Today Te Pāti Māori joined Taranaki iwi in celebration as the Taranaki Mounga Collective Redress Bill passed its first reading in Parliament today.

The redress acknowledges the theft of 1.2 million acres of Taranaki and the desecration of the Mounga over 172 years at the hands of the crown.

It gives legal recognition to the personhood of Taranaki Mounga, it’s surrounding peaks and lands, vested under the name Te Kāhui Tupua.

“This is a momentous day for our Mounga and its descendants. I acknowledge our negotiators for their vision and dedication to their mokopuna,” said MP for Te Tai Hauāuru, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“Today is a testament to the art of our resistance as kaitiaki. It is also a testament to the generosity of tangata whenua, who have given up so much and accepted so little in return in the name of peace and reconciliation.

“This is the first Treaty settlement bill to be progressed by this Government, and it is the first time they have showed any form of good will toward tangata whenua.

“We will not allow the Crown to congratulate themselves while they are actively erasing Te Tiriti o Waitangi through legislation like the Fast Track Approvals Bill.

“Our mounga has suffered from the mass destruction of its ngahere, the pollution of its waters, and the extinction of its manu. While today is for celebration, we recognise the hard work ahead of us to restore the mauri and the mana of Te Kāhui Tupua.

“We also recognise the continued threat this government poses to our mounga, our whenua, and our whakapapa,’ said Ngarewa-Packer.

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