14 August 2018

A series of regional hui across Ngāpuhi over the weekend where Andrew Little, the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, presented a new model to progress Ngāpuhi settlement negotiations. The proposal provided fresh hope to hapū leaders for a negotiation model that is built upon the hapū foundations of Ngāpuhi.

Hapū were willing to continue working with the Minister around this first stage of the proposal about how hapū and regional representation could be established. This approach could help build trust and confidence in the proposal by empowering hapū in six regional groupings to control key decisions about the way forward. The rest of the proposal would need to be put on hold until the six regional hapū collectives were set up and ready to consider how they wanted the wider Ngāpuhi negotiations to progress.

The Minister has committed to supporting hapū to hold hui and decide how they want the model to run. Several hapū have also invited the Minister and his team to meet with them over the next few weeks to discuss possible solutions.

Empowering all of Ngāpuhi, whānau by whānau, hapū by hapū, for this and future generations is a key priority for the future well being of Ngāpuhi as an iwi. Hapū leaders look forward to working with the Minister on a possible way forward that will result in a fair, just and enduring resolution of their Te Tiriti o Waitangi claims.

ends

© Scoop Media