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Their land was lost, drained, bare. Even the rivers changed course.
Auckland and Hauraki iwi Ngāti Pāoa have signed their treaty agreement with the Crown, in a deal that includes a $ 23.5 million financial deal.
Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little said no deal could fully compensate the iwi, which has a rohe (territory) stretching from Te Aroha to Warkworth, including Waiheke Island.
Members of Iwi were killed during the Crown invasion of Waikato in 1863. Ngāti Pāoa had interests in the vast tracts of land confiscated by the Crown in subsequent years.
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* Our Truth, Ta Mātou Pono: New Zealand on a revolutionary path, between the Maori and the Crown
* Apologies Issued, Cultural Sites Conferred on ‘Long Overdue’ $ 11 Million Deal with Bay of Plenty iwi Ngāti Rangitihi
RICKY WILSON
Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little says no deal could fully compensate Ngāti Pāoa. (File photo)
In 1865, the Crown introduced new laws creating individual titles to iwi lands: most of the lands were sold or taken under the Public Works Act in the late 20th century.
The Crown drained and developed the Hauraki wetlands, altering the course of the Waihou and Piako rivers.
The agreement would incorporate commercial, financial and cultural compensation, including the return of 12 sites of cultural importance.
It was expected to be signed at Wharekawa Marae, on the shore of the Firth of Thames.
Supplied
Waiheke Island is part of the Ngāti Pāoa rohe. (File photo)
Little did he say that the Crown tried to atone for the injustices inflicted on the iwi.
“The Crown acknowledges that to this day it has not addressed the long-standing grievances of Ngāti Pāoa and that the recognition and redress of these grievances is long overdue.”
The settlement would be administered by the Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust, chosen by the iwi members.
The trust’s board chairman, Glen Tupuhi, said the deal had been an ongoing, “long and arduous” journey, but that it was a watershed moment in its history.
“This firm draws a line in the sand with the Crown and allows us to begin to rebuild our property and our cultural and economic legacy.”
Apology from the crown
The Deed of Settlement includes an apology to Ngāti Pāoa de la Corona for failing to protect him from the rapid alienation of land in the decades after the signing of the te Tiriti or Waitangi, the loss of life and devastation caused by hostilities, and the enactment of laws and policies that have resulted in the loss of Maori whenua and te reo.
