It's understood a meeting will be held tomorrow between Ngāpuhi and the tribes of Invercargill following the allegations around Raniera Tau and the kererū.
However, neither Te Rūnanga a Iwi o Ngāpuhi nor Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu will confirm or deny the meeting is taking place, which is creating angst amongst some Ngāpuhi who believe the invitation to attend the apology should be an open one given the shame that they believe he has brought on the entire tribe.
Kingi Taurua was among the first to suggest Ngāpuhi apologise. He says, “We must go down to the South Island and apologise to Ngāi Tahu.”
But he's among the last to know whether a meeting has been set up for that apology.
“We have not been told about this meeting. This meeting has been organised in secrecy by Te Rūnanga o Ngāpuhi,” says Taurua.
The meeting is so secret that even the MP for Te Tai Tonga is in the dark.
Te Rūnanga a Iwi o Ngāpuhi says over 90 elders put their support behind Raniera Tau at a meeting last week. However, Kingi Taurua says that was a Rūnanga meeting, not a Ngāpuhi-wide one.
Taurua says, “I agree there needs to be an apology, but it should not be led solely by the Rūnanga and its people. I want to see our senior elders and leaders of Ngāpuhi leading that apology.”
Raniera Tau will appear before the Invercargill District Court on the 24th of this month. He faces two charges including possession and killing of kererū.
Rino Tirikatene says a number of questions remain.
That aside, it seems judgement day is also looming for Te Rūnanga a Iwi o Ngāpuhi.
Taurua says, “This is an important matter and signals the widening gap between Ngāpuhi, Tūhoronuku, and the Rūnanga. I want us (Ngāpuhi) to meet next Saturday at Waitangi to discuss this further.