Second Treaty claim stalls

Another Treaty settlement process has been stalled after the Waitangi Tribunal found the Crown was wrong to recognise the mandate of Ngatiwai Trust Board.

The tribunal has ruled that the Crown pressured the board on timelines, that the board was never ‘‘fit for purpose’’, there was ‘‘unequal treatment’’ of hapu, no ‘‘clear and robust’’ Crown policy and division over the mandate has caused ‘‘serious harm’’ to iwi relations.

This comes as the country’s largest iwi, Ngapuhi, continues to battle over who should hold their mandate for negotiations after the tribunal ruled the Crown undermined the right of hapu to choose who spoke for them when it recognised Tuhoronuku.

Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little had yet to read the tribunal’s full report into Ngatiwai and said he couldn’t say if he stood by the findings until he’d done so. ‘‘As Treaty Negotiations Minister my moral obligation, if nothing else, is these processes have to work and people have to feel they’re part of it and not marginalised as a result of it.’’

The Ngatiwai Trust Board decided in 2013 to seek the support of iwi to pursue direct negotiations with the Crown. The board developed a mandate strategy and in October 2015 the Crown recognised the mandate.

The tribunal got involved after some claimants denied hapu gave consent to be included in the mandate.

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