry for this and humbly acknowledges the strength and perseverance of your iwi. The Crown hopes to restore its honour through this settlement and seeks to build a new relationship based on respect, trust and the principles of the Treaty with yourselves and your future generations.
“You’ve told me how others have often spoken on your behalf, but Uenuku, Tamakana and Tamahaki iwi finally have a voice to speak for themselves.
“It’s my sincere hope that your Deed of Settlement, Te Tihi o te Rae, and the upcoming collective negotiations of the national parks will be a foundation for the restoration of the wellbeing of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua people and their lands.”
Tamahaki kaumātua and negotiator Paora (Baldy) Haitana said the settlement comes on the back of work by many people over decades.
“It’s unbelievable how many of our people have stood up and carried the mamae and pain of the things that were done against our old people by the Crown and by others. Many, many of them have passed. This is a day for them. Today is an occasion for us to climb that mountain and get over the other side and see the sunlight,” Haitana said.
Kaumātua Turuhia (Jim) Edmonds said the amount of land being returned was small but important.
“For a lot of us, we still carried on with the tikanga of our own people with what we’ve got - or we tried to. The Government has decided to give something back to us. It’s only a small portion of what’s been taken, but let’s get on. The next generation can get on.”
Iwi negotiator Aiden Gilbert said it was an important day for the people.
“The journey was so long. I’m excited that we’ve reached a milestone in our journey as a people. This is us standing up and saying who we are and where we are.”
Gilbert said the redress could not compensate for the loss suffered, but other iwi who had settled were an example.
“They’ve managed to pull themselves up and set their people up for the future, and I guess that’s where we are, too. We’ll get a team and our people and step-by-step, slowly, we’ll start. The healing has to start.”
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