Tēnā koutou e te whānau
He pānui tēnei hei whakamōhio atu ki a koutou i te whakataunga hou o te poari e pā ana ki te tuku o Woodbourne. Kua whai wā te poari ki te kōrero, ki te whakarongo, ki te wetewete hoki i ngā whakaaro o te whānau kia hua mai te whakataunga tika mā tātou katoa. I ngā marama kua hori, i tū ngā hui Kuia Tāwhai Whenua huri i te motu. I aua hui i whai wāhi mai ngā whānau katoa ki te whakaputa whakaaro mo te kaupapa nei. I tū hoki ētahi atu wānanga ki te matapaki i ngā taipitopito o te tuku o Woodbourne. Ko tētahi atu mahi tino hirahira ko te kimi kupu āwhina mo te taha ture. I whakakotahi mātou i ngā whakaaro mai i ngā hui katoa; ā-rohe mai, ā-motu mai, ā-tinana mai, ā-ipurangi mai anō hoki, hei taunaki i ngā tohutohu ā-ture. Nā, i kite mātou i te whānuitanga o ngā whakaaro me te mahi nui kei mua i ō mātou aroaro. I te mutunga iho, i whakapau kaha te poari ki te āta wetewete i ngā whakaaro o tēnā, o tēnā, kia hua mai te whakatau whakamutunga. Ehara i te mea he māmā te mahi nei, heoi, kua whakatau te poari kia whakaae i te tuku pūtea a te Karauna. He $25.2 miriona katoa ka tukuna ki ngā iwi e toru o Kurahaupō (Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Apa ki Te Rā To me Rangitāne o Wairau). Kua rongo nei mātou i te nui me te hirahira o te whakataunga nei, nā, e mihi ana ki a koutou katoa i whai wāhi mai ki te whakaputa whakaaro mo tēnei kaupapa. E kore ngā mihi e mutu. Nāreira, hei ngā wiki tata nei ka puta ngā kōrero ahu whakamua mo te kaupapa nei. Tāria te wā hui anō ai tātou i a tatou.
We would like to take this opportunity to update you on the board's recent decision regarding the Woodbourne settlement offer. The board has taken great care to ensure that the voices of our whānau were heard throughout this process, with extensive deliberation and consultation guiding the final decision. As you are aware, the topic of Woodbourne has been widely discussed over the past months. Through the Kuia Tāwhai Whenua (nationwide roadshow), whānau from across the motu have had the opportunity to engage and share their whakaaro on this important matter. Additionally, we have leveraged other wānanga to discuss Woodbourne and hosted a dedicated roadshow event at Te Hora Marae. We also hosted online hui to ensure that those unable to attend in person were still able to contribute. In addition to these significant interactions with whānau, the board sought legal advice as part of its due diligence to ensure that all factors were considered. After reflecting on the diverse range of perspectives shared by our people and the legal guidance received, the board held a special meeting to carefully weigh the options before making its final decision. After much consideration, the board has made the difficult decision to accept the Crown's cash offer of $25.2 million as part of the Kurahaupō Iwi collective, alongside our whanaunga from Ngāti Apa ki Te Rā To and Rangitāne ki Wairau. We acknowledge the weight of this decision and the complexity of the issue, and we wish to thank each and every one of you who shared your thoughts and stance on the Woodbourne offer. We will ensure that whānau are kept up to date on the next steps of the process as we move forward together.
Ngā mihi nui,
Tania Alesana and Rebecca Mason
On behalf of the Board of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kuia
