Three major settlement agreements signed South Island and Wellington region
Three groupings of iwi with interests in the Northern South Island and Southern North Island today counter-signed letters of agreement with the Crown.
They are the KurahaupM Ki Te Waipounamu Trust, Tainui Taranaki ki te Tonga and Ngti Toa Rangtira, together representing eight iwi. The groups have more than 12,000 members between them, and together lost more than two million hectares through their dealings with the Crown.
The agreements outline broad settlement packages that the parties have agreed will settle all their historical Treaty of Waitangi claims.
“Signing agreements with all three groups together is a remarkable achievement, for the claimant negotiators, their wider groups and the Crown,” said Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Christopher Finlayson. “There is extensive overlap between the interests and grievances of each group within the region. While it has been challenging, negotiating settlements at the same time has been very effective in addressing these issues while maintaining the momentum for settlement.”
“The three groups will receive a total of $171.45 million in redress and a further $128.4 million in accumulated Crown forest rentals, emission credits and other payments in lieu of Crown forest redress. This redress will unlock significant economic development potential for the iwi groups and the regions in which they live,” Mr Finlayson said.
“Today’s signing demonstrates the government’s commitment to maintaining momentum in Treaty settlement negotiations. The smooth transition between negotiations conducted under the previous government and the agreements reached today shows that the national government is serious about accelerating the settlement process.”
The Crown was represented by Prime Minister John Key, Minister of Maori Affairs Pita Sharples and Mr Finlayson.
Settlement summaries:
Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations
Related Documents
Te Tau Ihu - Kurahaupo (doc, 50 Kb)
Te Tau Ihu - Ngati Toa (doc, 52 Kb)
Te Tau Ihu - Tainui Taranaki (doc, 51 Kb)