Deed of Settlement signed with the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa

The Crown has signed a Deed of Settlement with the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa settling their historical Treaty claims, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Christopher Finlayson announced today.

"The iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa have waited a long time to reach this day,” Mr Finlayson said. "The Crown can never fully compensate for the wrongs of the past, but this settlement provides the people of Te Wairoa with the foundation for a stronger cultural and economic future.

“The historical grievances of Te Wairoa iwi and hapū relate to the loss of the vast majority of their rohe, intense military campaigns and socio-economic depravation, the effects of which can still be seen today.”

The settlement provides an acknowledgement, apology and redress for the Crown’s historical breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Commercial and financial redress totalling $100 million includes the transfer of interests in the Wharerata Forest and Patunamu Crown Forest Licensed land as well as the right to purchase a number of landbanked properties for up to two years.

Five sites of cultural significance will be vested in the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa who will gift them back to the Crown for the people of New Zealand.

The settlement will also establish Te Rohe o Te Wairoa Reserves Board-Matangirau to manage five reserves in the Wairoa area. Membership of this board will comprise an equal number of representatives from the post-settlement governance entity (Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust) and the Wairoa District Council.

“This settlement has received overwhelming support from the claimant community. It will benefit the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa as well as the wider Wairoa region,” Mr Finlayson said.

The iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa includes seven iwi and hapū clusters covering northern Hawke’s Bay and southern Gisborne and the township of Wairoa, Lake Waikaremoana and the Mahia peninsula.
A copy of the deed is available at www.govt.nz/treaty-settlement-documents/te-wairoa-iwi-and-hapu/.

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