Te Tīriti o Waitangi is the founding document of this country and the beginning of building a new nation.
It was signed in1840 at Waitangi and sets the parameters for a relationship between Māori and the Crown.
For Te Kahu O Taonui (Tai Tokerau Iwi Chairs Forum), Te Tiriti o Waitangi, together with He Whakaputanga o Te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni, provides the agreement to allow the beginning of a new nation, and the basis of Māori relationships with all New Zealanders as represented by Government, including local government.
Te Kahu o Taonui was established in 2006/7, as a collective of Iwi in Te Tai Tokerau. Te Kahu o Taonui now includes representation from the following Iwi: Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupouri, Ngai Takoto,Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu, Kahukuraariki, Whaingaroa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Te Roroa, Ngāti Wai, and Ngāti Whātua.
The purpose of Te Kahu o Taonui was to create a taumata for our Taitokerau Iwi Chairs to come together, to wānanga, share ideas and concerns with each other and to utilise the power of our collective Iwi to create more opportunities to benefit all of our whānau, hapū and Marae.
In November 2014, the Waitangi Tribunal found that Northland Māori who were signatories to Te Tiriti o Waitangi did not cede sovereignty and this position has been held by successive northland Māori leaders. The Tribunal has also recognised the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the basis for a mutually beneficial relationship between Māori and the Crown.
The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) codifies Te Tiriti o Waitangi and He Whakaputanga o Te Rangatiratanga o NuTireni in a global and current context.
Te Kahu o Taonui was established in 2006/7, as a collective of Iwi in Te Tai Tokerau. Te Kahu o Taonui now includes representation from the following Iwi: Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupouri, Ngai Takoto,Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu, Kahukuraariki, Whaingaroa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Te Roroa, Ngāti Wai, and Ngāti Whātua.