April 06, 2017
Tuwharetoa votes yes on settlement
Ngati Tuwharetoa beneficiaries have voted to settle the tribe’s historic Treaty of Waitangi claims.
The total settlement, including the iwi's part of the Central North Island Forests Iwi Collective Settlement, is worth about $180 million.
The comprehensive settlement includes the return of 34 culturally significant sites, five commercial sites, a right of first refusal for Crown-owned land taken from the iwi and co-management with the Department of Conservation of lands within the iwi’s boundaries.
It was passed by a 72 percent margin, and 71 percent of eligible votes were in support of a new body, Te Kotahitanga o Ngati Tuwharetoa, to be the post settlement governance entity to administer tribal affairs.
Te Ariki o Tuwharetoa, Ta Tumu Te Heuheu said he was heartened by the result and excited by the opportunity it presentsm for the tribe to set its own course into the future.
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