2 August 2018

Ngāti Paoa are one of many Iwi from Hauraki who will not be signing the Hauraki Settlement with the Minister today.

Ngāti Paoa mandated negotiator, Morehu Wilson said “We made a commitment to follow a Tikanga process. Its about doing it right the right way. That’s what Tikanga means. That’s what Tika, Pono and Aroha means so all Iwi can grow and flourish. Meeting face to face on our marae, celebrating our kinship and connections, so we can have the brave conversations in a respectful manner.

“Minister Little has decided to sign the Hauraki Settlement today with those Iwi who are available to sign. Ngāti Paoa remains steadfast in our commitment to uphold Tikanga in order to reach a mutually beneficial outcome for all,” said Morehu Wilson.

From recent discussions Ngāti Paoa has had with other members of the Hauraki Collective, it appears that the majority of the Hauraki Iwi will not be available to sign the Hauraki Settlement today. There are a range of reasons for their absences, but they certainly include support for the completion of the Tikanga process before signing. It seems clear that the expected limited attendance today will speak volumes about the lack of widespread support for the settlement as it stands.

Given the controversy so far, even if Iwi do sign, there are still Parliamentary process hurdles and a pending Supreme Court decision to be released by September. That ruling will have a huge bearing on the settlement and the legislation that will be introduced to the House.

In addition, there are still Hui to take place such as those called by the Māori King to bring Hauraki and Tauranga Iwi (not Collectives) together. These hui are to be held under the auspices of their whanaungatanga (kinship ties) to resolve tensions or at least allow the opportunity for people to engage in a proper Tikanga process.

Currently, there are 13 urgent applications pending in the Waitangi Tribunal, which have directly arisen from the proposed Hauraki settlement.

“The sad thing is there are Iwi in both Tauranga and Hauraki who are closely related on both sides. I truly feel aroha for those families. Surely the preservation of those kinship ties has to be worth something - if not for historical reasons then surely for posterity’s sake and for future generations. Iwi have to stop hiding behind the ‘Panekooti (petticoat) of the Crown to expand their empire; or going all the way back to ‘Adam & Eve’ to make tenuous claims to mana whenua status when everyone else is saying ‘Your not here! Ko wai koe?’

“Lawyering your way to a settlement to grab as much as you can is not right. Our Tikanga keeps us all safe and keeps our kinship ties and relationships with each other intact,” said Haydn Solomon, Kaiārahi for the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust.

“Ngāti Paoa will continue to advocate for a Tikanga-based process to resolve outstanding overlapping claims and to future proof our settlements with Maori-based solutions rather than using stale and flawed bureaucratic processes. The current approach only serves to confuse or pit people against each other and waste precious Iwi resource in expensive litigation. We know our Tūpuna always had the answers, we just need to trust in them,” said Haydn Solomon.

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