Pānui #009
First Reading of the Ngāti Paoa Claims Settlement Bill
On Wednesday 21 June 2023 the Ngāti Paoa Claims Settlement Bill was read for the first time in Parliament. This was a significant step in the Treaty settlement journey for Ngāti Paoa, which has taken longer, and has taken more work than anyone anticipated.
The Bill was supported by all political parties in Parliament. All speakers acknowledged the Ngāti Paoa negotiators Hauauru Rawiri and the late Morehu Wilson for their mahi. The hara suffered by Ngāti Paoa through colonisation was also talked about, including the bombardment at Pūkorokoro by the warship Miranda. Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust was acknowledged as the governance entity for Ngāti Paoa.
If you want to read or watch the speeches in Parliament, click here for a link to Hansard.
The Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust could only provide travel for a modest number of Ngāti Paoa kaumātua and trustees. The Trust would like to acknowledge all those who funded their own travel to Wellington, or who joined us there. In particular we want to acknowledge Harley Wade, who organised travel for ten, including rangatahi.
We also wish to acknowledge all those Ngāti Paoa who took the time to watch the first reading on Parliamentary TV. He mihi nui ki a koutou katoa!
When the third reading takes place, likely next year, the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust will organise busses for a larger ope to travel to Wellington, including overnight stay. The third reading is when a Bill gets voted on and turned into law, and normally a larger celebration takes place.
Haerenga to Wellington: attending the first reading
On the day of the first reading, the Ngāti Paoa ope initially gathered on the Parliament steps for a photo opportunity. Fortunately for all, the sun was shining, with none of the usual Wellington wind or rain.
The ope then proceeded through Parliamentary security and assembled on the ground floor of the Beehive, after which we were taken to the third floor where a whakatau was held with Ministers and Crown officials. Lorna Rikihana, Drina Paratene, and Rangitahi Pompey were the Ngāti Paoa kaikaranga for the whakatau. Nate Rowe of Te Atiawa spoke for tangata whenua, while Dr Korohere Ngapo spoke for Ngāti Paoa. Ministers in attendance included Andrew Little (Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations), Nanaia Mahuta (Minister for Foreign Affairs), and the MPs Tāmati Coffey, Arena Williams, Tama Potaka and Chloe Swarbrick.
The whakatau was followed by a kai, a bit of a break, and another group photo opportunity. The ope was then guided to the Parliamentary Gallery to attend the first reading at 4.00pm. When speeches concluded, the Speaker of the House had granted permission for a waiata to be sung.
All in all it was a special day for Ngāti Paoa and a time to be treasured.
As detailed later in this Pānui, the Māori Affairs Committee is now seeking submissions on the Ngāti Paoa Claims Settlement Bill. This is the next step we need to go through, and leads to the second reading when the Committee reports back to Parliament.
Below are some photographs from the first reading.
Waiata from the first reading: Rimurimu
The waiata sung at the first reading, Rimurimu, was an original composition for the rōpū kapa haka 'Te Hao Rangatahi o Kohukohunui' (THROK) based at Wharekawa Marae, who competed at the Hauraki Kapa Haka Festivals.
The essence of the waiata was in light of the Treaty settlement negotiations in Tāmaki and Hauraki. Negotiators for Ngāti Paoa and Ngāti Whanaunga were interviewed and provided the kōrero and context for the composition. As Hauauru Rawiri recounts, “the waiata aligns to our values and principles of tika (do things right), pono (honesty) and aroha (compassion for each other - no matter what), and also the notions of kotahitanga (unity) and whanaungatanga (relationships). The intention of the waiata is to uphold the mana of our tūpuna, and not to leave to the Crown the life essence of our lands.”
Rimurimu teretere tere ki te moana,
Rere ana ki te ripo ki waho e
Tirohia ki waho e marino ana e,
Kei roto i ahau e marangai ana e
Ko wai ka hua ka tohu, he kaitiaki māhaku
Mo tōku maunga, tōku whenua, tōku moana e
Kua tau te kohu ki runga i ngā hiwi,
Ka moe te tinana te wairua e
Rite tonu taku hanga ki tā Waitangi,
Waiho i ahau kia tangi tīkapa e
Ko wai ka hua ka tohu, hei kaitiaki māhaku
Mo tōku maunga, tōku whenua, tōku moana e
Ko Ngāti Paoa e ngunguru nei: I au au aue hā
Ko Ngāti Paoa e ngunguru nei: I au au aue hā
Maranga mai rā Ngāti Paoa e Hikitia te mana o tō iwi
Kaua e tukuna ki a Ingarangi te mauri o tōku whenua e
Rite tonu taku hanga ki tā Waitangi,
Waiho i ahau kia tangi tikapa e
Making a submission on the Ngāti Paoa Bill
The Māori Affairs Committee has now invited public submissions on the Bill, with a closing date of Wednesday 2 August. This is the normal step which follows the first reading.
We encourage all Ngāti Paoa to make a submission in support of the Bill. It is an opportunity for your voices to be heard, and to ensure Ngāti Paoa proceeds with confidence through the legislative process.
The Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust will be making a submission in support of the Bill on behalf of Ngāti Paoa iwi, which we will share with you when completed.
To make a submission, click here to go to the Parliamentary website. You will see a button “I am ready to make my submission” – just click on that, and it will ask for your name and email address, and also whether you are making a submission as an individual or on behalf of a group.
Submissions do not need to be long or complicated. A simple statement along these lines is fine, or whatever you might chose to write:
“Thank you for the opportunity to make a submission on the Ngāti Paoa Claims Settlement Bill. I whakapapa to Ngāti Paoa and I support the Ngāti Paoa Treaty settlement and this Bill. I do not wish to appear in person to speak to my submission, but I tautoko the leadership of the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust, who I understand will speak in support of the Bill on behalf of the iwi."
Submissions can also be made by groups, such as on behalf of whānau or hapū (if there is an appropriate mandate), or by marae (such as by a marae committee). Other entities such as councils or non-government organisations, or other iwi, can make submissions too. If you are involved in any such organisations, do please encourage them to make a submission in support of the Bill.
Further information on the Bill and deed of settlement
If you want to remind yourself of what is in the Ngāti Paoa deed of settlement, you can read a summary by clicking here, or you can look at the longer deed documents by clicking here.
You can also read the Ngāti Paoa Ratification Information Booklet, which was provided to the iwi in January 2020 to inform the vote to agree to sign the deed of settlement. As you will recall, the Ngāti Paoa community voted with a high majority to support the deed of settlement, which was signed with the Crown on 20 March 2021 at Wharekawa Marae.
The Ngāti Paoa Claims Settlement Bill is now required to put the deed into action. To read the Bill in full, click on this link.
Other information on the wider Ngāti Paoa settlement package has been shared before, such as when the Ngāti Paoa community voted to support the Pare Hauraki Collective, the Tāmaki Collective, and also the establishment of the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust as the post-settlement governance entity for Ngāti Paoa back in 2013. You can find relevant documents here.
Importantly, at all times Ngāti Paoa as an iwi have voted with significant majorities to endorse the Ngāti Paoa Treaty settlement package. The Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust remains committed to supporting the will of the Ngāti Paoa people, and to achieve the best outcomes possible for the iwi.
Managing misinformation
Unfortunately, misinformation about the Ngāti Paoa settlement is being circulated on social media, particularly by the Ngāti Paoa Trust Board. As the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust, we generally ignore such misinformation, because engaging is largely pointless when people have their ears closed.
If you want further information on the Ngāti Paoa deed of settlement, we recommend that you visit the links above. Alternatively, you can email the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust at ngatipaoa.info@gmail.com and we will endeavour to answer questions you may have. We are also happy to organise online hui for questions and answers – just email us and ask for that
Misinformation about the Waiheke Station
One area of misinformation relates to the Waiheke Station. The simple fact is the Ngāti Paoa Trust Board does not “own” the farm. The farm is “owned” by the people of Ngāti Paoa, who are beneficiaries of the Waiheke Station Trust. The Trust Board is presently appointed as the responsible trustee for the Waiheke Station Trust, under section 239(3) of the Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993.
As has been voted for by the Ngāti Paoa community, with a significant majority, and confirmed both by Ministers and in the courts, the Treaty settlement legislation will transfer the farm to the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust, where it will be held for the benefit of Ngāti Paoa.
When this happens, the farm will remain Māori freehold land under the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993. It will not be turned into general land, available for alienation. The Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust will ensure the land is protected and, due to economies of scale across the wider Ngāti Paoa Treaty settlement package, the Iwi Trust will be able to support the farm’s operations in ways the Trust Board is unable to do.
Until the Ngāti Paoa settlement legislation is passed, the Trust Board should focus its energy on ensuring the farm is well managed and maintained, pest and debt free, and financially viable. That is the sole extent of the Trust Board’s role – as the current responsible trustee for the Waiheke Station Trust, acting on behalf of the Ngāti Paoa community, nothing more.
Misinformation about the role of the Trust Board
In time the transfer of the farm to the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust through the settlement legislation will mean there is no reason for the Ngāti Paoa Trust Board to remain in existence.
Regrettably, though, the Trust Board recently stated in the Court of Appeal that the Ngāti Paoa community would be happy to have two representative bodies for Ngāti Paoa into the future.
This makes no sense and is at odds with the wishes of the Ngāti Paoa community, as expressed at numerous hui-a-iwi. It also goes against history: it was the Ngāti Paoa Trust Board in 2013 that drew up the legal documents to create the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust. And it was the Trust Board that ran the iwi-wide ratification process, which resulted in a vote of 96.2% in support of establishing the Iwi Trust. At no time was it ever proposed, or ever voted on, that Ngāti Paoa should be represented into the future by two separate iwi entities. That is a recipe for confusion and division, which no one should want.
Kōiwi reburial at Mokoia Pā
We are pleased to report that, at dawn on Tuesday 11 July, a reinterment ceremony was held at Mokoia Pā for kōiwi unearthed during the construction of the AMETI eastern busway bridge.
The kōiwi were reburied on whenua that has been set aside for a memorial park on part of the pā, which in the future will be owned by the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust on behalf of Ngāti Paoa and all Ngāti Paoa hapū, including Ngāti Hura.
As advised in previous pānui, the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust asked Ngāti Hura whānui to decide where and how the kōiwi should be reburied, and also to advise on the design of the reserve. Ngāti Hura held their own hui and adopted the principle, ‘They are found on the Pā, they stay on the Pā’, for the kōiwi.
The Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust have been pleased to support Ngāti Hura whānui in this mahi. We would also like to acknowledge Ngāti Hura for the work they have done to engage with Auckland Transport, other iwi and mana whenua to carefully navigate some of the cultural and technical challenges of the reburial.
Because the kōiwi were to stay on the Pā, care was taken to not damage the archaeological site further, and to not risk disturbing yet more kōiwi. The reburial therefore took place at a location where there was existing ‘fill’ on top of the archaeological layers. In the next few months, as construction of the memorial park proceeds, additional ‘fill’ will be placed across the park to protect the original pā. This will raise the park up, and it will enable the planned mahi toi to be erected without their foundations damaging the pā.
NPIT establishing a ‘Custodian Trustee’
The Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust’s board recently resolved to establish a subsidiary, in the form of a ‘custodian trustee company’, with its name being ‘Te Whenua Taurikura o Ngāti Paoa Custodian Trustee Limited’.
Creating a custodian trustee is provided for under the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust’s trust deed, and many other iwi around the motu have done a similar thing.
The reason for doing so is simple. Legally, for the Iwi Trust to own property, all of the trustees need to be named on a title deed, and all trustees need to sign documents such as leases. This creates an administrative nightmare if trustees change through elections, which requires land titles to be updated (with cost in time and money).
The ‘custodian trustee’ as an entity can own land, with its name on the title, and with two directors in place to sign documents such as leases. For ‘Te Whenua Taurikura o Ngāti Paoa Custodian Trustee Limited’, the two directors will be whoever is the chair and deputy chair of the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust. Importantly, though, decisions about land remain entirely the responsibility of the Iwi Trust. This is set out in the constitution of the custodian trustee company, which requires its two directors to act only if directed by the Iwi Trust. Direction is from the Iwi Trust’s board by formal board resolutions.
The name given to the new entity, ‘Te Whenua Taurikura o Ngāti Paoa Custodian Trustee Limited’, reflects its purpose: to hold and protect whenua that is to be undisturbed and owned for the benefit of Ngāti Paoa.
The plan is for cultural redress properties from the Treaty settlement to be held by ‘Te Whenua Taurikura o Ngāti Paoa’. Likewise, properties that are transferring to the Iwi Trust at Mokoia Pā as mitigation for damage to the Pā when the AMETI eastern busway bridge was built, will be held by the custodian trustee. This is different to properties that are more commercial in nature, and which are owned by the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust’s commercial entities.
Me He Kuaka Reo o te Kāinga
Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust are offering a FREE Wānanga Reo course in te reo Māori.
He Kāhui Kuaka beginners level course consists of 5 face-to-face wānanga in a style of learning that offers an intimate, holistic and practical pathway to achieve the overarching aim of the programme to create a reo Māori speaking home. Start your lifelong journey of learning te reo Māori with your iwi.
This course will consist of 5 face to face wānanga held at our Ngati Paoa office, Panmure
Wānanga are a full day of learning, from 9.00-5.00 pm
Complete wero / tasks in the lead up to the Wānanga to support your learning via our google classroom platform.
Enrolments are limited to 20 spaces.
Pou Rāhui Project Manager
The Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust is pleased to announce that Blair Anderson has been contracted as the Ngāti Paoa Project Manager for the kaupapa Māori led ‘Pou Rāhui’ research project.
Blair has whakapapa to the Ngāti Pāoa hapū of Ngāti Hura and Ngāti Kapu. He was raised by his mother amongst their Ngā Rauru and Ngāti Ruānui people, following the passing of his father in the early 1970s, and worked 30 years with his Whanganui river people. He lives on Waiheke Island (Te Motu Arai Roa) with his wife Tania, together with their son Te Wehi and his whānau, and has come to the role with primarily a public service background. The majority of Blair's career has been with the Māori Land Court, as a senior operational manager. Immediately prior to his move to Te Motu Arai Roa, Blair was the General Manager for Te Awa Tupua, where he worked with his governance board to lead the implementation of the Whanganui River Settlement (Te Awa Tupua) Act.
Since moving full-time to Te Motu Arai Roa in 2019 he has become involved in the Waiheke Marine Project alongside the Ngāti Pāoa kī Waiheke rōpu, led karakia and facilitated at a whole host of events, and even sought appointment at the recent Waiheke Community Board elections. More recently, Blair has moved to support his son and his construction business on the motu, that has a focus on employing and developing local Māori staff. Blair enjoys watching all sports and is a keen golfer.
The longer name of the research project is ‘Pou rāhui, pou tikanga, pou oranga: reigniting the mauri of Tīkapa Moana and Te Moananui-ā-Toi. Ngāti Paoa are participating alongside four other iwi – Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Hei, Ngāti Tamaterā and Ngāti Rehua Ngāti Wai ki Aotea. With funding through a substantial five-year MBIE Endeavour fund, and coordination by the University of Waikato, the project looks to promote pragmatic environmental restoration actions, including the use of Rāhui to manage taonga species. The focus of the project for Ngāti Paoa is Waiheke Island, which is where Blair lives.
The Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust would also like to acknowledge other Ngāti Paoa individuals who put their hands up for the contract. Your interest in supporting the iwi and the taiao is very much appreciated.
Ngāti Paoa Matariki Events
Below are details for three Matariki celebrations in which Ngāti Paoa are participating, and which you are welcome to join:
Glen Innes Matariki 2023 – Te Ara Rama Light Trail (Various events, 19th to 22nd July)
Matariki: Te Hautapu o Tāmaki – Point England Reserve (Saturday 22nd July, 6am-11am)
Makomako Marae Hui and Matariki Celebration (Sunday 23rd of July, 10am)
Upcoming NPIT Registrations Project
NPIT will soon be embarking on a registrations drive to ensure all Ngāti Paoa have the opportunity to benefit from the Ngāti Paoa Treaty settlement, and participate in Ngāti Paoa governance, such as by voting in elections.
As part of the drive we want to get in touch with already-registered Ngāti Paoa, both to confirm contact details, and to draw on whānau networks to help ensure all whānau, hapū and iwi members have the opportunity to register if they chose.
To help with this mahi we will need a small team of Ngāti Paoa individuals who are happy to work part time. We will advertise for roles soon on the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust’s Facebook page, so please keep your eyes out if this interests you.
You will also likely see changes to the Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust’s website, which has long been in need of a refresh and update.
Ko te kai a te rangatira, he kōrero: Matietie Historic Reserve
Below is the Ngāti Paoa ‘statement of association’ for Matietie Historic Reserve, taken from the Ngāti Paoa Deed of Settlement (Attachments Schedule). The ‘statement of association’ is referred to in the ‘statutory acknowledgement’ the Crown is providing Ngāti Paoa over the reserve. Given updates in this pānui about the appointment of Blair Anderson as Ngāti Paoa Project Manager for the Pou Rahui project, and with the project’s focus on Waiheke Island, it seemed appropriate to include this kōrero written by Morehu Wilson.
Matietie Historic Reserve (OTS-403-262)
Matietie Historic Reserve has historical, spiritual, cultural and traditional significance for Ngāti Paoa. This coastal reserve area includes some flat terrain where the kāinga Ahipao was once situated, as well as sloping terrain leading to the important site of Mokemoke Pā – a powerful and important remnant of Ngāti Paoa’s cultural association to this bay and the wider surrounding area. The reserve extends north as far as Ōwhanake Bay, another significant site to Ngāti Paoa.
Mokemoke Pā, an ancient fortified pā site, was once occupied by Rawiri Takurua and his people of Ngāti Hura and Ngāti Kapu. The pā would act as a sanctuary for the hapū residing within the area in times of small-scale warfare. Rawiri Takurua’s son, Rawiri Pūhata, was born at the Ahipao kāinga adjacent to the pā.
Rawiri Pūhata was a recognised leader among the Ngāti Paoa people and during the Native Land Court hearings, he was a prominent speaker and learned provider of historical knowledge and genealogy. Rawiri Pūhata was later interred at the Te Huruhi reserve urupā with his wife and their family.
The northern periphery of the Matietie Historic Reserve includes steep terrain and precipitous rock. The rocks that border the shoreline at sea level once provided Ngāti Paoa with the seafood delicacy, oysters, and the sea was used for transport and food gathering purposes.
The area was known to Ngāti Paoa as Mātietie, as described by Ngāti Paoa kaumatua Te Kaaho Andrews. He explained that the word Mātietie has a similar meaning to the word “wharo” (cough/sneeze). Mātietie is also used to describe the type of fauna growing on the flat lands there that included swampy reeds and grass.
The main Ngāti Paoa hapū who occupied Matietie were Ngāti Hura and Ngāti Kapu.
The Matietie Historic Reserve was once part of a much larger parcel of land which in 1869, was issued in favour of five individuals as tenants in common. The names inserted were Harata Patene, Rawiri Te Hautaku, Henare Te Paura, and Tamihana Tukere, all of Ngāti Paoa. Another person named was from Taranaki.
Mātietie remains an important area for Ngāti Paoa, as previously unearthed kōiwi within the vicinity of Matiatia Bay have been reinterred by Ngāti Paoa at the Matietie Historic Reserve. There are a number of archaeological discoveries along the Matietie Historic Reserve that have been registered and recorded including pits, middens, terraces, pā sites and other artefact discoveries. The Matietie Historic Reserve is rich in culture and has historical significance for Ngāti Paoa.
