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History was made on June 25th as the New Zealand government signed over the ownership of huge areas of forest land to seven Maori tribes. The deal is the largest ever made between New Zealand’s government and the indigenous Maoris. It is part of efforts to compensate Maoris for land taken away from them by British colonizers in the nineteenth century. The two sides have been negotiating since the mid-1980s to settle historic disputes. Maoris have been angry ever since their lands were signed over to Britain in the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. The new settlement means an area covering 176,000 hectares, worth over $500 million, is now back in Maori hands. The seven tribes have more than 100,000 members. They will manage the land to make sure it provides them with a sustainable future.
Around 800 Maori from across New Zealand’s North Island crammed into the parliament building to witness the historic handover. New Zealand’s Treaty Negotiations Minister Michael Cullen said New Zealand’s image as a nation suffered because of the past wrongs done to Maoris. At the signing ceremony he said: "It is a tragedy of our history that in the century and a half that followed the signing of the treaty, [we] failed to uphold [our] part of the bargain in so many ways." Prime Minister Helen Clark thanked everyone who worked on the deal: "We came into politics to address injustice and seek reconciliation. Thank you for walking that road with us,” she said. Maori spokesman Tamati Kruger said: “The land to be returned is culturally significant to us all." Maori make up around 15% of New Zealand's 4.2 million population.
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