June 04, 2013
Past, present and future combine in Tūhoe deal
Ngāi Tūhoe will be out in force at parliament this afternoon to witness the signing of their settlement of historic claims.
The $170 million package includes a range of commercial and cultural redress, as well as joint control of Te Urewera National Park, which will be given a new legal status.
Negotiator Tamati Kruger says there is not enough room in parliament’s banquet hall for all the tribes people expected, so the ceremony will be streamed to other venues and on the Tūhoe website.
He says settlements are a chance look at past, present and future, starting with a sense of completing generations of struggle.
"There is a degree of relief and then there is the disappointment that comes immediately after that for the many people that have sacrificed themselves for that cause and that are no longer here physically. The disappointment is followed by hopefulness that this indeed is a step forward and only future generations will be able to give an accurate judgment of whether what we do now today has been worthwhile," Mr Kruger says.
The ceremony starts at 4 this afternoon.
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