Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa (TToTW) is calling for the removal of Minister Paul Goldsmith as Treaty Negotiations Minister following the inclusion of six Department of Conservation (DOC) reserves in the Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana settlement claim.
The reserves in question, Mangaone, Panekirikiri, Tutaemaro, Waihi South, Waikareiti and Ruakituri Scenic Reserve, are proposed to be shifted to the Te Urewera Trust Board, raising concerns for TToTW about inter-iwi conflict and the potential creation of new Treaty grievances.
TToTW chairman Pieri Munro says the trust does not have faith in the minister’s ability to recognise centuries of heritage connected to the land.
“What we’re calling for is for the Prime Minister to remove Minister Goldsmith from the position he holds in terms of Minister for Treaty Negotiations. The reason for that is we don’t believe that this Minister is able to see and appreciate, and feel our connection our rights and interests for whenua tāpui. There are six reserve blocks that stretch across what we describe as our four southern regions.
“We’re not saying this is exclusive to us, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, we share common heritage, common whakapapa with Ruapani, these are non-exclusive areas that are what we call overlapping.”
Munro says the care of the land blocks is a responsibility that should be shared by iwi with ties to the whenua.
“We are wanting for those six reserve areas to come out of the settlement bill. We support Ngāti Ruapani in terms of the redress that they’re seeking as a part of this bill process. What we want is those six reserve blocks to come out and remain non-exclusive so that we can all share, as our tīpuna did, in terms of the ongoing kaitiakitanga.”
Connection of Ngāti Ruapani and Ngāti Kahungunu
Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa have a long history of connection, dating back to their eponymous ancestors.
Historical accounts say Kahungunu was once married to Ruapani’s daughter Ruareretai before meeting the eponymous chieftainess Rongomaiwahine. His granddaughter, Hinemanuhiri, also married Ruapani’s son Pūkaru, forming the sub-tribes within the Wairoa district known as Te Tokorima a Hinemanuhiri.
Munro says these connections show a shared heritage that should extend to the interests in the land.
“There is shared interest in whakapapa, we don’t deny that. That’s how it is. Our one is how we can continue to work together collectively, non-exclusively, to the right hands in terms of looking after the land.”
Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana, however, have responded to the claims by TToTW and calls for the removal of the six reserves from the settlement.
“Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana signed a settlement with the Crown for the Crown’s historical breaches, which are set out in the deed’s historical account. Wairoa iwi are long-settled iwi who had their own dedicated opportunity through the Treaty settlement process to pursue any rightful claim to these areas.
As required by the settlement process, Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana engaged directly with Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa and all neighbouring iwi, including hui in Pōneke, Wairoa, and at our marae in Waikaremoana. We acknowledged whakapapa connections to our rohe and welcomed whānau from Wairoa to participate in caring for this whenua as members of our hapū, in accordance with our tikanga and under the guidance of ahi kā.
We are disappointed that engagement undertaken in good faith is now being misrepresented in an attempt to achieve through our settlement what was not achieved through their own. The hapū of Waikaremoana has maintained ahi kā on this whenua for generations, that will not be undermined by those who had their own path and chose not to walk it," says Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana chairman, Kara Puketapu-Dentice.
Minister’s response
Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith has also responded to calls for his removal.
“In August 2025, I wrote to both Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa and Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana advising of my final decisions on the overlapping interests.
“The two groups had been in negotiations with each other since 2022; however, could not reach an agreement,” says the Minister.
He goes on to say, “My decision sought to carefully balance the views of both groups. Ultimately, I decided to follow the advice from my officials to retain the proposal to add land into Te Urewera. This is a core settlement aspiration for Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana, and I consider it appropriate to recognise their interests in this way.
“I was also reassured that the proposal to add land into Te Urewera means that the land will continue to be able to be enjoyed by all New Zealanders.”
