December 12, 2023
Hapū not ready to put moni before mana
The chair Ngāpuhi hapu Ngāti Hine, Pita Tipene, is pessimistic the coalition government will agree to any of the key recommendations of a Waitangi Tribunal report on northern claims.
Hard copies of Te Paparahi o Te Raki stage two report were presented to claimants at an emotional ceremony at the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi on Saturday.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has already poured cold water on a recommendation for dialogue on constitutional reform.
Mr Tipene says Ngāpuhi hapū hope for the best but expect the worst.
“We know that government will ignore those recommendations – but the psyche is such up here in the hapu of Ngāpuhi, mana will always come over moni. And people are not prepared to sacrifice their mana for moni,” he says.
Meanwhile ACT leader David Seymour, who has whakapapa to Ngāpuhi, has already ruled out constitutional transformation that isn’t based on what he calls democracy.