Leadership Stories Archives - Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu

Budget 2023 leaves a ‘hollow feeling’

By Arihia Bennett, chief executive of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu After a succession of big-spending budgets and much funding allocated to cyclone and flood recovery, Budget 2023 was understandably restrained. The end of Covid-spending and the necessity of funding cyclone and flooding recovery have led us to the so-called “no frills” budget. Still, for…

‘I want my mokopuna to swim in clean waters’

By Lisa Tumahai, Kaiwhakahaere (Chair) of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. Our global outlook is uncertain – we are facing challenges our tīpuna (ancestors) never encountered. The intergenerational consequences of a lack of climate action, emerging risks of unregulated artificial intelligence development, and campaigns of disinformation all threaten to undermine wider society. Te Rūnanga o…

As a country, as South Islanders, as Ngāi Tahu, we all face huge challenges: we must face them together, by Kaiwhakahaere Lisa Tumahai

As the chair of Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu, which represents South Island iwi Ngāi Tahu, I welcome healthy informed debate about the future of the Crown-Māori relationships. These debates must however avoid fear-mongering and vote-chasing. They must be informed by fact, and include the history of our country, and include the reality of iwi…

Budget 2021: ‘What is good for Māori is good for all of Aotearoa’

Budget 2021 recognises that what is good for Māori is good for all of Aotearoa, with more investment being made specifically to address problems disproportionately faced by Māori. There will no doubt be some ugly backlash against this from people who don’t want to see equity, but this is the future – a future for all people of Aotearoa.

Relativity Mechanism

I am honoured to be able to announce the achievement of a significant milestone in our Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement negotiations with the Crown.

Ngāi Tahu Claim Settlement Act, 29 September 1998

The passage of the Ngai Tahu Claim Settlement into law on 29 September 1998, was an historic and significant point in the long history of Ngai Tahu. As I stood there in Parliament while our people sang I thought of Tūhawaiki’s famous speech at the Ōtākou purchase in 1844 when he spoke of being surrounded by the memories of his own generation rather than those of ancient times.

Lodging the Ngāi Tahu Claim with the Waitangi Tribunal

On this day in 1986 the Ngaitahu Maori Trust Board, in the name of Henare Rakiihia Tau, lodged the Ngāi Tahu Claim with the Waitangi Tribunal. Although the Waitangi Tribunal was established in 1975 the Tribunal were only able to investigate breaches made by the Crown in relation to the Treaty of Waitangi that occurred…

Settlement Photo Gallery

This week we celebrate the anniversary of the enactment of the Ngāi Tahu Settlement Bill. This occurred on 1 October 1998, the day the Bill was signed by the Governor General to become an Act of the New Zealand Parliament (Date of assent). This gallery of photographs shows the various stages of the settlement and…