Original Trust Deed (1988)
The first record on file referring to the mandate process for NIA, are the minutes of the Ngaitai Iwi Meeting held at Torere Marae on Saturday 30th January 1988. The purpose of the meeting was set out as the “Establishment of the Ngaitai Tribal Authority” and appropriate resolutions passed. At that time Ngaitai appointed representatives of the Iwi who went on to become the inaugural Trustees of the Ngaitai Iwi Authority. The original Trust Deed was approved at this meeting and was implemented from inception with no recorded amendments for the next eighteen years until it was reviewed and amended on August 26, 2006.
Trust Deed Review (2006)
At the NIA Annual General Meeting held in August 2004 the Iwi were informed of the need to make changes to the Trust deed in order to comply with the Te Ohu Kaimoana (TOKM) allocation requirements to receive the fisheries settlement.
As the deed had not been reviewed since it was ratified in 1988, NIA saw this as an opportune time to review the original Trust Deed to both reaffirm NIA as the mandated Iwi organisation to act on behalf of all matters pertaining to Ngaitai Iwi and to meet allocation requirements to receive the Ngaitai Iwi fisheries settlement from Te Ohu Kaimoana (TOKM).
The two extracts above from the original Trust Deed were maintained with one minor change to a)
“To promote and apply the maximum possible efficiency and independence in the tino rangatiratanga of Ngaitai.”
To this end NIA facilitated a series of Hui from 2004 through to 2006 to complete the review and reaffirm NIA as the mandated Iwi organization
Ratification Process
The consultation hui were followed by a formal voting process. Postal and in person voting processes were undertaken to approve the deed changes utilising an independent Returning Officer.
Extract: Resolution as worded on the ballot paper
“That the amendments to the Trust Deed of the Ngaitai Iwi Authority be approved and the Ngaitai Iwi Authority be ratified as the Mandated Iwi Organisation for Ngaitai for the purposes of the Maori Fisheries Act 2004.”
On the 26th August 2006, NIA held a Special General Iwi Meeting at Torere Marae to receive the official results of these votes which was 96% in favour of the deed changes. Based on Te Puni Kokiri statistics derived from other Iwi results, and the fisheries settlement requirement of a minimum 75% in favour, Ngaitai achieved an outstanding result. It was reiterated throughout the Trust Deed review process that the Iwi were reaffirming NIA to act on all matters pertaining to Ngaitai as well as the reaffirmation as the MIO for the fisheries settlement.
This result reconfirmed NIA’s status as the mandated Iwi organisation to act on behalf of Ngaitai Iwi, and reconfirmed NIA as the mandated Iwi organisation to receive the Ngaitai Iwi fisheries settlement. This deed dated 26 August 2006, being the current deed of Trust for NIA.