Dear Trust Board,

On Saturday 18th June 2022 I was denied access to the SGM & AGM by Geraldine Baker (GM). According to Clause 33.1 and 33.2 of your Trust Deed, as an Adult Member of Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa (registered or not) I was entitled to attend the recent SGM on the 18 June 2022, and that Geraldine Baker had no legal right to cancel my invitation and deny me access. I informed Geraldine Baker (GM) via email that I did not need to be a registered member to attend the hui, however at 9:03am on the 18^th June 2022 I received an email from Zoom stating, “Your registration for webinar Kahukuraariki Trust Board SGM and AGM has been cancelled”.

In denying me access she has denied me the opportunity to present my letter and plead my case in relation to the ownership of Stoney Creek Station, which would have made a material difference to the outcome of any decisions made or accepted at the SGM.

As such I demand that any decisions made or accepted at the SGM be voided immediately, and that another SGM be scheduled where all Adult Members of Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa (registered or not) are allowed to attend and participate.

I give each Trust Board member this one opportunity to correct this serious breach of their Trust Deed before I take legal action against each individual Trust Board member under the Trust Act 2019.

Nga mihi

Graham Williams

At the First reading of the Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa Claims Settlement Bill in April 2016, objections were heard which were referred to the Māori Affairs Committee. Numerous objections were formally lodged and discussed in Wellington in April 2017. These objections were ignored by Chris Finlayson on the second and third readings. The NZ First party abstained from voting in protest, however the National Party forced the bill through, and the Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa Claims Settlement Bill was passed into law in August 2017.

Since then, the KAHUKURAARIKI Trust Board did little during 2018-2019. In 2019, the KAHUKURAARIKI Trust Board held hui which were not advertised widely, and were not well attended. The minutes of these hui talk mostly about the Resolution 2: Amendments to Trust Deed changes, and no published record of any discussion on Resolution 1: Ownership of Stoney Creek Station. There is no published record of any SGM to discuss the process in relation to resolving Resolution 1: Ownership of Stoney Creek Station as per Clause 33 of the KAHUKURAARIKI Trust Deed.

In 2021, the KAHUKURAARIKI Trust Board held numerous roadshows to discuss the Resolution 2: Trust Deed changes, and Resolution 1: Ownership of Stoney Creek Station. However, again published minutes show that Resolution 2: Amendments to Trust Deed was discuss, but not Resolution 1: Ownership of Stoney Creek Station.

Delays due to COVID meant that voting on the KAHUKURAARIKI Trustee elections and both Resolutions could not be held until March 2022. The SGM and AGM scheduled for March 2022 to provide an open forum to discuss the resolutions prior to voting were cancelled and rescheduled to June 2022, however voting was not rescheduled.

The results of the KAHUKURAARIKI Trustee elections and both Resolutions were published. The Taemaro Trustee was voted in with only 26 votes, and the Waimahana Trustee was voted in with 111 votes. Voting on Resolution 2: Amendments to Trust Deed was not passed, however voting on Resolution 1: Ownership of Stoney Creek Station was passed, despite objections that people were not able to discuss it in an open and transparent forum prior to voting.

The Kahukuraariki Trust Board management have closed their Facebook account cutting a vital channel for open and transparent communicate with their members and beneficiaries.

When I emailed the Trust Board asking them why they had closed it, I was told that all information for Kahukuraariki is now on their website, please see link https://www.kahukuraariki.iwi.nz/

When I pressed as to why it was closed, I was told that it was a management decision until they have had time to formulate a wider communication strategy.

I’m not really sure what that means, but hey it’s the Trust Board.

Unfortunately, the Kahukuraariki website hasn’t been updated yet with the recent SGM&AGM hui minutes, nor has a link of the zoom meeting recording been posted on their site to date.

I emailed this letter to Geraldine Baker (GM) of the Kahukuraariki Trust Board on the 16th June 2022. Asking that it be tabled at the up coming Kahukuraariki Trust Board SGM & AGM on the 18th June 2022.

March 8th, 2022

Morena koutou,

please see below the results for the Trustee Election 2022.

Congratulations to Otangaroa – Ana Hotere, Te Komanga – Roger Kingi, Taemaro – Hone (JJ) Ripikoi, Waimahana – Jean Joseph.

No election was require for Waihapa – Teresa Tepania-Ashton, Mangatowai – April Hetaraka, Waitaruke – Norman McKenzie and Taupo – Waitangi Wood.

OIA Response 13 March 2018 to an OIA Request 18 February 2018.

Details the four Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa Ratification Hui between June 2015 and August 2015. Each hui had extremely low participation:

• 27 June 2015 – only 15 people attended
• 2 July 2015 – only 34 people attended
• 18 July 2015 – only 48 people attended
• 1 August 2015 – only 24 people attended

At the First reading of the Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa Claims Settlement Bill in April 2016, objections were heard which were referred to the Māori Affairs Committee. Numerous objections were formally lodged and discussed in Wellington in April 2017. These objections were ignored by Chris Finlayson on the second and third readings. The NZ First party abstained from voting in protest, however the National Party forced the bill through, and the Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa Claims Settlement Bill was passed into law in August 2017.

Analysis – A spat over treaty settlements has seen insults hurled in Parliament, but points at a wider issue around the role of hapū in settlements.

Protesters took to the streets of Whangarei to oppose Tūhoronuku’s appointment to carry out treaty negotiations on behalf of Ngāpuhi.  Photo: RNZ

In one case earlier this week, insults were hurled between the Māori Party and New Zealand First, after New Zealand First pulled its support for two of five Treaty of Waitangi settlement bills.

The issue at the core of the dispute surrounds a settlement with Ngāti Aukiwa, a small hapū of the Whangaroa Harbour in Northland.

The hapū, which has always attempted to run its own claim, has instead been swallowed up by the larger iwi claim, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa.

More detail : https://amp.rnz.co.nz/article/6d474f8a-fa94-4542-8a78-8f4a8aa61749

The Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa Trust Board have closed their website, and have setup a new one for the Kahukuraariki Trust. This will be where you can access all relevant information pertaining to the Kahukuraariki Trust.