Treaty Settlement
Contemporary settlement negotiations with the Crown took over twenty years to complete.
During this time, the Rūnanga successfully secured the return of Ngāti Awa Farm, the Mataatua Wharenui, and the Te Mānuka Tūtahi site in Whakatāne.
The Crown made its first offer in 1983, which was rejected. A second offer was made in 1987 and accepted as part payment towards the final settlement. In 2002, the final Deed of Settlement was agreed upon between the Rūnanga and the Crown. Members of Ngāti Awa ratified the agreement through a postal ballot in 2004.
In March 2005, the Ngāti Awa Claims Settlement Act was passed, settling the long-standing Treaty of Waitangi Claims and establishing the Rūnanga as a new governance body under the Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa Act 2005. Since then, the Rūnanga has also partially completed the settlement of the Ngāti Awa Fisheries Claim and various other ancillary matters.
The return of Putauaki maunga to Ngāti Awa has yet to be realised, although work continues on several fronts at this time.
Our Settlement with the Crown
In 2005, our settlement with the Crown was approximately $42 million, including assets and cash transferred to the Rūnanga. Full details of the settlement package can be found in the Deed of Settlement.
Establishing an Economic Base
The purchase of forestry assets and receipt of accumulated rentals post-settlement enabled the Rūnanga to establish an economic base through its commercial arm, Ngāti Awa Group Holdings Limited. Today, the Rūnanga has interests in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, equities, and property.
Delivering Services to Ngāti Awa
These commercial activities enable the Rūnanga to deliver a range of services to Ngāti Awa via our social arm, Ngāti Awa Community Development Trust. The office of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa also provides environmental, research and archival, and iwi development services.
Ngāti Awa House
4-10 Louvain Street,
PO Box 76
Whakatāne 3158
0800 464 284
07 307 0760
runanga@ngatiawa.iwi.nz