Claims Update 20 June 2007
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The OTS historian and our Historian are working through some amendments in response to the review of the account by the eminent historian. These should be finalised at our next meeting with OTS in readiness to make up part of the Agreement in Principle documentation.
We had the hui with Whanganui Iwi on the 24th of May. They are busy getting ready for the Waitangi Tribunal hearings in August this year and so have not been in a position to fully engage with us.
It was agreed that we would talk to them again, once we had reached agreement in principle prior to the AIP becoming public. This meeting would focus on aspects of the agreement relevant to the boundary discussions with Whanganui Iwi. No progress as yet with regard to hui with other overlapping claimants.
The Runanga and the Crown are very close to agreeing on the content of an Agreement in Principle. There are only minor issues still to resolve. It is likely that the signing of the Agreement in Principle will be on Thursday July 12 at Tini Waitara Marae.
It is important that we get a good turnout for this important milestone in our negotiation process. Organisation is already under way and this meeting will focus upon our own people and those who helped us along the way to get to where we are at. It is important for our people to be aware of the importance of this milestone as we are now going to begin working toward the deed of settlement and post settlement governance entity milestone and they require ratification from our people.
As noted last month our next newsletter will focus on the AIP. It was hoped that this would go out by the end of July.