Ko te Hatarei, te 27 o Mei 2023, tētahi rangi whakahirahira mō Te Whakatōhea me te Karauna. Kua waitohungia e rātou tētahi whakataunga e kīia nei ko te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga. He whakataunga tēnei kua 30 tau e kōrerohia ana, e whakaritea ana. He kokenga nui tēnei ki tētahi hononga hou e noho tūāpapa ana te pono me te mahi tahi, e pērā ai i tā rātau i wawata ai i ngā tau 183 ki mua.
Hei tā Te Kāhautu Maxwell, “I te rā nei, ka maumaharatia rātou i riro i ō rātou whenua i ngā tau o mua. Kua 158 tau rātou e tatari ana ki tēnei rā.” He rangi kia hoki ngā mahara ki ngā tau o mua me te whakamānawa i a rātou o tua whakarere.
He maha ngā kōrero kei te whakataunga hei whakatika i ngā hē. Mā te Karauna e:
- rāhui tētahi 5,000 heketā o te moana mō ngā mahi ahumoana
- tuku tētahi $100 miriona tāra hemihemi hei āwhina i a Te Whakatōhea ki te tiaki i tō rātou ahurea
- whakawhiti te mana o ngā wāhi e 33 ki a Te Whakatōhea, ā, ka āta whakarite hoki i ētahi tikanga e pā ana ki te tiaki i te taiao.
He nui ngā kare ā-roto i tēnei wā. E pōuri ana ētahi nā ngā mahi tūkino o mua, engari e harikoa ana hoki i te mea he kokenga whakatemua tēnei.
E mōhio ana a Te Whakatōhea, arā anō ngā mahi hei whakatutuki. E hiahia ana rātou kia mōhio ō rātou uri ki ō rātou hītori e pakari ai rātou mō te āpōpō. Ko te wawata ka ako ngā tamariki katoa i ā rātou kōrero i ngā kura.
I te taunga o ngā tikanga o te rā, i puta te karanga nei ki a Te Whakatōhea: “Tāwharautia, Te Whakatōhea, Tāwharautia”.
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ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Saturday 27 May 2023 was a special day for Te Whakatōhea and the Crown. They have signed an agreement called the Deed of Settlement. This agreement comes after thirty years of talking and negotiating. It’s a big step towards a new relationship based on trust, cooperation, and working together, just like it was meant to be 183 years ago.
Te Kāhautu Maxwell said, “Today we remember those who lost their land long ago. They have been waiting for this day for 158 years.” It’s a day to remember the past and honour those who came before us.
The agreement includes many things to make things right. The Crown will:
– set aside 5,000 hectares of the ocean for aquafarming
– give more than $100 million to help Te Whakatōhea to protect their culture
– transfer 33 important places to Te Whakatōhea and make special arrangements for nature and conservation.
It’s a time for mixed feelings. Some people feel sad for what happened in the past, but also happy that progress is being made.
Te Whakatōhea know there is still work to be done. They want their people to know their history and be strong for the future. They hope that one day, everyone will learn about their stories in school.
As the formalities ended, a call went out to Te Whakatōhea: “Tāwharautia, Te Whakatōhea, Tāwharautia”.
