Te Tiriti - Treaty SettlementsSince 1987, a number of attempts were made to settle Treaty of Waitangi claims to Central North Island (CNI) forests land. Each time, agreement on how to move forward could not be reached. In 2007, iwi from the central North Island including Ngāti Rangitihi came together at Waitetoko and agreed to a proposal to advance negotiation discussions. Thus, the CNI Iwi Collective was formed.
In less than a year, leaders from the eight CNI iwi were able to agree and settle the largest treaty claim in New Zealand history. The breakthrough deal is testament to the vision, humility and generosity of the individual iwi leaders who co-operated with each other in order to achieve a settlement for the benefit of all. Scroll down to read about the inspiring leadership, hard work and dedication that enabled Ngāti Rangitihi to be a part of this historical Treaty settlement and what the future holds for us as we continue to work with other CNI Iwi to develop, safeguard and manage our settlement assets.    |           |
 Henare Pryor, the late Morris Raureti and Tiwha Bell signing the CNI Settlement papers |
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CNI Treaty Settlement Timeline
Following the initial hui and discussions with the other CNI Iwi and the Crown, a landmark ballot was held in June 2008 when Ngāti Rangitihi elected to join the CNI collective. In November 2008, our kaumātua signed the Deed of Settlement with the Crown which entitled us to a share of land, accumulated rentals, NZ Units and ongoing rentals from the CNI forests land. In order to receive the CNI redress at the same time as other iwi – 1 July 2009 – an oversight group, Takaia, was set up under the umbrella of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rangitihi to ensure that the work required to create our PSGE was completed by the deadline.
The timeframe was extremely tight but given this group’s commitment and dedication, we were able to explore and assess all our options and present this information to our whānau in order for them to make informed decisions about the future. Communication with tribal members was a priority and involved a series of consultation hui, collation of all the feedback and the launch of an interactive website. Updating and verifying our iwi register was also a main focus. As a result, we now have in place a Trust Deed that is relevant to our current and future needs as well as a financial structure that will protect – and grow – our settlement assets.
The timeframe was extremely tight but given this group’s commitment and dedication, we were able to explore and assess all our options and present this information to our whānau in order for them to make informed decisions about the future. Communication with tribal members was a priority and involved a series of consultation hui, collation of all the feedback and the launch of an interactive website. Updating and verifying our iwi register was also a main focus. As a result, we now have in place a Trust Deed that is relevant to our current and future needs as well as a financial structure that will protect – and grow – our settlement assets.
Mana Whenua Process
A unique feature of the CNI settlement was the agreement that iwi themselves, rather than the Crown, would decide which areas of the returned land would rightfully belong to each iwi. The land has been transferred as a whole to CNI Iwi Holdings Limited, which is carrying out the two year process of identifying, discussing and eventually agreeing the respective mana whenua interests.
The mana whenua process will be monitored by CNI Iwi Holdings Limited and officially takes place between July 1 2009 and June 30 2011. Ngāti Rangitihi is represented in the mana whenua process by a sub-committee including kaumātua Henare Pryor, Tane Turei and trustees Tiipene Marr, Kenneth Raureti and Graham Pryor.
The process has three main stages, which flow towards a Final Allocation Agreement:
The mana whenua process will be monitored by CNI Iwi Holdings Limited and officially takes place between July 1 2009 and June 30 2011. Ngāti Rangitihi is represented in the mana whenua process by a sub-committee including kaumātua Henare Pryor, Tane Turei and trustees Tiipene Marr, Kenneth Raureti and Graham Pryor.
The process has three main stages, which flow towards a Final Allocation Agreement:
- Stage 1: Identification of mana whenua interests – July 2009 to September 2009 (now completed);
- Stage 2: Kanohi ki te kanohi negotiation – October 2009 to June 2010 (now completed); and
- Stage 3: Dispute resolution including mediation and adjudication – July 1 2010 until June 30 2011.
