1. Te Hui Topu o Te Hiku o te Ika (Te Hiku Five Iwi Forum)
2. Meeting with Minister and Prime Minister to discuss settlement process 22 April
3. On-going problems with DoC in relation to our AIP
4. Strategic planning hui 18 April 2009
5. The Ngati Kahu show on Te Reo Irirangi o Te Hiku o te Ika 18, 25 March and 1, 8 April 2009
6. Review of the Foreshore and Seabed Act
7. On-going problems with Carrington Farms
1. Te Hui Topu o Te Hiku o te Ika (Te Hiku Five Iwi Forum)
Work in the Forum has reduced to a snail’s pace as we await the Minister’s response to the package we first put to government in September last year. We did modify it after the election and officials have tried hard to get us to pare it back and make us pay more for land that is in fact ours as I reported earlier. We have steadfastly refused to do so.
Te Kani has been doing a lot of work pulling material together for us on the structures needed for Te Aupouri forest and Te Oneroa a Tohe. He has also continued to work on getting the land valuations down. We discussed these at the one Forum meeting we had so far this month on 2-3 April and will again at our next meeting on 23-24 April. The meeting on Thursday 23rd is a Negotiations Team meeting starting at 1.30pm at Toka Tumoana to prepare for a full Forum meeting on the following day starting at 9.30am (same venue).
In Lloyd’s absence on sick leave, Te Kani will be taking over as Chief Negotiator from me while I am overseas from 28 April until 12 June on university business, although I will be available by phone and by email. Bernadette Arapere from his office will take over as legal counsel for the Forum while I’m away. At our March Runanga hui we agreed that marae and hapu representatives should attend Forum meetings to support Te Kani.
The next meetings with Pat Snedden will be telephone conferences on 30 April and 8 May to provide feedback on the Minister’s and then Cabinet’s response to our proposed settlement package.
2. Meeting with Minister and Prime Minister to discuss settlement process 22 April
You may have seen the Minister of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Chris Finlayson, on Maori TV talking about the hui he and John Key have called to discuss how to speed up the Treaty claims settlement process. We received an invitation which asked that only two representatives attend. Our CEO checked with the Minister’s office and they were insistent that only two attend. Lloyd has asked that Te Kani and I attend for Ngati Kahu. While I would prefer to have all those who wish to attend there, in this event I will attend in accordance with Lloyd’s wishes.
During the last Forum meeting the Crown’s kaumatua, John Clark, who is helping to organize the hui, made a direct request that Ngati Kahu attend as he considered our input would be valuable. I will present Ngati Kahu’s view as set out in our Ngati Kahu settlement package. If the Crown is prepared to adhere to that, full and final settlement could be achieved immediately.
3. On-going problems with DoC in relation to our AIP
You may also have read or heard that DoC has been attacking our Agreement in Principle, issuing statements to the media objecting to the inclusion of Maitai Bay, Mangonui and Mangatete lands that DoC currently administers as land to be returned to us as part of our settlement. I have responded by pointing out that the land is not theirs because the Waitangi Tribunal found that our pre-existing customary title has not been extinguished over most of Ngati Kahu’s territories. We have also registered our extreme displeasure at DoC’s behaviour with Pat Snedden and he has taken it up with the Minister.
This attack appears to have been prompted by DoC Kaitaia. It seems that, among other things, they have taken extreme exception to an incorrect survey done in the 1970s being corrected for a block on Karikari beach as part of our AIP. The land in question is currently included as part of Maitai Bay Recreation Reserve. Te Whanau Moana had advised DoC Whangarei many years ago that the land in question is the site of Karikari marae and DoC Whangarei had conducted a site inspection then and declared it free of any conservation values. The site was cleared after our AIP was signed. DoC rarely visits the area and did not notice it until last month. Rather than discussing it with us they took precipitous action including threats to have all negotiations of the five iwi stopped unless Te Whanau Moana was “dealt to”. Te Whanau Moana has not taken kindly to any of the threats and has banned DoC Kaitaia from their lands. Relationships between them and our office in Kaitaia were suspended shortly after when the Kaitaia manager rudely walked into our CEO, Anahera’s office unannounced to make demands of her in respect of Te Whanau Moana.
However Te Whanau Moana did agree to a survey being carried out immediately to correct the boundaries. That was carried out early on April 2 with Te Whanau Moana directing the survey although we suspect that DoC will try to interfere to change the correct boundary. None of the Kaitaia office was permitted to attend the survey, a representative from the Whangarei office attended along with Pat Snedden, John Clark, an OTS staff member and the surveyor. Te Whanau Moana was supported by Runanga staff and Te Paatu and Patukoraha representatives.
4. Strategic planning hui 18 April to be led once again by Wayne Walden and Kevin McCaffrey
Our third strategic planning hui to determine how we are going to manage our settlement will held at the Northerner Hotel in Kaitaia on 18 April starting at 10am. Anahera and Bardia have been doing presentations of the outcome of our last planning hui (the powerpoint presentation we circulated last month) to marae and receiving positive feed-back.
Wayne Walden has completed an analysis of the economic potential and needs in relation to Rangiputa station and that will form part of our discussions this Saturday.
5. The Ngati Kahu show on Te Reo Irirangi o Te Hiku o te Ika 18, 25 February and 4, 11 March 2009
Our Ngati Kahu show on the radio has been broadcast every Wednesday night for two months now. It broadcasts on Wednesday nights from 7-9pm on Te Reo Irirangi o te Hiku o te Ika at 94.4FM in Kaitaia. It is also available via the internet and is replayed on a Saturday afternoon.
The format continues to be that Te Ikanui interviews me for the first half hour or so to give an update on our land claims and other issues, which this month included the National Iwi Chairs Forum, the issues relating to the safety rail on the Mangonui reclamation and the on-going problems with DoC at Maitai Bay and Karikari marae and Carrington Farms. He has then interviewed a range of other people. This month it has included Martha Tauhara talking about the need for dialysis services in Kaitaia, Anahera Herbert-Graves giving updates on Runanga activities, Reremoana Renata talking about the kohanga reo, Riki Houghton on the Korowai Aroha Trust and the opening of Te Paatu marae, Brett Larkins from Aputerewa marae, and several others. The show seems to continue doing well.
6. Review of the Foreshore and Seabed Act
I reported on this at some length last month. We have now received notification that the review team will hold hui at Otiria marae 10am-1pm on 15 May and at Whangarei from 7-9pm on the same day.
7. On-going problems with Carrington Farms
Karikari marae has referred a problem in respect of the large burial cave, Te Ana o Taite, on Karikari beach to the Runanga. It was referred to Karikari marae by Haititaimarangai marae. Carrington Farms and Far North District Council have somehow managed to violate the out-of-court settlement we reached with them in 2001 so that Carrington Farms has obtained consents from the Far North District Council to build a 12 house subdivision on top of Te Ana o Taite. Roadways have already been cut and clearing has commenced. We sought a stop to all work, asked the Historic Places Trust to intervene and called for an urgent site visit.
The site visit with Far North District Council took place on 6 April and was attended by several Te Whanau Moana kuia and kaumatua, Victor Holloway (the Runanga Resource Management officer), the Maori liaison officer from the Far North District Council, Carrington Farms’ planner and two Carrington Farms employees from Haititaimarangai marae. It was a very angry meeting with Te Whanau Moana who live on Karikari beach insisting that Te Ana o Taite be left alone and Carrington Farms’ employees insisting they would carry on. Far North District Council appeared to back Carrington Farms having already issued them with consents. However they have done so without consulting with Te Whanau Moana o Karikari. In terms of the 2001 out-of-court settlement they are also required to consult with the Runanga and the Environmental Defence Society. They have not done this either.
The Environmental Defence Society joined with us to take the case in 1999 and we have alerted them to the problem. Ngati Kahu Corporate agreed to refer the whole matter to Te Kani Williams for legal advice. The Environmental Defence Society is also taking legal advice. The Historic Places Trust, who issued an authority to destroy archaeological sites without knowing that they should have consulted Karikari marae, has requested a site visit and that is to take place on Thursday 16 April at 11am.
Professor Margaret Mutu
15 April 2009