PHOTO: “I hope this settlement will allow Ngāti Maru to realise their aspirations for a vibrant economic and cultural future.” Photo credit: Getty.
The Crown has apologised and signed a $30 million settlement with Ngāti Maru, after more than 150 years since the raupatu (confiscation) of half of the iwi’s land.
The iwi rohe (tribal area) of Ngāti Maru stretches from the eastern side of Mt Taranaki to the source of the Waitara River, across to the Heao Stream and down to the Whanganui River and back across the Matemateāonga Ranges to Stratford.
In 1865, the iwi had 220,000 hectares of land, the vast majority of which was illegally confiscated by the Crown or sold through dubious deals done without the permission of iwi members.
The signing of a settlement has been a long time coming for the iwi who have been in negotiations since the late 1980s. An in-principle agreement was reached two years ago.
The Deed of Settlement includes a set of acknowledgements addressing the Crown’s historical breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi.
As well as financial redress, the $30 million agreement also contains commercial redress with the vesting of 16 sites of cultural significance, including Pūrangi and Tarata Domains.
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