AUCKLAND: Tamati Kruger, lead negotiator for the Tuhoe iwi (tribe), says a settlement agreement on Tuhoe self-governance of Te Urewera National Park and Lake Waikaremoana is reachable within the next year. Kruger believes the Tuhoe conditions for self-governance are realistic and that the iwi has been self-governed even before Parliament existed. “That was our state before the Treaty of Waitangi and we prospered in that state, it has always been a realistic option,” said Kruger. The Tuhoe iwi and the Crown have had strained relations with many from the iwi, arguing that they never signed the Treaty of Waitangi in which Maori ceded sovereignty to Britain. There has been a history of fierce conflict between the Crown and Tuhoe iwi, Kruger says that Tuhoe's rights have been “grievously eroded,” however now they would like to build a positive relationship. If the settlement is successful the iwi will self-govern from Opotiki to Putere on the Wairoa side and the edge of Taupo and Rotorua. The process, after signing, will take some decades before full self-governance is achieved, officials said. Negotiations will continue to take place and a decision is expected in the new year. BM
