Te Arikinui Kuini Ngawai hono i te po was among national leaders, dignitaries and former prime ministers who gathered today at the Our Lady of Kāpiti Parish, Paraparaumu, to farewell the late Jim Bolger, honouring the former Prime Minister’s decades of service to Aotearoa and his enduring legacy in New Zealand politics.
Bolger passed away last week at the age of 90, following a long battle with kidney failure.
Bolger was Prime Minister in 1995 when Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, grandmother of Te Arikinui Kuini Ngawai hono i te pō, signed the Deed of Settlement for the Waikato Raupatu claim on behalf of her people of Waikato-Tainui at Tūrangawaewae Marae on 22 May 1995.
The ceremony was a moment of immense historical and emotional significance, marking the first major Treaty settlement between the Crown and an iwi.
It symbolised the Crown’s formal recognition of the injustices suffered by Waikato-Tainui following the raupatu of the 1860s.
So, it was only right that Te Arikinui would attend on behalf of her people. Tukoroirangi Morgan was on hand as spokesman for Te Arikinui, who answered the call of the whānau to attend.
“Kua tutuki te reo pōwhiri a te whānau, kia tae ā-tinana mai. Tēnei te tau nei, tēnei kua eke, tēnā anō koe.”
Morgan acknowledged Bolger’s pivotal role as the first Prime Minister to oversee the modern era of Treaty of Waitangi settlements, reflecting on his leadership during a transformative period in Crown–Māori relations.
“It is with deep respect and humility that I stand before you today to speak on behalf of iwi across the motu – iwi who became inextricably linked to the life and legacy of the former Prime Minister, Jim Bolger,” he said.
A Turning Point for Treaty Settlements
The 1995 Waikato-Tainui settlement included financial redress of $170 million, made up of $40 million in cash and $130 million in land transfers.
The agreement also saw the return of several culturally significant sites, including areas along the Waikato River.
As part of the settlement, the Crown issued a formal apology delivered by then–Prime Minister Jim Bolger, acknowledging the unjust and wrongful confiscations of Waikato lands and the intergenerational harm those actions inflicted.
Bolger’s presence and apology that day were widely seen as a turning point in Crown–Māori relations, paving the way for future Treaty settlements and a renewed spirit of reconciliation between the government and iwi across Aotearoa.
Morgan says Bolger was a visionary, one who played “the long game.”
“A son of the King Country and a leader whose decisions changed the face of this country forever.”
“Jim Bolger will be remembered as a Prime Minister who had the rare ability to balance pragmatism with principle, to see the long game when others only saw politics of the day.”
