Ka whakaputaina e te Taraipiunara te Te Pūrongo Whakaarotau mō te Tukanga Whakataunga Take o Whakatōhea i te hōputu whakaputanga hukihuki.
He nui rawa ngā nawe Tiriti o te iwi o Whakatōhea, tae atu ki te whawhai a te Karauna ki a rātou me te raupatu hoki. Kua kīia i roto i ngā whakataunga take me ngā pūrongo a te Taraipiunara o mua koinei ētahi o ngā takahi kino rawa i te Tiriti i te hītori o tēnei whenua.
Nā te whakamātau mūhore kia whakatau i ngā kerēme Waitangi o te Whakatōhea i ngā 1990, i waiho i te tukunga ihotanga o te wehewehenga me pēhea te iwi e ahu whakamua ai kia whakatau i ō rātou nawe Tiriti o mua me te Karauna.
I te tau 2017, i haria mai ngā kerēme i mua i te aroaro o te Taraipiunara e pā ana ki te aronga ki te Whakatōhea Pre-Settlement Claims trust hei rōpū e kawe ana i te mana kōwhiri kia whakawhiti kōrero me te Karauna hei māngai mō te Whakatōhea. I tūtohu te pūrongo i puta mai Te Ruku Tātari mō te Mana Kōwhiri o Whakatōhea (2018) kia whakamahia he pōti anō (pōti tuarua) kia pēhea e pai ai te ahu whakamua. Nā te mea, mai rā anō ka whakatauria ngā take o Whakatōhea e ōna hapū, ka hopukia e te pōti ngā hononga ā-hapū.
He tata rawa ngā hua o tēnei pōti, ā, i whakaatu i te tautoko hira ki te ruku tātari Taraipiunara ki ngā kerēme o mua, waihoki i whakaatu i te tautoko hira mō te mahi a te Whakatōhea Pre-Settlement Claims Trust i roto i ana hui whakawhiti kōrero me te Karauna. Ka mutu ana tēnei putanga, ka tīmata anō te Karauna i ngā hui whakawhiti kōrero me te tarahiti i te tau 2019, ā, ka tāpae ki te Whakatōhea tētahi 'tukanga whakarara'. Ko te tikanga o tēnei tukanga whakarara ka tū ngātahi ngā hui whakawhiti kōrero ki te Karauna me te ruku tātari o mua a te Taraipiunara (engari ka puta mai te whakataunga take i mua noa atu i te whakamutunga o te ruku tātari).
I te tau 2020 me te tau 2021, i whiwhi te Taraipiunara i ētahi atu tono mō tētahi nohoanga ohotata mō ēnei kaupapa. Nā te mea, i tautuhia e te Karauna ka tīmata pea te whakaaetanga whakataunga take mō Te Whakatōhea – me te tukanga whakamana o muri iho – hei te Noema o 2021, i whakamana te Taraipiunara i te nohoanga whakaarotau i roto i te ruku tātari ā-rohe ki ngā huinga take e rua. E aro ana tēnei pūrongo whakaarotau i aua take, arā:
1. Ngā hīraunga o te tāpaetanga a te Karauna o te tukanga whakarara mō rātou e hiahia ana kia rangona ō rātou kerēme o mua i roto i te ruku tātari ā-rohe. Ka taea e te Taraipiunara te whakarite kia ahu whakamua te ruku tātari ā-rohe i te wā e noho ana te Pire whakataunga take i mua i te Pāremata, me tatari rānei te Taraipiunara ki te whakamanatanga o te ture? Tuarua, he herenga i runga i te tāpaetanga o te tukanga whakarara kia unuhia te mana o te Taraipiunara kia tuku tūtohu e pā ana ki ngā kerēme o mua. Ki ngā kaikerēme he aukatinga tē parahautia e aukati ai i te whaitake o te ruku tātari o mua.
2. Ko ngā take e hāngai ana ki te nuka i roto i te whakaaetanga mana kōwhiri e taea ai e ngā hapū te puta atu i te mana kōwhiri me te panonitanga o taua nuka i muri iho i te Pūrongo Ruku Tātari mō te Mana Kōwhiri o Te Whakatōhea a te Taraipiunara i te tau 2018. He aha te mahi a ngā hapū i roto i te tukanga whakamana o te tīti whakataunga take?
I roto i tana pūrongo, e whakaae ana te Taraipiunara kua riro i a Te Whakatōhea tētahi kōwhiringa onge kia puritia tonutia te āheinga ki te Taraipiunara mō tētahi ruku tātari o mua e whakarara ana ki (ā, i muri iho i) ngā hui whakawhiti kōrero whakataunga.
E whakaae ana hoki te Taraipiunara ko te whakataunga a te Karauna kia tāpae i te tukanga whakarara ki Te Whakatōhea he urupare tōkeke, whaitake hoki ki ngā putanga i āta whāritea o te pōti i te tau 2018, hāunga tētahi aweretanga. Kāore te Taraipiunara i te whakaae he urupare tōkeke me te whaitake te herenga Karauna i runga i te tāpaetanga – kia whakakore i te mana o te Taraipiunara ki te tuku i ngā tūtohu ki ngā take kerēme o mua – ki ngā hiahia o te hunga i pōti i te tau 2018 kia whakahaeretia te ruku tātari hei tuku mōhiotanga, hei auaha hoki i te whakataunga take. Engari, kāore i kitea e te Taraipiunara he takahitanga a te Karauna i ngā mātāpono o te Tiriti, nā te mea mā Te Whakatōhea te whakataunga whakamutunga kia whakaae rānei ki te hātepe whakarara, i te wā e pōti ai rātou kia whakamana, kia kaua rānei e whakamana i te whakataunga take i marohitia.
E whakaaro ana te Taraipiunara kāore i te whaitake pea ina whakaae ana te Karauna kia whakaritea e te Taraipiunara he tūtohu tauwhāiti i muri iho i te whakataunga take. Ki te kore, he tūraru ki te Karauna kāore i te tino pakari me te whai tikanga te hātepe whakarara mō ngā kaikerēme, ā, ka pāpātia te pūmautanga o te whakataunga take.
Ka whakatau te Taraipiunara kāore i herea ia kia whakatū, kia whakamutu rānei i te ruku tātari ā-rohe i te wā kei mua i te Pāremata te Pire hei whakatau i ngā kerēme o mua o Te Whakatōhea. Nā te mea, e ai ki te Taraipiunara ehara te ruku tātari o mua ki ngā kaupapa o te kerēme i te ruku tātari ki te ōritenga ki te Tiriti o te Pire anō.
I kitea e te Taraipiunara ko ētahi wāhanga o te nuka mō ngā rōpū i roto i Te Whakatōhea kia whakamutu i tō rātou mana kōwhiri i te tarahiti takamua whakataunga take he takahi i ngā mātāpono o te Tiriti. E tūtohutia ana e te Taraipiunara kia kaua te Karauna e whakamana i te whakaaetanga whakataunga take ki ngā reta ingoa i mua i ngā panoni ki tētahi o ngā tukanga unu kia whakatikahia te takahi. Kei roto i ēnei te whakamārama i te taumata kia tīmata ngā mema i te tukanga whakamutu me te panoni kia tino kōkirihia te tukanga e ngā hapū, ā, me te tīaroaro ki ngā tikanga o Te Whakatōhea.
Waihoki, e pā ana ki te tūnga o ngā hapū i roto i te tukanga whakamana, e tūtohutia ana e te Taraipiunara kia whakatūturu te Karauna i te tukanga tae atu ki ngā hui-ā-hapū ki te marae o te hapū i mua i te waitohu i te whakaaetanga whakataunga take. Ko te whakaaro he herenga tēnei kia whai i ngā tikanga o Te Whakatōhea me te whakamana i ngā whakataunga e kōkiritia ana e ngā hapū. Ka tū te hui ā-hapū i tūtohua i mua i te pōti pōhi a te iwi katoa, kia ārahi ngā tatūtanga o te hui ā-hapū i te pōti mō te whakaae ki te whakaaetanga whakataunga take, te whakahē rānei.
I whiwhi te Taraipiunara i ngā kerēme e waru mō te ruku tātari, ā, ētahi hunga 35 anō i whakamanahia hei hunga e whai take ana. Ka tū ngā nohoanga i te 10 me te 13 o Hepetema 2021 ki ngā Tari Taraipiunara o Waitangi ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara, i tae atu te nuinga mā te Zoom. Kei runga i te rōpū Taraipiunara mō tēnei ruku tātari ko Michael Doogan (te mana whakahaere), ko Tākuta Robyn Anderson, ko Prue Kapua, ko Basil Morrison, ko Dr Grant Phillipson, ko Ahorangi Tuarua Tom Roa.
Te Pūrongo Whakaarotau mō te Tukanga Whakatau Take o Whakatōhea – Putanga i mua i te whakaputanga e wātea ana kia tīkina ake:
Mō ngā pakirehua arapāho katoa, tēnā whakapā atu ki Paul Easton i runga i 027 276 9810 paul.easton@justice.govt.nz rānei.