Mike Butler: Waitara leaseholders pressured

A further step in a long-running dispute over leasehold land at Waitara, 16km from New Plymouth, was made last night when the New Plymouth District Council voted unanimously in favour of a proposed local bill.

That bill would give 76 hectares of land to Taranaki tribe Te Atiawa and give Waitara leaseholders the right to buy the land under their homes.

Mike Butler: More treaty dollars for Taranaki

More treaty dollars were assigned to two Taranaki tribes this week with deeds of settlement signed with Ngaruahine and Te Atiawa. Those who know New Zealand history will recall that a key Te Atiawa forebear both sold most of Taranaki and then went on to oppose land sales, sparking the 1860 Taranaki war.

Te Atiawa will receive a total package of $91-million, which includes a $1-million cultural fund and an accrued interest payment of $3-million. South Taranaki's Ngaruahine will receive $67.5-million. (1)

Mike Butler: Picton tribe’s $11.7m queried

Gone are the days when New Zealanders of Maori ancestry could fax in a claim noting an historical grievance allegedly suffered and wait for the payment to arrive. One such claim has produced a settlement worth $11.7-million negotiated between the Crown and the Picton tribe, Te Atiawa Manawhenua Ki Te Tau Ihu. This deal prompted a series of questions from reader Doug Howard.

While such settlements are publicly notified by cursory press release, details can be difficult to dig out if you don’t know where to look. It is helpful for the public to know what the claim was.