Ngāti Rangitihi and the Crown are one step closer to settling historical Treaty claims after an Agreement in Principle was signed in the Bay of Plenty today, said Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little.
"I acknowledge the rangatira of Ngāti Rangithi at Rangiaohia Marae in Matatā as today's agreement paves the way for future negotiations towards a comprehensive Deed of Settlement," said Andrew Little.
"Negotiations to settle remaining historical Treaty claims with Ngāti Rangitihi began in April 2016, although the iwi were involved in the Central North Island Forests Settlement in 2008.
"Today's agreement includes $4 million of financial redress. It outlines, in broad terms, the shape of a future settlement to be negotiated in the coming months.
"This settlement gives Ngāti Rangitihi an opportunity to reconnect and re-establish their cultural and traditional roots, and provides an economic base enabling their people to grow and thrive," said Andrew Little.
Ngāti Rangitihi is a Te Arawa iwi in the Rotorua Lakes and Kaingaroa Plains regions with particularly strong interests in the Lake Tarawera area and north along the Tarawera River to Matatā on the Bay of Plenty coast.
A copy of the Agreement in Principal is available online at https://www.govt.nz/treaty-settlement-documents/ngati-rangitihi/
