Three iwi in the central North Island who've long claimed they're the "forgotten people" received an apology from the Crown and a multi-million-dollar Treaty settlement on Saturday.
Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little travelled to Raetihi Marae to meet with Te Korowai o Wainuiārua iwi groups on Saturday and unveil the historic redress package.
"You were among the first to submit claims to the Waitangi tribunal 35 years ago in the 1980s and you have waited a long time for this day," Little said.
Te Korowai o Wainuiārua represents Tamahaki, Tamakana and Uenuku iwi groups in the central Whanganui region.
Their area of interest is vast, 66,000 hectares around the central Whanganui River, parts of the Tongariro and Whanganui National Parks and the townships of National Park and Raetihi.
Te Korowai o Wainuiārua's historical grievances relate to warfare and the imposition of martial law in Whanganui.
The Crown acquired land that would later become Tongariro National Park without consulting Te Korowai o Wainuiārua or paying compensation. It also acquired land for public works for defence, electricity generation and railways, which resulted in Te Korowai o Wainuiārua becoming virtually landless.
"The Crown did not live up to the promises of Te Tiriti, instead waged war upon your ancestors, confiscated their land and drove them into conflict with their own kin. For the deaths you have suffered, for the stigma of being labelled rebels and for the painful divisions among your people and the iwi of Whanganui, the Crown unreservedly apologises," Little told a packed Raetihi marae.
The redress package includes:
- $21.7 million in financial and commercial redress
- $6.8 million in cultural funding
- The return of 19 sites of cultural significance and 12 commercial properties, including Crown forestry land at Erua, and the former prison site at Waikune
- Conservation management redress to support the establishment of a predator-proofed ecosanctuary at Pōkākā, and a seat on the Tongariro-Taupō Conservation Board
- Relationship agreements with a range of Crown agencies
Hearing that heals generations of hurt, according to Aiden Gilbert, chair of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua.
"Looking around at the smiley faces today, it's a beginning. There's not much our people can smile about but with this, we've hit the mark," Gilbert said.
Little said all New Zealanders and tourists to this country have benefitted, at the expense of the three iwi.
"The natural beauty of your rohe has made it an attraction for New Zealand but many people do not recognise this as your home, as your source of kai, and as a sacred place where you lay your loved ones to rest," Little said.
"It is your tupuna who paid the price for our nation's development and failing your tupuna, the Crown has failed you."
Environmentalist and negotiator Paora 'Baldy' Haitana -who has long been known as the original 'Crocodile Dundee' of the Whanganui River - wants to see health and housing improved for his people.
He believes Saturday's signing of the Deed of Settlement is a start.
"We will develop the mana of that place and we will develop ourselves through this settlement going forward," he told Newshub.
The Crown has made it clear Te Korowai o Wainuiārua will also be able to participate in future negotiations for collective redress over Whanganui National Park and Tongariro National Park.
