Claims Update 2008

by Rangimarie Rawiri: Secretary, Deputy Chair

For Treaty arrangements agreed with the crown, this year has been an amazing year.

For Orakei, because of his Government's slow response to last year's Wainwright Tribunal recommendation, this has been a disappointing year.

While the Wainwright Tribunal did not give a view on the Ngati Whatua historical claim to Auckland, it did give a view on how the Crown treated overlapping interests during the negotiations with Orakei.

This view has slowed the Crown's momentum to settle and this delay is disappointing.

Our readiness to settle remains undimmed.

We continue to work on the preparation of a new post-settlement governance constitution.

We are also meeting with overlapping interests, some of whom have lodged claims to massive areas of land stretching from Bay of Plenty in the south right up to the southern parts of North Auckland.

Our position at Orakei is firm and consistent.

We claim the Auckland CBD.

There is plenty of land available for overlapping claimants in Auckland: to the north, south, west and east of the CBD.

Note: Progress on the Wai 388 claim is reported in every newsletter since 2004.