28 Oct 2017

Tamati Kruger - Koia mārika ‒ So it is

From Saturday Morning, 10:10 am on 28 October 2017

Tāmati Kruger was educated at Victoria University in Wellington, where he also tutored in te reo Māori and was involved in the early days of the Te Reo Māori Society in the 1970s. He is the chief Tūhoe negotiator and chairs Te Urewera and the tribal body Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua. Kruger will give this year's annual Bruce Jesson Lecture at the University of Auckland on October 31. In it, he will explain the Tūhoe philosophy of mana motuhake/self-determination and report on how the approach is working in practice since the iwi signed a settlement with the Crown in 2013. This agreement transferred management of the Tūhoe homeland in the former Urewera National Park to a new entity, Te Urewera, run jointly by the Crown and Tūhoe. It also agreed in principle that Tūhoe should run its own social services, including healthcare and education, for its people. So far Tūhoe has opened a health clinic at Taneatua and plans two more, it runs youth and counselling services, offers educational scholarships, and is becoming involved in wider educational and social services.