Like many other iwi across New Zealand, Ngātiwai currently find ourselves involved in a Crown process of dealing with overlapping claims from other iwi who lay claim to “rights and interests” in our rohe.
The Ngātiwai Trust Board for a long period of time has attempted to engage with iwi that have overlapping claims within our rohe, often these attempts have been unsuccessful with little to no kōrero being had to date.
The Board is now asking those iwi for urgent direct engagement to understand how they have claimed these rights and interests, specifically those of the Hauraki and Marutūahu iwi, in an attempt to resolve these matters.
The situation the Board finds itself in is very similar to that of the iwi of Tauranga Moana, where the same iwi are laying claims of redress in their rohe. The Ngātiwai Trust Board fully supports the iwi of Tauranga Moana in their opposition to the Crown’s offer of redress to Hauraki in to ensure their Mana Moana and Mana Whenua is upheld.
The Ngātiwai Trust Board absolutely supports a Treaty Settlement for the Hauraki iwi, however we do not support the way the Crown has offered redress like property on Aotea, rights to Tonga Tūturu in our rohe and rights of first refusal over new quota species entering the Quota Management System in our rohe.
Rather than following these Crown directed processes, it is hoped we can engage with these iwi face to face and to find a tikanga based resolution to these issues.
Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011 – Update
High Court Applications
On 3 April 2017 the Board lodged “Blanket” applications under the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011 (the “MACA”) with both the Crown and the High Court.
The Board has responded to all overlapping applicants within the required High Court timeframe to register its interests in those applications. It has also supported all Ngātiwai applications.
There were 184 applications received and processed by the High Court as of 11 April 2017. However the Court has noted that there are a large number of applications that have been received and are yet to be processed.
The High Court has directed the Crown to provide a tentative list of groupings for case management conferencing and possibly also for hearings purposes. Currently the Board’s application is grouped in category C along with ten other applicants.
The Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011 and the overlapping claims process will be talked about in more detail at our upcoming Hui-a-iwi on 29 July 2017 at Paratene Te Manu Marae, Ngunguru. Whānau are encouraged to attend this hui to become more involved and to have a greater understanding of these processes.