Whakarongo ki te tangi a te Maatuhi e tangi nei, tuia, tuia, tui tuia”
He patere nga Te Turuki Arikirangi
Koia nei te reo o te hunga kainga e tangi atu nei kia koutou e noho mai nei i nga topito o te whenua. E tangi atu nei kia ratou te hunga kua huri atu ki tua o Te Arai, ki nga Aitua a tena whanau, a tena whanau, a tena whanau huri noa. Kia honohia atu ratou ki nga Aitua o te hunga kainga, a, e takatakahi nei ratou i te Arawhanui o Tane. Ko ratou te hunga wairua kia ratou, ko tatou te hunga ora kia tatou, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.
Probably the greatest event for Te Aitanga a Mahaki in this decade will take place in August of this year. The deputy chairman of the Waitangi Tribunal, Chief Judge Joe Williams, has agreed to hear the Turanganui a Kiwa claims against the Crown and has a planned a schedule of judicial conferences leading up to the hearings in August. To this end a group known as Te Aitanga a Mahaki Claims Committee has been steadily working on gathering all necessary evidence to place before the Tribunal. The following is a summary of the work to date.
1] The Claim Process: The background history:
The claim began in 1991 with meetings called by the Crown Forestry Rental Trust to outline their Trust and its functions. In August 1992 at Okawa Bay it was agreed that The Crown Forestry Rental Trust would fund groups in researching grievances against the Crown. Te Aitanga a Mahaki research eventually started on 12 August 1992 under the umbrella of the Mangatu Incorporation Committee of Management with a meeting of the claimants. After a short period of time it was decided that the three claimant groups would separate and Te Aitanga a Mahaki and Mangatu Incorporation would concentrate on their claim, with the other groups, Ngai Tamanuhiri and Rongowhakaata, doing the same.
The Mangatu Claims Committee was formed with the original claimant E.J.T. Ruru as Chairman and members of the Committee of Management, together with a support group of recognised elders to assist in the research. Members of the original Claims Committee were: John Ruru (Chairman), Rutene Irwin, Michael Brown, Peter Gordon, Alan and Nona Haronga, Pene Brown and Kiki Smiler. The present committee acknowledge a deep debt of gratitude to Nona Haronga, Kiki Smiler and Peter Gordon who gave much of their information and time in the pursuit of our claim.
The Crown Forestry Rental Trust has provided financial resources and personnel to progress the Te Aitanga a Mahaki claim. The first stage of funding was to 31 March 1996. There have been other payments made which has been expended to date in preparing the various reports to place before the Waitangi Tribunal.
The Claims Committee were granted the mandate to collect historical and traditional information, to research Maori land titles and the various block histories within Te Aitanga a Mahaki. Searches were conducted at the Gisborne Museum and Arts Centre, and at the National Archives in Wellington and Auckland .
The Research group was made up of a Senior Researcher; Vincent O'Malley, and three Researchers; Jacqui Haapu, Tania Rauna and Donna Kennedy, together with four local historians and two administrative staff; Ani Smith and Rawinia Smith. The Research group, presently, consists of one voluntary administrator and four historians, who meet once a week on the first floor Nga Waierua Building , Lowe Street , Gisborne.
Attached is a table:
a) Claimants for the Gisborne hearing district
b) The various reports in support of the Te Aitanga a Mahaki Claim
2] Timetable leading up to the Waitangi Tribunal Hearing:
Monday 19th March 2001: - Amended statements of claim and cut off date for registration of new claims:
• The Claim Committee will be meeting with our counsel on Friday 16 th March followed by a meeting with Te Aitanga a Mahaki at the Mangatu Conference room on Saturday 17 th March.
• The follow up wananga that was to be held at Takipu on 16 th to 18 th March on the history of Te Aitanga a Mahaki will now be scheduled for 6 th to 8 th April.
Monday 2nd April: - Judicial conference to discuss amended statements of claim:
Some issues:
• Common and conflicting issues between claimants
• Cross claims between claimants
• Assessment of hearing time and hearing schedule
• Mandate issues
Wednesday 18th April: - Registration of amended statements of claim
Monday 18th June: - Crown files statement of response
Thursday5 th July: - Judicial conference to discuss Crown's statement of response
Some issues:
• Areas of agreement and disagreement
• Any reduction in hearing time
• Hearing schedule
Monday 23rd July: - Registration of Crown's statement of response
Monday 6th August: - Judicial conference, setting evidence, ancillary matters
Monday 27th to Friday 31st August: - Provisional date for first hearing
3] Te Aitanga a Mahaki Register: If you have not enrolled on Te Aitanga a Mahaki Register please take the time to fill out the attached form. If you know members of your whanau who have not registered please arrange for copies of this form to be sent to them, either by copying a form or arranging for us to contact them.
All of Te Aitanga a Mahaki should enrol on the register to:
• ensure that all people have a voice in the mandating processes for the Waitangi Tribunal Claim and other Te Aitanga a Mahaki issues.
• ensure that all people have a voice in the voting processes that apply to Te Aitanga a Mahaki.
• create a database of our people that would be the basis of future planning for Te Aitanga a Mahaki.
• Please pass this newsletter onto others of your whanau.
4] What can whanau do:
• Undertake to get our people registered on Te Aitanga a Mahaki Register
• Where possible use your marae to verify and confirm your applications
• Undertake to be the central place where your whanau can come for information on the claim and the claim processes, or suggest a central contact person or organisation.
• Provide a list of contact people in other areas, with phone, address and Email addresses
5] Other hui of Te Aitanga a Mahaki:
• Raranga wananga to be held at Tapuihikitia 18th to 22nd March
• Te Aitanga a Mahaki will attend the 100 year celebration of Tutamure, the meeting house at Omarumutu
• Our Claim committee will join with other claimant groups to visit Hastings , Palmerston North and Wellington to bring our people up to date on the claim process
6] Mandate:
Meetings were held at Tapuihikitia Marae on 4th November, 1995 and Takipu on 20th January, 1996 where the mandate was granted to Te Aitanga a Mahaki Claims Committee to collate all historical and relevant information on Te Aitanga a Mahaki grievances against the Crown and that they be responsible to present the Te Aitanga a Mahaki claim to the Waitangi Tribunal.
Te Aitanga a Mahaki Claims Committee:
Nga Waierua Building
First Floor
Lowe Street
PO Box 1088
GISBORNE
Email: wipera@xtra.co.nz
Phone/Fax: (06) 868 7733
Hemi Terekia : Home (06) 862 5504
Charlie Pera: Home (06) 867 0164