Listen Now: 
The Waitangi Tribunal says the crown is not playing fair in blocking it from making recommendations on Whakatōhea’s historic claims.
The tribunal today released a priority report on the Whakatōhea Settlement Process, which allows it to keep looking into the claims even after the Ōpōtiki-based iwi reaches a settlement.
It says a failed attempt to settle the claims in the 1990s left the iwi divided.
When negotiations resumed 20 years later, some hapū lodged claims against the mandate of the Whakatōhea Pre-Settlement Claims Trust.
The tribunal says the crown’s decision to offer a parallel process after a close second vote on the mandate was fair and reasonable, but excluding the possibility of recommendations wasn’t and could undermine a settlement.
It also wants changes in the mechanism by which hapū can withdraw from the deed of mandate to reflect its finding that decision-making within Whakatōhea is traditionally hapū-driven.
RELATED NEWS
