Te Arawhiti Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says getting Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara – The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill through its first reading felt like a personal honour.
The legislation will vest the 9.7-hectare battle site near Kihikihi to descendants of those who fought in what was the last battle in the Waikato War.
The 300 defenders were drawn from a large number of iwi and hapu, and their refusal to surrender to a British force more than five times their size has inspired generations of Maori protest.
The site will be managed by a board consisting of descendants from Maniapoto, Raukawa and Waikato-Tainui.
Mr Potaka says the bill is built on more than a decade of work by successive governments and by the descendants – who include his wife’s whanau.
“I want to acknowledge those people such as the young people of Otorohanga College, such as Kawhia Muraahi of the Battle of Ō Rākau Heritage Society and others who have been absolutely resilient and focused on ensuring Ō Rākau was remembered, but also a pathway to return the whenua to the people,” he says.
