Porirua-based iwi Ngāti Toa Rangatira has retaken ownership of Kāpiti and Mana Islands, 10 years after its Treaty of Waitangi settlement with the Crown. The islands were acquired by the Crown last century.
December 31, 2024 marks the return of both islands to Ngāti Toa, in what the iwi described as an historic day.
It said the redress for Kāpiti and Mana Islands is reflective of the critical role the islands, Kāpiti in particular, played in establishing Ngāti Toa’s mana on both sides of Te Moana o Raukawa (Cook Strait).
“The vesting simply acknowledges what we already know; Ngāti Toa holds the mana of Kāpiti and Mana Islands and has done so since shortly after our ancestors arrived in the region, in the early nineteenth century”, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira Board Chair, Callum Katene, said.
“The vesting is a legal mechanism agreed in our settlement legislation, but it is our tikanga that determines our responsibilities and relationship with these islands.”
Kāpiti and Mana Islands were designated Nature and Scientific Reserves respectively, managed by the Department of Conservation.
The vesting of ownership does not impact the conservation status or management by the Crown.
Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira Chief Executive, Helmut Modlik, said Ngāti Toa will uphold its mana whenua obligations, care for the land under its control, and continue to work with the Crown to maintain the islands’ conservation status as a taonga for all New Zealanders.
Modlik said Ngāti Toa also had big plans going forward.
“From 2025 onwards, we’ll work with our own people to continue building relationships with both islands and the taiao through ongoing visits, learning about the history and stories of our ancestors”.
Modlik said a work programme is also being developed by Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira for Kāpiti and Mana Islands to reconnect Ngāti Toa with Kāpiti by creating a welcoming space for their tamariki, mokopuna, and future generations.
The iwi said while Tuesday, 31 December 2024 was being marked as a day of celebration for Ngāti Toa, it would be a muted and respectful occasion.
