Ngātiwai Trust Board Treaty Committee Restructure
The September meeting of the Ngātiwai Trust Board approved a restructure of the Treaty Claims Committee, with the Board appointing new Trustees to the Committee and a new Chairman.
The new members endorsed by the Board are:
- Gary Reti (Ōtetao Marae), Kathleen Caldwell (Whananaki Marae), Ropata Diamond (Tuparehuia Marae) and Aperahama Kerepeti-Edwards (Matapouri Marae) are appointed to the committee, and
- Aperehama Kerepeti-Edwards is appointed as the Chairman of the Committee.
Board Chairman Haydn Edmonds also stood aside as the Board appointed negotiator. With the pause that has been applied to our current Settlement, the Board feel that this position can be reconsidered and an appointment made in the future.
The new Committee then requested an opportunity to update the Ngātiwai Kaumātua Rōpū which took place on 29 October 2018 at the Trust Board where the following matters were discussed:
- The restructure of the Trustees on the committee (as above) which received unanimous endorsement;
- Request for kaumātua participation on the committee and a name change to better reflect this as well as the essence of the committee which is to be further discussed by kaumātua;
- Push back on the Crown’s proposed protocol areas for Hauraki Iwi within the Ngātiwai rohe and research to get underway to support the Ngātiwai position on a range of Treaty related matters which also received unanimous support; and
- Support to initiate hui with hapū to discuss an agreed mediation process as recommended by the Waitangi Tribunal in its Ngātiwai Mandate Inquiry Report.
Ngātiwai Trust Board explore Court Action
On the 17th of September the Supreme Court of New Zealand released its ruling in favour of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and confirmed that the transfer of land as part of proposed Treaty of Waitangi settlements can be judicially reviewed.
This is a very significant decision as the ruling confirms the concerns that the Ngātiwai Trust Board has had for a long time now about the way the Crown approaches overlapping claims, the lack of respect the process has for tikanga Māori and the impact it has on the relationships we have with other iwi.
For the past sixteen months the Ngātiwai Trust Board has been waiting for the Waitangi Tribunal to make a decision on an application for an urgent hearing into the Crown’s overlapping claims policy and practice as well as the redress it proposes to provide to Hauraki iwi as part of their Treaty Settlements within our rohe.
As a result of the Supreme Court’s decision, the Ngātiwai Trust Board is now exploring the possibility of taking a case to the High Court. The Ngātiwai Trust is currently in discussions with its legal counsel Kahui Legal to assess the potential of going down this path.
Aperehama Kerepeti-Edwards, Chair of the Treaty Claims Committee says “We acknowledge the mahi that Ngāti Whātua ki Orākei have done, as this now paves the way for ourselves and other iwi who have for a long time now been battling the Crown’s approach to overlapping claims.”
On 23 and 24 March 2018, the Trust Board held a hui-ā-iwi at Tuparehuia Marae, Bland Bay. This hui was facilitated and supported by the Ngātiwai rōpū kaumātua. The purpose of the hui was to discuss the findings and recommendations set out in the Tribunal’s report on the Ngātiwai mandate. The outcomes from the hui-ā-iwi were agreement that:
- There should be a hohourongo between the Trust Board and Patuharakeke first and before anything else happened;
- There should then be a series of wānanga on the common topics identified from the workshop sessions held at the hui-ā-iwi or in the mandate report; and
- Then mediation.
Following the hui-ā-iwi, communications were had to establish a date for the hohourongo, but due to unforeseen circumstances outside of the Ngātiwai Trust Board’s control, various proposed dates had to be postponed. The rescheduled date is now set for 18 November 2018.
The first in the series of wānanga-a-iwi was hosted by Ngātiwai Marae, Ngaiotonga on 31 August through to 2 September 2018.
Although an agenda had been set, the main day Saturday tended to roll out spontaneously, as people felt motivated to share their knowledge, their versions of the history of Ngātiwai and their own hapū stories which touched on the whakapapa associated with their stories.
Acknowledgements must go out to the amazing speakers, who willingly shared their experiences and knowledge and to the Taumata for their kōrero.
Ngaiotonga Marae Chairman and Ngātiwai Trust Board Trustee, Merepeka Henley said “All those present shared their positive kōrero about the wānanga, compliments about the kai, the venue and the positive atmosphere. The whole wānanga was premised on our tikanga, wairua and manaakitanga, which was openly expressed.”
“Everyone present felt honoured to have great orators recite whakapapa and link the links back to the whare (Ngātiwai Marae). For a number of participants the day’s kōrero was awe inspiring.”
The second wānanga-a-iwi in the series has been scheduled for the 16th and 17th of November 2018 at Ngunguru Marae, and whānau and hapū are strongly encouraged to attend and participate.
A further wānanga-a-iwi may take place in January or February 2019.