Ngāti Hine say no to new Treaty negotiations plan

Waihoroi Shortland, chairman of Te Maara a Hineamaru, said the evolved mandate to negotiate Ngāpuhi's Treaty claims does not deliver hapū rangatiratanga.

Ngāti Hine have rejected the new plan to settle Ngāpuhi's Treaty claims and are encouraging people to vote no.

Last week Te Rōpū Tūhono - which comprises Treaty Minister Andrew Little; the leaders of Tūhoronuku, which holds the Crown recognised mandate to negotiate Ngāpuhi's Treaty claims; and the co-chairmen of Te Kotahitanga, who opposed the recognition of that mandate - made the decision to take an evolved negotiations plan out to the people for a vote.

Waihoroi Shortland, chairman of Te Maara a Hineamaru, said Ngāti Hine rejected the proposal and would mobilise hapū and individuals to participate in the vote, and say no to the final proposal.

"Ngāti Hine has always looked for a reason to stay, and we have been unable to find it in
this final iteration," he said.

Ngāti Hine's rejection comes after Bay of Island's hapū Ngāti Manu also said no to the new plan last month.

The evolved mandate will see hapū appoint representatives to make up six rohe negotiation bodies (RNBs).

Representatives from those RNBs will make up part of the Mandated Ngāpuhi Authority (MaNA) - which could also include kuia/kaumatua representatives, Ngāpuhi living outside the region, and a runanga representative.

MaNA will appoint two commercial negotiators, with support from the RNBs, for commercial redress negotiations.

Meanwhile, each RNB will appoint as many negotiators as they would like (only up to three funded) to work with the Crown on cultural redress, and with each other for an agreement on the allocation of the commercial redress.

The vote, which runs from November 9 to December 7, follows months of consultation hui and submissions made by hapū, and comes after the Waitangi Tribunal found in 2015 Tūhoronuku's mandate did not protect hapū sovereignty.

But Shortland said the evolved mandate also did not deliver hapū sovereignty.

"We are disappointed that the proposers did not have the courage to support a truly hapū
led multi-settlement regime. After negotiating with the Crown, hapū are then forced to
negotiate within themselves to redistribute the settlement quantum," he said.

Before moving to the negotiation phase there would need to be support from 65 per cent of hapū and 75 per cent of individuals.