December 21, 2017
Bipartisan support for maunga change
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says an agreement on the future status of Mount Taranaki shows the Government is committed to maintaining momentum in the treaty settlement process.
The Crown and eight Taranaki iwi yesterday signed a Record of Understanding over collective cultural redress relating to Egmont National Park (Taranaki Maunga) that will lead to the repeal of the Mount Egmont Vesting Act, the creation of a joint Crown-Iwi governance entity for the area and the creation of a separate legal entity for the maunga, similar to Te Urewera and Te Awa Tupua Whanganui River.
Ms Ardern says it's a unique approach that allows the crown and iwi to preserve taonga together.
It's not something the Government is claiming all the credit for.
"There are only a couple of areas in politics where politicians take politics out and work together. Treaty negotiations, resolution and issues like this are things that both Governments have worked on and kept the continuity of, so that is a piece of work that was handed over to us that we've seen through," she says.
The crown also signed an agreement in principle yesterday with Ngati Maru, the last of the eight Taranaki iwi to settle.
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