Negotiators for Whanganui Iwi have signed a framework agreement with the Crown setting out key elements that will form the basis for a settlement of historical claims relating to the Whanganui River.
''This agreement - T?tohu Whakatupua - is an historic event," Minister for Treaty for Waitangi Negotiations Minister Christopher Finlayson said.
"Whanganui River iwi have sought to protect the River and have their interests acknowledged by the Crown through the legal system since 1873. They pursued this objective in one of New Zealand's longest running court cases.''
Wanganui Mayor Annette Main joined representatives from the Whanganui River catchment area at Parliament, to witness the ceremony.
''This agreement confirms the importance of the Whanganui River to this region and will give us all a process within which we can work together with other river catchment stakeholders to create a strategy for the future of the river,'' Ms Main said, speaking on behalf of all the councils in the catchment.
