Ngāti Toa Rangatira

The Crown and Te Runanga o Toa Rangatira on behalf of Ngāti Toa Rangatira (Ngāti Toa) signed a Deed of Settlement on 7 December 2012.

In this section

Ngāti Toa Rangatira Deed of Settlement documents

Ngāti Toa Rangatira Deed of Settlement summary

 

 

Ngāti Toa Rangatira Deed of Settlement documents

 

 

Deed of Settlement documents

File Date Size
Letter of Agreement [PDF, 16 MB] 11 Feb 2009 16.6 MB
Terms of Negotiation [PDF, 7.2 MB] 24 Sep 2007 7.3 MB
Crown Recognition of Mandate [PDF, 159 KB] 2 Nov 2005 160 KB

 

 

Ngāti Toa Rangatira Deed of Settlement summary

Overview

The Ngāti Toa Rangatira Deed of Settlement is the final settlement of all historical Treaty of Waitangi claims of Ngāti Toa Rangatira resulting from acts or omissions by the Crown prior to 21 September 1992, and is made up of a package that includes:

  • an agreed historical account and Crown acknowledgments which form the basis for a Crown apology to Ngāti Toa Rangatira
  • cultural redress
  • financial and commercial redress.

The benefits of the settlement will be available to all members of Ngāti Toa Rangatira wherever they may live.

Background

The Ngāti Toa Rangatira area of interest spans the Cook Strait. It covers the lower North Island from the Rangitikei in the north and includes the Kapiti Coast, Hutt Valley, and Wellington areas, as well as Kapiti and Mana Islands. It includes large areas of the Marlborough Sounds and much of the northern South Island. Ngāti Toa Rangātira’s area of interest is about 4 million hectares in total.

Redress

Crown acknowledgements and apology

The deed contains a series of acknowledgements by the Crown where its actions arising from interaction with Ngāti Toa Rangatira have breached the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles.

The Crown apologises to Ngāti Toa Rangatira for its acts and omissions which have breached the Crown’s obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi. The breaches include failing to protect the interests of Ngāti Toa Rangatira when acquiring their interests in the Port Nicholson block; detaining the Ngāti Toa Rangatira chief, Te Rauparaha, for 18 months without trial; undermining the power and influence of the key Ngāti Toa Rangatira leaders, Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata, by detaining Te Rauparaha and pressuring other chiefs of Ngati Toa Rangatira into agreeing to the Wairau and Porirua purchases in the absence of Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata; failing to ensure that Ngāti Toa Rangatira received an interest in the Wellington and Nelson “tenths” reserves; and failing to ensure Ngāti Toa Rangatira retained sufficient land for their future needs.

Questions and answers

What is the total cost to the Crown?

The total cost to the Crown of redress offered to Ngāti Toa Rangatira is $75.235 million, which includes financial redress, interest on quantum, and payments for capacity building, wharetaonga and papakainga and the purchase of properties. Ngāti Toa Rangatira will receive accumulated rentals for the Crown Forest Licensed land purchased through the settlement, which total approximately $31 million. They will also receive New Zealand Units associated with this land. These are not costs to the Crown.

Is there any private land involved?

No. Two discrete sites of City Council land – Taputeranga Island and Taupo urupā (Wellington and Porirua respectively) – are being transferred as part of the settlement. The Wellington City Council and Porirua City Council have been neutral in the transactions recognising that the deed of settlement is a settlement of grievance between the Crown and Ngati Toa Rangatira. The councils are not parties to the Treaty settlement.

Are the public’s rights affected?

Generally no. Eight sites, totalling around 4.2 hectares, are vested in fee simple in Ngati Toa Rangatira without provision for ongoing public access. These sites are of high significance to Ngati Toa Rangatira, do not have conservation values and are not located in areas where there is regular public use.

Does the settlement create any special rights for Ngāti Toa Rangatira?

The only ‘special right’ is the legislative right of attribution for the haka Ka Mate. The rest of the redress does not create any special rights and is consistent with existing legislative and policy frameworks which provide for Māori participation in conservation and planning matters.

Are any National Parks affected by the Settlement?

The settlement includes Statutory Acknowledgements and Deeds of Recognition over Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa in Nelson Lakes National Park. This redress will not affect the conservation values of those sites or public access to them.

What is the Haka Ka Mate Attribution Bill?

Te Rauparaha must be clearly and reasonably identified as both the composer of the haka Ka Mate and a chief of Ngāti Toa Rangatira whenever the haka Ka Mate is published commercially, communicated to the public, or features in a film that is shown in or made available to the public.

Communication to the public would include the inclusion of the haka Ka Mate in a television commercial or the broadcast or webcast of a performance of the haka Ka Mate.

Published commercially would include where the words of the haka Ka Mate are published in a book or journal or online, or where an object that features the words of the haka Ka Mate are offered for sale to the public. The attribution requirement will not apply to any performances of the haka Ka Mate, for example by kapa haka groups or sports teams, or to its use for educational purposes, or work made for the purposes of criticism, review or news reporting. All members of the public and any sports teams, including the All Blacks, will still be able to perform the haka Ka Mate.

Ngāti Toa Rangatira will be able to go the courts for a declaratory judgement or order where there has been failure to attribute.

The settlement redress does not require prior consent before the haka is used or performed. The right of attribution is similar to, but distinct from, the right of attribution under the Copyright Act 1994. The redress does not entitle Ngāti Toa Rangatira to charge, levy, or accept any form of royalties or compensation.

What are Statutory Acknowledgments and Deeds of Recognition?

Statutory Acknowledgements acknowledge areas or sites with which iwi have a special relationship, and will be recognised in any relevant proceedings under the Resource Management Act. These provisions aim to avoid past problems where areas of significance to Māori, such as burial grounds, were simply cleared or excavated for public works or similar purposes without permission or consultation with iwi. Statutory Acknowledgements do not convey a property right and are non-exclusive.

Deeds of Recognition set out an agreement between the administering Crown body (the Minister of Conservation) and a claimant group in recognition of their special association with a site and specify the nature of their input into the management of the site.

What is an Overlay Classification?

An Overlay Classification acknowledges the traditional, cultural, spiritual and historical association of an iwi with certain sites of significance administered by the Department of Conservation.

An Overlay Classification status requires the Minister of Conservation and the settling group to develop and publicise a set of principles that will assist the Minister to avoid harming or diminishing values of the settling group with regard to that land. The New Zealand Conservation Authority and relevant Conservation Boards will also be required to have regard to the principles and consult with the settling group.

Are any place names being changed?

Yes. Several place names of Ngāti Toa Rangatira will be reinstated including Porirua Harbour which will become Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour. The full list of name changes is included in this Deed of Settlement summary under "Place name changes".

Does Ngāti Toa Rangatira have the right to come back and make further claims about the behaviour of the Crown?

If a Deed of Settlement is ratified and passed into law, both parties agree it will be a final and comprehensive settlement of all the historical (relating to events before 21 September 1992) Treaty of Waitangi claims of Ngāti Toa Rangatira. The settlement legislation, once passed, will prevent Ngāti Toa Rangatira from re-litigating their claims before the Tribunal or the courts.

The settlement package will still allow Ngāti Toa Rangatira or members of Ngāti Toa Rangatira to pursue claims against the Crown for acts or omissions after 21 September 1992 and does not affect claims based on the continued existence of aboriginal title or customary rights. The Crown also retains the right to dispute such claims or the existence of such title rights.

Who benefits from the settlement?

All members of Ngāti Toa Rangatira, wherever they may now live.