A settlement has been signed between Hauraki iwi, Ngāti Tara Tokanui, and the Crown after 13 years of negotiation.
Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The deed will see nine culturally significant sites returned to the iwi, including Ngā Ure Tara, Mimitu Pā, Tawhitiaraia and Karangahake.
Ngāti Tara Tokanui, which is centred around Paeroa and the base of the Coromandel Peninsula, will also be paid $6 million compensation.
"While no redress can fully compensate for the Crown's past injustices against Ngāti Tara Tokanui, the redress in this settlement provides a foundation for the economic future of Ngāti Tara Tokanui to build upon, and ensures the cultural relationship between Ngāti Tara Tokanui and sites of cultural significance is recognised for generations to come," Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little said in a statement.
The Crown will apologise for confiscating large tracts of land, as well as for its policies and laws that designed to dislocate Ngāti Tara Tokanui from their land and erode their tribal structure.
