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November 01, 2024
Historic High Court ruling boosts Indigenous rights
Atereano Mateariki
Posted On November 1, 2024
Download AudioA Te Tauihu community leader calls the Nelson Tenths decision a global milestone for Indigenous rights, emphasizing Crown responsibilities.
The High Court ruled yesterday in favour of Rore Stafford and the Tauiwi hapū of Ngāti Rārua, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Tama, and Ngāti Kōata, saying the Crown failed to reserve one-tenth of the 15,100 acres in the Nelson settlement for whānau and hapū.
This land, which included sacred sites, was part of a New Zealand Company agreement in 1839, predating the Treaty of Waitangi.
Project Lead of Making Tenths Whole – Te Here-ā-Nuku, Kerensa Johnston, says despite it differing from a Treaty settlement, as it is a specific property rights case, recognition of Crown obligations to hapū is always important, no matter the context.
“Ultimately, those of us that work in these spaces, you know, that’s our commitment to, you know, to look after our land, look after each other, do everything we can to ensure that for the next generation. So it’s, you know, I think that’s the that’s the broader significance of the decision,” says Johnston.
Kerensa Johnston says regarding compensation, Matua Rore’s priority has always been the whenua not necessarily the pūtea.
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