Kua kitea ngā mahinga toi mō ngā tīpuna o Ngāti Maniapoto i tangohia ake i te rūma hui o te rūnanga. Hei tā Rongo Wētere nānā aua mahinga toi rā, ā, kua whakahokia ia ki tōna pupurihanga he matangurunguru nōnā ki ngā whakaritenga mō te whakatau i te kerēme tiriti o Maniapoto.
E ai ki te mema nei i te poari Māori o Maniapoto, e ai ki a Rongo Wetere kua tiki noaiho ia i ēnei taonga kāmehameha āna.
“Yes sure I admit to that, I put those paintings there myself roughly 27 years ago. I commissioned the artists. I paid for them and made them available to the iwi and to the trust board.”
Hei tā te Heamana Kairīwhi o te Poari o Maniapoto a Keith Ikin, “I hoki whakamuri mātou i tēnei rangi tonu ki te tirotiro i ngā meneti o te poari. I tirohia i te tau waru tekau mā iwa, te whakatau a te poari i tāua wā, ki te utu i ngā nama mō ēnei whakaahua, nō reira ko te utu i whakataungia e te poari, nā te poari i utu i ngā nama mō ngēnei whakaahua nei.”
E rapu ana te poari ā Iwi i te whakaaetanga o te iwi kia kawe ai tā rātou kokoraho whenua. Engari, ko tā Wetere, me tuku te kerēme ki te kōti teitei.
“I've made my concerns known for over 18months that they cannot sell out to the crown and minimise claim proceeds for all of our people.”
Ināpō i tuku pānui ai te poari ā Iwi ki runga pukamata mō ngā whakaahua a ngā tūpuna o Maniapoto i ngaro atu, me tō rātou kore mōhio nā wai rātou i tango. Whērā i ngā rangatira a Tā Pei Te Hurinui Jones, Henare Tuwhangai, Kahurangi Rangimarie Hetet, me Diggeress Te Kawawa.
Hei tā Wetere, “The achievers from Ngāti Maniapoto huge contribution to Maniapoto, that's why I did it 27 sitting in a negative environment.”
Hei tā Ikin, “Kāore mātou te hiahia kia tukuna tēnei kaupapa ki te ture. E hiahia ana mātou kē ki te noho tahi, ki te kōrero tahi ki a Rongo. Mā te noho kanohi ki te kanohi, ko te hiahia nui o te poari ka whakataungia te kaupapa nei.”
E kōrero ana ngā pirihimana ki ngā tāngata e hāngai pū, me te āwhina a ngā āpiha i te rohe o Waikato, kaitakawaenga ā iwi anō hoki. Nā runga i te rangahau haere, tē tāea ngā pirihimana te puta kōrero atu i tēnei wā.
