On Saturday 10 March 2018, the Crown, represented by the Minister of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little, signed a Deed of Settlement with the iwi at Raketapauma Marae, northwest of Taihape. The occasion called for a lot of organisation and Jean was extremely proud of how her Marae whānau came together to ensure the day’s success. “We had iwi members of all ages, cooks, chefs, waitresses, dishwashers, seamstresses, especially our kaumātua, involved,” she says. “We even had the NZ Defence Forces, some of whom were descendants of Ngāti Rangi, put up tents, do carpentry and electrical work to ensure everything was ready for the day.” With a greater part of her younger years spent at the marae, Jean thought with sorrow of many treasured memories going back to her Koro, Pepene Ruka, and her father, Peehi Waretini. But their presence, along with many others who had passed on, was felt during the ceremony with the rain that fell representing tears of both sadness 8
TOITŪ TE MANA
and joy to those gathered. “The day held many highlights for me,” says Jean. “Particularly the various korowai displayed by their wearers, the young men and women in their kākahu, the men carrying taiaha, the pōwhiri, karanga and waiata, flags waving in the wind, the kōrero that went to and fro on the marae and our mokopuna playing quietly in the background.” Jean felt all the elements of the day had come together and Ngāti Rangi had exercised their mana and committed themselves to a partnership with the Crown Rukutia Te Mana. Jean and her siblings are shareholders of Atihau-Whanganui Incorporation through a whānau trust inherited from their father Peehi. “It’s remarkable knowing that being a shareholder in land administered by the Incorporation covers an extensive area within Ngāti Rangi rohe,” she says. “I look forward to sharing how we all benefit as shareholders, as uri and as administrators from being better kaitiaki of our lands, awa and our maunga.
“It means that while we remember the legacy left behind by those who have gone before, we also look to those taking us forward.” One of those taking up the mantle of leadership is Shar Amner, chair for Ngāti Rangi Trust over the last two years. Elected to the Trust four years earlier, when Shar was made Chair he also automatically became a negotiator for Ngāti Rangi to settle their Treaty of Waitangi claim. “It’s been a lifelong journey really,” Shar reflects. “My koro, Mark Tumanako Gray, who raised me, was one of the original trustees of Ngāti Rangi and one of the original claimants as well as being an inaugural board member for Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation.”
“ It means that while we remember the legacy left behind by those who have gone before, we also look to those taking us forward.”