September 22, 2022
Maniapoto witnesses settlement bill passing
Ngati Maniapoto is in the House.
A large ope from the King Country iwi descended on Parliament this morning to witness the third reading of the Maniapoto Claims Settlement Bill.
The settlement, which includes financial and commercial redress of $165 million, acknowledges the costs it bore during the New Zealand Wars and the way the Crown subsequently undermined Maniapoto independence, broke agreements and aggressively acquired its land.
Because of the large number of people, screens were set up at Pipitea Marae to watch the debate.
Huinga Jackson-Greenland says there was a feeling of spiritual presence when the busses arrived at the marae at 5.30 this morning.
“We could feel the presence of our tupuna here on this special occasion as well so there were lots of tears as we were coming in and the karanga was amazing – you could feel the sense of everybody wanting to be here and wanting to be a part of this important occasion, not just for themselves but who they represent,” she says.
She was pleased to see a large number of rangatahi, because the settlement is structured to provide opportunities and meet the aspirations of coming generations.