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Download AudioWhānau whānui from Whakatōhea are heading for Ōpōtiki for tomorrow’s signing of a Deed of Settlement with the Crown.
Settlement trust chair Graeme Riesterer says it’s 183 years to the day and in the same place, Te Whitikau, that seven Whakatōhea rangatira signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The promises of te tiriti were torn up when the crown invaded the rohe in 1865 and confiscated the land.
Mr Reisterer says the iwi made its first petition for compensation for that raupatu back in 1887, and the fight has been long and divisive.
The current $100 million settlement faced a series of challenges before it was ratified by a two-thirds vote.
“We hope tomorrow will be a chance for those that opposed and those that agreed to ratify to come together and work together for the settlement as a united iwi,” he says.
Guests tomorrow include Kiingi Tuheitia
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