After 14 years of negotiations, Ngāti Pāoa’s Treaty settlement has passed its third and final reading in Parliament, a moment iwi leaders described as both emotional and long overdue.
The settlement includes $23.5 million in financial redress, 12 culturally significant sites, and a formal Crown apology acknowledging historic breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi that left the iwi virtually landless.
Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Paul Goldsmith said the Crown’s actions, including raupatu, the impact of native land laws, and Crown purchasing, had undermined Ngāti Pāoa’s economic, social and cultural development.
He said the settlement was a step toward renewing the relationship between the iwi and the Crown.
“This is a historic day for which Ngāti Pāoa has waited far too long,” Goldsmith said.
“The Crown acknowledged its actions left Ngāti Pāoa virtually landless and breached the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles.”
Honouring those who paved the way
For iwi negotiator Hauāuru Rawiri, today’s vote was a moment to remember those who helped carry Ngāti Pāoa’s claims to this point.
“Nō mātou o Ngāti Pāoa te maringa nui, he rangi hirahira tēnei kua tutuki ngā kereme o Ngāti Pāoa,” Rawiri said.
“Te whakaarotanga ake ki tōku tuakana, Morehu, te whānau whānui a rātou i awhi mai, i hāpai ake i te kōkiritanga kia tutuki tika i tēnei rangi.”
Morehu Wilson was a negotiator for the iwi but passed away in 2022.
In the public gallery, iwi members wore specially woven kākahu, symbolising Te Kupenga o Taramainuku, bringing their ancestors travelling with them into the House on this historic day.
Herearoha Skipper, Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust Chairperson, says they were woven on the trip down.
“E noho pōuri tonu mātou nā runga anō i a rātou kua wehe… kia mau mai a tātou, ō tātou tūpuna i runga i ō mātou pokohiwi kia tau mai rātou hoki i roto i te whare, ahakoa he rā hirahira, anā ka whakaaro tonu mātou ki a rātou kua wehe.”
Mana wāhine leadership acknowledged
Across the House, MPs acknowledged the long path it took the iwi to get to this point, but also the notable significance of Ngāti Pāoa’s all-wāhine trustee board, and the leadership of Ngāti Pāoa women throughout the process.
“The post-settlement entity board is in fact entirely filled with wāhine Māori. That might have some indication of some amazing things on the horizon.
“...this [Settlement] is just one next stepping stone in this journey towards justice. This does not and cannot represent justice because it is a mere drop in the bucket of what was stolen and the compounding inequities that we see today. We must acknowledge the grace, the strength and the leadership of the people of Ngāti Paoa.” Swarbrick said.
Labour’s Willie Jackson aptly acknowledged the negotiators, but also the wāhine leadership as the iwi traverses post-settlement, reading out each of the trustees for Hansard in the House, which includes Herearoha Skipper, Mihingarangi Forbes, Lucy Tukua, Tania Tarawa, Tui Tawera and Michelle Wilson.
“There’s no doubt there was a mana wāhine takeover. I wanna acknowledge you, all those women who led the way for Ngāti Pāoa,” Jackson said.
Looking ahead
With the legislation now passed, Ngāti Pāoa leaders say their focus turns to building strategies for the next generation.
“Me anga ki mua, me āta titiro, whakarite rautaki mō ngā uri whakaheke… mā ngā pakeke i whakarite tētahi huarahi mō ngā rangatahi, engari kei a rātou tō rātou ake whakaaro mō tō rātou ake huarahi ki mua i a rātou.” Herearoha SKipper told Te Ao News.
For Hauāuru Rawiri, the settlement is a moment of closure, but also a call to unity as the iwi faces new challenges ahead.
“Kua ea tēnei wāhanga, heoi anō e titiro whakamua ngā wero kei mua i a tātou… ko te mea nui me whakakotahi tātou o Ngāti Pāoa i runga anō i te tika, te pono me te aroha,” he said.
Ngāti Pāoa’s area of interest includes parts of Mahurangi and Tāmaki Makaurau, the Hauraki Plains, the Gulf Islands and Waikato.
