Listen Now: 
Ngapuhi chair Sonny Tau says his call for a $1.5 billion settlement is a way to focus people's minds on the losses suffered by the country's largest tribe.
He told Radio Waatea host Titewhai Harawira, people seem to have lost sight of the extent of Ngāpuhi's loss.
"In my estimation $1.5b will probably be the bottom rung of the worth of the raupatu and the biggest thing is the rape and pillage of our native bush to build the towns, to build towns in Australia and England. Therein lies the biggest raupatu Ngāpuhi has ever seen," MrTau says.
He hopes three-way talks this weekend with mandated negotiating body Tūhoronuku, its Te Kotahitanga opponents and Treaty of Waitangi Minister Andrew Little will clear the way for settlement talks to resume.
There is a tentative agreement that the main settlement should be held by a central body with five or six taiwhenua holding settlement assets relating to specific hapu, but there is still dispute over having urban and kaumatua-kuia representatives on the central body, and whether the rūnanga should continue to have a seat.
Mr Tau says the Maranga Mai report which recommended a hapu-based settlement has been rejected but there are some useful parts in the report which should be incorporated into the mandate.
!["p_facebook"]("/site/uma/images/story_img/facebook.jpg")
& !["p_twitter"]("/site/uma/images/story_img/twitter.jpg")
Copyright © 2018, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
RELATED NEWS
