Kāpiti Coast hapū looks forward to airing grievances before Waitangi Tribunal

Organisers Mereana Winterburn and Donna-Marie Overend work at the marae to prepare for the tribunal hearing.

A hapū on Kāpiti Coast says it is looking to forward to presenting its stories of dispossession and disadvantage to the Waitangi Tribunal.

The Waitangi Tribunal is convening at Te Pou o Tainui Marae at Ōtaki this week to hear the Treaty claims of Ngāti Kapu and the Baker whānau.

Ngāti Kapu spokesperson Whare Akuhata said it provided his hapū with the opportunity to articulate its Treaty grievances and provided a platform for iwi to voice their historical injustices.

The hearings offered “Ngāti Kapu the chance to share narratives of land confiscation, language loss, and the enduring social and economic impacts of colonisation”, he said.

“This process has allowed the hapū to delve into their history, engaging both their own experts, researchers and renowned historians.”

The hearings in Ōtaki mark the 14th sitting of the Waitangi Tribunal, focusing on the grievances of a confederation of iwi including Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Kauwhata, Te Reureu, and Ngāti Wehiwehi.

Collectively known as Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, they represent several iwi in the Manawatū, Horowhenua and Kāpiti regions.

The hearings start today and run until Thursday.