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Kiingi Tuheitia
for that work. On reflection and in my personal review
of that settlement, boundaries and people were being
pushed beyond that which one thought was possible
at the time. Tuku and Raiha achieved for Maaori in
that settlement, nearly twice the value and quantum
of what the 1995 settlement realised for Tainui. On
the occasion of the Ascent ceremony at Government
House Vogel, I sat alongside the Governor General
Sir Anand Satyanand as he signed the legislation and
passed it into law. The Governor General then rose to
speak and that was to be my very first experience in
such matters.
What needs to be said about the last 20 years and
this milestone has been said by those in this booklet -
Nanaia, Jim, Doug and the tribal representatives. What
I want to see now is how we pursue Mana Motuhake
in a real way. How do we hold the Crown to their
promises? What are our risks from political parties who
act as the Crown moving forward? Is the referendum
on the New Zealand flag a precursor to a Government
Declaration of a Republic?
For me, this first 20 years is only the beginning.
My focus will remain on Maaori sovereignty in the
partnership that was promised and guaranteed us in
the Treaty; the type of sovereignty for Maaori and New
Zealanders that will work in both a Republic and our
present political environments.
To my people of Waikato, remember "an apology that
costs nothing, means nothing". The money is only
compensation; it is a means for us to pursue our ends.
It is a hand up, not a hand out. We along with our
whanaunga in the south got far more than those who
came after us in 1995. That came with an obligation;
the type of obligation that leaders must demonstrate
and deliver. We must help other iwi and hapuu
claimants and we must all be a part of this unique and
important redress process.
Pai marire.
MIHI
Tuia te rangi e tuu iho nei
Tuia te papa e takoto
Tuia te hira o te kaupapa e huihui ai taatou i te raa nei.
Aue te mamae i te titiro ake i te hunga i para i te huarahi kua
kore i kitea i teenei raa.
Ngaa mauri o te Kiingitanga, ngaa pou o te kaupapa i tutuki te Take
Raupatu e rua tekau tau ki muri nei.
Moe mai koutou ngaa pou haapai i te kaupapa ka ngaro nei.
Taatou i teenei raa, i teenei waa maumahara. Ngaa iti me ngaa rahi.
Teenaa koutou, teenaa taatou katoa.
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WAIKATO-TAINUI
ANNIVERSARY BOOKLET