Ngāti Kahungunu receive ‘long awaited’ Crown apology in Wairarapa

Ngāti Kahungunu receive 'long awaited' Crown apology in Wairarapa. Photo / supplied.

Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua has received a long-awaited apology from the Crown in Masterton on Saturday.

Treaty Minister Andrew Little offered the apology for the Crown’s historic Te Tiriti of Waitangi breaches in front of several hundred whānau at Queen Elizabeth Park.

“This is a momentous day for Ngāti Kahungunu and their settlement journey which has not been without its challenges, but today marks the first step of many more in a renewed partnership between Ngāti Kahungunu and the Crown.”

Ngāti Kahungunu receives 'long awaited' Crown apology from Treaty Minister Andrew Little. Photo / supplied

The apology acknowledges breaches that included the forced cession of tens of thousands of acres of land at Maungaroa in 1845, rapid and extensive lack of good faith land purchases throughout the 1850s, and later public works takings.

“Today the Crown properly recognises the long-standing association of Ngāti Kahungunu with the whenua and taonga within their rohe and it is my sincere hope that this settlement brings a vibrant future for Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua.”

Crown apology in Wairarapa. Photo / supplied

The two taiwhenua of Ngāti Kahungunu are a group of interconnected hapū from the Dannevirke and Wairarapa regions with about 12,000 registered members.