December 14, 2022
Incorporation loses chance to claim dam
Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little has had his foreshore and seabed moment, pushing through the Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tamaki-nui-a-rua settlement bill despite a last minute warning from the Waitangi Tribunal it meant blocking access to justice for a south Waikato-based group.
The Wairarapa Moana Incorporation, which represents the owners of land near Mangakino given early last century as a swap for Lake Wairarapa and then taken off them to build a hydro dam, wanted its issues treated separately through the resumption process, where the Waitangi Tribunal can order the return of state owned enterprise assets.
The crown disagreed, and its claims will be extinguished under the $115 million settlement.
Mr Little says the Government made a decision to proceed with the BIll because Ngāti Kahungunu is the mandated entity, they have secured the support of the people to proceed with the settlement and it’s the right thing to do.
The Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tamaki-nui-a-rua settlement covers an area from Danneverke and Cape Turnagain down to Cape Palliser.