April 09, 2021
Redress due to Ngati Hinerangi for crown contempt
Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little says every settlement reinforces his commitment to seeing justice done for the abuses of the past.
Parliament last week passed the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill, which will deliver about $9 million in commercial redress and culturally significant properties such as Mount Te Aroha to the Matamata-based iwi.
Mr Little says the iwi had to fight for its own settlement apart from Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato Tainui, but it stood strong.
He says reading the historical narrative brings home how badly the crown behaved.
"It is about the first step to reconciliation but you do see how the crown 100, 150 years ago just acted with total contempt towards its treaty partner and having signed up to the treaty, having made commitments in 1840, it clearly stood for nothing by 1860," he says.
Andrew Little says the claims are a reminder of the original intent for two people to run a nation in partnership.
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