Te Uru Taumatua manages Tūhoe Treaty Settlement assets and resources on behalf of Tūhoe beneficiaries. It also purports to represent and work on behalf of Tūhoe. It holds an AGM to inform Tuhoe on its achievements and the status of the assets that it administers.

Over the past five years, we have become more concerned that Tūhoe hapū have no influence on the decisions that are being made about their development; that the counsel and leadership of kaumātua is ignored; that Tūhoe representatives who’ve been appointed to various planning groups, subsidiaries or entities are only figure-heads; and that the Chairs of our Tribals have been unable to advocate our position.

Te Mana Motuhake o Tūhoe has become a dictatorship.

We, the undersigned, are Tūhoe and request

• A Review of the Tūhoe Trust Deed
• A Review of Te Uru Taumatua organisational structures
• An amendment to the Trust Deed to enable the appointment of an independent body to undertake a review.

If the Board of Te Uru Taumatua refuses our request, we support an application being made to the High Court to achieve the desired outcome.