May 01, 2017
Deed of Settlement signed with Ngati Tamaoho
After a two year delay, the Crown has signed a Deed of Settlement with Auckland and Waikato iwi Ngati Tamaoho.
Speaking at the ceremony at Mangatangi Marae, Treaty Negotiations Minister Christopher Finlayson said the iwi was left virtually landless by the start of the 20th century because of Crown actions and omissions, resulting in socio-economic deprivation.
The settlement package includes $10.3 million in commercial and financial redress.
The Ngati Tamaoho Settlement Trust will buy the former Otara police station, a site on Great South Road in Manukau suitable for housing, and the Te Hihi and Hunua school sites which will be leased back to the crown
It also has the opportunity to join with Ngai Tai ki Tamaki Trust to buy New Zealand Defence Force land at Papakura.
Mr Finlayson said the settlement marks the beginning of a new relationship between Ngati Tamaoho and the Crown and provides the foundation for a stronger social, cultural and economic future for the iwi.
Ngati Tamaoho signed an agreement in principal in 2012, but according to a former crown negotiator Michael Dreaver the negotiations were put on hold at the end of 2014, with the delay meaning land inflation significantly reduced the true value of their settlement package.
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