A new dawn for Ngai Takoto

The signing of a deed of settlement by Far North iwi Ngai Takoto at Te Rangi Aniwaniwa, the Maori-medium school founded by activist turned MP Hone Harawira and his wife, Hilda, on Saturday has been hailed as a new dawn for the tribe, and for Northland's long under-performing economy.

Signing was bittersweet for Ngai Takoto's chief negotiator Rangitane Marsden, whose late father, Rev Maori Marsden, began negotiations with the Crown 26 years before but did not live to see the job completed.

Mr Marsden said his iwi was small but had shown great determination.

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, it's the size of the fight in the dog," he said.

Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson and the Crown team were welcomed in blazing sunshine with a challenge led by former Te Rangi Aniwaniwa head boy and current Northland rugby rep Whiria Meltzer, followed by a haka powhiri by the school's current students.

Among the speakers was Far North Mayor Wayne Brown, who said he looked forward to a new era of partnership and, given the high standard of leadership of Far North iwi, a lift in economic performance benefiting everyone in the district.

Mr Finlayson agreed, saying the signing was a "fantastic opportunity" for regional development, and a turning point for relations between Ngai Takoto and the Crown.

He paid tribute to the resolve and toughness of Ngai Takoto's negotiators, and read the Crown's apology in full, detailing how the iwi had been left virtually landless by 1859 and the on-going effects of that loss.

Mr Marsden accepted the apology and spoke of a new start.

"We accept the challenge of a new dawn, a new beginning, a new future... Enough is enough, let's move forward together," he said.

He hoped the settlement would help turn the Far North's fortunes around and bring its people home from Australia, but the iwi had not been idle while its settlement was finalised. It was already working with councils and the Te Hiku Forum on plans for Northland's economic and social advancement; the next challenge would be better representation for Maori in local government.

Mr Marsden was adamant that the settlement was the best Ngai Takoto could achieve.

"If there was any more to do we'd still be negotiating," he said.

"When you get to a point where you've got all you can get, there's no point turning on your neighbours."

The iwi marked the signing with a three-day celebration which included a sports tournament, kapa haka, a hakari, the announcement of seven academic scholarships and the unveiling of a carved pou at Kaitaia's Te Ahu.

Also present on Saturday were representatives of King Tuheitia, the other Te Hiku iwi, MPs Shane Jones and Mike Sabin, the Northland Regional Council and the Department of Conservation.