Ko ngā otinga o te Rōpu Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi, nā ngā takahi nui a te Karauna i te Tiriti o Waitangi i pā kinotiai te mana me te mana whakahaere motuhake o ngā iwi me ngā hapū o Te Rohe Pōtae i taua takiwā.
I tēnei rā i whakaputa te Taraipiunara i te putanga takamua o ngā upoko e Rima i mua i te whakaputanga e waihanga ana i te wāhanga IV o Te Mana Whatu Āhuru: Pūrongo mō ngā Kerēme o Te Rohe Pōtae. Ka whai tēnei i te tukunga o ngā wāhanga I me te II i te Hepetema 2018 me te wāhanga III i te Hune 2019. E aro ana te pūrongo i ngā kerēme e 277 e pā ana ki ngā mahi Karauna i roto i Te Rohe Pōtae i muri iho i te waitohutanga o te Tiriti i te 6 o Pēpuere 1840.
E kōrero ana tēnei wāhanga o te pūrongo ka pēhea i whakaatahia ai e te whakawātea tere o te whenua Māori (i āta kōrerotia i roto i ngā wāhanga II me te III o tēnei pūrongo), ā, nāna anō i whakakaha, te tūnguru o te āheinga o ngā Māori nō Te Rohe Pōtae kia whakahaere i te mana whakahaere i runga i te āhua e whakahaeretia ai te rohe me ōna tāngata. Kei roto i te atikara 2 o te Tiriti o Waitangi te kī taurangi mō te tino rangatiratanga he whakaaetanga ka taea tonu e ngā rangatira ā-rohe te whakatinana i te mana whakahaere, tae atu ki ngā whakaaetanga i waenga i ngā Māori o Te Rohe Pōtae me te Karauna, e mōhiotia ana ki te ingoa Te Ōhākī Tapu, i kī taurangi ka whakamanatia te Tiriti i te rohe (e kōrero āmikihia ana i te wāhanga II o te pūrongo).
I roto i ngā tau i muri iho i ngā whakaaetanga o Te Ōhākī Tapu, i takahia kētia ēnei kī taurangi, ka mutu i unuhia te nuinga o te mana ā-iwi o ngā Māori o Te Rohe Pōtae nā ngā mahi, i ngā hapanga, ngā ture, me ngā kaupapahere i hangaia kia whakawhanake i te rohe mō te nōhanga a te Pākehā. I roto i ngā rohe i pāngia ko te mana whakahaere me te whakahaere o ngā hapori Māori, te pāpātanga o ngā ture kaunihera ā-rohe me te mahinga tūmatanui ki ngā whenua Māori e toe ana, me te whakahaere o te taiao māori, tae atu ki ngā arawai.
Ko te otinga o te Taraipiunara kāore te Karauna i tautīnei i te mana whakahaere ake o Te Rohe Pōtae ki te ara tautuku ki te Tiriti. Ahakoa i whai wāhi atu ngā Māori o Te Rohe Pōtae ki te whakaraupapatanga o ngā hanganga me ngā whakanōhanga ko te kawatau ka whakarato ki a rātou tētahi āhua o te mana whakahaere, he whāiti aua whaitua whakaaweawe, me te kore toitū tonu o te nuinga.
Nā te whakatinanatanga o ngā hanganga kaunihera ā-rohe i whīwhiwhi anō ai te whawhai a ngā Māori o Te Rohe Pōtae kia pupuri tonu i te mana whakahaere, ā, ko te otinga o te Taraipiunara kāore te Karauna i whakatūturu ka rawaka te whai whakaaro o ngā anga kāwanatanga ki ngā mōtika o Te Rohe Pōtae kia mahi i tō rātou mana whakahaere, tino rangatiratanga hoki.
He ara anō te tango whakature i te whenua Māori mō ngā take whakawhanake mahinga tūmatanui, i tino tipu i muri iho i ngā whakaaetanga o Te Ōhākī Tapu kia whakawātea i te nui o ngā whenua Māori, me te aha, i heke iho ai te mana ā-iwi o Te Rohe Pōtae. Ko te otinga o te Taraipiunara, i whakahaeretia e te Karauna ngā tangohanga nui rawa atu mō ngā mahinga tūmatanui i te hītori o Aotearoa i roto i te rohe o te ruku tātari i te rautau rua tekau, ahakoa kāore he akoako whai tikanga, kāore hoki i tutuki ngā whakamātautau o te parepare whakamutunga.
I whakaheke iho hoki te whakawaeture a te Karauna me ngā mana whakahaere ā-rohe i te taiao māori, tae atu ki ngā arawai me ngā wāhi wai i te mana ā-iwi o ngā Māori o Te Rohe Pōtae i runga i ō rātou taonga me ō rātou wāhi hiranga maha. Waihoki, ka kitea e te Taraipiunara ko te hua o ngā waeture me te whakahaerenga kino o te Karauna he whakakino nunui ki ētahi o ēnei wāhi hiranga maha.
Nā runga anō i ana otinga o te takahi i te Tiriti i ēnei wāhi, ka whakarite te Taraipiunara i ngā tūtohu kia whakahaumanu, kia pai ake rānei te whakamana i te mana whakahaere o ngā Māori o Te Rohe Pōtae, tae atu ki te panoni i ngā pou tarāwaho ā-ture, ā-kaupapahere hoki e hāngai ana ki ia wāhi e arotakehia ana me te aro atu ki ngā takahi i tautuhia i roto i ngā tukanga whakataunga Tiriti me ngā kaikerēme.
Ka urupare te Wāhanga V o tēnei pūrongo i ngā take o te mātauranga me te hauora, tae atu ki ngā kerēme e hāngai ana ki ngā takiwā matawhenua tauwhāiti i roto i Te Rohe Pōtae.
E wātea ana te pūrongo o te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi kia tīkina ake: Te Mana Whatu Ahuru: Pūrongo mō ngā Kerēme o Te Rohe Pōtae – Putanga i mua i te Whakaputanga [PDF, 10.7](hononga o waho)
Mō ngā pakirehua arapāho katoa, whakapā atu ki te tīma pāpāho o te Tāhū o te Ture, (04) 918 8836 media@justice.govt.nz rānei.