February 07, 2014
Settlement will boost investment
Northernmost iwi Ngati Kuri this morning signed off its treaty settlement at Waiora Marae in Ngataki, after high winds ruled out the planned signing at Cape Reinga.
The $21 million package gives it Te Paki Station and a share in the Aupouri forest, as well as acknowledgement of its cultural ties to Te Oneroa a Tohe 90 Mile Beach and conservation land.
Chairperson Harry Burkhardt says even before the settlement Ngati Kuri has been a significant investor in the far north, buying farms and an avocado orchard.
"The treaty settlement package per se will bring back assets, money, but that wasn’t the reason why we closed it out. It was more around acknowledging who we are. We note there’s a broken relationship between the crown and Ngati Kuri, and that’s the bit we need to fix. Then it’s in our court to use those processes to build a future for Ngati Kuri," he says.
The Ngati Kuri settlement means Ngati Kahu is the only Muriwhenua iwi yet to settle.
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