Matakana Island will be excluded from the redress area of the Hauraki collective deed. Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little says it is among changes that would be more palatable to Ngai Te Rangi and other Tauranga iwi.
Changes to the Pare Hauraki deed take Matakana Island off the table.
Little says, "We've agreed to shift some of the boundary markings for some of the consultation areas, [for] fisheries [and for] conservation. We've made sure that Matakana Island, which I think was a very controversial point, is not included in the redress area."
Ngai te Rangi chairman Charlie Tawhiao says, "We don't know what remains in the deed so we are waiting to see it."
The minister is ready to sign but says any outstanding issues will need to be resolved between iwi. Pare Hauraki has contacted Ngati Ranginui, Ngati Pukenga and Ngai Te Rangi to prepare for a tikanga-based process.
Hauraki Collective Chairman Paul Majurey says, "We're hopeful that, in the way that we have, really over centuries in our relationship as part of our whanaungatanga, in these shared areas we will find common ground. That's what we did in 2012-14 when we reached a number of agreements on the shared redress and we're really looking forward to engaging with our whanaunga in this process."
Overlapping interests in the Tauranga region within the deed have caused tension amongst groups, resulting in Tauranga iwi protesting to stop the signing at parliament in May. Ngai Te Rangi still has concerns.
Tawhiao says, "What the Crown and Hauraki want is for us to recognise that Hauraki have mana whenua in Tauranga which we refuse to do. Secondly, we don't understand how this can happen given the number of submissions to the Waitangi Tribunal to stop the signing of the deed."
Issues remain around participation in the Tauranga Moana framework and consultation rights for local bodies.