December 19, 2017
Moehau summit eases tribal angst
The Marutuahu and Te Arawa tribes have signed an agreement renewing their ancient connections to Moehau, the sacred maunga at the top of the Coromandel Peninsula.
The agreement follows concerns from some within Te Arawa their connections to Moehau might be affected by the Hauraki Collective Treaty settlement initialled last December.
Marutuahu chair Paul Majurey says that settlement leaves intact the existing 60 hectare Maori freehold block at the tihi or summit of Moehau, which was vested last century in the tupuna Marutuahu so the land could be held for the common use and benefit of the descendants of Marutuahu and Tamatekapua.
The agreement signed this week by the customary elders’ council Te Pukenga Koeke o Te Arawa and the leadership of the five iwi of the Marutuahu Confederation reconfirms those connections.
Mr Majurey says it does not change the Pare Hauraki Collective settlement but it reaffirms the open access for Te Arawa to the tihi.
He says it took place without fanfare or theatrics following many months of careful and quiet discussions.
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