Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri (NMoW) have today signed an Agreement In Principle (AIP) with the Crown towards a Treaty of Waitangi settlement, marking a fresh start in relations between the two signatories.

After a lengthy and difficult process which began in 2016, Lead Negotiator for the iwi, Tom McClurg says the AIP is a positive step forward.

“Coming to an agreement allows us to establish a proper Treaty of Waitangi-based relationship with the Crown that has not existed since the annexation of Wharekauri/Chatham Islands in November 1842,” he says.

“Our people see the agreement with the Crown as a beginning rather than an end – a fresh start for nga uri o Ngāti Mutunga and the wider Wharekauri community,” says McClurg.

Mr McClurg is particularly pleased with the inclusion of a formal acknowledgement in the AIP of the unreasonable behaviour of the Crown during the 1842 annexation almost three years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in which the standards of the Crown’s expected conduct towards Māori were set out.

The AIP includes reference to a “profound failure” on the part of the Crown to pay “respect to the mana and te tino rangatiratanga of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri”*.

“In practice, the payment of that overdue respect by the Crown translates to a very small redress offer. But we also need to be pragmatic and take the offer to unlock opportunities previously denied to us because of that disrespect,” says McClurg.

“The way the settlement process has been managed has caused significant tension within our community, with one iwi settlement being fast-tracked while ours was still in negotiation, despite an agreement to negotiate both concurrently. This process has been particularly upsetting for some of our people, especially given that some whakapapa to both iwi on Wharekauri.

“While the proposed settlement currently doesn’t meet all our needs – it is heartening to see a renewed focus on relationship building, manaakitanga. It’s also heartening to recall that there is no such thing as ‘full and final’ in a relationship. Now that our relationship with the Crown is being re-set, we have many generations ahead for that relationship to deliver benefits,” says McClurg.

Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust CEO, Gail Amaru, says the opening of the purpose-built Office Facility and adjoining Chatham Islands Museum, which was commissioned by Ngāti Mutunga, is representative of the way in which the Wharekauri community work effectively together in such a remote location.

“Ngāti Mutunga have an intergenerational, forward-looking focus. Our approach throughout the settlement process has been to honour our tūpuna and provide for our mokopuna by building a strong foundation for our future. Today’s signing is a transformational step towards that future,” says Amaru.

“This AIP has been a long time coming and it is down to the steadfast work of many, led by Tom McClurg, whose determination in the face of protracted negotiations is relentless,” she says.

“We are all proud of our stance as iwi, Ngāti Mutunga are more united today than we were even six years ago when the process began,” Amaru notes.

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