December 08, 2022
Wairarapa Moana co-governance with iwi in new bill
A bill giving Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne a greater say in the management of lands and waters in Wairarapa and southern Hawke’s Bay has been given its third reading in Parliament.
Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little says Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill gives effect to cultural redress shared between Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne o Wairarapa, and Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua in their rohe from Cape Palliser to Cape Turnagain.
The bill provides for the return of land at Mākirikiri, Mataikona, Castlepoint, Lake Wairarapa and the Ruamahanga River catchment.
It establishes the Wairarapa Moana Statutory Board to oversee the lake and its cartchment, composed of members appointed by Rangitāne, Ngāti Kahungunu, the Minister of Conservation, the Wellington Regional Council, and the South Wairarapa District Council.
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