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WELLINGTON, New Zealand, June 19 -- The government of New Zealand issued the following news release:
The Crown and Te Runanga o Ngati Whare Iwi Trust today signed an Agreement in Principle to settle all the outstanding historical Treaty of Waitangi claims of Ngati Whare, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Christopher Finlayson announced.
Ngati Whare is a central North Island iwi whose rohe is based around Te Whaiti, Minginui and the Whirinaki Forest Park. Ngati Whare has a population of 3,400 registered members.
The Agreement in Principle outlines the broad settlement package that will settle the historical Treaty of Waitangi claims of Ngati Whare through a combination of cultural and historical redress. This agreement follows Ngati Whare's commercial interests being addressed through the Central North Island Forests Land Collective Settlement reached in 2008 between the Crown and the eight iwi groups who make up the Central North Island Collective.
The Agreement in Principle includes cultural redress recognising Ngati Whare's special relationship with the natural resources in the area, including the provision of a high-level governance role over the Whirinaki Forest Park with the Department of Conservation and support for Ngati Whare's goal to regenerate adjacent areas of exotic pine back to indigenous podocarp forest.
"This occasion is particularly significant as 2009 is the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Whirinaki Forest Park," Mr Finlayson said.
The Agreement in Principle is the start of the next phase in the negotiations process. The Crown and Ngati Whare will now work towards a detailed Deed of Settlement, which will be subject to ratification by registered members of Ngati Whare.
"This agreement is a strong signal the government is committed to accelerating the momentum of the settlement process. With negotiations throughout the central North Island either completed or well underway, this agreement takes us one step closer to the government's goal of settling all claims by 2014," Mr Finlayson said.
Background to the Agreement in Principle
Ngati Whare is an iwi whose area of interest is based around Te Whaiti, Minginui and the Whirinaki Forest Park. Ngati Whare has a population of between 1,500 and 3,000 members.
The historical claims of Ngati Whare include post-1865 land alienation, the impact of the Native Land Court, Crown purchasing, the...