Soon we will see the end of a 145-year grievance process for Ngai Tuhoe that has become intricately entwined with the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand. Tuhoe and the Crown are expected to sign a “Heads of Agreement” that begins a settlement process expected to be in the vicinity of $120-$150 million worth of cash, land and resources, making it one of the largest settlements in history.
This is not the first Bay of Plenty iwi to have involvement by the Presbyterian Church in the settlement process. Another eastern Bay of Plenty iwi, Ngati Tuwharetoa in the Kawerau region, was assisted by the Very Rev J G Laughton CMG in their grievance with Sir James Fletcher and the Tasman mill. While the dispute was not settled, James Fletcher wrote to Laughton acknowledging the good work that the Presbyterian Maori Missions were doing. In 2003, the iwi accepted a $14 million settlement. Of the seven iwi negotiators, five were active members of Te Aka Puaho, with two becoming ordained elders and two becoming ordained Amorangi ministers: the Revs Paora Hunia and Graeme Te Rire. Graeme’s elder brother Te Maungarangi, who was also an Amorangi minister, was also highly involved in the settlement process but sadly passed away before settlement was completed. Since the settlement, Ngati Tuwharetoa have entered into a partnership with Mighty River Energy and developed a $360 million geothermal power station in Onepu.
The Tuhoe settlement has been highly publicised and many books have been written on their grievance by some noted historians, including Professor Judith Binney who released Encircled Lands towards the end of 2009. This book is a complete history of Tuhoe grievance from 1860 to 2007, including the Ruatoki raids, and is endorsed by Tuhoe. Tame Iti, who was present at the launch, said Judith has taken our story to the world.
The Presbyterian Church has a strong historical relationship with Tuhoe since first contact with missionary the Rev H J Fletcher, who first visited Waimana and Ruatoki in 1908. Tuhoe representatives stated to Fletcher that what they wanted was education for their children. In the following years, the Presbyterian Maori Missions were to develop seven mission schools under the direction of the Church; while the Government promised schools and accepted gifts of land for them but never delivered. One of the mission children remarked in 2005, when reflecting on his education by the Presbyterian Church, that the Government never wanted us but the Presbyterian Church wanted us. This person, the Rev Rangi Rakuraku, went on to become an Amorangi minister before entering Knox to become a National Ordained Minister.
Fast forward to the valley of Waimana and the imminent settlement day in what has been a long and hard-fought journey, akin in many ways to the Exodus story and the 40 years in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land, or the Babylonian captivity story. In many respects I can now feel what the Israelites felt when they entered the Promised Land or returned home from Babylonian captivity. Tuhoe is not an iwi that suffers from selective amnesia and is determined to see some of the settlement benefits come to the two Churches that have stood by them throughout this painful part of its history; the Ringatu and Presbyterian Churches.
Acknowledgement has to be made to three people that have been integral to the whole process: Aubrey Temara, Tamaiti Cairns and former Maori All Black coach Matt Te Pou. All three are leaders within the Presbyterian Church. Aubrey is the son of the Rev Makarini (Mac) Temara, a former secretary and clerk of Te Aka Puaho. Aubrey is a senior leader of Tuhoe, an elder and convener of one of the Presbyterian Church’s standing committees. In the last 10 years, Aubrey has spearheaded the settlement process. Tamaiti is the son of a former Moderator of Te Aka Puaho from Ruatahuna and has been highly involved in education. Along with Aubrey, Tamaiti and Tamaiti Kurger made up the three chief negotiators in the settlement. Tamaiti Cairns was highly involved in the fisheries settlement that amounted to $18 million for Tuhoe. Integral to the upbringing of Matt Te Pou were the Rev Warren and Rerekau Foster who were well known throughout the Presbyterian Church. Like Aubrey and Tamaiti, Matt has never forgotten his Presbyterian roots and spearheaded the Tuhoe component of the Central North Island settlement, or Treelords as it has been called. This settlement for Tuhoe is in the vicinity of $65 million.
The leadership and wisdom of these three people have moved us beyond the grievance mode into full and final settlement.
Settlement day will be a proud day for these three gentlemen, for their iwi and for their Church. Let us all celebrate the wonderful achievement as the psalmist says:
Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
The Rev Wayne Te Kaawa is Te Ahorangi and director of Amorangi training for Te Aka Puaho. Last year he published a well-received booklet, Hihita & Hoani, which tells the stories of Sister Annie Henry and the Rev John Laughton, pioneering missionaries to the Tuhoe. Wayne was invited to be part of a panel discussing historian Judith Binney’s Encircled Lands as part of the International Festival of the Arts’ Readers and Writers Week in March.