Treaty settlements?
In April 1854, more than 70 rangatira gathered at Manawapou in South Taranaki.
Concerned about the ongoing encroachment of surveyors and land agents, the rangatira met in a large, specially constructed wharenui, Taiporohēnui, to discuss how to protect their land from unscrupulous land agents and an increasingly greedy colonial administration.
Many leaders confirmed their opposition to land sales, swearing an oath to resist the further loss of land. “Te tangata tōmua, te whenua tōmuri” — by the death of men, will the land be taken. Several Taranaki iwi placed rāhui on land sales from Ōkurukuru in the north to Taipake in the south. The Crown labelled this a “land league”, masking its reality as a legitimate assertion of tribal autonomy and ownership rights.
Link to article: What if we reopened Treaty settlements? - E-Tangata
