Listen Now: 
A new process for negotiating Ngapuhi’s historic treaty claims iwi has been proposed, with critics of the existing team appearing to gain the upper hand.
Representatives of Tuhoronuku Independent Mandated Authority and Te Kotahitanga o Nga Hapu, Ngapuhi, along with the Office of Treaty Settlements and Te Puni Kokiri, have been meeting over the past four months to discuss a way to resolve divisions in the country’s largest tribe.
They were responding to a Waitangi Tribunal report that found the crown hadn’t given enough weight to hapu when accepting Tuhoronuku’s mandate to negotiate for the whole tribe.
The Ngapuhi Engagement Group’s draft report, Maranga Mai, dated April 1, proposes that rather than seeking a new mandate, the existing mandate will evolve.
Negotiations will be overseen by hapu grouped into six or more regions, with each hapu deciding its own process for choosing a representative.
The current urban seats on Tuhoronuku will go, with the hapu deciding how to deal with the majority of their members who live in the cities.
The Ngapuhi Runanga loses its seat on the board, although the Engagement Group would like access to its database of 50,000 registered members.
The name Tuhoronuku will also go.
People have until April 29 to give feedback on the report.
Copyright © 2016, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
RELATED NEWS
