Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Redress Bill has been read for a third and final time at Parliament.
The Bill gives effect to cultural redress shared between Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, Rangitāne o Wairarapa, and Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua in their rohe of Tāmaki nui-ā-Rua and Wairarapa, from Cape Palliser to Cape Turnagain.
“This is an important milestone as it recognises the long-standing association of both Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne with lands and waters in their rohe, and it is a milestone that sincerely I hope will benefit generations to come,” said Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister, Andrew Little.
The Bill provides for the return of land at Mākirikiri, Mataikona, Castlepoint, Wairarapa Moana (Lake Wairarapa) and the Ruamahanga River catchment. Additionally, it recognises the central role the two iwi have as kaitiaki of their important waterways and establishes the Wairarapa Moana Statutory Board, composed of members appointed by Rangitāne, Ngāti Kahungunu, the Minister of Conservation, the Wellington Regional Council, and the South Wairarapa District Council. The Board will work to preserve Wairarapa Moana and the Ruamahanga River catchment for the benefit of current and future generations.
“This is about the acknowledgement of the longstanding connection and mana rangatiratanga of both Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne over their whenua, awa, and moana,” Mr Little said.
