He rua tekau mā rima ngā tau nō te wā i whakatakoto ai a Ngāti Hineuru ō rātou kerēme tiriti, kua hainatia tō rātou kawenata whakataunga.
Nō te rohe o Hāroto, e ai ki ngā kuia me ngā koroua o tēnei iwi pakupaku, kua roa rātou e whanga ana ki tēnei rangi whakahirahira.
Kāore rawa o rātou tūpuna i waitohu i te Tiriti, heoi i waiho tata whenua-kore tonu ai, engari ehara tēnā i te aukati mā Ngāti Hineuru.
He tata ki te toru rau ngā uri o taua iwi e whakarauika mai ana ki te whare Pāremata i te rangi nei.
Hei tā Te Reo Spooner, “Tino tino…aue pīrangi au ki te tangi. Koina ou whakaaro, tangi ki a rātou kua haere.”
I o rātou whenua kei te puku o te ika, kua whiriwhiria tetahi whakataunga pai e Ngāti Hineuru, kua riro i a rātou he rawa, he rua tekau mā whitu miriona te wāriu, me te whakahokinga o ētahi o ō rātou wāhi tapu.
E ai ki a Piri Prentice, “Kua whakaaro ana te tangata e kei whea mai te whakautu mō aua he e kōrero nei e te minita kāre e taea te Karauna mō ōna e kī ana tōku kuia, he kumu kīkī a te Karauna mō ngā whakatautanga o ngā kereme nei.”
Engari ko te mea nui, mā te oranga o te putea, ka tae atu o rātou tamariki mokopuna ki ngā pae o angitū.
Ki tā Te Reo Spooner, “Me mahi mai tonu mātou ki te whakahua ēnā mahi kua wehe atu ki te pō. He pai tika whakaaro o ngā rangatahi, kia pai mō rātou.”
Heoi tāria te wā mēnā ka tutuki ai ngā wawata o te reanga kaumātua nei ki tua.
