I te rā nei (4 o Pēpuere 2013) i whakaputaina e te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi tana pūrongo mō tētahi tono a Ngāti Kahu – he iwi nō rohe o Te Hiku (Te Tai Tokerau) – mō te whakahokinga o te whenua i roto i tō rātou rohe ā-iwi me ētahi atu rawa, ko te tapeke ko $260 miriona.
I pātai te tono a Ngāti Kahu kia whakamahi te Taraipiunara i ana mana whakahere. Ki te pērā ka herea te Karauna kia whakahoki i te raupapatanga whenua ki te iwi, tae atu ki ngā whenua o mua o te Karauna, engari e pupuritia ana e te hunga tūmataiti ināianei.
Ko te otinga o te Taraipiunara kua roa e tāria ana te puretumu mō te rironga hētanga o te 70 ōrau o ngā whenua o Ngāti Kahu i taenga ki te tau 1865. Heoi anō, nā runga anō i ngā āhuatanga o ngā whakawhiti Kōrero Whakataunga Take whānui ki Muriwhenua kāore e tika ana kia whai mana tōna mana.
I te tau 2008, ka uru ngā iwi e rima o Te Hiku – tae atu ki Ngāti Kahu – ki ngā whakawhitinga kōrero kiritōpū me te Karauna, e whakaae ana ki te wāwāhi i ngā whenua nō te Karauna me ētahi atu rawa. Heoi anō, i te tau 2011, ka wehe a Ngāti Kahu i ngā whakawhitinga kōrero kiritōpū kia kimi i te tūmomo whakataunga take rerekē, te tino putanga o tēnei ko tana tono ki te Taraipiunara, i kimi rātou i ngā whenua i tohua kētia kia whakahoki ki iwi kē.
Ka whakatau te Taraipiunara ina whakamahia ana ngā ōta whai mana kia whakahoki i aua whenua ki Ngāti Kahu, ka whakararuhia te taurite 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.
Engari, 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 whai mana. Ka tūtohu kē te Taraipiunara i te pūhera puretumu tae atu ki ngā āhua puretumu ā-ahurea huhua, te rahinga arumoni me tūāpapa o te nama tapeke o te $42.518 miriona, 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 kia 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.
Mō ngā pakirehua ratonga arapāho katoa, whakapā atu ki te Tīma Pāpāho o te Tāhū o te Ture, i runga i te (04) 918 8836, te (021) 636 416 rānei.
Pānuitia te Pūrongo Whakatikahanga mō Ngāti Kahu
Wetewetehanga Pāpāho mō te Pūrongo Whakatikahanga mō Ngāti Kahu
Mō ngā pakirehua arapāho, tēnā whakapā atu ki te pokapū arapāho o te Tāhū o te Ture