Gold must be part of any deal, say Hauraki iwi

Collective chairman Paul Majurey. Photo / Supplied

Hauraki iwi hope ownership of gold is on the table for Crown negotiation as they push towards settlement.

But it will be a difficult argument to gain traction on as the Crown has consistently said that nationalised minerals such as gold, uranium and oil aren't up for discussion.

On the Coromandel Peninsula last week, a 12-member collective of iwi signed a framework agreement - a milestone on the way to settlement.

At the signing, Treaty Negotiations Minister Christopher Finlayson indicated some of the big-ticket items the iwi and Crown negotiators would focus on, including:

* Co-governance of public conservation land and the Waihou and Piako Rivers.

* Returning five Crown forests to Maori with accumulated rentals of $21 million.

* Financial redress.

* Place-name changes.

* Hauraki iwi purchasing Landcorp's Whenuakite farm.

* Rights of first refusal over Crown land.

However, the agreement also notes a 2006 Waitangi Tribunal report which said the tribunal was "sympathetic to the Crown's view that the nature and extent for redress for Treaty breaches relating to gold mining are for negotiation".

Collective chairman Paul Majurey said the iwi's gold claim related to the land they had lost through confiscation and the Crown's purchasing policies.

The tribunal report found Maori retained 2.6 per cent of land, making Hauraki one of the most landless group of iwi in the country.

"The principle that underlays all of these negotiations is that land was taken and we want land returned and we want land returned whole," Mr Majurey said.

Asked if iwi expectations relating to gold were too high, Mr Majurey said he understood there was a clear Crown legal position. But Hauraki also had an equally strong position on getting the land back.

"Yes, in some areas that is a challenging position. [Hauraki's view] is a simple but very powerful position."

The collective

Ngati Hako, Ngati Paoa, Ngati Tamatera, Ngati Tara-Tokanui, Ngati Porou ki Hauraki, Ngati Whanaunga, Ngati Hei, Ngati Maru, Ngati Pukenga, Te Patukirikiri, Ngai Tai ki Tamaki and Nga Rahiri Tumutumu