The Omaka hui, held on August 30, was the second in a series of hui across New Zealand to discuss the foreshore and seabed issue during the month of September. During the hui, members of the Hapu and Iwi tribes, as well as other indigenous participants, upheld the Hauraki Declaration (July 12, 2003), affirming the foreshore and seabed belongs to the tribes. They also used the hui to familiarize people with the definitions and principles of “customary rights.” The Omaka hui therefore rejected the Crown’s land proposal, but supported further discussion on different solutions.
