Moriori Compensation - Waitangi Tribunal Report
A Waitangi Tribunal report on claims relating to the Chatham Islands has recommended Moriori people be compensated for slavery, loss of land and hardship. The 329-page report looks at the period soon after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 and the annexation of the islands, also known as Rekohu, in 1842. It also reports on contemporary issues such as conservation and fishing.
Main Findings
- Land Entitlement. Moriori were entitled to at least 50% of the Chathams instead of the 3% they were awarded by the Native Land Court (the Tribunal said it was "patently wrong" to grant 97% of the land to Ngati Mutunga).
- Slavery and Its After-effects. The Tribunal found that the failure of the Crown to intervene to stop slavery as a result of the invasion of Rekohu by Ngati Tama and Ngati Mutunga in 1835 cost Moriori many lives, and prejudiced later land claims.
- Maori or Non-Maori. The Tribunal concludes that Moriori were Maori, of the same Polynesian stock, but a unique tribe through the development of a distinctive culture as a result of their isolation.
- Health and Education Services. In relation to the contemporary issues, the Tribunal rejected a claim that the Crown failed to provide health and education services that Maori might reasonably have expected under the Treaty. The Tribunal considers the claimants had not established that their conditions were any more serious than those endured by other Maori in remote locations on the mainland and were probably proportionate to the degree of remoteness and not to a lack of Government concern.
- Compensation for Ngati Mutunga. The Tribunal recommends that compensation is due to Ngati Mutunga for the lasting impact of the Crown's policy on tenure reform.
- Fishing Claims. The Tribunal sys it was limited in its ability to inquire into claims relating to commercial fishing, as they were covered by the 1992 Maori fishing settlement with the Crown. On the issue of non-commercial fisheries, the Tribunal believes that the Chathams have a special case for enlarged subsistence marine reserves. However, it has made no formal recommendations on that matter.
Contact for Enquiries
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526, Wellington
Tel: 0800 00 83 33
Fax: +64 4 894 0720
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