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Regional | Andrew Little

Ngāpuhi Hapū stand Defiant Against Andrew Little

Whangaroa Papa Hapū, a conglomerate of Ngāti Torohina, Ngāti Kura, Ngai Tūpango, Ngātiruamahue, Ngāti Miro, Ngāti Whakaeke ki te Takutai Moana are seeking an urgent Waitangi Tribunal Hearing after Treaty Settlements Minister Andrew Little refused to recognise their right to engage autonomously with the Crown.

Minister Little stated, "What I also would like to get out in front of everybody before everybody gets too far ahead of themselves is how the crown will respond too just those sort of approaches by them".

Anaru Kira, the Whangaroa Papa Hapū chair stated that this is not the first time the Crown have denied them, having tried to engage separately with the National Government when Chris Finlayson was responsible for Treaty Settlements.  He furthermore states that the Papa Hapū stance is for hapū to hapū negotiations.

“Me tika ngā hakaaro o te Kāwana, i te manaaki ngā tono, o ngā hapū katoa, ahakoa nō hea ngā hapū”.

This is not a strange request as the collective of 11 Marae already have their own Fisheries quota separate from Ngapuhi.

The hapū have always spoken and represented themselves throughout the Waitangi Tribunal hearings, they've always had their own autonomy and say that they never ceded sovereignty to the crown.