The Māori Select Committee Updates on Ngāpuhi Treaty Settlement

The New Zealand government has provided an update to the Māori select committee on the status of a potential treaty settlement for Ngāpuhi, one of New Zealand’s largest iwi (tribes). The update comes as part of this year’s scrutiny week, where executives from Te Arawhiti, the Office for Māori Crown Relations, appeared before the committee.

Progress on Treaty Settlement

According to regional director Fern Hyett, up until 2019, the Crown had continued to recognise the Tuhoronuku mandate – a single mandate for all of Ngāpuhi – which was initially accepted by the National government in 2009. However, Hāpu (sub-tribes) within Ngāpuhi rejected this mandate. Since then, three groups have formally undertaken mandate work: Ngāti Hine, Whangaroa, and a grouping in the Bay of Islands known as Te Whakaitanga.

Forced Groupings

Despite Minister Tama Potaka’s preference for “larger groupings” of hāpu to form and achieve a mandate, Te Arawhiti will not be forcing anyone to the negotiation table. Hyett stated, “Let me be clear – we’re not going back to one large natural group in the North, for Ngāpuhi. I think we’ve all seen how that didn’t reflect dynamics on the ground and the very strong hāpu-centric nature of Ngāpuhi.”

Cost and Challenges

The cost of the work undertaken to achieve a mandate for Ngāpuhi, including Tuhoronuku, is around $12 million. The Crown faces challenges in reconciling seeking a mandate with groups that have acknowledged not ceding sovereignty.

“How can we meaningfully reconcile challenges of Te Tiriti breaches if we are not in our maturity as a Crown, able to acknowledge that Māori never ceded sovereignty on a hāpu level and a country-wide level?” asked Green Party’s Steve Abel. Hyett responded, “That’s where we want to have that conversation.”

Approach to Settlement

Hyett noted that relationships between the Crown and Ngāpuhi evolve over time, leading to flashpoints in those relationships which can be treaty settlement or stages of a treaty settlement. The ‘post-settlement space’ can facilitate engagement in a way that is right for each group.

“There will be moments in those relationships that are flashpoints, and sometimes a treaty settlement or stages of a treaty settlement are those flash points for relationships,” Hyett said. “Sometimes that happens through the settlement processes and sometimes we’ll see delays because they’re focusing on those internal conversations.”

Conclusion

The Māori select committee’s scrutiny of Te Arawhiti’s work has provided valuable insights into the progress made towards a potential treaty settlement for Ngāpuhi. Despite challenges, the Crown remains committed to engaging in meaningful discussions with iwi and hāpu to achieve a successful outcome.

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