{"id":1250,"date":"2017-11-20T20:17:13","date_gmt":"2017-11-20T20:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/thehockenblog\/?p=1250"},"modified":"2017-11-22T03:59:41","modified_gmt":"2017-11-22T03:59:41","slug":"it-was-twenty-years-ago-todaycommemorating-the-ngai-tahu-treaty-settlement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/thehockenblog\/it-was-twenty-years-ago-todaycommemorating-the-ngai-tahu-treaty-settlement\/","title":{"rendered":"IT WAS TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY\u2026Commemorating the Ng\u0101i Tahu Treaty settlement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Post researched and written by Scott Campbell, Collections Assistant<\/p>\n

\"\"
Otago Daily Times, 22 November 1997, p3. “Ngai Tahu claims manager Anake Goodall points out the dotted line to Ngai Tahu chief negotiator Sir Tipene O\u2019Regan, while Prime Minister Jim Bolger looks on. Minister in charge of Treaty of Waitangi negotiations Doug Graham adds his signature beside them.” The event happened at Kaik\u014dura<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On 21 November 1997, representatives of Te R\u016bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu and the Crown gathered at Takahanga Marae in Kaik\u014dura to sign the Ng\u0101i Tahu Deed of Settlement. A copy of the Deed of Settlement occupies a good foot of shelf space in the Hocken\u2019s publications stack. What was it all about? Why is the settlement significant? How can one learn more about it?<\/p>\n

The signing of the Ng\u0101i Tahu Deed of Settlement marked a milestone in the evolution of the relationship between Ng\u0101i Tahu[1]<\/a> and the Crown. For many years the Crown, in its relationship with Ng\u0101i Tahu, had failed to uphold the standards required of a partner to the Treaty of Waitangi. Finally, as its representatives inked their names on the Deed, the Crown was making a commitment to doing something to make up for that.<\/p>\n

Today is a day for New Zealanders to acknowledge Ng\u0101i Tahu wh\u0101nui past, present and future. The anniversary of the signing of the Ng\u0101i Tahu Deed of Settlement provides an opportunity to remember the painful past, to pay tribute to the hard work and sacrifices made by generations of Ng\u0101i Tahu to reach a settlement, and to celebrate the successes of Ng\u0101i Tahu over the last 20 years. And even though the historical Treaty claims of Ng\u0101i Tahu have been settled, the Treaty partnership and the responsibilities that go with it remain as important today as ever. Through reflection on the past, this anniversary also provides us with an opportunity to think about the mahi we can do to continue strengthening the Treaty partnership over the next twenty year period and beyond.<\/p>\n

The Ng\u0101i Tahu Treaty settlement \u2013 what is it, and why is it significant?<\/em><\/p>\n

The signing of the Ng\u0101i Tahu Deed of Settlement concluded negotiations between Te R\u016bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu and the Crown for the settlement of all Ng\u0101i Tahu historical Treaty of Waitangi claims. The Ng\u0101i Tahu claims against the Crown \u2013 known as Te Ker\u0113me to Ng\u0101i Tahu wh\u0101nui \u2013 spanned a time period reaching all the way back to the 1840s. Te Ker\u0113me concerned the devastating cultural, economic and environmental impacts that stemmed from the Crown\u2019s purchasing of almost all of the land held by Ng\u0101i Tahu wh\u0101nui prior to 1840 \u2013 some 34.5 million acres, covering much of the South Island \u2013 without honouring the promises it made to Ng\u0101i Tahu when negotiating the purchases.<\/p>\n

The Deed of Settlement recorded the agreements made between the Crown and Te R\u016bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu during settlement negotiations. As part of the settlement, the Crown would make a formal apology to Ng\u0101i Tahu wh\u0101nui for its historical actions that breached the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles. The text of the Crown\u2019s apology, recorded in the Deed in te reo M\u0101ori and English, acknowledged that the Crown \u201cacted unconscionably and in repeated breach of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in its dealings with Ng\u0101i Tahu in the purchases of Ng\u0101i Tahu land.\u201d The apology text went on to express the Crown\u2019s profound regret and unreserved apology \u201cto all members of Ng\u0101i Tahu Wh\u0101nui for the suffering and hardship caused to Ng\u0101i Tahu, and for the harmful effects which resulted to the welfare, economy and development of Ng\u0101i Tahu as a tribe.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

The Deed of Settlement also detailed a redress package that the Crown agreed to provide to Ng\u0101i Tahu \u201cin recognition of the mana of Ng\u0101i Tahu and to discharge the Crown\u2019s obligations to Ng\u0101i Tahu in respect of the Ng\u0101i Tahu Claims.\u201d [3] The package, valued at $170 million, included transfer of Crown properties and forestry assets to Te R\u016bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu, vesting of significant sites in Te R\u016bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu, and provisions relating to mahinga kai. As part of the settlement, the Crown recognised the original name of New Zealand\u2019s highest mountain, agreed to officially rename it Aoraki\/Mount Cook, and agreed to return Aoraki maunga to Ng\u0101i Tahu. Ng\u0101i Tahu would then gift the maunga to the people of New Zealand while retaining an active and ongoing role in the management of the area.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

On 29 September 1998, the New Zealand Parliament passed the Ng\u0101i Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998<\/a>. The Act enshrined in law the agreements recorded in the Ng\u0101i Tahu Deed of Settlement and activated the settlement redress package. On 29 November 1998, Prime Minister Jenny Shipley delivered the Crown apology to Ng\u0101i Tahu gathered at \u014cnuku Marae on Banks Peninsula.<\/p>\n

More than a decade earlier, Tipene O\u2019Regan had addressed the Waitangi Tribunal on the traditional history and identity of Ng\u0101i Tahu wh\u0101nui. For generations of Ng\u0101i Tahu, colonisation had more or less wiped their iwi off the map and out of the consciousness of most New Zealanders. Ng\u0101i Tahu had suffered a perception that they were, in O\u2019Regan\u2019s words, \u201csomething less than Maori, as culturally impoverished.\u201d[5]<\/a> Amongst other things, the Ng\u0101i Tahu settlement is significant for its contribution to turning that perception around.<\/p>\n

After the settlement was finalised, Ng\u0101i Tahu \u2013 in the words of some commentators \u2013 was \u201cthe whale that awoke\u201d.[6]<\/a> Today Ng\u0101i Tahu are well-known as tangata whenua across most of Te Waipounamu. Ng\u0101i Tahu institutions are strong, the iwi is empowered to exercise its kaitiaki responsibilities over the natural environment in a variety of ways, and Ng\u0101i Tahutanga is flourishing. Ng\u0101i Tahu commercial activities in farming, property, seafood and tourism are also booming. Last week Ng\u0101i Tahu announced a net profit of $126.8 million for the year ending June 2017, and iwi Kaiwhakahaere Lisa Tumahai told Radio New Zealand that the iwi\u2019s net worth had reached $1.36 billion.[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

As well as the significances for Ng\u0101i Tahu wh\u0101nui, the Ng\u0101i Tahu Deed of Settlement has served as an influential model for subsequent Treaty settlements. Following on from the Ng\u0101i Tahu Deed and several other major agreements signed in the 1990s (the largest being the 1992 Fisheries Settlement and 1995 Waikato Raupatu Settlement), individual iwi and the Crown have completed a steadily increasing number of deals in the twenty-first century. As at 17 August 2017, the Crown had signed 85 deeds of settlement with different iwi.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n

Understanding the Ng\u0101i Tahu claims and settlement<\/em><\/p>\n

The Ng\u0101i Tahu Deed of Settlement was the product of lengthy direct negotiations between Te R\u016bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu and the Crown. But the history of Te Ker\u0113me is much much longer. Here at the Hocken Collections we are privileged to care for a wealth of material that illuminates Ng\u0101i Tahu history and culture. Through He K\u012b Taurangi<\/a>, the Memorandum of Understanding between Te R\u016bnanga o Ng\u0101i Tahu and the University of Otago, we maintain a special relationship with Ng\u0101i Tahu. For an overview of Ng\u0101i Tahu material at the Hocken you can download our reference guide to K\u0101i Tahu Sources at the Hocken Collections<\/a>. The collections contain many sources that can help us to understand Te Ker\u0113me and its history, to understand the settlement itself, and to contextualise and critique the settlement.<\/p>\n

Jumping straight to the more recent history of Te Ker\u0113me, it is important to understand that the settlement negotiations followed an extensive period of Waitangi Tribunal inquiries into Ng\u0101i Tahu grievances. The Waitangi Tribunal began investigating Te Ker\u0113me in the late-1980s and presented its findings and recommendations in several substantial reports published in the early-1990s.<\/p>\n

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A selection of resources on the Ng\u0101i Tahu settlement at the Hocken Collections<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to the Waitangi Tribunal\u2019s published reports, the Hocken holds two large archival collections of evidence presented to the Tribunal by the Ng\u0101i Tahu M\u0101ori Trust Board and the Crown. With a combined total of more than 700 items, these are rich collections. \u00a0As well as legal submissions they contain whakapapa, traditional histories, maps, plans and research reports on a wide variety of topics. Did you know the Crown promised to reserve land for Ng\u0101i Tahu on Princes Street as a place to land waka? What ever happened to that? Only one way to find out\u2026<\/p>\n

Hocken\u2019s published collections contain the Tribunal\u2019s reports, the Deed of Settlement, and further items that provide insights into the settlement negotiations and the significance of the settlement itself. In addition to government briefings, iwi consultation documents and other publications directly related to the settlement negotiations, we hold many books, theses, journals and newspapers that address and analyse the Ng\u0101i Tahu settlement and the wider processes of claims inquiries and negotiated settlements. \u201cAre Treaty of Waitangi settlements achieving justice?\u201d you might be asking yourself. If so, you will be glad to know that we hold a PhD thesis<\/a> with a particular focus on the Ng\u0101i Tahu settlement that addresses that very question.<\/p>\n

Hocken\u2019s collection of New Zealand election ephemera is another important resource for researchers seeking to understand the ways in which Treaty of Waitangi claims and settlements were represented in the wider political discussion at the time of the Ng\u0101i Tahu settlement. Hocken Collections Assistants recently completed a project to list all items in the Hocken election ephemera collection, a collection that encompasses electioneering material dating from the beginning of the twentieth century right up to the present. The project team was struck by the frequency with which Treaty of Waitangi issues featured in electioneering material received from a broad range of candidates and parties, particularly from the 1996 and 1999 general elections. These items help paint a picture of both the importance and the controversy that was attached to deals like the Ng\u0101i Tahu settlement at a time when Treaty settlements were a new frontier in the New Zealand political landscape.<\/p>\n

Want to learn more? Come in and see us at the Hocken Collections. We are open Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 5pm.<\/p>\n

For those of you that cannot visit the Hocken Collections in person, you can learn a little more about Te Ker\u0113me and the Ng\u0101i Tahu Treaty settlement by visiting these websites:<\/p>\n