Five Million Voices

Should Parliament give effect to the Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana deed of settlement, including the Crown's apology, cultural and commercial redress, and vesting of Crown land in Te Urewera?

Gives effect to the deed of settlement signed on 25 February 2026 by the Crown, Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana (a group of approximately 1,662 people with an area of interest covering 150,000 hectares around Lake Waikaremoana), and the trustees of the Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana Trust. Records the Crown's acknowledgements and apology and provides cultural redress (including vesting additional Crown-owned land in Te Urewera) and commercial redress. It is still before Parliament.

Full bill summary & link to official bill page

This bill gives effect to the Ngati Ruapani mai Waikaremoana deed of settlement, signed with the Crown in February 2026, settling the iwi's historical Treaty of Waitangi claims. It records the Crown's acknowledgements and apology and provides the cultural and commercial redress that requires legislation, for a group of about 1,662 people whose area of interest covers around 150,000 hectares near Lake Waikaremoana, including redress connected to Te Urewera.

Treaty settlement bills give legal effect to agreements already negotiated and signed, so debate usually turns on honouring the settlement and its specific redress rather than the principle of settling. Points of discussion can include the adequacy and finality of redress for the iwi and how particular arrangements, such as those relating to shared lands, will work alongside other interests in the area.

See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.

Oppose (No) Support (Yes)

Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana Claims Settlement Bill · First Reading, 12 Mar 2026
Agreed on the voices — no counted division. (Provisional — from Hansard’s uncorrected transcript.)