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Aoraki Bound is a 20-day cultural and personal development programme. My hīkoi was everything I hoped it would be – a chance to immerse myself in my culture, walk in the footsteps of my ancestors, and gain a greater sense of my identity. The course culminates on the shores of Lake Pūkaki, in the presence of our Maunga Ariki, Aoraki. I parted ways with my rōpū, wiping tears of gratitude from my cheeks, knowing that my life had changed forever.
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Japanese businessman and philanthropist Masashi Yamada has a special place in Ngāi Tahu history. It was his generous donation that enabled the iwi to complete negotiations for the Ngāi Tahu Settlement, and years later yet another contribution led to the establishment of the Ngāi Tahu Mātauranga Trust. This year, a delegation from the Yamada family visited Ōtautahi to meet with some of the beneficiaries of this trust.
Read MoreCentral to the tensions that arose during the course of the Ngāi Tahu negotiations was the question of how the total value of the settlement would be ascertained and dealt with. While the Crown approached the negotiations from the perspective that earlier settlements of the 1940s only required updating, negotiators for Ngāi Tahu believed that the amount returned to them had to reflect the value of what they had lost. Ngāi Tahu understood that full reimbursement would have been impossible, but they believed that some rationalisation or formula was necessary.
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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…
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Te Kerēme – The Ngāi Tahu Claim – was lodged with the Waitangi Tribunal in 1986, and in the ensuing years of negotiations with the Crown the iwi began to mobilise in preparation for the long-awaited settlement. The passing of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Act 1996 established Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu to protect and advance the collective interests of the iwi.
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Kelvin (Kelly) Mervyn Anglem, from Arowhenua, was the first kaiwhakahaere of Ngāi Tahu, heading Te Rūnanganui o Tahu until ill health forced him to retire in 1993. A close friend, cousin, and neighbour of my pōua Carlyle (Carl) Walker, Kelly is a man I have only ever heard spoken of in the very highest regard. Indeed, whenever his name comes up, my mother will say, “He was such a good man.” When I heard that TE KARAKA was planning a profile on Kelly, I proffered my services without hesitation. I grabbed a recorder and a raincoat, and headed south on State Highway 1 to go and talk to Pōua.
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Twenty years ago we gathered at Takahanga Marae, Kaikōura, to execute the Ngāi Tahu Deed of Settlement with the Crown. It was only after weathering another storm-tossed year of litigation and political stress, both internal and external, that the agreement was finally passed into law by Parliament – that year was to be another story in its own right. It was the Deed of Settlement, though, that marked the turning point in the several histories that comprise the seven-generation story of the Ngāi Tahu Claims – Te Kerēme o Ngāi Tahu.
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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.
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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…
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Today marks the 30th anniversary of the first Waitangi Tribunal Hearing into the Ngāi Tahu Claim. On 17 August 1987, the Waitangi Tribunal commenced its first hearing into the Ngāi Tahu Claim. The hearing began with a pōwhiri at Tuahiwi Marae, before moving the next day to Rangiora High School for the remainder of the…
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