Crown's apology is accepted

The Crown had a great deal to apologise for, Te Runanga o Te Rarawa chairman Haami Piripi told Chris Finlayson, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, when Te Rarawa and the Crown formally signed the iwi's settlement document at Te Ahu on Sunday.

The settlement package has a total value of $65-$70 million, including cash ($33.8m million), interest, land and carbon credits.

Mr Piripi made it clear, as other iwi had done in the past, that the apology, which Mr Finlayson took 24 minutes to read, and which was accepted, was an important part of the settlement package, although he and other speakers also warned that this was a waypoint on the iwi's journey, rather than the destination. "We have an agreement, but there is a lot more work to be done yet," he said.

"If Ngati Kahu (which is currently taking legal action over claims it shares with other iwi) gets more than we do we will want to be topped up."

There were other issues, such as the formal restoration of the name Te Oneroa a Tohe for 90 Mile Beach, that had been put aside whilst the settlement negotiations proceeded, and would need to be addressed in the future.

"I accept you apology on behalf of Te Rarawa," Mr Piripi added.

"I can see you (Mr Finlayson) are a man of great heart with a powerful sense of justice, but it doesn't end here."

Te Rarawa had been through a number of transitions, the first of which occurred on the same day, October 28, in 1835, when the iwi signed the United Tribes' Declaration of Independence, and it had been very hard to sustain the dream and the vision in the face of events that had led to Mr Finlayson's apology moments before.

Many petitions and commissions of inquiry had found in Te Rarawa's favour but none had ever been acted upon by the Crown.

"It is very hard to put that aside and move ahead, but Panakareao did it, and so must we," he said.

"I hope this covenant will continue the dream of a new vision.

Epic journeyMr Finlayson conceded that the settlement process had been an "epic journey."

"I am here today because the Crown has not lived up to promises made to Te Rarawa in 1840," he said.

"The historical account contained within this deed tells a story every Northlander should be aware of. It is a history of your alienation, and sometimes eviction, from sites of real significance to your people. It is not a history the Crown can be proud of."

Te Rarawa had begun petitioning the Crown over 'surplus' lands in the 19th Century, and had continued to do so throughout the 20th. He acknowledged that the decision to accept the proposed settlement, and indeed whether there should be settlement at all, had been reached after robust debate, and many people had contributed to the history that was to be made in Kaitaia that day.

He was the fifth Minister to have been involved in the tribe's settlement journey, each of his predecessors having made their contributions.

"Each of those ministers acknowledged what had gone wrong in the past and contributed to a new future," he said.

See Thursday's Age for more.