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Ngāti Rangiwewehi is looking forward to the return of the puna where its tupuna kaitiaki Hinerua lives.
Hamurana Springs on the side of Lake Rotorua will be returned to the Bay of Plenty iwi as part of the $6 million treaty settlement it signed at Ngāti Moko Marae in Te Puke yesterday.
Chief Executive Kahuariki Hancock says the settlement is an opportunity to rediscover who Ngāti Rangiwewehi is and create a better future for its tamariki and mokopuna.
She says the iwi lost its pure cold spring in 1880, when many water sources in Te Arawa were taken under the Thermal Springs Act.
The iwi sees the return as a platform for ecotourism and other commercial activities.
At the same ceremony, treaty negotiations minister Chris Finlayson also signed a similarly sized settlement with Tapuika, who will get co-governance of the Kaituna River.
Copyright © 2013, Uma Broadcasting Ltd
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