Ngāti Rangitihi Settlement

Back in February 2020 we provided an update of the settlement process at a series of hui-ā-marae. We received unanimous support from the hui to finalise the joint negotiations with Ngāti Rangitihi for the return of Waimangu and Otukapuarangi blocks.

We should all be very proud of the outcome and the return of these hugely historical Tūhourangi tribal lands at Waimangu Volcanic Valley and Otukapuarangi, particularly given our own settlement was completed as full and final back in 2007 without these two settlements.

This means our joint tourism business at Waimangu will now pay the annual concession fee to our joint iwi owners (Tūhourangi and Ngāti Rangitihi) instead of to the Department of Conservation. Further, in addition to having Waimangu returned, Tūhourangi will now have 30ha along the shores of Lake Rotomahana returned in our own name.

This work has been ongoing since 2015 and would not have been possible without the vision and collaboration of some key people. We wish to acknowledge Leith Comer and the Ngāti Rangitihi settlement team, Minister Andrew Little and the team from Te Arawhiti that worked tremendously hard to facilitate this innovative approach to resolving overlapping interests, our koeke both past and present who bestowed their mana, and our team of negotiators with special acknowledgement to Rangitihi Pene and Shane Gibbons.

The Ngāti Rangitihi Deed of Settlement was initialled last week and they now enter their ratification process with a number of hui around the motu scheduled for August.

We are pleased to advise the key objectives and outcomes for Tūhourangi via the Ngāti Rangitihi settlement are:

• Ngāti Rangitihi would remove any claim and or acknowledgement over all Tūhourangi lands (Parekarangi 6) as awarded in the NLC; Achieved

• Jointly negotiate the return of Waimangu Volcanic Valley 135ha shared 50/50 undivided title with Ngāti Rangitihi via the Ngati Rangitihi settlement; Achieved 30ha via the Ngāti Rangitihi settlement as cultural redress

• The above claim exceeded the cultural redress available under the Ngāti Rangitihi settlement, however the crown offered an additional 50ha to be purchased at a preferential rate (crown valuation $1.628m). The hui-ā-marae unanimously supported the TTA proposal to negotiate the purchase up to that amount; Achieved 50ha at iwi valuation $666,999

• Return of Otukapuarangi 50ha sole title to Tūhourangi as cultural redress via the Ngāti Rangitihi settlement; Achieved 30ha

• Return of Otukapuarangi 50ha sole title to Tūhourangi as cultural redress via the Ngāti Rangitihi settlement; Achieved 30ha

Tūhourangi would make no claim in respect of the Ruawahia block awarded by the Native Land Court to Ngāti Rangitihi; Agreed