Ngāti Tūwharetoa will sign a Treaty of Waitangi settlement with the Crown tomorrow for historical grievances.
The settlement is valued at approximately $180 million, which includes the iwi’s part of the Central North Island (CNI) settlement in 2008.
Ngāti Tūwharetoa received $66 million through the CNI deal as well as three million carbon credits.
Negotiator for the iwi, Te Ngaehe Wanikau, spoke to Kawe Kōrero Reporters. He says, “The people are so happy, all the people are here working at our marae, Waitetoko, Tūwharetoa have come together to prepare.”
The comprehensive settlement includes the return of 34 culturally significant sites, five commercial sites, a right of first refusal for Crown-owned land taken from the iwi and co-management with the Department of Conservation of lands within the iwi’s boundaries.
Wanikau says, "It's a return of values, culture, protocols stated in our proverb, Tongariro is the mountain, those words are becoming reality, the group of mountains and its springs."
The Crown will also give an apology for the more than 170 years Ngāti Tūwharetoa suffered land and cultural grievances.
The ceremony will start at 11am tomorrow at Waitetoko Marae on the southern shores of Lake Taupō.