Today, descendants of Tuwharetoa have gathered at Rongomai Marae near Tūrangi to witness a partnership deal which sees the return of 8,500 hectares of Crown land to them.
The Ngāti Tūwharetoa partnership deal which includes the Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust and five other Tūwharetoa entities marks a milestone for the tribe and has created the Hautu-Rangipo Whenua Limited grouping.
According to Paranapa Otimi of Tūwharetoa, ‘it’s fitting that the ceremony be held on Rongomai Marae which was land gifted by Te Māwhai, a kuia who in the 1930’s halted further confiscation by the Crown by literally standing in front of a plough.
The 8,500 hectares of Crown Land being returned to Tūwharetoa includes 4,000 hectares of timber plantations also land which encompasses the Tongariro/Rangipo corrections facility and will see the Hautu-Rangipo Whenua Limited lease back around 770 hectares to the Corrections Department for it’s on-going operations.
Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust formed an alliance with five other Tūwharetoa entities which includes two forest trusts, three farm trusts to exercise the option to buy back the land for 20 million dollars.
