The time has come, the Walrus said – for Ngati Kahu to put rubber on the road and ratify our new Constitution. This is the end of only one of a number of tangled threads in a complex arrangement officially called the Maori Fisheries Act 2004.
Even I get a headache distinguishing the beginning from the end of this knotty mess, and I’ve lived to some degree or other with it since 1986. That was when Government adopted the Quota Management System (QMS), and Ngati Kahu joined all other Muriwhenua Maori in a fisheries claim against the Crown for breaching Articles 2 and 3 of Te Tiriti O Waitangi. Eventually the claim went nationwide, culminating in 1992 with a partial settlement covering only its commercial aspects. That was the Sealords Deal followed by establishment of Te Ohu Kai Moana (TOKM) to administer the settlement assets until it could be figured out who to allocate them to, and how. After that all hell broke loose.
Even I get a headache distinguishing the beginning from the end of this knotty mess, and I’ve lived to some degree or other with it since 1986. That was when Government adopted the Quota Management System (QMS), and Ngati Kahu joined all other Muriwhenua Maori in a fisheries claim against the Crown for breaching Articles 2 and 3 of Te Tiriti O Waitangi. Eventually the claim went nationwide, culminating in 1992 with a partial settlement covering only its commercial aspects. That was the Sealords Deal followed by establishment of Te Ohu Kai Moana (TOKM) to administer the settlement assets until it could be figured out who to allocate them to, and how. After that all hell broke loose.
After enduring a number of Court cases, TOKM finally plumped for an allocation model to traditional Iwi – but only after we’d met a stringent set of criteria. And that’s where our Constitution ratification comes in. We’ve made several changes, but the main one is that the remaining four original Trustees no longer have automatic membership on our governing body. Instead they will have automatic membership on Te Taumata Kaumatua O Ngati Kahu from where they can still ensure the Runanga operates under and according to the tikanga of Ngati Kahu. That way we strengthen our own ways of operating and also meet the standards of democracy.
In a massive exercise we’ve just finished posting private notices, information papers and ballot papers to more than 2000 registered adult Ngati Kahu members who can cast their vote for or against ratifying the Constitution. If 75% of those who do vote tick “I APPROVE” then the Constitution will be ratified, the Runanga will become our Mandated Iwi Organisation (MIO) and Ngati Kahu will finally receive the fish quota, shares in Aotearoa Fisheries Ltd and cash currently held for us by TOKM.
Now the really critical thing is that, while we have more than 3500 individuals on our register, we know that in the 2001 census there were 6500 who chose Ngati Kahu as their main Iwi, and our own whakapapa calculations are that there are more than 15,000 who could rightfully claim membership. If you are one of those who are not yet registered you need to register soon. Contact us at the Runanga either on 4083013 or ngatikahu@xtra.co.nz or online via http://www.ngatikahu.com/index.php?pr=Registrations
Hei Konei. Hei Kona.
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