The gallery on the Jackson Russell website shows Richard Hawke. This is the person who is the legal advisor to the Trust Board, and has been since Peter Pangari introduced him to the Trust Board.

What relationship does Jackson Russell have to the Trust Board, or is their relationship only restricted to Richard Hawke? What are the terms of engagement between the TB and JR?

The JR website arrogantly declares “we’re almost as old as New Zealand itself”; white NZ that is, and the staff makeup reflects this. It also proudly states in its history summary:

“1865 – 1890s: For the next 20 years or so the firm, like others in Auckland at that time, was much engaged in legal work connected with land speculation and gold mining.”

The JR website boasts, their support in the legalized theft of Maori land on a scale unprecedented either before or since! It was a time of unbridled greed on the part of white settlers to ‘disengage’ Maori from their land by whatever means necessary. Legal firms of the time assisted in this ‘disengagement’ making it legal.

No doubt some of the funds that have found there way into the coffers of this firm were derived at the expense of our people. How much of the $800,000+ funding received from OTS has flowed to JR over the years?

How can our people sanction such a firm as this to be our advisors?

Who is this guy Hawke ? Where does he come from ? Who are his people ? Who does he belong to ? These are valid questions for they give us an ‘insight’ into the man.

Were these questions ever asked before engaging this man?

Similar scrutiny is required for Pangari.

It is time to bring these two in from ‘the cold’.

28 September 2014

The Possum Diaries

By Edwin Emery

Once upon a time, on the road between Waitaruke and Waimahana, there lived a whanau of brown possums. They would come out at dusk, onto the tar-sealed road. Here they would soak up the heat from the asphalt, as possums do.

Unbeknownst to this whanau ,hurtling down this road, toward them, was a white SUV. It came round a corner at a blistering pace. Bright shinning lights – ahhh! Jesus had come to save us – the possums thought. They all looked up & yelled out in unison : “Working Party!”, as the white SUV ran them over. The white SUV receded into the distance, the dying light caught the number plate :  ‘OTS’ !

Moral of the story :

Possum Rules

1. Make up your mind what kind of possum you are, possums.
2. You can scream as much as you like – those in the white SUV will never hear you.
3. Study & learn the Road Code.
4. The SUV, like your feet, gets you along the road – just faster.
5. Control the Road & You will control Your Destiny & the Destiny of those in the SUV.

SUV Rules

1. Never get out of the vehicle.
2. If a possum is in your way – bowl it.
3. Occasionally you may stop and let a possum in – they must know the password :“Uncle Tom”.
4. Now & again throw your fast food scraps out the window. Some possums love it and say “Thank you, Bwana.”
5. Remember – if you lose control of the road – you, in turn, will become a possum.

David Tapsell’s (OTS) response to the letter from the Ngati Aukiwa Working Group dated 12 September 2014.

In summary, the Ngati Aukiwa Working Group told the Crown that the NKWTB no longer had the mandate and that the Crown needed to negotiate with them not just for Stoney Creek Farm but the Thompson and Clarke blocks as well. The Crown’s response was very blunt as per the attached letter. David Tapsell (Crown Facilitator) told the Working Group that the Crown only recognized the NKWTB as holding the mandate to negotiate, and that he would need to seek the Minister’s direction.

Letter to Moana Tuwhare

Letter to Edwin Emery from Mr Finlayson – Ngati Aukiwa working party (10 Sep 2014)

Response to Mr Finlayson’s Letter of 10 Sep 2014 (15 Sep 2014)

The NKKWTB have asked for another $20,000 from OTS, that would make it $808,000 to date for the Trust Board to negotiate and communicate with our Iwi over the Governments offer.

NKKWTB – OTS Meeting
Wednesday 20th August 2014 10am – 12pm
Airport Holiday Inn

20 August 2014 Negotiation Minutes

Edwin Donald Emery

Email : edwin.emery@gmail.com

08 September 2014

Open Letter to the Hon. Christopher Finlayson

Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations
Email : c.finlayson@ministers.govt.nz

Ref : 1. letter from David Manuel, Chairperson, Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa Trust Board(NKKWTB) to David Tapsell, Office of Treaty Settlements dated 11 August 2014.
Ref : 2. (attachment) assessment of letter

Tena Koe Minister,

This communication to David Tapsell is embarrassing to say the least.

I can hear the guffaws from Wellington as I write.

1. I had the letter assessed by two people, qualified in the presentation of English in written form, both educated at tertiary level. One ,an English teacher at secondary level and the other a qualified medical professional who ,on occasion , presents research papers. (see attachment)

2. Both concluded, the writer to be ‘uneducated’, operating at a year 6/7 level (10-11 year old), with no format or structure, unable to articulate a position and lacking in the requisite skills associated with that.

3. This referenced communication has the disturbing effect of undermining the tribe, its authority and genuine desire to resolve the ‘mamae’ of its colonial past.

4. Quite apart from this I would say to Mr. Manuel he needs to improve as well as, up skill his literacy skills. There is no shame in this :

• My mother’s native tongue was neither English or Maori, she took herself back to high school in her 50’s to learn to speak and write in ‘proper English’, despite being bilingual.
• My father had a tattered ‘Oxford English Dictionary’ never far from his grasp.
• A friend (Chairperson of a Tribal Trust Board), educated, fluent and articulate in both Maori and English always had his written communications proofread and vetted to ensure those who received his communications understood exactly what he was saying and that he had articulated the position of his tribe.

5. This brings to the fore the skill set of those who make up the Trust Board and the administration processes they had in place. Was there not someone to vet this communication? Did administration staff not have this role? What about other Board members? Surely there existed among the Board members someone knowledgeable in written communication. If not, did they attempt to acquire the necessary skill set themselves or hire those that had them? To have these processes in place would be a given and would indicate the Board not only understood its mandate but manifested it in its day to day running. The Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa Trust Board did not. The inadequacy of the Board in its so called ‘mandated’ role has long been documented, in communications to the Crown. This was flagged by the 2007 signing of an Agreement in Principle (AIP) on a tarmac at Kerikeri. The intended signing was to be at Taemaro, ancestral home of the tribe. It moved owing to significant tribal dissent at what was being agreed on by The Board and the Crown. The communication of that dissent, the lack of confidence in the Trust board, has been consistent over the last 9 years.

6. For all this the Crown still maintains the viewpoint that the Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa Trust Board (NKKWTB) is the mandated body. It is patently clear that the person fronting this body is ill-equipped for the position. The processes, checks and balances within that body are mediocre or non-existent. When was the last time this Board put out any relevant information to its registered members through its website ?

NKKWTB lacks the full support of a significant section of the tribe.But, the government still continues to view NKKWTB as the mandated body. Recent communications from David Tapsell (Office of Treaty Settlements) : 25 August 2014

“Once I have your views I will consider these and then discuss with the NKKWTB. As I said,
and the Crown has been consistent on this, any arrangement in respect of the Stony Creek farm will need to be acceptable to the NKKWTB as the mandated body so the sooner options are raised with them the better.” Why has this then turned into a Janus ‘cat’. That is, one tribe – now two (non-mandated) heads!
Whakarongo mai te Karauna!

7. The other ‘non-mandated body’ is the ‘Aukiwa Working Party’ : a group that shares similar characteristics with NKKWTB (my letter to you dated 20 August 2014).
When will you, the Crown, take responsibility for your past and not turn this into the ‘Taniwha’ it is becoming.

Regards,

Edwin Emery

Ref : 1. Letter to Minister re NKKWTB Chairperson

Ref : 2. Assessment of Letter

From: dmanuel.ngatikahukiwhangaroa [mailto:dmanuel.ngatikahukiwhangaroa@vodafone.co.nz]
Sent: Saturday, 6 September 2014 8:03 p.m.
To: Moana Tuwhare; Norm McKenzie
Cc: Ben Dalton; Richard Hawk; Pita Pangari; Sandra Hei Hei; Dave Henare; Manaaki Poto; Michael Sheehan; Lee Cherie King; AJ Buchanan; Mark McKenzie; Taiporohenui Day; Adrian Tua; Ani Roberts; Diane Rainey; dennis
Subject: FW: Meeting tomorrow
Importance: High

Kia ora koutou

There seems to be a confusion of word interpretation I sent in the board letter to David Tapsell and a lack of knowledge of what has and is happening. Below is the email cancelation from David Tapsell. I also tabled this korero at the Taemaro hui-a-iwi last weekend where Joe Aperehama said that “Te Aukiwa said to the working parti not to meet NKKWTB.” Uncle Davey, Harry Brown and Pita will validate this. There seems to be some contradiction of what has happened and what has been said. I do not lie and take offense when accusations are pointed at me. I have been present at past Waimahana marae hui tikanga where matua Mike Petera has said to me ” me korero Koutou i te Kawanatanga, kahore matou i hiahia te tautoko.”

When Ben Dalton was facilitating korero between mea and the board Dec 2013 he made it quite clear that Aukiwa occupiers didn’t want to talk to the board.

I asked at the hui-a-iwi at Taemaro, ko wai ratou Te Aukiwa

1. Te Umanga Ltd
2. Roha Logging
3. Paeara
4. Working Party

No answer by anyone.

The board represent all descendants of Kahukuraariki and Haititai marangai and are mandated to do so. When it comes to ratification time, the truth will be spoken by the people whether to accept or not the crown offer. It will be decided by the majority not the minority.

I believe knowledge of our whakapapa is essential and that can only come from our kaumatua.

I extent a invitation now to all parties concerned to meet myself and nga Kaumatua to discuss the whakapapa and maybe a possibility to move forward together. Te kotahi tatou. If it is OK with Te Heamana o Taemaro, we could possibly have this hui at Taemaro soon, say

Saturday, 4th October 2014

10.00am start

Kei Konei te taki

David Manuel (Te Heamana)

Sent from Samsung Mobile

——– Original message ——–

From: Maria Terewi

Date:04/09/2014 1:16 PM (GMT+12:00)

To: David Manuel

Subject: FW: Meeting tomorrow

From: Tapsell, David [mailto:David.Tapsell@justice.govt.nz]
Sent: Monday, 19 May 2014 10:39 a.m.
To: dmanuel.ngatikahukiwhangaroa; Ella Henry; ‘Richard Hawk’; Buds Terewi
Subject: Meeting tomorrow
Importance: High

Kia Ora

I have just been advised by Moana Tuwhare that although she and Norm have made progress on discussing a definition of Ngati Aukiwa, she has been instructed by the kaumatua that it is too early to meet with NKKWTB reps tomorrow on this issue. Her assessment is that they will be ready for this meeting early to mid-June. We will therefore cancel the meeting tomorrow and reschedule.

In terms of the fuller meeting proposed for 6 June where we aim to outline the refined AIP package, I want to assure you that we want to proceed with that meeting. It is not dependant on any agreement on the definition of Ngati Aukiwa. Assuming we get all of the valuation detail etc in on time that meeting will proceed.

Kia Ora

David

========================================================

Edwin Donald Emery

Email : edwin.emery@gmail.com

20 August 2014

Open Letter to the Hon. Christopher Finlayson

Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations

Email : c.finlayson@ministers.govt.nz

Ref : Aukiwa Working / Advisory Group (so-called) referred to as the ‘working party’

Tena Koe Minister,

I am writing to you as a member of the hapu of Aukiwa and also as a taxpayer.

I am not a member of this working party – I was nominated at a hui for this group on 19 April 2014 at Waimahana : I declined.

I do however support/tautoko the perspective and viewpoint of Ronda Williams, as representative of the stance of the Maria Te Paeara Whakapapa line.

That stance has been articulated in communications to your office and that of OTS, (Office of Treaty Settlements) from Ronda Williams and constitutional lawyer, Gerald Sharrock.

Of relevance are your words of advice (your letter dated 27 January 2014)

“I encourage you, as a registered member of Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa and a landowner at Taemaro, to continue to engage in settlement discussions with the wider claimant group. It is important that your voice is heard and your views are taken into account. These discussions are an internal matter for Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa and I consider it would be inappropriate for the Crown to have an active role in these discussions at this stage.”

1. In the establishment of this ‘working party’ the Crown has had an inappropriate active role right from the beginning and the subsequent process. A role that goes contrary to your own advice.(see above)
2. This was made possible by the attendance at the establishment hui, 19 April 2014, at Waimahana by Crown ‘fix-it’ man Ben Dalton.
3. Dalton bought along to this meeting lawyer, Moana Tuwhare, having no qualms advocating her as counsel. He further supported his position by saying he could readily access funding for a lawyer. She is now counsel for the ‘working party’ and compromised by her association with the Crown, effectively a Crown lawyer.
4. In regard to Paeara as the tupuna from whom the land was taken : Dalton said it would be limiting to talk of the return of land to a specific tupuna as it was not agreed upon and the focus should be on the trust.
5. To dismiss what he calls a specific tupuna is to deny the lawful rights of the owner of that land and the descendants of that tupuna, furthermore what entity,if any, the descendants put that whenua into is their business and not the prerogative of Dalton to patronize us by telling us our focus should be on a trust. More Crown interference. Mr. Dalton is whakahihi. Irrespective of Mr. Dalton’s role as mediator I find his manipulation repugnant. This behavior in an ancestral house only serves to draw the attention of my ancestors.
6. The nomination of individuals for this working party was ad-hoc at best. It is not a true representation of the hapu. People on the day were nominated who were not present. Another person on the day eventually nominated herself Chairperson. At subsequent hui more people were nominated. It most certainly does not pass as a mandated group that is representative of the hapu.
7. Following the 19 April 2014, Waimahana hui were a quick succession of hui at McDonald’s establishments at ridiculous hours like 6:30a.m. Insufficient notice and inappropriate venues just added to the comical farce of ‘musical hui’.
8. The culmination of this was a meeting with OTS (Office of Treaty Settlements) negotiator David Tapsell. This meeting occurred without consultation with the hapu. Attending this meeting was Crown-paid (pending) lawyer Moana Tuwhare. Her presence at this meeting was not sanctioned by the hapu and indeed was not part of her brief. Others present included Janice Smith, self-appointed chairperson of the ‘working party’, and Norm McKenzie, nominated by Smith onto the ‘working party’. It should be stressed that this meeting was a meeting of individuals with Tapsell and not a group that had consulted or been sanctioned by the hapu.
9. The disturbing outcome of this meeting was the ability of Tapsell to get an undertaking from these individuals that they would give OTS a running brief on what the ‘working party’ was doing. The Crown has absolutely no right to monitor the in-house processes of the hapu.
10. The follow-on is that Tapsell is to have a meeting,21 August 2014, with these individuals again. Once again not constructive as they are not a true representation of the hapu.

My viewpoint is that there are some individuals who have jumped off the ‘NKKWTB boat’ and onto the ‘working party’ boat.

This lead to a ‘wash, rinse and repeat’ scenario.

It is not surprising then that we have the same issues raised again : lack of process, manipulation of information, minimal accountability, no accurate record of minutes, insufficient notice of meetings, venues for hui which are not practical and minimal dissemination of information.

Today Tuwhare has over $14,000.00 going into her account : for what ?

I assume as minister you sanctioned this funding.

I suggest you re-visit this until there is an itemized account, her hours and the completed documents she has produced as part of her brief.

This information then being made available to the hapu.

11. The arrival of this ‘gravy train’ (totaling $75,000.00 – including the funds above) will, I suggest, see more taxpayer revenue being squandered – as has happened with $750,000.00 that went to the Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa Trust Board.

I would appreciate your comments on the issues I have raised, in a timely manner.

Regards,

Edwin Emery

11 August 2014

Office of Treaty Settlement
David Tapsell

Progress to date

Kia ora David

Thank you for your update however in regards to anything Te Aukiwa might have to say the Board does not have any confidence in them at all due to work and effort in making arrangements to meet with them and they cancel out at the last minute.

This appears to be the way they wish to handle things when they are ready regardless of the amount of work and organizing NKKWTB Trust has done to accommodate them.

The Trust as the Mandated Body is concerned when you say it is a good sign of progress on their behalf, when NKKTB have been waiting for ever in order to move on and complete our claim. If they are as genuine as they say in wanting to make progress then let’s get on with it as action speaks stronger than just words.

We respect the fact that you are also doing your level best to keep things rolling by agreeing to meet with Te Aukiwa, but the plain simple Truth is they can’t be trusted but if you can make it happen then let’s hear what they have to say. The Board has a fairly good idea of what they want and what their answers will be hence the miss trust and the big question mark, why are we meeting at all.

A lot of our Trust Board members are becoming more and more frustrated with the ongoing non action of Te Aukiwa to move things on and are signalling returning to the AIP agreement and dealing with any outlying problems that arise or are in place.

At our last Trust Board meeting on Saturday 19 July 2014 at Otangaroa Marae, one of the Trustees whom we believe is in direct conflict with the Trust Board and Te Aukiwa has stated in front of the Board that information from the Te Aukiwa Lawyer Moana to the effect that OTS will be paying her legal fees.

NKKWTB has asked this question before and have been told that it is incorrect; this is what we are talking about when we say to whom we trust. Can you please confirm in writing to this trust board that the Lawyer Moana Tuwhare representing Teaukiwa is not being paid by OTS.

Furthermore we also had Beneficiaries at the meeting who made it absolutely clear that it is not just the matter of Stoney Creek that the Te Aukiwa group is seeking it is the Thompson and Clarke Blocks as well and they will fight to ensure its outcome.

In closing a couple of points I would like to make.

1. When will the crown be issuing eviction notices to the occupation of the house on the Thompson Block?
2. What is the projected time for the Board to take on the lease of Thompson and Clarke?
3. Is there any progress with the Otara Urupa 1.6 ha and Waipouritaka Urupa 1.6 ha for Kaitangata?

I hope to hear from you again.

Kia pai tou ra
David Manuel

Te Heamana o Ngatikahu Ki Whangaroa Trust Board

Letter to OTS Progress to date 11 August 2014