21 Sep 2012

Iwi aims to advance its people after Treaty deal

11:30 am on 21 September 2012

Auckland hapu Ngati Whatua o Kaipara says it aims to advance its people in areas such as education once its Treaty of Waitangi settlement bill is legislated.

The sub-tribe's bill passed its first reading in Parliament on Thursday, as did the bill for the Bay of Plenty iwi Waitaha.

The settlement for Ngati Whatua o Kaipara includes commercial and financial redress worth about $22 million and the transfer of Woodhill Forest as well as the return of Atuanui (Mount Auckland) and eight other significant sites.

The hapu chief executive, Jason Fox, hopes their bill will reach its third reading within the next six months.

However, he is already thinking about how the settlement can advance his people.

Mr Fox says over the next 15 years he would like to get more of his people into tertiary education, because at the moment only one in four people are able to get that far.