November 15, 2023
Full taumata measure of settlement success
Outgoing Ngāi Tahu kaiwhakahaere Lisa Tumahai says the real success of the settlement can be seen in the tribe’s social investment.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu last week reported a 6.6 percent drop in its total returns for the year ended June 30 and a 6.2 percent drop in net assets to $1.78 billion, which Ms Tumahai says was a robust position after a tough year economically.
She will step down on November 24 after being on the board for 22 years and chairing it for the past six years.
She says the unity and stability Ngāi Tahu has forged at the board table over the 25 years since settlement has trickled down to its social investments
“Back at settlement, Ngāi Tahu it was very hard to find a fluent speaker of te reo, of our language. Now there’s no room on the paepae anymore. So I think in 20 years it’s a real testament of the successes as well,” she says.
Lisa Tumahai says it’s time for the next generation of Ngāi Tahu leaders to come through.