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Download AudioNZ First Minister Shane Jones is pushing for a single, unified Treaty settlement with Ngāpuhi, warning that dividing the iwi into smaller agreements risks weakening its authority and fuelling sovereignty disputes.
December 2023 saw the release of the final report of the Te Paparahi o te Raki (Wai 1040) inquiry, which detailed historical grievances from 1840–1900 across Te Raki/Northland.
It documented Crown breaches including land confiscations, military aggression, and undermining Māori sovereignty. Recommendations included: Crown apologies, the return of Crown-owned lands in Northland, substantial compensation, and constitutional dialogue with Te Raki Māori. In 2014, Stage 1 of Wai 1040 already established that Ngāpuhi rangatira did not cede sovereignty in signing the Treaty. September 2024, Ngāpuhi kaumātua, including Hone Sadler, challenged the government’s Treaty Principles Bill, arguing that it misrepresents Treaty intent and again reaffirming that sovereignty was not ceded. Following the 2019 collapse of the Crown‑recognized Tūhoronuku mandate, a new approach centred on hapū grouping was introduced. This built flexibility into recognisable hapū clusters across Ngāpuhi, allowing six‑to‑eight mandating groups. As of September-October 2024, Te Whakaaetanga Trust (a hapū group) submitted its Deed of Mandate, with public submissions closing in October 2024. Confirmed groups include Te Whakaaetanga, Ngāti Hine, Whangaroa Papa Hapū; mandate strategies are in progress. The Ngāpuhi Investment Fund Ltd, trading as Tupu Tonu, launched in 2021 to develop assets in anticipation of a settlement. On 1 February 2025, the Crown “initialled” the early transfer of Kororipo Pā to Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rēhia as on‑account redress-marking the first tangible redress outside of a full settlement. The initial vesting of Kororipo Pā indicates serious Crown engagement with the Ngāpuhi settlement process. Multiple hapū groupings are actively working through mandating, leading to multi-level negotiations-including collective commercial settlement and local cultural redress.
The Terms of Negotiation for a full Deed of Settlement are expected once all hapū groups have mandating authority-the groundwork is firmly in place, though no final agreement has yet been reached.
The Ngāpuhi claim has entered its most active phase: following decade-long tribunal inquiries affirming sovereignty and breach, 2023–2025 have seen a shift to hapū-based mandating, establishment of investment structures, and initial redress through Kororipo Pā. With hapū Deeds of Mandate progressing, Ngāpuhi is on course for comprehensive settlement – one that seeks justice, recognition of sovereignty, and concrete reparations for past wrongs.
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