May 30, 2016
Wairoa settlement reflects tough history
The chair of a trust covering hapu in the northern Hawkes Bay says Maori in the region live every day with the effects of 150 years of negative crown policies.
Te Tira Whakaemi o Te Wairoa negotiators last week initialled a $100 million settlement.
Tamati Olsen says the initial loss came from attacks by the Crown in 1865.
That was followed by the confiscation of more than 160,000 hectares of land, the loss of more land by stealth, lack of investment in the region, and other socio-economic policies that left Wairoa today in a terrible state.
"It’s bereft of many things. Our people are struggling. Job prospects are not great. Educational achievement is not happening. We've got high numbers of our rangatahi joining gangs. All of those things can be attributed back to the actions of the crown over 170-plus years," Mr Olsen says.
The settlement will be taken back to iwi members over the next few weeks for ratification.
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