January 12, 2021
Hinemanu fights Taihape settlement
Members of a Taihape area iwi are threatening a hikoi on parliament because of fears their claims are slipping through the cracks of the treaty settlement process.
Spokesperson Jordan Winiata says Ngāti Hinemanu has tried for three years to meet with ministers to address their concerns about being included in the Taihape-Mōkai Pātea Settlement.
He says Ngāti Hinemanu’s interests are split between Heretaunga Tamatea, which settled in 2015, and Mōkai Pātea.
But he says it has not been given an equal place at the table in the Mōkai Pātea negotiations, and it is being made invisible.
He says the crown needs to reenter talks with Ngāti Hinemanu in line with its promises in Heretaunga Tamatea.
The Mōkai Pātea Waitangi Claims Trust deed of mandate says it will only negotiate the settlement of the historical claims of Ngāti Hinemanu to the extent they are based on descent from the mother of Hinemanu, Punakiao of Ngāi Te Ohuake, or her husband Tautahi of Ngāti Whitikaupeka, Ngāti Hauiti and Ngāi Te Ohuake.
The mandate document also sets out the steps taken to meet the concerns of Ngāti Hinemanu, including separate negotiations over their interests in the Kaweka and/or Gwavas crown forest lands.
It says the crown was satisfied with the mandate, despite complaints raised by the Ngāti Hinemanu me Ngāti Paki Heritage Trust
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