Deed of Settlement signed with Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa

The Crown has signed a Deed of Settlement with Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa settling the iwi’s historical Treaty of Waitangi claims, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa is a northern iwi of approximately 2,500 people whose area of interest lies between the Whangaroa and Mangonui Harbours in the Far North.

The iwi’s historical grievances against the Crown include the Crown’s investigation of pre-Treaty land purchases, the sale of significant land blocks in Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa’s rohe and the effect of native land laws. 

“The combined impact of Crown actions and omissions mean that today, Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa owns only about three per cent of its ancestral lands and most iwi members are forced to live outside their rohe,” Mr Finlayson said.

The settlement provides an acknowledgement, apology and redress for the Crown’s historical breaches of the Treaty. The iwi will receive a cash payment of $6.2 million as well as cultural redress, including a $0.3 million cultural fund and the vesting of 15 sites of significance.

The settlement assets will be administered by the Kahukuraariki Trust, the Post-Settlement Governance Entity (PSGE) elected by iwi members.

The Stony Creek Station site will initially be vested in the Kahukuraariki Trust. Post settlement, the Kahukuraariki Trust will run an open process to ensure every adult member of Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa will have the opportunity to take part in determining the future ownership of Stony Creek Station.

“While no redress can ever fully compensate for the wrongs of the past, this settlement provides a base for a strong economic and cultural future for Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa and marks the beginning of a new relationship with the Crown,” Mr Finlayson said.

A copy of the Deed of Settlement is available at www.govt.nz/treaty-settlement-documents/ngatikahu-ki-whangaroa.