November 07, 2012
Broken promises at heart of Maniapoto claim
The Waitangi Tribunal has been hearing about the broken promises that have led to more than a century of land loss and underdevelopment in the King Country.
The Rohe Potae claim, one of the last of the major land claims to be heard, started this week at Te Tokanganui-a-Noho Marae in Te Kuiti.
John Kaati, the deputy chair of the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board, says the week has allowed the iwi to talk about the Ohaaki Tapu, the agreements made between Maniapoto and the Crown that allowed the opening up of the King Country in the 1880s.
He says Maniapoto was guaranteed its tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake.
"For Maniapoto we believe we delivered on our side of the agreement. Today we are yet to see any of the things the Crown promised. This is probably the first chance in all that period where we are able, through the tribunal, to put that case. The Crown benefited from those talks and Maniapoto is still languishing," he says.
The Waitangi Tribunal has scheduled hearings over the next 14 months to hear the claims of the iwi and the various hapū.
Copyright © 2013, Uma Broadcasting Ltd