4 Jun 2013

Tuhoe to sign Treaty settlement

9:10 am on 4 June 2013

Members of Tuhoe will sign a Treaty settlement with the Crown on Tuesday.

The ceremony at Parliament on Tuesday afternoon is another step towards resolving the iwi's historical claims.

Central to the package is the creation of a new legal entity to govern the tribal homeland - what is currently Te Urewera National Park.

Both the Crown and Tuhoe will nominate people to govern it.

With a long history of land confiscation, betrayal and brutal military campaigns, both sides want to move on.

As well as $170 million worth of redress, the Government's to provide better social services to an area it describes as isolated and deprived.

Under Mana Motuhake - the ability for Tuhoe to manage its own affairs - officials will help deliver housing, education and health.

Despite 90% of the votes backing settlement, three groups within the tribal territory want nothing to do with the settlement.

One of them is the hapu, Ngati Haka Patuheuheu, which was part of the Tuhoe negotiating body.

The chair of the sub-tribe, Robert Pouwhare, argues the Crown won't be settling its claims - and calls the package cheap and nasty.