We joined several hundred Ngāti Porou whānau at Parliament on 23 May for the historic enactment of the Ngā Rohe Moana o Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Porou Act. This was the culmination of a 16 year journey for legal recognition of the foreshore and seabed rights of the hapū of Ngāti Porou. The Act is the first and only one of its kind. Led by the late Dr Apirana Mahuika, the negotiations involved three Crown Attorney-Generals/Treaty Settlement Ministers from three successive governments, and two ratification processes with 56 hapu. Dr Mahuika’s son and one of our founding partners Matanuku Mahuika, was both legal counsel and a negotiator throughout this process, taking over from his father as lead negotiator when Dr Mahuika passed away in 2015. This exceptional piece of work was no mean feat and thanks must go to our Senior Associate Nathan Milner and Consultant Tira Johnson for the years of work that have contributed to this unique outcome for Ngāti Porou.
