News
Occasional news and views related to HistoryWorks and Treaty
of Waitangi claims processes in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Also see the News Archive and News Archive #2
The Beating
Heart - A
New History of Te Arawa
The Beating Heart: A
Political and Socio-Economic History of Te Arawa, authored by
HistoryWorks
Directors David Armstrong and Dr Vincent O'Malley was recently
released. The book, published by Huia,
details the determined efforts of Te Arawa iwi to work with the Crown
and settlers to pursue a mutually advantageous relationship under the
Treaty of Waitangi while at the same time maintaining their autonomy,
culture, and control over their land and resources.
While the ultimate outcomes were often calamitous for Te
Arawa, the underlying theme of the book is highly positive. The tribes
never ceased to struggled for a genuinely bicultural future. The book
tells the story of the survival and resurgence of a dynamic people
under circumstances that were often extreme and, as such, reflects the
experiences of many other tribes in New Zealand today. The Beating Heart will be
formally launched on a Te Arawa marae in February 2009. [Added 17 December 2008]
Kurahaupo Iwi Near Agreement in Principle
with Crown
The Kurahaupo iwi of the northern South Island
(Rangitane, Ngati
Kuia and Ngati Apa) presented extensive historical evidence to the
Waitangi
Tribunal during a claims hearing process which commenced in August 2000
and
concluded in March 2004. The claims mainly concerned Crown land
purchasing in
the 1850s, which rendered the tribes almost landless.
In order to assist the Kurahaupo iwi (and other northern South Island tribes) in more speedily negotiating claim settlements with the Crown, the Tribunal released a series of three ‘staged’ reports – in March 2007, August 2007, and June 2008. Virtually all of the Kurahaupo claims were upheld by the Tribunal.
This ‘staged’
release of reports, and the Tribunal’s comprehensive
findings, greatly aided the negotiation process, and the Kurahaupo iwi
are now
approaching an Agreement in Principle (AIP) with the Crown.
HistoryWorks
Director David Armstrong, who was raised in Nelson and has a particular
association with the region, presented extensive evidence to the
Tribunal on
behalf of Rangitane and Ngati Apa during the Tribunal hearing process,
and more
recently has acted as an advisor to the Kurahaupo iwi in their
negotiations
with the Crown.
(Photo caption: Kurahaupo iwi representatives and their
advisors, including David Armstrong, back row, left, gather at on the
steps of Parliament on 24 April 2008, in preparation for their meeting
with the Hon. Michael Cullen).
Ngati Apa Sign Deed of Settlement
The
Ngati Apa (North Island) iwi signed a deed of
settlement with the Crown at Whangaehu Marae in October 2008. The
moving ceremony was attended by all of the HistoryWorks Directors.
Bruce Stirling had provided invaluable evidence of Ngati Apa interests
in the Whanganui block as part of overview evidence presented in
the regional inquiry in that district. Both David Armstrong and
Dr Vincent O'Malley prepared reports on behalf of Ngati Apa and were
involved in advising the iwi during the course of their negotiations.
The settlement package includes
compensation valued at $16 million, along with various cultural redress
measures and an apology for historic breaches of the Treaty of
Waitangi. Crown actions rendered Ngati Apa virtually landless by the
early twentieth century, and tribal leaders hope that the settlement
package will allow the iwi to undertake a range of measures aimed at
reestablishing a vigorous tribal identity in the Rangitikei-Manawatu
district. [added 17 December 2008]
McLean Papers Go Online
Sir Donald McLean (1820-1877) was
one of the most dominant figures in the history of Maori and
Pakeha relations in New Zealand in the nineteenth century, and his
massive collection of papers is now available online thanks to a recent
initiative by the Alexander Turnbull Library. More than 100,000 pages
of McLean's correspondence, diaries and other papers, have been
digitised and can be searched on the recently launched website. This
huge collection of manuscripts has long been a mainstay of historians
researching Treaty of Waitangi claims, and includes nearly 3000 letters
in te reo Maori from rangatira from around New Zealand. This wonderful
resource from one of the most contentious figures in New Zealand
history is now accessible to a much wider audience. Click here for a link to the new
website.
[added 17 December 2008]
