Adjustment payments have been made to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu under the Relativity Mechanisms in their Treaty settlements, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little announced today.

Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu have each received payments of $1.2 million to ensure the value of their individual settlements maintain their relative size compared with the total value of all Treaty of Waitangi settlements to date.

“These payments relate to a dispute over a 2012 payment,” Andrew Little said.

Early last year, as a result of arbitration, payments million were made to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu respectively, related to the 2012 dispute. The further payments announced today each are an agreed revision to those 2018 payments.

A relativity mechanism was agreed in the settlements with both Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu in 1995 and 1997 respectively.

“Clearly it must be honoured, as with any other commitment made in a Treaty settlement.

“The relativity mechanisms, and Treaty settlements in general, are intricate and detailed. Each settlement is unique, with its own type and variety of redress.

“This means from time to time, questions need to be addressed over what to include when calculating the total value of Treaty settlements. This uncertainty has led to differing views at times on the amounts payable to maintain relativity.

“It’s important to get these payments to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu right and these payments are about honouring that,” Andrew Little said.

Both iwi can make a request for payment every five years to ensure the real value of their settlements remain at 17% (Waikato-Tainui) and 16.1% (Ngāi Tahu) of the total Treaty settlement process.

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