Presently the second stage of Waitangi Tribunal hearings concerning the Freshwater and Geothermal Energy Claim (WAI 2358) is underway, having commenced late last year. This is the Treaty claim of the New Zealand Māori Council concerned with what rights and interests in freshwater and geothermal energy were guaranteed to Māori
Day: August 18, 2017
The Ministry of Health has released a report on maternity statistics for 2015. In relation to Māori, we note some key findings are that: Māori continue to have the highest birth rates – 91.9 births per 1,000 females of reproductive age (15-44yrs) – the European New Zealand women’s birth rate
The Hokotehi Moriori Trust has signed an agreement in principle with the Crown to settle the historical Treaty of Waitangi claims of Moriori. Moriori is an imi/iwi whose ancestors were the first inhabitants of Rēkohu (the Chatham Islands). Moriori estimates that its population is approximately 3,500. In regards to this
This week the Crown and Ngāti Hei entered into a Deed of Settlement to conclude all historic Treaty of Waitangi claims of the iwi. Ngāti Hei is an iwi of approximately 500 members (according to 2013 Census figures). The area of interest of Ngāti Hei is located on the eastern
The Heretaunga Tamatea Claims Settlement Bill completed its first reading in Parliament and was referred on to the Māori Affairs Select Committee. Heretaunga Tamatea and its hapū is one of six large natural groupings negotiating the settlement of the historical Treaty of Waitangi claims of Ngāti Kahungunu. Heretaunga Tamatea’s area of
The Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Claims Settlement Bill completed its first reading in Parliament, and has been referred onto the Māori Affairs Select Committee for consideration. The rohe of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki is centred in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, extending to Hauraki/Coromandel and, in particular, the coastline, harbours and motu/islands of
On Wednesday the Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa Claims Settlement Bill passed its third reading in Parliament and will now be passed into law. Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa (NKKW) is a claimant group of approximately 3,000 people whose area of interest lies in the Far North between the Mangonui Harbour and the Whangaroa
This week was the last sitting of Parliament before the General Election, and the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Chris Finlayson, used the opportunity to progress three articles of settlement legislation through Parliament – one of these to full completion. In addition, Minister Finlayson also facilitated the signing for
This week the Māori Party finally got into gear by launching its first and only election policy statement, which is ‘Whare Oranga / Housing’. The policy is three pronged: reducing homelessness; supporting tenants; and increasing home ownership. There are eight pages of ideas to achieve these outcomes, some of the
Labour Party leader, Jacinda Ardern, has announced that if elected to govern her party will focus on cleaner waterways, and achieve this via levies on commercial water usage (including the rural sector and water export companies). The cost of usage would be established after consideration by a Parliamentary committee. The
Last week we provided a summary of General Election policy commitments of high relevance to Māori, which have been made to date by the main political parties. We advised we had not assessed any policy commitments from the National Party, as that party has no specific Māori policies. This week,