Tuhoe states all will be welcome

Confirmation of what we already knew - Tuhoe have stated their views around Te Urewera and the rest of the country and their view is of sharing and not keeping people out. As the headline states this iwi won't practice apartheid (the Afrikaans word meaning ‘separation’).

From Stuff

"Mr Kruger said Prof Anaya, the UN's special rapporteur on human rights and indigenous peoples, was keen to talk about the breakdown of treaty negotiations brought about by Prime Minister John Key's sudden decision in May that the Government could not live with a settlement handing ownership of the 212,000-hectare park back to Tuhoe.

Mr Kruger said Prof Anaya "delved into" the issue of mana motuhake - the concept of separate Maori identity and autonomy sought by Tuhoe.

"I took from his questions that he wanted to satisfy himself that this was not apartheid dressed up.

"He asked whether we were going to kick out all the non-Tuhoe people. He wanted to know whether this was evolving democratically, or whether it was racially motivated.

"We assured him it was not exclusive."

Prof Anaya asked about the "logic and workability" of Tuhoe achieving self-government within the remnants of its homeland.

On the park itself, Prof Anaya wanted to know whether Tuhoe would share it with other New Zealanders.

Mr Kruger said the delegation, which also comprised Tame Iti, Huka Williams, Patrick McGarvey and Kirsti Luke, assured him other New Zealanders would be welcomed.

Well it doesn't get clearer than that - of course some may think that Tuhoe are just saying whatever they want to and they will reverse their statements if when Te Urewera was is returned to them - but those people know nothing of mana.