New Zealand settles Maori land claim
New Zealand iwi (Māori kinship group) Ngāti Maru signed a deed of settlement with the Crown on Feb. 26, resolving its historical Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) claims. Ngāti Maru is the last of eight iwi in Taranaki, a North Island region, to settle its land claims under the treaty. The Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Andrew Little, announced in a statement that the iwi, which comprises 2,800 registered members, will receive financial and cultural redress as part of the settlement, including an apology from the Crown. The financial redress is valued at NZD$30 million (about USD$20 million). The agreement also includes the vesting of 16 culturally significant sites to Ngāti Maru.
Little explicitly addressed the Treaty breaches, which include "the Crown's unjust and indiscriminate confiscation (raupatu) of half of the iwi's land in 1865," combined with Compensation Court and Native Land Court decisions that devastated the iwi's "mana, welfare, economy, and socio-cultural development."
The Compensation Court and Native Land Court were established in 1864 and 1865, respectively. The Compensation Court, which has since been abolished, heard "claims by loyal Māori for monetary compensation or the recovery of their land" amidst significant land confiscations (raupatu) on part of the Crown perpetrated against Māori iwi. The Native Land Court, now reorganized as the Māori Land Court, was a tangible representation of colonization given that it only permitted judges to name 10 owners of pieces of land—a system completely inconsistent with Māoritanga, the traditional system of tenure, which can see "owners" of one particular piece of land reach hundreds of thousands. All landowners above the 10 cap were dispossessed of their ownership by the Native Land Court.
Little also addressed that between 1879 and 1881 at Parihaka, a locality in Taranaki, Crown "military forces imprisoned members of Ngāti Maru for participating in a peaceful resistance campaign."
Little added:
As a result of the Crown’s acts and omissions Ngāti Maru have been left virtually landless, and their people displaced and dispersed. While no redress can ever fully compensate for the destructive and demoralising effects of Crown actions, I hope this settlement will allow Ngāti Maru to realise their aspirations for a vibrant economic and cultural future, and restores a relationship based on mutual trust, respect, and cooperation.
The settlement is one of many that the Crown has entered into. As of August 2018, 73 settlements had been passed into law, comprising a NZD$2.24 billion financial value. The settlements, although redressing only part of what was taken from iwi through Crown colonization, are seen as symbolic of the Crown's modern effort to honor its obligations as a partner to the Treaty of Waitangi.
From Jurist, March 1. Used with permission.
Note: Under the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which established the nation of New Zealand, Māori headmen agreed to recognize British sovereignty in exchange for guarantees of Māori rangatiratanga (chieftainship or authority).
Maori protests break out in New Zealand
Thousands of protesters in New Zealand took to the streets Dec. 5 after the new government released its plans for policy regarding Maori rights and The Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand.
The protests occurred after Te Pati Maori (the Maori Party) called upon its members and sympathetic New Zealanders to protest the morning of the new parliament being opened as the new government was being sworn in. After the October electiony, the National Party and its right-wing coalition proposed major policy changes regarding the rights of Maori. Chief among these policies is the removal of co-governance systems that were brought in by the previous government, a reduction in government agencies' use of Te Reo Maori (the Maori language) and a redefinition of the treaty of Waitangi for a "more modern" setting.
The Treaty of Waitangi was created by the British Crown and Maori, promising certain rights and privileges to the Maori people. These guarantees were codified in the Treaty of Waitangi Act of 1975.
New Prime Minister Christopher Luxton defended the decision to change the treaty guarantees. King Tūheitia of the Maori people has called a national hui (meeting) of the iwi (tribes) to hash out the united stance that the Maori should take on the matter. (Jurist)
New Zealand: Maori protest changes to Waitangi treaty
Māori protesters marched to Waitangi to oppose the Treaty Principles Bill, allowing changes to the "principles" of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi)—New Zealand's founding document—ahead of Waitangi Day, the national day of New Zealand which celebrates the signing of the Treaty.
The Association of Consumers & Taxpayers (ACT) proposed a referendum to redefine the "principles" of the Treaty of Waitangi. While the referendum was not included in the coalition agreement, the National and New Zealand First parties have agreed to introduce a Treaty Principles Bill that would be further reviewed by a select committee. (Jurist)
NZ court overturns ruling blocking Waitangi Tribunal summons
The New Zealand Court of Appeal on May 13 unanimously overturned a High Court ruling that blocked a summons order for Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence before the Waitangi Tribunal under section 6(1)(c) of the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975.
The appeal arises from an urgent inquiry launched by the tribunal concerning the imminent repeal of section 7AA of the Children's and Young People's Well-being Act 1989, which imparts on the Chief Executive of the Ministry for Children obligations to ensure the ministry pursues policies that improve outcomes for Māori children and recognize the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. (Jurist)
Waitangi Tribunal protests changes to NZ electoral law
The New Zealand government on May 20 introduced the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill to reinstate local electorate polls on Māori wards and constituencies, despite the Waitangi Tribunal finding that the proposed legislation breaches the Treaty of Waitangi. The bill would restore the requirement for a binding local referendum on the establishment of Māori wards if petitioned by five percent of electors in the district. The government abolished the requirement in 2021, noting that other rural wards did not face such requirement.
Before the requirement was abolished, 24 councils attempted to establish Māori wards but only three were successful in doing so. Councils and communities report that the barrier to implementing Māori wards was the rise of small groups of organised racists causing division and upheaval in local communities. Once the law was changed, the number jumped to 45 councils planning to adopt Māori wards. (Jurist, Scoop, Scoop)
Māori protesters shut down Auckland
Indigenous protesters caused severe traffic delays in Auckland, New Zealand, May 30. The opposition party Te Pati Māori and allied activist groups called the protest against the government's proposed budget, which makes significant cuts to Māori services, disestablishing the Te Aka Whai Ora (Māori Health Authority). (Jurist)
Aotearoa organizations call for halt to Waitangi principles bill
Over 150 New Zealand organizations on July 29 released an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon calling for a stop to the contentious bill that would redefine in statute the principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi, the nation's founding constitutional document.
In the letter published by ActionStation Aotearoa, organizations described the Treaty Principles Bill as "constitutionally destructive" and demanded its withdrawal.
The proposed legislation originates from an agreement in the coalition agreement between ACT New Zealand and the New Zealand National Party. (Jurist)
Māori challenge disestablishment of indigenous constituency
New Zealand’s High Court heard judicial review proceedings filed by northern Māori iwi on Aug. 8 seeking to stay a district council's decision to disestablish its indigenous constituency. Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, a body representing the indigenous applicants, sought an interim injunction on the basis that the Kaipara District Council has not fulfilled its obligations under the Local Government Act 2002 to allow the participation of Māori in decision-making. (Jurist)