Lake Wairarapa returns to tribe after century-long dispute

Paul Goldsmith, Minister for Treaty Negotiations.
photo: RNZ/Samuel Rillstone

Lake Wairarapa was officially returned to the tribe at a ceremony on Saturday.

Treaty Negotiation Minister Paul Goldsmith said the legal transfer of ownership of the Papawai marae in Greytown was the final chapter in a century-long dispute between the British Crown, settlers and Wairarapa Maori.

The joint remediation package included the establishment of the Wairarapa Statutory Board to manage the Wairarapa Moana Wetlands and surrounding conservation areas.

“Wairarapa Moana and its surrounding reserve were gifted to the British Crown by the Wairarapa Maori in 1896 as a gift of chiefs,” Goldsmith said.

“The government promised to provide suitable land nearby but never delivered. Instead, a few years later, the government offered land to Wairarapa Maori in a faraway place.”

“The Crown recognises this is a source of discontent for Wairarapa Māori. Today we honour the original tīpuna who participated in tuku rangatira and the Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitāne generations who experienced the pain of displacement and loss of connection.”

Rangitane Wairarapa Tamaki Nui A Rua and Ngāti Kahungunu to Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua Treaty claims were settled with the Crown in 2017 and 2022 respectively.

Goldsmith and Māori-Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka said in a statement that the return of Wairarapa Moana was “the result of joint remediation between the two iwi through the Te Rohe o Rongokako Joint Remediation Bill 2022”.