This Government bill gives effect to the on-account vesting deed for Kororipo Pā signed between the Crown and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rēhia Trust on 1 August 2025. It was enacted as the Kororipo Pā Vesting Act 2025.
This bill returns Kororipo Pā — a historic headland pā (fortified settlement) site at the Kerikeri Basin in Northland — to Ngāpuhi ownership, with the local hapū Ngāti Rēhia acting as kaitiaki (guardians). The land is currently administered by the Department of Conservation. The bill "vests" (legally transfers) the site while keeping its historic reserve status and public access, so visitors can still go there. Kororipo Pā is deeply significant: associated with the rangatira Hongi Hika and the Musket Wars era, it was a place of wānanga (learning), and it sits near where thirteen rangatira wrote to King William IV in 1831 — an early step toward modern Aotearoa New Zealand.
It is a Government bill giving effect to a specific act of cultural redress, restoring a taonga (treasured site) to mana whenua after Ngāpuhi pursued its return for around two decades. Because it addresses a single, agreed site handover rather than a broad policy, it has attracted wide cross-party goodwill. The argument for is that returning the pā recognises its deep ancestral and historical importance to Ngāti Rēhia and Ngāpuhi and helps address a long-standing grievance while protecting public access. There is little organised argument against; concerns tend to be procedural, such as ensuring public access and conservation obligations are preserved.
See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.