Ka uiui te Ruku Tātari mō te Whenua o Muriwhenua ki ngā kerēme e 24. I whakatakotohia te nuinga e ngā iwi e rima o Te Hiku (Muriwhenua): Te Rarawa, Ngāi Takoto, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kurī me Ngāti Kahu. I taua wā, ko te katoa o ngā iwi o Te Hiku he wāhanga nō Te Rūnanga o Muriwhenua. Ko te ahunga tuatahi o te Taraipiunara hei arotahi ki te kiritōpū i raro i te rūnanga kaua ko te āta uiui ki ngā pānga motuhake o ngā rōpū. Ko te aweretanga ko Ngā hapū o Whangaroa, ā, nā te Taraipiunara i whakaputa ngā otinga motuhake.

I arotahi te Muriwhenua Land Inquiry tuatahi ki te whakawātea whenua Māori i mua i te tau 1865. Tekau mā rima ngā nohoanga i tū i waenga i te tau 1990 ki te tau 1994, ā, i whakaputaina e te Taraipiunara te Muriwhenua Land Report i te tau 1997. Ka whakatau hoki i whai kiko ngā kerēme o ngā iwi o Muriwhenua.

Ko te kawatau mā te pūrongo e mārama ana te Karauna ki te whānuitanga o ngā takahi i te tiriti i taua wā tōmua kia ahu whakamua ki te whakatau i ngā kerēme. I te tau 1998, ka karangatia e te Taraipiunara he tāpaetanga mēnā me tīmata i ngā tūtohu whakatikahanga, mēnā rānei me haere tonu te ruku tātari a te Taraipiunara ki ngā āhuatanga whai muri i te tau 1865 o ētahi āhuatanga o ngā kerēme a ngā hunga, tērā rānei i hiahiatia ngā hunga kia uru ki ngā hui whakawhiti kōrero me te Karauna. I te mutunga iho, i kōwhiri ngā kaikerēme o Muriwhenua kia whai i ngā hui whakawhiti kōrero whakataunga me te Karauna.  

I tīmata ngā iwi e rima o Te Hiku ki ētahi tau e whakapāpā ana ki te Karauna ki te whakatau i ō rātou kerēme. I ētahi wā i whakawhiti kōrero ā-kiritōpū, ā, i ētahi wā ā-takitahi.

Nāwai rā, e whā o ngā iwi e rima o Te Hiku (Te Rarawa, Ngāi Takoto, Te Aupōuri, and Ngāti Kurī) i tae ki ngā whakataunga take me te Karauna, me te aha, i te tau 2015 i whakahaeretia ngā Ture Whakataunga Take i te Paremata mō ia iwi.  

I uru hoki Ngāti Kahu ki ngā Whakawhiti Kōrero Whakataunga Take me te Karauna, engari i te tau 2007 i whakatakoto i te tono ki te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi e kimi ana i te wāhanga whakatikahanga o te ruku tātari ki ō rātou kerēme. Kātahi ka whakatārewahia tēnei tono i te wā i whakaae a Ngāti Kahu kia hoki ki ngā hui whakawhiti kōrero whakataunga me te Karauna.

I te tau 2011, i hahū ake a Ngāti Kahu i tā rātou tono whakatikahanga. Ka tīmata te Taraipiunara i te wāhanga whakatikahanga o te ruku tātari ki ō rātou kerēme, ā, i te tau 2013 i whakaputa i The Ngāti Kahu Remedies Report.

I roto i taua pūrongo, ka whakatau te Taraipiunara kua roa e tāria ana te puretumu mō te tangohanga hētanga o ngā whenua o Ngāti Kahu i mua i te tau 1865. Heoi anō, ka whakatau hoki nā runga anō i ngā āhuatanga o ngā whakawhiti Kōrero Whakataunga Take whānui ki Muriwhenua kāhore e tika ana kia whakamahia ana mana paihere. Ka whakatau te pūrongo ina whakamahia ana ngā ōta mana paihere kia whakahoki i aua whenua ki Ngāti Kahu, ka whakararuhia te hangarite rahirahi o ngā whakaaetanga o taua wā me ngā whakataunga Tiriti e heke mai ana o ērā atu iwi o Te Hiku.

Waihoki, ka whakatau te Taraipiunara e kore e taea te tūtohu i te pūhera whakataunga take katoa ki te rahi e kimihia ana e Ngāti Kahu, nā te mea he nui rawa ake i ngā whakataunga take kua whakatutukihia kētia puta noa i te motu.

Ka whakatau hoki te Taraipiunara nā te mea i whakataumahatia a Ngāti Kahu ki te tino whakahāweatanga mā ngā takahanga Tiriti a te Karauna, e tika ana ngā tūtohutanga ehara i te mea paihere. Ka tūtohu kē te Taraipiunara i te pūhera puretumu tae atu ki ngā āhua puretumu ā-ahurea huhua, te rahinga arumoni, me te whakahoki o ētahi rōpū whenua me te uara arumoni, ahurea hoki i roto i tō rātou rohe.

Ka tūtohu te Taraipiunara kia kimi te Karauna ki te whakapāpā anō ki Ngāti Kahu me te tuku i te tāpaetanga e hāngai ana ki te whānuitanga o te puretumu i marohitia ai i roto i te pūrongo.

I whakatau a Ngāti Kahu ki te wero i te ahunga a te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi ki ngā whakatikahanga e rapua ana e rātou. I te tau 2015, ka whakatakotohia e rātou ki te Kōti Teitei tētahi tono mō te arotake i tētahi whakataunga whakawā o te whakataunga o te Taraipiunara kia kaua e tuku i ngā tūtohutanga paihere mā Ngāti Kahu.

I roto i Flavell v Waitangi Tribunal [2015] NZHC 1907, ka whakatau te Kōti Teitei e rua ngā hapa ā-ture o te Taraipiunara: i te whakaaro ko ngā mana tāmata he whakatikahanga whakamutunga; ā, kāhore i whai whakaaro motuhake mēnā me whakahoki rānei i te wāhanga o aua whenua, kāhore rānei.

I roto i Attorney-General v Haronga [2016] NZCA 626, ka whakamana te Kōti Pīra i te whakataunga o te Kōti Teitei me te whakaū nā te wāhanga 8HB(1) of the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975, he herenga i runga i te Taraipiunara kia tuku i te tūtohutanga mēnā kua tutuki ngā whakaritenga tōmua. Ka whakatau i hē te Taraipiunara ki te whai i te āhuatanga o waenga i akiaki ai i ngā hunga kia whakawhiti kōrero mō te whakataunga o ō rātou rerekētanga.

I whakahau te Kōti Pīra i te Taraipiunara kia whai whakaaro anō ki te tono mō ngā whakatikahanga me te tuku i ngā whakataunga hou e pā ana ki ana tūtohutanga.

I te tau 2017, i muri iho i te whakataunga o te Kōti Pīra, ka tuku te Taraipiunara i ngā kupu whakahau e whakatinana ana anō i te ruku tātari whakatikahanga (tirohia Wai 45, #2.558).

I muri iho i taua tau anō i te unuhanga o te rōpū tuatahi i a ia anō, ka kopou te Hea i a Kaiwhakawā Wainwright hei Mana Whakahaere o te Taraipiunara i Whakahoutia o te Whenua o Muriwhenua (tirohia Wai 45, #2.584).

I te Hānuere o 2018, ka whakaaro te Taraipiunara mō ngā Whenua o Muriwhenua i Whakahoutia i ngā pānga o ngā arotake i tētahi whakataunga whakawā me tana raukaha kia whakarongo anō ki te tono mō ngā whakatikahanga. Ka whakatau te Taraipiunara he ruku tātari hou, ā, ehara i te haerenga tonutanga o te Taraipiunara mō te Whenua o Muriwhenua tuatahi. Nā reira, kāhore e taea e te Taraipiunara te ahu whakamua ki te ruku tātari whakatikahanga, engari ka taea te whakawhirinaki ki – me te whaimōhio anō hoki ki – ngā otinga o te Taraipiunara tuatahi mō te Whenua o Muriwhenua tae atu ki te wā i tono a Ngāti Kahu i ngā tūtohutanga mana paihere i te tau 2007 (Wai 45, #2.641).

I te Āperira o 2018, ka wero a Ngāti Kahu i tēnei whakataunga i roto i ngā whakahaerenga ā-ture anō hei arotake i tētahi whakataunga whakawā i roto i te Kōti Teitei.

I te Āperira o 2018, ka whakakorehia e te Kōti Teitei te tono a Ngāti Kahu i roto i Mutu v Chairperson of the Waitangi Tribunal [2019] NZHC 647.