Shane Te Pou: Is this the biggest Treaty settlement for Ngāpuhi?

Ngāti Hine leader Waihoroi Shortland. Photo / Peter de Graaf

OPINION

Could we finally be on the cusp of a Treaty settlement for Aotearoa’s largest iwi?

It will take a lot of goodwill and commitment, both from the Government and Ngāpuhi but, with the publication of the 2000 page Te Paparahi o Te Raki report by the Waitangi Tribunal, the foundation for a just settlement has been laid.

It’s been a long time coming. Thirteen years to assemble the evidence and the history of the Crown’s breaches of Te Tiriti with respect to Ngāpuhi and its seven constituent taiwhenua. Many who started this long walk to justice are not with us anymore.

The report not only lays out nearly 200 years of breaches of Te Tiriti by the Crown against Ngāpuhi. It is also a warning that the Crown will keep on breaching Te Tiriti, unless a proper settlement is made and restoration is given for what was taken.

Ngāti Hine chairman Waihoroi Shortland put it well: “History tells us that governments, over the past 184 years, have continued to breach the Treaty. They will do it again going forward. They are preparing to do it again right now. We don’t want to prolong the agony, but we will not stand aside and be the subject of the agony.”

Ngāti Hine chairman Waihoroi Shortland. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Now that this hard, and painful work has been done, bringing to light all the past wrongs and recording them in one place, Ngāpuhi can be happy that they have a powerful tool to prove how they have been wronged and to push their case for justice.

Ka kata ngā puriri o Taiamai

The puriri trees are laughing with joy

This is one of the most famous kōrero of Ngāpuhi. It speaks of joy and delight or in this case delightful news. Although they tell of painful memories, that’s what the report findings are for Ngāpuhi. Now it’s time to negotiate with a willing government so a settlement can be reached for the largest tribe in the country.

It won’t be straightforward. The Government will have to negotiate the complexities of not only Ngāpuhi’s relationship with the Crown but also the differences and disagreements between the taiwhenua and individual hapū. It will take goodwill, respect, and a genuine desire to right what’s wrong.

Chris Finlayson.

Previous ministers of treaty negotiations, especially Chris Finlayson and Andrew Little, have set a high benchmark by engaging with iwi in a respectful manner. Will the new minister, Paul Goldsmith, and the new Government do the same?

The settlement owed is substantial. The Tribunal recommends:

· An apology from the Crown;

· The return of all Crown-owned land within the inquiry district to Māori ownership;

· Substantial further compensation to restore the economic base of hapū and make up for economic losses.

Such a settlement will not only bring some closure, but will also materially improving the living conditions and future prospects of the 100,000-plus members of Ngāpuhi.

I admit that a bit of fear passed through me when I saw Act’s MPs refuse to stand for the waiata after new Māori MPs’ maiden speeches in Parliament. If the Government won’t respect custom, what hope is there it will agree to a meaningful settlement, which will come at a significant cost?

Will this Government, that has fainting spells over bilingual road signs, be willing to seriously engage with the biggest iwi and confront dark stains on our nation’s history?

Fortunately, there are two prominent sons of the north in the upper echelons of this administration. Ngāpuhi MPs, my message to you is that politics comes and goes, but your connection to your iwi is eternal. This is a chance to deliver a lasting settlement and real justice.

To many Pākehā, Treaty settlements must seem abstract and odd. It was all so long ago wasn’t it?

Well, no it wasn’t so long ago and the effects of Māori having our land and their wealth taken from us in violation of the contract our leaders made with the Crown can be seen all around us today.

It is because of Treaty breaches that Māori are largely poor and landless today in a country which once all belonged to us.

If someone broke a contract with you and left you impoverished, you would fight for justice and compensation, and Treaty settlements are no different.

The past cannot be undone. But wrongs can be made right. And those who have had so much taken from them can get some part of it back. If we honour Te Tiriti, we will be able to move forward as a country, together.

Dame Whina Cooper led the 1975 land march from Northland to Wellington. Photo / Alexander Turnbull Library

Let the last words of this column come from the iconic Dame Whina Cooper, wise words indeed when she said:

“Let us all remember that the Treaty was signed so that we could all live as one nation in Aotearoa.”