Would the proposed reforms affecting ahu whenua trusts have impeded hapū in the development of their lands? A Ngāti Awa perspective. Layne Ross Harvey 30 June 2018 2 Would the proposed reforms affecting ahu whenua trusts have impeded hapū in the development of their lands? A Ngāti Awa perspective. Layne Ross Harvey A thesis submitted to the Auckland University of Technology in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 30 June 2018 Faculty of Business AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau 3 ABSTRACT This thesis provides a critical examination, from the perspective of three hapū (subtribes) of the Ngāti Awa iwi (tribe) from Te Moananui-a-Toi (the Bay of Plenty), in Te Ika a Maui (the North Island) in Aotearoa (New Zealand), of how changes to important aspects of ahu whenua trusts under Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill 2016 might have impeded hapū in achieving their land utilisation objectives. This form of trust, established under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, is the principal vehicle for Māori land management involving hundreds of thousands of hectares valued in billions of dollars on behalf of hundreds of thousands of owners, their whānau (family) and hapū. These trusts are sometimes of more significance to tribal communities than are post settlement governance entities; so expansive are their economic, social, cultural and political footprints. The radical proposals for change, contained in the now defunct Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill 2016 are examined, as they concerned core elements of the functioning of ahu whenua trusts, given what might have been their potential impacts on the management of Māori land. Those functions include the establishment, review and termination of such trusts and their operation in the normal course of business. The role of trustees and beneficial owners, their rights and obligations and their relationships with each other, are also considered. The overarching aim of this research is to assess key aspects of the proposed changes against the status quo and identify potential risks in the context of how they might operate in practice, should such proposals be revived, wholly or in part, by a future government. More importantly, proposals to amend the current legislation as an alternative approach are also explored with an emphasis on devolving a significant part of the existing transactional jurisdiction of the Māori Land Court from judicial to administrative oversight. In this way, it is intended that an original contribution to the study of Māori land can be made. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ 3 LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................... 8 ATTESTATION OF AUTHORSHIP .................................................................................. 9 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................... 10 PREFACE 16 CHAPTER ONE – INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 20 Overview ............................................................................................................................... 20 Background to the research ................................................................................................ 22 Distinguishing between pre-and post-settlement resources ........................................... 23 A century of change and a new millennium 1900-2000 ................................................. 25 From disintegration to reconstruction ........................................................................... 26 Research issues ..................................................................................................................... 27 Positioning the researcher ................................................................................................... 29 Justification for the research .............................................................................................. 33 Research methodology ......................................................................................................... 34 Ethical considerations .......................................................................................................... 35 The interview processes ................................................................................................. 36 Confidential information ................................................................................................ 37 The principle of comity .................................................................................................. 39 CHAPTER TWO – THE HAPŪ......................................................................................... 41 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 41 Ngāti Awa ............................................................................................................................. 41 Historical background ................................................................................................... 41 The connection between Te Tini o Toi and the Mataatua waka .................................... 42 Te Heke o Te Rangihouhiri I (The migration of Te Rangihouhiri I) .............................. 44 Ngā Hapū: Taiwhakāea II, Hikakino me Te Rangihouhiri II ......................................... 46 Hikakino ......................................................................................................................... 46 Te Rangihouhiri II.......................................................................................................... 47 Taiwhakāea II ................................................................................................................ 47 Summary ............................................................................................................................... 48 The coming of colonisation .................................................................................................. 50 Traders, missionaries and the Crown ............................................................................ 50 Conflict and confiscation ..................................................................................................... 53 Te Kaokaoroa 1864 ........................................................................................................ 53 Hemi Te Mautaranui Fulloon ........................................................................................ 54 Crown and Loyalist invasion 1865 ................................................................................ 54 The Trials ....................................................................................................................... 55 The aftermath: Raupatu ................................................................................................. 55 CHAPTER THREE – COMPETING CLAIMS 1867-1999 ............................................. 57 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 57 Overview: The competing claims of Ngāti Rangitihi and Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau ...... 58 The Compensation Court .................................................................................................... 60 Matatā Lot 63 ................................................................................................................. 61 Ngāti Awa support for Te Rangihouhiri II and Hikakino .............................................. 61 Te Arawa support for Ngāti Awa ................................................................................... 62 Matatā 31 and 39 and the cross claims of Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau.............................. 63 Ngāti Rangitihi ............................................................................................................... 65 Crown grants ........................................................................................................................ 69 Rangitāiki 28, 31 and Matatā 100,101 and 102 ............................................................ 69 5 Waimana 266 ................................................................................................................. 69 The Native Land Court ....................................................................................................... 69 Matahina ........................................................................................................................ 70 Putāuaki ......................................................................................................................... 70 Te Pokohū ...................................................................................................................... 71 Summary ............................................................................................................................... 71 The raupatu claims of Taiwhakaea II, Hikakino and Te Rangihouhiri II ..................... 75 Preparing for the hearings ............................................................................................. 76 Relearning tribal history from the Compensation and Native Land Courts’ records ... 77 Enhancing hapū and iwi cohesiveness