“Te Kotahitanga continues to have a goal to be a forum where the hapū of Ngāpuhi can come together and configure themselves for Treaty negotiations as they want to, not as anybody else may want to, including the government.
“We’re very clear that hapū of Ngāpuhi have our mana motuhake, and therefore we will decide how to best move forward together and not have, certainly, the government impose itself upon the hapū.”
It will be the first time the minister has attended a Kotahitanga hui, Tipene said, and the minister’s office confirmed this was the first official meeting with wider Ngāpuhi representation.
“The minister was invited to come and speak and hui with the hapū of Ngāpuhi,” said Tipene, “he’s accepted and that’s why he’s coming here today. So we’re looking forward to the kōrerō we’re about to have.”
Tipene is hopeful the minister will be open to processing the claim in a way that aligns with Te Kotahitanga, and points out Goldsmith has been in the role for nearly one year now.
“So he’s had a lot of time to think. He’s had a long time to ponder and talk with his coalition partners as well about the how the Government may be seeing the landscape for the hapū of Ngāpuhi moving forward.”
But Tipene also pointed out that as minister for justice, Goldsmith was also overseeing other coalition policies such as the Marine and Coastal Area Act reform that is “prominent in the minds of the of the hapū of Ngāpuhi” and mentioned the Treaty Principles Bill as another key issue.
Minister Paul Goldsmith meeting with Ngāpuhi hapū as ‘sovereignty question’ lingers
