Comprehensive historical Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi) settlements have been completed with each of the eight iwi of Taranaki.

In 2017, the eight iwi of Taranaki came together as Ngā Iwi o Taranaki to negotiate collective cultural redress over their Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains) and Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki, currently known as Egmont National Park. The eight iwi of Taranaki have a combined population of 45,337 (2013 New Zealand Census).

On 14 March 2017, Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and the Crown signed Terms of Negotiation. On 20 December 2017, Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and the Crown signed Te Anga Pūtakerongo – a Record of Understanding.

On 31 March 2023, Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and the Crown initialled Te Ruruku Pūtakerongo, a collective redress deed. Te Ruruku Pūtakerongo was then ratified by the people of Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and signed on 1 September 2023. The collective redress will be implemented following the passage of Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua, the collective redress legislation, through Parliament.

The Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Hon Andrew Little (and his predecessor Hon Christopher Finlayson), and the Minister of Conservation, Hon Willow-Jean Prime (and her predecessors Hon Poto Williams, Hon Kiri Allan, Hon Eugenie Sage and Hon Maggie Barry), represented the Crown in high-level negotiations with Ngā Iwi o Taranaki.

The Office for Māori Crown Relations – Te Arawhiti (previously the Ministry of Justice’s Office of Treaty Settlements) and the Department of Conservation represented the Crown in day-to-day negotiations. Other government agencies supported the negotiations.

For generations, Taranaki Maunga and its surrounding ranges have been the central pillar for the iwi, hapū, and whānau of Taranaki. The mountain has long been an honoured ancestor, a source of physical, cultural, and spiritual sustenance, and a final resting place.

Following the establishment of European settlements in Taranaki in the early 1840s, the Crown began to purchase land in the region. Māori in Taranaki were initially keen to engage in the new settler economy, but became concerned when the Crown began to purchase land from individual Māori or small groups, sometimes without the consent or knowledge of key leaders or the wider collective, and sometimes despite their strongly stated objections. In 1860, the Crown used military forces to complete its purchase of land at Waitara, which led to wars between the Crown and Māori in Taranaki. In 1865 the Crown unfairly punished Māori by confiscating 1.2 million acres of Taranaki land, including Taranaki Maunga.

During the century that followed this fundamental breach of te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Crown repeatedly ignored the rights and interests of the tāngata whenua of Taranaki in relation to their ancestral mountain. Following the confiscation, the Crown failed to create most of the reserves it had promised. After further protest by Māori in Taranaki, the Crown eventually returned some reserves, but refused to include most of the mountains in those reserves, instead proclaiming them as a forest reserve, and later a national park.

The Crown subsequently established management regimes which ensured that trampers, skiiers and hunters were involved in the management of the park but made no such provision for tāngata whenua. Under those management regimes, traditional Māori practices associated with the mountains were banned while tourism was promoted, and pests such as possums were introduced which led to the complete destruction of native forest in some parts of the park.

In the early 1970s, Taranaki Māori sought to become involved in the management of the park, to have the mountain’s traditional name reinstated, and to have ownership of the mountains returned. Some of their proposals were initially supported by the government but then abandoned in the face of public opposition. Provisions for Māori involvement in the management of Egmont National Park were eventually enacted in 1977, and in 1978 the Crown promoted legislation which returned Taranaki

Maunga to the Taranaki Māori Trust Board, but immediately returned it to Crown ownership for the purposes of a national park.

In recent years, Ngā Iwi o Taranaki have led a number of initiatives which have sought to reactivate and strengthen their connections to their ancestral mountains. These have included programmes to re-engage with sites of significance within the park, control pests, foster indigenous plants and animals, improve scientific understanding of the environment, and promote mātauranga Māori.

For generations, Taranaki Maunga and its surrounding ranges have been the central pillar for the iwi, hapū, and whānau of Taranaki. The mountain has long been an honoured ancestor, a source of physical, cultural, and spiritual sustenance, and a final resting place.

Following the establishment of European settlements in Taranaki in the early 1840s, the Crown began to purchase land in the region. Māori in Taranaki were initially keen to engage in the new settler economy, but became concerned when the Crown began to purchase land from individual Māori or small groups, sometimes without the consent or knowledge of key leaders or the wider collective, and sometimes despite their strongly stated objections. In 1860, the Crown used military forces to complete its purchase of land at Waitara, which led to wars between the Crown and Māori in Taranaki. In 1865 the Crown unfairly punished Māori by confiscating 1.2 million acres of Taranaki land, including Taranaki Maunga.

During the century that followed this fundamental breach of te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Crown repeatedly ignored the rights and interests of the tāngata whenua of Taranaki in relation to their ancestral mountain. Following the confiscation, the Crown failed to create most of the reserves it had promised. After further protest by Māori in Taranaki, the Crown eventually returned some reserves, but refused to include most of the mountains in those reserves, instead proclaiming them as a forest reserve, and later a national park.

The Crown subsequently established management regimes which ensured that trampers, skiiers and hunters were involved in the management of the park but made no such provision for tāngata whenua. Under those management regimes, traditional Māori practices associated with the mountains were banned while tourism was promoted, and pests such as possums were introduced which led to the complete destruction of native forest in some parts of the park.

In the early 1970s, Taranaki Māori sought to become involved in the management of the park, to have the mountain’s traditional name reinstated, and to have ownership of the mountains returned. Some of their proposals were initially supported by the government but then abandoned in the face of public opposition. Provisions for Māori involvement in the management of Egmont National Park were eventually enacted in 1977, and in 1978 the Crown promoted legislation which returned Taranaki Maunga to the Taranaki Māori Trust Board, but immediately returned it to Crown ownership for the purposes of a national park.

In recent years, Ngā Iwi o Taranaki have led a number of initiatives which have sought to reactivate and strengthen their connections to their ancestral mountains. These have included programmes to re-engage with sites of significance within the park, control pests, foster indigenous plants and animals, improve scientific understanding of the environment, and promote mātauranga Māori.

Te Mana o Ngā Maunga

Te Mana o Ngā Maunga provides for the establishment of a new legal framework for the Tūpuna Maunga that is centred on recognition of the legal person Te Kāhui Tupua. The status of Te Kāhui Tupua and Ngā Pou Whakatupua (values) will be the foundation for the ongoing governance, management and administration of Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki.

Te Mana o Ngā Maunga comprises the following principal elements.

Repeal of the Mount Egmont vesting Act 1978

The Mount Egmont Vesting Act 1978 vested Taranaki Maunga in the Taranaki Māori Trust Board, but then required it be returned immediately to the Crown “for the purposes of a National Park as a free gift and as a symbol of love to all the people of New Zealand.” Te Ture Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua will repeal that Act.

Recognition of Te Kahui tupua as a legal person

Te Kāhui Tupua will be recognised in legislation as a living and indivisible whole comprising Taranaki and the other Tūpuna Maunga, including Pouākai and Kaitake, from their peaks down to and including all of the surrounding lands, and incorporating all of their physical and metaphysical elements.

Te Kāhui Tupua will also be recognised as a legal person. Reflecting the view of the Tūpuna Maunga as a living and indivisible whole, Te Kāhui Tupua will have its own legal personality with all the corresponding rights, powers, duties, and liabilities of a legal person.

While the new arrangements are focused on the national park, the legal personality extends beyond the park boundaries in accordance with the iwi view of their ancestor. Although the legal personality exists outside the national park, it does not have any direct effect on private land or the application of any legislation outside the park.

Ngā pou whakatupua (Te Kāhui Tupua values)

A set of intrinsic values – Ngā Pou Whakatupua – will be set out and recognised in Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua. These values reflect the cultural, spiritual, and historical relationships between Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and Te Kāhui Tupua. Ngā Pou Whakatupua comprise the following five values which represent the essence of Te Kāhui Tupua:

• Ko Te Kāhui Tupua, he rārangi maunga here ā-nuku, here ā-rangi (Te Kāhui Tupua, the mountain range binding heaven and earth)
  • Te Kāhui Tupua is a living and indivisible whole incorporating all of its physical and metaphysical elements.
• Ko Te Kāhui Tupua, koia ko ō mātou nei okiokinga, ko mātou nei tō rātou okiokitanga (Te Kāhui Tupua, our embodiment in life and death)
  • Te Kāhui Tupua represents and upholds the ancestral, historical, cultural and spiritual relationship between Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and their Tūpuna Maunga.
• Ko Te Kāhui Tupua, ko te puna i heke mai ai te tangata (Te Kāhui Tupua, from which we descend and take our identity)
  • Te Kāhui Tupua and its health and well-being are fundamental to the identity, tikanga, reo, and health and well-being of Ngā Iwi o Taranak
• Ko Tupua Kawa, ko Tawhito Kawa, he kawa ora (The ancestral knowledge, the ancient law, the law of existence)
  • Te Kāhui Tupua is a source of spiritual, cultural and physical well-being for both:
    • the lands, waters, flora and fauna, and other natural resources of Taranaki; and
    • the people of Taranaki.
• Ko Te Kāhui Tupua, he puna koropupū, he manawa whenua, hei mou ake nei i te tini mokopuna (Te Kāhui Tupua, a spring, a source of enduring naturally filtered water and life, protected for future generations)

Ngā Iwi o Taranaki, the Crown, and the communities of Taranaki have an intergenerational responsibility actively to protect the health and well-being of Te Kāhui Tupua.

Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi: The human face and voice of Te Kāhui Tupua

Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi, made up of eight members (four appointed by Te Tōpuni Ngārahu, and four appointed by the Minister of Conservation), will act as the human face and voice of Te Kāhui Tupua.

Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi will act and speak on behalf of Te Kāhui Tupua, uphold and promote the legal status of Te Kāhui Tupua and Ngā Pou Whakatupua, and promote the health and well-being of Te Kāhui Tupua. Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi will also carry out conservation related functions for the national park, including preparing He Kawa Ora (the national park management plan) and jointly, alongside the Minister of Conservation, deciding whether to grant or decline applications for concessions or authorisations regarding interests in land (e.g. leases).

Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi will develop a relationship agreement with the Director-General of Conservation and the Minister of Conservation, and will also be able to enter into relationships with relevant agencies, local government, and the eight iwi of Taranaki.

The Department of Conservation will provide administrative support to Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi with a commitment to review the administrative support after the first 3 years.

Ownership and management of the park

Te Ture Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua will establish Te Kāhui Tupua and vest the national park land in that legal person, meaning the Crown will no longer own the national park. Te Kāhui Tupua effectively owns itself, in perpetuity. The vesting will include industrial rocks and building stones that form part of the national park and five cultural minerals:

• Kōkōwai (red ochre);
• Kōkawa (Taranaki andesite);
• Pākohe (metamorphosed indurated mudstone, otherwise known as argillite);
• Onewa (basalt or greywacke); and
• Matā (black obsidian).

Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki will remain a national park administered under the National Parks Act 1980, and Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua. Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki must be administered and maintained to acknowledge and uphold the purposes of the National Parks Act 1980, status of Te Kāhui Tupua and Ngā Pou Whakatupua. 

The Department of Conservation will retain its operational management responsibility for budgeting, operational planning and delivery within the national park. Nothing in the arrangements displaces the rights of iwi and hapū, including the requirement for decision-makers (including the Director-General and the Minister of Conservation) to engage with iwi and hapū in accordance with section 4 of the Conservation Act 1987.

The Minister of Conservation will, except the new joint decision-making role for interests in land, retain their concession decision-making role, with enhanced processes for involving Te Tōpuni Ngārahu in those decisions.

He Kawa Ora - National Park management plan

Central to arrangements for Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki is He Kawa Ora (the Existinational park management plan), which will set out what activities can happen in the national park as well as setting out expected management outcomes. Existing public processes for the development of this plan are retained and will also provide processes for seeking the views of iwi and hapū with interests in Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki.

Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi will develop He Kawa Ora and recommend it for approval. Te Tōpuni Ngārahu and the Director-General of Conservation will each appoint a lead planner to draft the plan and provide advice to Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi throughout the process.

The Minister of Conservation and Te Tōpuni Ngārahu will jointly approve the national park management plan, and the New Zealand Conservation Authority will be provided an opportunity to comment on the draft plan before it is approved.

Other Te Kāhui Tupua arrangements

Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua will also provide for:

• the protection of the name ‘Te Kāhui Tupua’ from misuse, or from commercial use without the consent of Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi;
• interim custodian arrangements for Te Kāhui Tupua for taonga tūturu found in Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki;
• a tailored application of the Crown Minerals Act 1991; and
• an asset management function for Te Kāhui Tupua exercised by an asset management company.

Te Mana o Te Kāhui

Te Mana o Te Kāhui recognises the traditional, historical, cultural and spiritual associations Ngā Iwi o Taranaki have with their Tūpuna Maunga.

Te iho tāngaengae, the collective statement of connection and relationship

Te Ruruku Pūtakerongo includes the Crown’s acknowledgement of Te Iho Tāngaengae (a collective statement of connection and relationship) for the particular cultural, spiritual, historical, and traditional association the eight iwi of Taranaki have with their Tūpuna Maunga.

Te Tōpuni Ngārahu, the collective entity for Ngā Iwi o Taranaki

Te Tōpuni Ngārahu will be established by Ngā Iwi o Taranaki, to perform a range of statutory functions through the arrangements:

• appointing 4 members to Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi;
• approving the national park management plan jointly with the Minister of Conservation;
• giving approval when adding or removing land from Te Papa-Kura-o- Taranaki
• appointing a representative on the Taranaki/Whanganui Conservation Board.

Te Tōpuni Ngārahu and the Director-General will explore opportunities for Ngā Iwi o Taranaki to grow their capacity and capability to participate in operational management activities. Te Tōpuni Ngārahu will also be involved in concessions decision-making through a process set out in Te Ture Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua.

Cultural Materials 

Te Tōpuni Ngārahu will be able to authorise individual iwi members or the individual iwi Post-Settlement Governance Entities, for:

• non-commercial cultural take of flora material within the national park;
• possession of dead protected wildlife found within the national park; and
• access to riverbeds within the national park for the non-commercial cultural take of cultural minerals by hand.

Access to facilities

Te Tōpuni Ngārahu will be offered first rights to acquire any surplus Crown-owned buildings in the national park and may explore opportunities for the use of any decommissioned building footprints within Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki for purpose built facilities, subject to being consistent with He Kawa Ora.

Resourcing the arrangements

The Crown will provide a one-off contribution of $35.000 million to Te Tōpuni Ngārahu to support its establishment, participation in redress arrangements, iwi reconnection to their Tūpuna Maunga and the health and well-being of Te Kāhui Tupua.

The Department of Conservation will provide the ongoing operational funding for Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi and the fees for the four Crown appointed members.