From: Edward C. Corrigan
There is still hope for the indigenous inhabitants of Canada, the United States of America and for the Palestinians. One day it will happen.
Ed Corrigan
Indigenous tribes celebrate victory in fight for rights lost by breaches of 1840 treaty with Britain
By Kathy Marks, Asia-Pacific Correspondent
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 NZ$418m (£160m).
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.
The 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 of inquiry set up in 1975 to adjudicate on claims relating to breaches of the 1840 treaty. The tribunal, established after a long campaign by Maori activists, is supposed to finalise all claims by 2020.
The latest agreement will see ownership of 435,000 acres of prime forestry land on the central North Island, worth more than NZ$195m, transferred from the government to seven local iwi, or tribes. The tribes, comprising about 100,000 people, will also receive NZ$223m in rents backdated to 1989, as well as annual rental payments of about NZ$13m.
As well as restoring what is rightfully theirs, the settlement will provide an important source of income for local Maori, who are set to become New Zealand's largest private forestry landowner, and the biggest landowner in their region. Most of the land consists of large-scale commercial pine plantations operated by major forestry companies. The land being returned also has cultural significance for the seven tribes, who formed a collective in order to press their claim.
During the ceremony, which was witnessed by about 700 Maori, 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, 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." The three biggest previous settlements, worth about NZ$170m each, were signed with Maori tribes during the 1990s. 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 New Zealand's highest mountain, Mt Cook. They have also received formal apologies for past injustices.
Tumu te Heuheu, a Maori chief and chairman of the North Island tribal collective, said that its objective was to provide local people – particularly young people and generations to come – with "a strong, durable and sustainable economic future". He added: "This is our legacy to them."
Mr te Heuheu, of the Ngati Tuwharetoa tribe, said the deal would help Maori to build a partnership on key social, economic and environmental issues. "By signing this settlement today, we are also signalling our intention to be a positive and inextricable part of the New Zealand community," he said.
The seven iwi will manage the nine forests collectively, setting up joint asset holding and forestry management structures to maximise the benefits from future use of the land. An eighth tribe, the Ngati Rangitihi, which has yet to give its assent to the deal, will become another beneficiary if it agrees to the terms within the next six months.
A spokesman for the collective, Tamati Kruger, said: "We will become major investors in the forestry sector, and the land to be returned is culturally significant to us all."
Dr Cullen said that, with the transfer of most Crown forests in the region, "a nearly half-billion-dollar asset base will finally be utilised in the interests of local Maori". He said other claims would be settled separately, and would probably involve further compensation payments.
Maori are among the country's poorest citizens, with lower education and income levels than pakeha, or white New Zealanders. They endure poor health, substandard housing and high rates of unemployment, as well as making up more than half of the prison population.
Settlements arising from the Waitangi Tribunal
A series of agreements has been reached since the Waitangi Tribunal was set up in 1975 to adjudicate on claims arising from breaches of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, signed by the British Crown and Maori tribes. These are the biggest settlements to date:
Ancestral lands
In May 1995, the Tainui tribe was awarded NZ$170m (£65m) in a cash and land settlement relating to lands confiscated in the Waikato area, in the centre of the North Island, during land wars between Maori and white settlers in the 1860s. The settlement included a formal apology for British actions during the wars, and their legacy. In November 1997, a South Island tribe, the Nagi Tahu, received NZ$170m in compensation for 34.5 million acres of land – more than half the landmass of New Zealand – which the Waitangi Tribunal ruled was stolen from them in the 1840s, in acts of "unconscionable theft".
Fisheries
The "Sealord" agreement of September 1992 transferred nearly half of the nation's fish stocks to Maori tribes. The Treaty of Waitangi had guaranteed them "full exclusive possession" of their fisheries, but Maori argued for more than a century that this pledge had not been fulfilled. In the 1980s they lost effective control of the fisheries after the government introduced a strict fishing quota. The deal gave them a major share in the Sealord Group, now the world's sixth largest fishing company.
Forests
The latest deal, signed yesterday and worth NZ$418m, will see 435,000 acres of forestry land in the central North Island handed back to seven tribes. About 100,000 people will jointly own the land, valued at NZ$195m, as well as receiving backdated rental payments totalling NZ$223m. They will also be entitled to future annual rents of NZ$13m, and will gain carbon credits for the forests restored to their control.
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