A central North Island iwi has received an apology from the Crown for bringing “discord, death and division” to its people.
Ngāti Hāua signed a deed of settlement with the Crown at Ngāpūwaiwaha Marae in Taumarunui on Saturday, after eight years of negotiations over redress for historical breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi.
The settlement Te Pua o te Riri Kore includes an agreed historical account and redress.
‘The Crown is deeply ashamed’
Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith delivered an apology to some 400 people at the marae, for Crown actions he said had caused harm and prejudiced Ngāti Hāua for over a century.
“The Crown is greatly sorry that it did not live up to the promise of te Tiriti/the Treaty, and instead brought discord, death and division to your iwi,” Goldsmith said.
“The Crown is deeply ashamed of and sorry for the horrific and reprehensible execution of your tūpuna in 1846, and profoundly regrets that its behaviour toward Ngāti Hāua in the 1840s sowed deep and well-deserved mistrust of the Crown.”
In the 1860s, Crown actions led to warfare between the Crown and Ngāti Hāua.
“The Crown is sincerely sorry for the severe toll warfare has had on Ngāti Hāua and the intergenerational stigma you still carry from being labelled rebels and fanatics.”
Ngāti Hāua had shown persistent commitment to their rangatiratanga by joining and leading land retention movements and guarding the southern boundary of Te Rohe Pōtae.
“Ngāti Hāua ultimately had no choice but to engage with the Crown’s determined drive to obtain land,” Goldsmith said.
“The Crown gained access to Te Rohe Pōtae to complete the North Island Main Trunk Railway by giving assurances that it did not honour. The Crown not only took land for the railway without paying compensation but purchased extensive amounts of land for European settlement.
“The Crown is truly remorseful for acquiring so much land that Ngāti Hāua became virtually landless, severed from resources, wāhi tapu, and taonga.”
The Crown compulsorily acquired further land for public works and did not consult with Ngāti Hāua before establishing the Tongariro National Park, nor include it in management arrangements, leaving the iwi unable to safeguard wāhi tapu within the Park.
‘Second-class citizens’
“The Crown is greatly regretful and sorry that it gained so much from its breaches of te Tiriti/the Treaty at an immense cost to Ngāti Hāua and left many of you feeling marginalised in your own rohe, like second-class citizens.
“You have worked tirelessly for so long to make the Crown aware of these injustices. You have had to learn and navigate the Crown’s systems and processes while the Crown has broken promises, ignored your protests, and shown Ngāti Hāua a profound lack of care when you have clearly been struggling.
“The Crown’s acts and omissions have hindered the socio-economic development of your people. Poor health, inadequate housing, low educational outcomes, and a lack of economic opportunities have contributed significantly to many of your people leaving the rohe.
“The Crown is unreservedly sorry for all of its breaches of te Tiriti/the Treaty and the harm they have caused you and pays tribute to your resilience.”
Goldsmith said Ngāti Hāua tūpuna had a vision of partnership and mutual benefit when they signed te Tiriti.
““Through this settlement, including this apology, the Crown hopes to build a platform on which we can form a new relationship, one that is based on the spirit of partnership that your tūpuna saw in te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi.”
The settlement legislation will enact statutory pardons for two Ngāti Hāua ancestors, Mātene Ruta Te Whareaitu and Te Rangiātea, who were tried under martial law and treated with “exceptional harshness”.
Te Rangiātea was imprisoned for life, dying after a few weeks, and Te Whareaitu – the brother of the great fighting chief Tōpine Te Mamaku – was executed by hanging.
Redress package
- The return of 64 culturally significant sites including Ngā Huinga (Cherry Grove), where the Whanganui and Taringamotu Rivers meet
- A$6-million cultural revitalisation fund
- $20.4 million of financial redress.
The Minister said a key component of the Deed is a collective agreement between Ngāti Hāua and key Crown agencies to support, resource and empower the future wellbeing of the iwi.
“While no settlement can fully compensate for the Crown’s injustices towards Ngāti Hāua, I sincerely hope this redress package will support Ngāti Hāua to realise their economic and cultural aspirations for generations to come,” Goldsmith said.
‘It’s a new start’
Ngāti Hāua Iwi Trust chair Graham “Tinka” Bell told the crowd the ink on the treaty wasn’t even dry before breaches started.
“You can never, ever heal hurt. We’re never going to get over the political history which we’ve had to endure,” Bell said.
“But it’s a new start. For me, this moment is actually about the future. We now have a rawa, a resource that we can now apply.
“I’m really looking forward to a future of riches, of prosperity, for Ngāti Hāua.”
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
