Steven Gaskell: Another “Final” Settlement - Until the Next One

When it comes to Treaty settlements, the script never changes: solemn speeches, sweeping apologies, and of course the part everyone quietly flips to first the price tag. This time it’s north of $50 million, wrapped in the familiar language of “healing,” “rebuilding,” and “a new relationship grounded in tikanga.” Translation: taxpayers are once again invited to the ceremony as the ATM, dutifully dispensing another round of reconciliation cash.

We’re assured this latest Whanganui settlement is a “gesture of courage” and “a line drawn in the earth.” Very poetic. Conveniently, though, the line keeps moving. Whanganui iwi have already received substantial redress before most famously the Whanganui River settlement, which granted the river legal personhood and a long-term financial care plan that would make even a spoiled trust fund kid blush. But don’t worry, this settlement is absolutely the final one for these specific historic grievances. Totally final. Completely finished. Just like the last “final” one before it.

The Crown’s redress package follows the usual template: compensation, accumulated interest, cultural revitalisation funding, reo funding, marae funding, and because no modern settlement is complete without it a brand new statutory board. Nothing screams “reconciliation” like creating yet another layer of bureaucracy on the public dime. And while officials repeat the mantra that this is the “full and final” chapter, history shows Treaty finality has a funny habit of spawning sequels. Think of it as the cinematic universe no one asked for but keeps getting expanded anyway.

Then there’s the history portion. The Crown now solemnly acknowledges that it “provoked” conflict in the 1860s an impressively modern reinterpretation of the messy, politically complex world of 19th-century frontier disputes. Yes, the colonial government pushed land sales. Yes, Māori resisted. But repackaging everything into a tidy morality tale where the Crown is always the villain and iwi are always passive victims fits neatly into today’s preferred narrative. It’s history rewritten for contemporary tastes: simple, blame-focused, and comfortably black and white.

Has the Crown given away too much? Well, when you tally this settlement on top of earlier ones, sprinkle on the interest payments, add the cultural funding, insert statutory bodies, and then account for the ongoing Crown obligations that never actually end it's hard not to feel that generosity has wandered into indulgence. And all of it comes from the same group: everyday taxpayers who had precisely zero involvement in events of 1840, 1848, or 1860, yet are reliably expected to keep underwriting them.

But rest assured, this settlement is different. This one is really, truly final. At least until someone discovers a fresh grievance to revive, another fracture to “heal,” or a new “line in the earth” to draw right beside the last one, which was supposed to stay put forever.

Reference: https://shorturl.at/MercF

Steven is an entrepreneur and an ex RNZN diver who likes travelling, renovating houses, Swiss Watches, history, chocolate art and art deco.