Iwi partnership to purchase Crown land

Iwi partnership to purchase Crown land

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The Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust (TST) and six other Tūwharetoa entities have partnered together to purchase 8,500 hectares of Crown land in the Hautu-Rangipo region of the central North Island.

The conditional sale and purchase agreement was announced today by Corrections Minister, Sam Lotu-liga, and TST Chairman, Dylan Tahau, and completes 12 months of negotiations. Some details are still to be finalised including the lease and access agreements.

The iwi partnership includes two major Tūwharetoa forestry trusts, Tūwharetoa farm trusts, and a collective hapū entity.

TST Chairman, Dylan Tahau, said the deal has significant strategic and commercial benefits for the iwi partners but most importantly the purchase sees the return of Tūwharetoa whenua.

“This is a great milestone for our iwi and we are really pleased that the partnership has been able to work closely to get to this point.

“There are several important wāhi tapu (sacred areas) on the land, and two of our rivers, the Waiotaka and Tongariro, run through it also.

“Purchasing this property and agreeing a lease-back is a major benefit for Tūwharetoa, and will support our economic, social and cultural development,” said Mr Tahau.

The deal ends the Tūwharetoa Deferred Settlement Process, which was part of the 2008 Central North Island (CNI) Treaty Settlement. It also completes the Lake Taupō Protection Trust’s Nitrate reduction programme in the Lake Taupō Catchment.

TST through its Tūwharetoa Property Investment Limited Partnership has also purchased the land under nine schools in Taupō, other Corrections property, and the Taupō Courthouse through the deferred settlement process. These purchases make the iwi one of the largest landowners in the Taupō township.

ENDS

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