Hamilton Spectator
Kathy Marks
The Independent, London
(Jun 26, 2008)
New Zealand took a momentous step to address the historic grievances of its original Maori inhabitants yesterday, handing back nearly half a million acres of Crown forestry land in a settlement worth more than $300 million.
Hundreds of Maori, some wearing traditional feather cloaks, descended on the capital, Wellington, to watch the agreement being signed in Parliament by the government and tribal leaders. Some wept during the ceremony, while others chanted, sang and blew conch shells.
The settlement is the biggest to emerge from long-running negotiations to restore land, forestry and fishery rights lost by indigenous tribes after the British settlement of New Zealand in the 19th century.
In the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, tribal chiefs ceded sovereignty to the British Crown in exchange for retaining control of their land and natural resources. But much of that land was subsequently confiscated or illegally sold after the arrival of successive waves of white settlers.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark told the throng in Parliament: "It's a historic journey we are on. We came into politics to address injustice and seek reconciliation. Thank you for walking that road with us on this historic day."
The forestry deal was recommended by the Waitangi Tribunal, a commission set up in 1975 to adjudicate on claims relating to breaches of the 1840 treaty.
The latest agreement will see ownership of 176,000 hectares of prime forestry land on the central North Island, worth more than $150 million, transferred from the government to seven local iwi, or tribes. The tribes, comprising about 100,000 people, will also receive $172 million in rents backdated to 1989, as well as annual rental payments of about $10 million.
The settlement will provide an important source of income for local Maori, who are set to become New Zealand's largest private forestry landowner. Most of the land consists of large-scale commercial pine plantations operated by major forestry companies.
Tumu te Heuheu, a Maori chief and chairman of the North Island tribal collective, said its objective in the negotiations was to provide young people and generations to come with "a strong, durable and sustainable economic future." He added, "This is our legacy to them."
During the ceremony, the government's treaty negotiations minister, Michael Cullen, said that New Zealand was "a lesser nation today as a result of the failure to uphold its obligations to so many generations of Maori."
He added: "It is a tragedy of our history that, following the signing of the treaty (of Waitangi), the Crown failed to uphold its part of the bargain in so many ways.
"But all has not been lost. Through the treaty claims and settlement process, we have in recent decades sought to address our historic failure, and strive once again to live up to the ideals of the treaty."
Past agreements have seen the Maori, who make up about 15 per cent of the 4.2-million population, regain ownership of large areas of the South Island, including Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest peak. They have also received formal apologies for past injustices.
Maori are among the country's poorest citizens, with lower education and income levels than whites. They endure poor health, substandard housing and high unemployment, and make up more than half the prison population.
'It is a tragedy of our history that ... the Crown failed to uphold its part of the bargain in so many ways.'