26 November 2003 Media Release

Ngati Whare to start Negotiation with the Crown in the New Year

Ngati Whare iwi from the Central North Island has been given the right to begin negotiating its Treaty of Waitangi settlement directly with the Crown in the New Year.

Te Runanga o Ngati Whare Iwi Trust received notification today from the Office of Treaty Settlements that the Crown has accepted their deed of mandate to negotiate the settlement of all historical claims.

The claims to be negotiated are all claims registered or unregistered that occurred prior to 1992. The iwi have registered claims for Wai 66, 212, 350, 439, 724, 725. 1038 plus others that are not registered. Primarily the claims involve land in and round Minginui Te Whaiti and Kaingaroa.

Runanga Chair Anaru Te Amo said the Crown had accepted the mandate because the Runanga have demonstrated that it has a strong support base and that members of the iwi had had all been given the opportunity to be involved in getting to the stage where a mandate was submitted.

He said the next task for iwi would be to agree on the terms of negations with the Crown.

“We have already done most of the historical research but we need to think strategically about what it is that we wish to include in our terms of negotiation. The time has come now for us to move forward and develop a sustainable economic future.”

Mr Te Amo said Ngati Whare has been waiting for several generations to settle its claim. By going into direct negotiations with the Crown it hoped to be able to reach an agreement sooner than if we had gone through the Waitangi Tribunal process.

For more information contact:

Anaru Te Amo, Chairman, Ngati Whare Iwi Claims, Ph 07 366 5690.

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