The Crown and a South Island iwi left virtually without land have signed a Deed of Settlement which will return some culturally significant sites to the tribe.
Te Atiawa o Te Waka a Maui - which is based in the north of the South Island - signed the treaty package with the Crown on Friday at Waikawa Marae near Picton.
The deed includes an apology for historical breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi, financial redress of just over $11.76 million, and the return of cultural sites as well as Crown properties including Tapu Bay and Umukuri Bay cemetery.
