Contact Details

Te Kaahui o Rauru

Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi Offices
208 Victoria Avenue
PO Box 4322
WHANGANUI

Phone: (06) 348 4894
Fax: (06) 348 4087

Settlement Print E-mail
Prior to 1860, Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi was a prosperous iwi in south Taranaki who engaged in extensive trade with European settlements.

The settlement pathway followed by Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi involved a great deal of hard work and covered three centuries of research. Ngaa Rauru Tupuna dedicated themselves to working towards a settlement of grievances of Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi with the Crown. They struggled against both a Crown and a society that had little or no intention of either admitting, or attempting to try and address the wrongs committed against our people by the Crown.

In more recent times, the Nga Rauru Iwi Authority, the Negotiations Team, Legal Advisors and others have been involved in the Settlement process undertaking a significant amount of hard work.

Significant milestones have marked Ngaa Rauru progress. These include:

1991 – Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi made their first submissions to the Waitangi Tribunal at Ihupuku marae, Waitotara;

1996 – The Waitangi Tribunal released its report The Taranaki Report: Kaupapa Tuatahi;

August 1999 – The Iwi Authority was elected by marae and hapu of Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi to represent Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi in negotiations with the Crown for the settlement of Historical Claims;

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1999 – The Iwi Authority approached the Crown to negotiate with the Crown for settlement of the Historical Claims of Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi;

April 2000 – The Crown agreed to recognise the Iwi Authority’s mandate to represent Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi in negotiations with the Crown for the settlement of the Historical Claims of Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi;

April 2002 – The Negotiation Team was appointed by the Iwi Authority to take responsibility for planning the negotiation process and being involved in the face to face negotiations with the Crown;

5 May 2002 – The majority of marae delegates endorsed the Agreement in Principle – the first written document to set the fundamental terms of the Crown Settlement Offer;

16 May 2002 – The Iwi Authority and the Crown formally signed the Agreement in Principle; May 2002 - September 2003 – Further consultation with the people of Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi and negotiations with the Crown were undertaken by the Iwi Authority to agree with the terms of the Deed;
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2 October 2003 – The marae delegates approved of the Deed for presentation for ratification purposes and the Deed was completed and initialled by the mandated representatives of the Iwi Authority and the Crown;

10 November 2003 – Voting on whether or not uki supported the Crown Settlement Offer closed with 93.2% of the valid votes received in favour of the acceptance of the Crown Settlement Offer, one of the highest rates of support of any Treaty settlements to date.

The high participation and acceptance rates clearly demonstrated that Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi supported the Crown Settlement Offer. Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi had given a clear mandate to the Iwi Authority to sign the Deed of Settlement on behalf of all Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi.

On the 27th November 2003, representatives form the Iwi Authority signed the Deed of Settlement. That signing was the culmination of four years hard work by the Iwi Authority, Ngaa Rauru tupuna, and uki. The struggle against securing redress for wrongs committed by the Crown against Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi was won.
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