16 July 2002 Media Release 3

It’s a Waka, not a Single Scull

Clustering, or Kotahitanga, has been a key focus for the Trust in its work with claimant communities during the year, and the strategy has yielded some outstanding success stories.

The Trust spent a great deal of time introducing and explaining the benefits of clustering to claimants during 2001/2002 - including the saving of time, energy and resources when communities find common issues and work together.

The end result? Collectives of claimants, working together rather than competing for Trust funding, can be found from one end of the country to the other. This is a stark contrast to the Treaty landscape of three years ago, when fragmented claimant groups battled on alone to progress their claims.

Kotahitanga has been particularly successful in Urewera, the central North Island, Gisborne and East Coast, and there is clustering potential in Northland, Hauraki, the King Country, Wairoa and Whanganui.

“By working together on common issues, claimants can move more quickly through the Treaty settlement process, without losing their individual identities and rangatiratanga,” says Trust chief executive Karen Waterreus.

Whaimutu Dewes, convenor of Te Kura Takai Puni (the Ngati Porou Claims Committee) agrees. “The CFRT policy of clustering sits well with our guiding philosophy of Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini (we get our strength from our unity).”