The government is signalling the clock is ticking on Ngāpuhi Treaty talks, with Treaty Minister Paul Goldsmith warning negotiations “can’t be as long as forever” and should conclude by 2040.
NZ First’s Shane Jones, who is drafting a Member’s Bill to force a single Ngāpuhi settlement, said taxpayers had already spent “well beyond $20 million” and could not afford endless delays.
The bill would block smaller hapū-based deals and require one comprehensive agreement with the country’s largest iwi.
Goldsmith maintained a single commercial settlement was preferable but left the door open to multiple approaches. “We don’t want an unrealistic deadline,” he said, “but we also want to celebrate the bicentenary [of the Treaty] in 2040.”
Tensions have escalated over the government’s rejection of sovereignty clauses like the one Labour had included in a draft deed with Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. Goldsmith ruled them out, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis said groups seeking to “relitigate” the Crown’s sovereignty were “out of bounds.”
Far North leader Pita Tipene of Ngāti Hine responded by declaring his hapū would not settle under this government, effectively stalling negotiations. Labour MP Peeni Henare, also of Ngāti Hine descent, called Jones’ approach a “dismal failure,” warning that “you can’t force Ngāpuhi to the table” through legislation.
Willis said iwi like Ngāi Tahu and Tainui had shown the benefits of settlement, and it was “sad” that Ngāpuhi was missing out. “The people of the north… could really do with that capital injection.”
Centerist