Tūhoronuku totally rejects Government commissioned Morgan Report

Statement by Te Rōpū o Tūhoronuku

Ngāpuhi’s mandated entity, Te Rōpu o Tūhoronuku, totally rejects a report by Tuku Morgan calling it “an amateurish attempt to re-engineer Ngāpuhi social and political structures.”

Mr Morgan’s report “He Ara Hou - A Proposed Strategy and Pathway to Settlement” was commissioned by the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. It was presented to the Minister on 17 September.

Following a meeting of representatives in Auckland last night, Tūhoronuku announces it will keep faith with the 76% of Ngāpuhi who gave their mandate in September 2011.

We totally reject the Morgan report commissioned by the Crown that proposes starting the process again with a new model designed by Mr Morgan, which does not make provision for a democratic approval process by Ngāpuhi.

Instead of starting the settlement negotiations process, the Crown has shamefully dragged its heels, requesting further consultation rounds, one after the other, together resulting in more compromises in an attempt to accommodate a minority of opposition.

Following these additional hui, the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Hon Christopher Finlayson, appointed Mr Morgan to facilitate a process to resolve the nature and extent of hapū representation on Ngāpuhi’s mandated entity.

What has now been produced is a document that proposes disregarding the current mandate and replacing it with a new structure and new mandate promoted by a previous Tainui Chair, Mr Morgan. While the primary object of Mr Morgan’s brief was to ensure that Ngāpuhi hapū were fairly represented on the mandated entity, hapū have instead been further marginalised in Morgan’s report.

This is an insult to the mana of Ngāpuhi. The time for indecision by the Crown is now over and we will be seeking an urgent meeting with the Crown to resolve this situation.

Tūhoronuku has spent four years, held more than 60 hui and spent $3m to get to this point,
yet the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations refuses to recognise Ngāpuhi’s mandate and continue with the settlement process.

In September 2011, Ngāpuhi overwhelmingly voted (76% of those who voted) to give their mandate to Te Rōpū o Tūhoronuku to negotiate a comprehensive settlement with the Crown.

The Government says its 47% at the polls was a mandate to sell state-owned assets, yet it does not recognise the 76% who voted for the Ngapuhi mandate.

The Prime Minister has said a Ngāpuhi settlement is a priority for his Government, and Mr Finlayson has said it is a priority to reach an ‘agreement in principle’ for a Ngāpuhi settlement by 2014.

Ngāpuhi has spoken and Te Rōpū o Tūhoronuku has got the message loud and clear: “Get on with the job of settling our Te Tiriti o Waitangi grievances against the Crown.”

Te Rōpū o Tūhoronuku presented its Deed of Mandate to the Crown on 31 March 2012.

Due to the continued delays and demands for concessions by the Crown, it has not been made public.

Today Te Rōpū o Tūhoronuku has released its Deed of Mandate, which can be found on the Tuhoronuku website.

ends

© Scoop Media