Te Whakatōhea descendants will have their claims heard in Awakeri today after an urgent hearing was granted by the Waitangi Tribunal in August.
The claims cover a number of raupatu issues across the entire district regarding the Battle of Te Tarata and the unlawful conviction and imprisonment of their tupuna, Mokomoko in 1865.
Both are significant events that led to the confiscation of the iwi's most fertile lands in the name of bringing Christian values and economic prosperity for Pākehā settlers to Ōpōtiki.
The hearing is set to take place throughout this week.
