March 12, 2013
Treaty benefits can change behaviour
A former tribal manager says post settlement iwi should look for distribution models that promote positive behaviour and change.
Tiwana Tibble was Chief Executive of Ngāti Whatua ō Orakei for 14 years, during which time the Auckland hapū’s assets grew to more than half a billion dollars.
He says growing assets is hard, but so is working out how to share the benefits.
Schemes like Ngāi Tahu’s Whai Rawa, which promote savings or Ngāti Whatua’s home insulation programme, are potential models.
“So we did a deal there where the crown put in a third, the trust board put in a third and the beneficiaries put in a third. Everyone is winning, but I think it’s always good to have a bit of skin in the game. Otherwise, the danger with distribution is that you could give it away willy nilly and then not advance in the best way that you possibly could,” he says.
Tiwana Tibble says iwi should also consider reviewing education grants, to ensure there is commitment from students.
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