Extra funding to reach Treaty settlement goal

Budget 2010 provides an extra $6.5 million over the next three years to achieve the Government's goal of settling all historical Treaty of Waitangi claims by 2014.

“The last year has seen a significant acceleration in Treaty settlements,” Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Christopher Finlayson says. "Since Budget 2009, the Government has signed 11 agreements in principle and six deeds of settlement.

“The rate of progress in key negotiations means that extra resources are required to maintain and build on that momentum.”

The extra funding will provide resources for the successful team of Crown chief negotiators, the employment of extra staff to support negotiations and speed up the drafting of deeds of settlement.

“More groups are also keen to ramp up the speed of their negotiations, since they have seen the benefits that settling claims in a timely fashion can bring for their people by creating new jobs and unlocking economic development opportunities,” Mr Finlayson says.

“This extra funding shows the Government is committed to its goal of reaching just and durable settlements of historical Treaty claims by 2014.

“That’s why it is important we get down to the business of settling claims with as little delay as possible, so all New Zealanders can look to the future and move forward together.”

The extra funding comes on top of the additional $22.2 million in operational funding in the Budget last year.

ENDS

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