Whānau and hapū are likely to suffer irreversible prejudice from the Crown's settlement process.
This comes to light following a much anticipated decision by the Waitangi Tribunal who have granted a hearing under urgency to look at how Tūhoronuku were given a mandate to settle all Ngāpuhi treaty claims.
According to Pita Tipene, “We are very pleased that the Crown's meddling in Ngāpuhi claims and the major divisions that have resulted from that process will be the subject of an urgent hearing.”
Nearly six years have now passed since the beginning of the Ngāpuhi hearings known as Te Paparahi o te Raki based on the 1835 Declaration of Chiefs and the Treaty of Waitangi with Ngāpuhi claiming they have never ceded their sovereignty.
Pita Tipene says, “To date our presentations to Government have all but fallen on deaf ears and blind eyes and so Ngāpuhi are still waiting to move forward on the matter.”
Time will tell whether the process of mandate in Ngāpuhi begins again.