Hauraki iwi say Tauranga Moana have rejected calls for tikanga talks in favour of litigation. This follows the signing of the Hauraki Collective Redress Deed earlier this month. But a Tauranga Moana representative says calls for tikanga talks are now 'pointless'.
The Chair of the Hauraki Collective Paul Majurey says a U-turn by the three Tauranga iwi to meet face to face with Pare Hauraki has given weight to views that earlier protests for tikanga talks was ‘less about principle and more about expediency’ as well as a ‘tactic’ to delay the Pare Hauraki settlement.
Majurey told Te Kāea that Hauraki Collective were still open for talks.
"They want to go down the litigation path rather than the tikanga discussions that they've called for for so long.”
“As we said we would and promised we would we have now made those approaches and we're ready to have those discussions and we've talked about potential dates and venues."
But Tauranga Moana iwi spokesperson Patrick Nicholas says that the opportunity for tikanga talks was ‘pointless’ since the Deed had already been signed. Nicholas says the deed was an outright ‘raupatu’.
"Tikanga process is pointless now. Especially now that we have seen the Crown have taken their position. They are not going to recognise anything else.They have committed to raupatu."
Nicholas says they are now looking to the Waitanga Tribunal to settle the over lapping treaty claim.