May 23, 2018
Parihaka and Crown relationship significant for nation
DR RUAKERE HOND INTERVIEW ENGLISH
DR RUAKERE HOND – TE REO MAORI
A Parihaka leader says members of the historic community want to forge a continuing relationship with the crown rather than take a one-off settlement.
The Maori affairs select committee was in Parihaka on Monday hearing submissions on a bill providing an apology and recompense for the crown's 1881 invasion and destruction on the pa, which had been a centre of opposition to land confiscation.
Ruakere Hond says the committee heard a diversity of views from young to old.
He says people are concerned about how the new arrangements will work, and they don't see the $9 million payment to upgrade the community's infrastructure to be final.
"The $9 million was about creating the capacity needed by Parihaka to engage with the crown and to continue with its development. It certainly wasn't a one-off payment, full and final, as we've heard associated with the iwi settlements in the past. It is about an ongoing relationship and many of the things Parihaka is seeking to do have significant value for the rest of the nation," Mr Hond says.
Many whanau want to re-establish themselves in the kainga, but that will depend on what sort of wastewater and renewable energy systems are put in and how much land can be found to develop.
Copyright © 2018, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com