“Non-settlement is holding back Ngāpuhi and the North … every year delayed is a year of wasted opportunity for our iwi”.
10 things to know about a comprehensive Ngāpuhi settlement
Tūhoronuku
1. The sole purpose of Tūhoronuku is to secure a mandate from Ngāpuhi to negotiate a comprehensive settlement. Tūhoronuku is an independent sub-committee of the Rūnanga. It will have 15 representatives – seven appointed by hapu, four appointed in urban rohe, two appointed by Kaumātua Kuia, and two representing the Rūnanga.2. Tūhoronuku represents all Ngāpuhi, no matter where we live – Northland, Auckland or Australia. Tūhoronuku allows all Ngāpuhi 18 and over to vote and all Ngāpuhi to be involved in our settlement. You do not have to be registered with the Rūnanga to vote.
3. Tūhoronuku is seeking a mandate from Ngāpuhi to give it the authority to negotiate a comprehensive settlement of our historical Te Tiriti o Waitangi grievances against the Crown.
4. The Tūhoronuku Deed of Mandate Strategy has been endorsed by the Crown. In January 2011 the Minister of Māori Affairs and Minister of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations said Tūhoronuku’s mandate strategy is “sound” and “in line with Crown criteria for a robust and transparent mandating process”.
5. Tūhoronuku supports a parallel process – that is, Ngāpuhi claimants appearing before Waitangi Tribunal hearings at the same time as a settlement is negotiated with the Crown. This will speed up the settlement process by many years.
6. Tūhoronuku does not support an elongated, expensive, lawyer-driven Waitangi Tribunal process which could take between 10 and 15 years, holding back our people and our region.
7. Hui around Aotearoa and Australia will begin in August, with Tūhoronuku asking Ngāpuhi to give their mandate. The mandate is to negotiate settlement only, NOT receive and manage assets.
Settlement
8. Settlement will bring cultural, economic and social upliftment and opportunity to Ngāpuhi and the North. Two large iwi who settled more than a decade ago – Tainui and Ngai Tahu – are now economic powerhouses, creating employment for their people and their regions.9. The Waitangi Tribunal hears individual claims, and the Crown settles historical claims collectively – it does not settle with individual claimants or individual hapu. It is an individual’s right to go before the Waitangi Tribunal. More than 600 Ngāpuhi individual claims have been lodged with the Waitangi Tribunal, and are still to be heard.
