Crown Apologises For Bringing ‘Death And Division’ To Ngāti Hāua

A central North
Island iwi has received an apology from the Crown for
bringing “discord, death and division” to its
people.

Ngāti Hāua signed a deed of settlement with
the Crown at Ngāpūwaiwaha Marae in Taumarunui on Saturday,
after eight years of negotiations over redress for
historical breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi.

The
settlement Te Pua o te Riri Kore includes an agreed
historical account and redress.

Treaty Negotiations
Minister Paul Goldsmith delivered an apology to some 400
people at the marae, for Crown actions he said had caused
harm and prejudiced Ngāti Hāua for over a
century.

“The Crown is greatly sorry that it did not
live up to the promise of te Tiriti/the Treaty, and instead
brought discord, death and division to your iwi,”
Goldsmith said.

“The Crown is deeply ashamed of and
sorry for the horrific and reprehensible execution of your
tūpuna in 1846, and profoundly regrets that its behaviour
toward Ngāti Hāua in the 1840s sowed deep and
well-deserved mistrust of the Crown.”

In the 1860s,
Crown actions led to warfare between the Crown and Ngāti
Hāua.

“The Crown is sincerely sorry for the severe
toll warfare has had on Ngāti Hāua and the
intergenerational stigma you still carry from being labelled
rebels and fanatics.”

Ngāti Hāua had shown
persistent commitment to their rangatiratanga by joining and
leading land retention movements and guarding the southern
boundary of Te Rohe Pōtae.

“Ngāti Hāua ultimately
had no choice but to engage with the Crown’s determined
drive to obtain land,” Goldsmith said.

“The Crown
gained access to Te Rohe Pōtae to complete the North Island
Main Trunk Railway by giving assurances that it did not
honour. The Crown not only took land for the railway without
paying compensation but purchased extensive amounts of land
for European settlement.

“The Crown is truly
remorseful for acquiring so much land that Ngāti Hāua
became virtually landless, severed from resources, wāhi
tapu, and taonga.”

The Crown compulsorily acquired
further land for public works and did not consult with
Ngāti Hāua before establishing the Tongariro National
Park, nor include it in management arrangements, leaving the
iwi unable to safeguard wāhi tapu within the
Park.

’Second-class
citizens’

“The Crown is greatly regretful and
sorry that it gained so much from its breaches of te
Tiriti/the Treaty at an immense cost to Ngāti Hāua and
left many of you feeling marginalised in your own rohe, like
second-class citizens.

“You have worked tirelessly
for so long to make the Crown aware of these injustices. You
have had to learn and navigate the Crown’s systems and
processes while the Crown has broken promises, ignored your
protests, and shown Ngāti Hāua a profound lack of care
when you have clearly been struggling.

“The
Crown’s acts and omissions have hindered the
socio-economic development of your people. Poor health,
inadequate housing, low educational outcomes, and a lack of
economic opportunities have contributed significantly to
many of your people leaving the rohe.

“The Crown is
unreservedly sorry for all of its breaches of te Tiriti/the
Treaty and the harm they have caused you and pays tribute to
your resilience.”

Goldsmith said Ngāti Hāua
tūpuna had a vision of partnership and mutual benefit when
they signed te Tiriti.

“Through this settlement,
including this apology, the Crown hopes to build a platform
on which we can form a new relationship, one that is based
on the spirit of partnership that your tūpuna saw in te
Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi.”

The
settlement legislation will enact statutory pardons for two
Ngāti Hāua ancestors, Mātene Ruta Te Whareaitu and Te
Rangiātea, who were tried under martial law and treated
with “exceptional harshness”.

Te Rangiātea was
imprisoned for life, dying after a few weeks, and Te
Whareaitu – the brother of the great fighting chief
Tōpine Te Mamaku – was executed by hanging.

The
redress package includes:
• the return of 64 culturally
significant sites including Ngā Huinga (Cherry Grove),
where the Whanganui and Taringamotu Rivers meet.
• a
$6-million cultural revitalisation fund.
• $20.4
million of financial redress.

The Minister said a key
component of the Deed is a collective agreement between
Ngāti Hāua and key Crown agencies to support, resource and
empower the future wellbeing of the iwi.

“While no
settlement can fully compensate for the Crown’s injustices
towards NgātiHāua, I sincerely hope this redress
package will support Ngāti Hāua to realise their economic
and cultural aspirations for generations to come,”
Goldsmith said.

Ngāti Hāua Iwi Trust chair Graham
“Tinka” Bell told the crowd the ink on the treaty
wasn’t even dry before breaches started.

“You can never, ever heal
hurt. We’re never going to get over the political history
which we’ve had to endure,” Bell said.

“But
it’s a new start. For me, this moment is actually about
the future. We now have a rawa, a resource that we can now
apply.

“I’m really looking forward to a future of
riches, of prosperity, for Ngāti Hāua.”

LDR is
local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On
Air

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