Frustrated by the prolonged delay in achieving justice, a local iwi is now gearing up for a series of protest actions to shake up the foundations of the unresolved issue.

Ngāi Te Rangi leader Charlie Tawhiao says the Ngāi Te Rangi Settlement Deed, inked in 2013 to address historical grievances, remains in a state of stagnation as the Crown fails to make substantial progress.

The recent traffic disruption in Totara Street is the beginning of planned disruptions set to draw public attention to the serious issue, and to remind the Crown, despite which political party forms the next Government that their case is urgent, requiring priority.

“When we signed our Deed in 2013 it was with the expectation that the painful, and in our view unreasonable concessions that we had to make in order to get our settlement across the line would be the end of it,” says Charlie.

“However, that was not to be as the Crown then proceeded to load more pressure on us to accept even more Hauraki Iwi Collective redress in Tauranga Moana despite our protesting that there was no basis for including Hauraki Iwi as part of our Tauranga Moana tribal history and landscape.”

Charlie says there are only three iwi comprising Tauranga Moana.

“They are Ngāi Te Rangi - us, Ngāti Ranginui - our Takitimu waka cousins, and Ngāti Pūkenga.”

He says ten years from the date of signing is far too long for the settlement to be resolved, saying they signed it “in good faith”.  Over the decade of delays, sadly, some of the local iwi leaders have passed away without seeing justice delivered.

Charlie lists the previous meetings since they signed the settlement deed with the Crown.

“We have met with Treaty settlements Ministers of both Labour and National governments. We have made a number of presentations to the Maori Affairs select Committee.

“We have met on numerous occasions with government officials - both the Office of Treaty Settlements and Te Puni Kokiri.”

There have also been protests held as time wound on.

“We held our harbour protest in 2017. We protested at Parliament in 2019.”

They even took their case to the Waitangi tribunal.

“The Waitangi tribunal determined that the Crown had erred in unilaterally altering the tribal histories of Tauranga Moana iwi.

“We have also sought to engage with our Hauraki iwi whanaunga on numerous occasions and we have presented constructive options to the Crown as solutions to the impasse.”

Charlie says it’s been all to no avail.

On Monday, September 18, the iwi decided to park a large truck branded with Ngāi Te Rangi to block the Totara Street entrance of Hewletts Road.

A truck parked across the road at the intersection of Hewletts Road and Totara Street. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

There was significant congestion on Hewletts Road back towards the Harbour Bridge for part of the morning, which began to clear around 11.45am.

“This latest round of protest action is to remind the Crown, of whatever political flavour following the elections, that we expect them to give our case urgent and immediate priority,” says Charlie.

The Office for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti responds

A spokesperson for the Office for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti says redress offers to iwi of Hauraki were made based on the Waitangi Tribunal’s 2004 findings confirming iwi of Hauraki interests in Tauranga Moana, particularly the Te Puna - Katikati blocks.

“Between 2012 and 2014, Tauranga Moana Iwi - including Ngāi Te Rangi - and Hauraki Iwi agreed in writing certain redress items in the Te Puna-Katikati area where their interests overlap,” says the Te Arawhiti spokesperson.

“The Ngāi Te Rangi settlement proceeded on the basis of these agreements.”

The then Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Christopher Finlayson signing the deed of settlement in 2013. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

In May 2016 the Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngā Pōtiki Claims Settlement Bill was introduced to the House of Representatives and read for the first time.

Te Arawhiti says in 2017 Ngāi Te Rangi asked the Crown to stop the progress of the Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngā Pōtiki Claims Settlement Bill until they considered overlapping interests in the Hauraki Treaty settlements had been addressed. 

“The Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngā Pōtiki Claims Settlement Bill has not progressed, at Ngāi Te Rangi’s request.

“Ngāi Te Rangi object to redress the Crown has offered to Hauraki iwi in the overlapping interest area.  Ngāi Te Rangi have asked the Crown to stop the progress of their own settlement until they consider overlapping interests in the Hauraki Treaty settlements are addressed.”

In 2019, the Waitangi Tribunal considered Ngāi Te Rangi claims about the overlapping interests process undertaken for the Hauraki settlements. It recommended the Crown provide Hauraki and Ngāi Te Rangi time, space and resources to engage in iwi led processes on the contested redress.

The Tribunal also confirmed, in relation to the proposed Hauraki redress, that the Crown was entitled to rely on previous agreements Ngāi Te Rangi had made with Hauraki groups about the proposed redress - even if they subsequently contested the redress. 

The Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations subsequently provided Ngāi Te Rangi and Hauraki iwi time and space to hold iwi-lead tikanga based engagement on the contested redress.This started in December 2019.

“While there were some attempts by the groups to meet, to date no agreement has been reached,” says a Te Arawhiti spokesperson.

In 2022, the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations decided to introduce the Pare Hauraki Collective Redress Bill and it will progress through the legislative process.  

“The Minister continues to encourage Ngāi Te Rangi and Hauraki iwi to engage with each other and find a way forward," says a Te Arawhiti spokesperson.

“The Minister met with Ngāi Te Rangi in May to hear their views and in an attempt to find a way forward. Ngāi Te Rangi and Hauraki kaumatua have agreed to meet.”

Te Arawhiti says if groups are not able to reach agreement on their overlapping interests, then the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations may make decisions about contested redress, to enable settlement to proceed, as it would not be fair for those willing to settle to be held in hiatus indefinitely.

The deed of settlement signing in 2013. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

“Our conversation earlier this year with the Tribunal was that the way they managed settlement after signing with Ngāi Te Rangi wasn't in good faith,” says Charlie.

“The Crown has been flapping around. It's the Crown not the Government. It started under National and continued under Labour.”

A planned campaign of protest action

Charlie says they are now following through on the conversation they had with the minister a year ago where he says they told him their people are getting very restless, as it's coming up to ten years since the signing of the deed.

“If the Crown isn't going to do anything about our settlement then we will start protest action.

“Despite our best efforts to provide options for them for the way forward they have ignored us.”

He says they want to waken the issue in the public’s mind.

“We had a brief demonstration of how irritated our people are in having to wait this long to complete a settlement which has already been 20 years in the brewing. Since the settlement was signed a number of our leaders have passed on.”

He says it is unacceptable that the Crown has continued to delay action that they proposed in good faith “but hasn’t been honoured by the Crown”. 

“With elections coming up they are obviously a bit busy with electioneering. This isn't an anti-government protest but an anti-crown protest.

He says the demonstration on September 18 is the beginning of a campaign that will continue to the end of 2023.

“We've been preparing for this planned campaign from the beginning of the year.”