£300,000 FOR MAORIS

Grey River Argus, 14 May 1945, Page 2

£300,000 FOR MAORIS

NGAI TAHU TRIBE. LAND CLAIM SETTLED FAVOURABLY. P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, May 12. The Government’s offer .of £lO,OOO yearly for a period of thirty years, in final “ settlement of the Ngai Tahu land claim, was explained to a Maori meeting at Tuahiwi to-day by the Hon. E. T. Tirikatene. and the beneficiaries present passed a motion giving their agreement to the acceptance of this offer. Mr. Tirikatene, in reply to some criticism, assured the meeting that he had obtained all that was possible. When it was suggested that the legislation has been passed without the natives being consulted, he said that he had stated, in his election platform, that he wished to get the claim settled, and that he would accept £300,000. He would have preferred this in one sum, but the best .-that could be done was to get. it spread over thirty years. He considered that this arrangement is a more advantageous one than the arrangement accepted by the Taranaki Maoris, who were ’ to get £3,000 a year in perpetuity, an arrangement which could be broken by legislation by any future Government, whereas this Ngai Tahu settlement was a final' one.