September 23, 2016
Minister confirms single Ngapuhi settlement
Ngapuhi claim negotiating body Tuhoronuku has been assured the government is still after only one settlement.
Tuhoronuku met in Paihia today to consider its response to the Maranga Mai report, which recommended it hand over its mandate to a new body created through a merger with Te Kotahitanga opponents committed to a hapu-only approach.
In a letter to Treaty Negotiation Minister Christopher Finlayson this week, chair Hone Sadler said Tuhoronuku’s mandate was to secure a single unified Ngapuhi settlement, with constituent hapu dealing with various ancillary and customary matters.
He says Maranga Mai seems premised on the idea of crating six to eight hapu settlements.
Mr Finlayson says his reading of Maranga Mai is that it continues to propose a unified approach to negotiations.
He’s keen to negotiate a single commercial address package by August 2017, but customary and historical redress can be settled after that date.
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