Iwi join forces for further bid on forestry claims

A group of Central North Island iwi have banded together for another attempt to resolve their competing claims to major Rotorua forestry land.

The iwi - including Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngai Tuhoe, and various Te Arawa iwi and hapu which were not included in the Te Arawa settlement - are working with Government to try to find a solution to their overlapping claims to Crown forestry land.

The Te Arawa settlement - estimated to be worth $200 million and including more than 50,000ha of Kaingaroa Forest and $36 million in cash - was reached in 2005 between the Crown and Te Arawa - a coalition of 14 different iwi.

However, other hapu and iwi in the area said it effectively locked them out of major forestry assets in which they had potential claims. Those other iwi have made several attempts to derail the Te Arawa settlement, including taking the Crown to court.

The collective approach by the iwi was announced by Treaty Negotiations Minister Michael Cullen yesterday and follows a Waitangi Tribunal report in June which recommended delaying the settlement until a forum of all iwi could decide on the best way to allocate the Crown forest lands.

The tribunal criticised the Crown's failure to consider other affected iwi which had overlapping claims, and said while delaying the settlement should only be a "last resort" it was critical to allow the central North Island iwi find a way to allocate the forests between themselves.

Treaty Negotiations Minister Michael Cullen yesterday said the Crown supported the renewed efforts by the iwi to try to resolve the issue. He said the iwi in the Te Arawa grouping were an essential part of the discussions, but said the Government remained committed to honouring the Te Arawa settlement.

"I have assured [Te Arawa] that they will in no way be disadvantaged by any collective approach that may develop out of these discussions."

Dr Cullen said discussions with the group were still at an early stage, but the Crown and Te Arawa had agreed to delay legislation that would implement that settlement until discussions were over.

This month a group, including the Maori Council, the Federation of Maori Authorities and Tuwharetoa paramount chief Tumu te Heuheu, won the right to challenge Te Arawa's settlement in the Supreme Court.

The group wanted the Supreme Court to decide whether the Crown was in breach of its legal obligations by entering into the Te Arawa settlement without considering the other iwi's claims to the land.