On 22 October 1849, the first formal statement of Ngāi Tahu grievances against the Crown regarding the South Island land purchases was made by the Ngāi Tahu rangatira, Matiaha Tiramōrehu. Just five years had passed since the first major purchase of Ngāi Tahu land at Otago, and only one since the signing of Kemp’s Deed…
The recent success of the Kotahi Mano Wawata Rakatahi Symposium reveals the rising number of culturally competent rangatahi who are hungry for forums to celebrate and connect with their Ngāi Tahutanga. To have over 100 rangatahi contributing In bilingual workshops marks a significant milestone for Kotahi Mano Kāika, which ran the symposium in Ōtautahi from…
In early September a group of Ngāi Tahu artists came together to occupy Toi Moroki Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCA) in Ōtautahi and create the first major group showing of contemporary Ngāi Tahu art in 14 years. By creating an exhibition based on the principles of a nohoaka, the Paemanu Ngāi Tahu Contemporary Visual Arts…
This year marks 20 years since the signing of the Deed of Settlement, a defining moment in a journey of over 150 years, which brought an end to the pain and struggle of a grieving people. And with this closure came a new beginning, with $170m plus add-ons in the bank and a newly formed organisational structure to manage the settlement. However, in celebrating this milestone, it is important to reflect on where this last part of the journey began – the lodgement of the claim some 11 years earlier.
Recently I met the 20 Ngāi Tahu rangatahi preparing to head off on the trip of a lifetime to Silicon Valley. The room was buzzing with chatter until they all broke into a waiata rendition of Manu Tiria. Meeting these rangatahi took me way back to a similar experience as a 13-year-old. The only difference was that we were preparing to head to Wellington to visit Parliament and our waiata was the Anglican school hymn. Roll forward many decades and our young people are international travelling ambassadors for our iwi.
Otago Harbour Ōtākou was the name for a channel that ran down the eastern (southern) side of the Otago Harbour from the mouth to Harwood Point, past the whaling station site and main Māori villages. Aramoana ran down the western (northern) side through to Port Chalmers. Today the name Ōtākou specifically refers to the small…
Nā Nuku Tau In light of the 20th anniversary of the Settlement of the Ngāi Tahu claim, I thought it relevant to write on another issue Ngāi Tahu faces in terms of rights and property – water. Water is the most precious resource on Earth, and I think everyone can agree we don’t value it…
He Whakaaro Nā Ward Kamo “This was the command thy love laid upon these Governors. That the law be made one, that the commandments be made one, that the nation be made one, that the white skin be made just as equal with the dark skin. And to lay down the love of thy graciousness…
Stephen O’Regan then Maurice Pohio phoned me, stating that as Chair and Deputy of the Ngāi Tahu Māori Trust Board they had resolved to ask me to be the person to lodge the Ngāi Tahu Claim under the Treaty of Waitangi Act for breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi that prejudicially affected Māori. This was in May 1986. O’Regan was working for the Conservation Department at the time, so that had eliminated him from being a claimant. I accepted.
The Government today introduced the Hurunui/Kaikōura Earthquakes Emergency Relief Bill and the Civil Defence Emergency Management Amendment Act 2016 Amendment Bill to Parliament. The Government has also indicated a third Bill, the Hurunui/Kaikoura Earthquake Recovery Bill, will be introduced to the House on Thursday. Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu welcomes the introduction of these Bills…
A new initiative to restore the health of Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō was launched today. The initiative will see five major players in the management of Whakaraupō/ Lyttelton Harbour – Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Environment Canterbury, Christchurch City Council, and the Lyttelton Port Company – join forces to create an action…
We will respect, foster and maintain important relationships within the organisation, within the iwi and within the community.
We will pay respect to each other, to iwi members and to all others in accordance with our tikanga (customs).
We will pursue knowledge and ideas that will strengthen and grow Ngāi Tahu and our community.
We will work actively to protect the people, environment, knowledge, culture, language and resources important to Ngāi Tahu for future generations.
We will strive to ensure that the tikanga of Ngāi Tahu is actioned and acknowledged in all of our outcomes.
We will strive to maintain a high degree of personal integrity and ethical behaviour in all actions and decisions we make.
