Hon Paul Goldsmith
Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations

The Government is striving forward with Treaty negotiations at pace as the Ngāti Hāua Claims Settlement Bill passes its first reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.

“I am delighted to be able to move forward with this settlement just months after the Crown and Ngāti Hāua signed a Deed in Taumarunui.

“This is testament to Ngāti Hāua’s negotiation team and the Government’s priority to make significant progress in the Treaty negotiations space.

“It is an honour to welcome Ngāti Hāua to Parliament today. The Bill marks the beginning of the last stage of the iwi’s eight-year journey to settlement.

“Today is about looking forward to the future, while acknowledging the past and the long and difficult journey it has taken to get here.”

Key elements of the redress include:

• Cultural redress including the return of 64 culturally significant sites like the land at the confluence of the Whanganui and Ongarue rivers (Ngā Huinga).
• The payment of $19 million in financial redress to enable the economic revitalisation of Ngāti Hāua.
• Statutory pardons for two Ngāti Hāua ancestors who were arrested and treated with exceptional harshness in the 1840s, one of whom was executed.

Ngāti Hāua is an iwi based in the central North Island, centred around Taumarunui. It is a population of approximately 2,500 people.

A copy of the Deed of Settlement is available online at: Te Tari Whakatau - Ngāti Hāua.

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