February 06, 2013
No Quick Fix In Te Hiku Accord
The chair of the new Te Hiku Development Trust says a new relationship between far north iwi and Crown agencies will need nurturing.
On Tuesday the trust, which represents Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri and Ngāi Takoto, signed a social development accord with 10 Crown agencies led by the Ministry for Social Development.
Haami Piripi says it will start by identifying key trends and areas where intervention is a priority, such as health, housing, education and social welfare.
There will be regular hui to track progress.
He says it was symbolic the accord was signed at Waitangi, because it represents the hope contained in the treaty relationship.
“The question is whether the relationship is worth it and so far I think even though we may have touched on the deficit side of the treaty relationship over the decade, we’re still not ready to get a divorce”. says Haami Piripi.
Haami Piripi says the intention is that other far north iwi will join the accord once they finalise their treaty settlements.
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