As part of a Treaty of Waitangi settlement, 14 volcanic cones were given to 13 iwi and hapū of Auckland when the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Deed passed into law in 2014. North Head (Maungauika) is the last of these to come under the control of the Tupuna Maunga Authority (TMA) - when it was transferred from the Department of Conservation on January 18.  Continue reading

In a treaty settlement well underway for Whanganui iwi, the Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiation Trust (WLSNT) is negotiating for ownership of land around the airport, harbour and city endowment land, as well as Pākaitore, (also known as Moutoa Gardens). Radio NZ recently reported they are also seeking ownership of the harbour. Continue reading

The Iwi Chairs Forum held its first hui of the year in the lead up to Waitangi Day. Tribal leaders welcomed the government's willingness to give Māori a greater say in the way the country is run. Continue reading

Marlborough District council is holding a hui early this year to encourage a partnership with iwi. Part of that is more iwi representation on council. A sub committee has been formed to work out the best way forward with the appointment of cultural advisors and iwi representation, according to Councillor Nadine Taylor, chair of the subcommittee. Continue reading

Two Hawke’s Bay Regional Councillors are being accused of racism after raising concerns about a deal the council has done with local iwi, Ngāti Kahugnunu. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s deal to loan 100,000 carbon credits to iwi is being described by councillors Debbie Hewitt and Fenton Wilson as “deeply concerning”. The council voted in December to lend the carbon credits to iwi subsidiary Kahutia Limited Partnership. The credits were worth around $2.5 million. This decision was rushed through without proper consultation, with key documents detailing the final agreement and legal advice were not given to councillors until 7pm on the night before the decision-making meeting. Continue reading

An Auckland iwi, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Tribal Trust, has won a Supreme Court case giving it the right to re-apply for exclusive rights to conduct commercial operations on Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands, (situated in the Hauraki Gulf). The main issue was the interpretation of section four of the Conservation Act, "to give effect to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi". Continue reading

Despite claiming to be "of the land" the first colonists burned and destroyed huge tracts of native bush and trees, as shown in the article ‘Early settlers rapidly transformed lowland forests with fire’, published by TerraNature, 15 December 2010. This article was informed by the more in-depth article published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) -‘Rapid landscape transformation in South Island, New Zealand, following initial Polynesian settlement’

‘Drifting into racism, the destruction of New Zealand social structure’ by Dr John Robinson, the author of ‘The corruption of New Zealand democracy, a Treaty overview’, ‘When two cultures meet, the New Zealand experience’, and ‘The Kingite Rebellion’. Other articles by Dr Robinson can be accessed on the Kiwi Frontline Forum by clicking HERE. Continue reading

Submissions close on December 14th. Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikātene, the sponsor of the bill, wants to make it more difficult to abolish the Maori seats by ensuring any changes will need the support of 75 percent of MPs rather than the current simple majority. He is actively appealing to Maori through the Maori media to make their views known, see HERE and HERE (Radio Waatea). Continue reading

Countering the Coastal Claims Campaign is seeking to contact people who know the history of the stretch of coastline in the southern Hawke’s Bay from Whangaehu to Cape Turnagain, which is being claimed under the Marine and Coastal Area Act, (claim no. CIV-2011-485-789). If you, or anyone you know is familiar with the coastline, please email [email protected]. This is an urgent request, as statements of evidence from interested parties must be filed and served on Ms Clarkson, (on behalf of the applicants), the Attorney General, and the overlapping claimants by 16 January 2019. Continue reading