Hiiona Marae Trust

To Ms. Corrina Hunt

29 Ceduna Street

Loganholme

Queensland 4129

AUSTRALIA

​Via email to: crinahunt03@gmail.com

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Cc: Hiiona Marae Beneficiaries

Via email to Hiiona.Paa@gmail.com, HMT Website

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​Tēnā koe Ms. Hunt

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Request via the HMT Marae Website, received Saturday, 24 August 2024, at 10.30am, for Advice to access the Financial Records of Hiiona Marae for the last 13 Years (i.e., presumably from 2011 to 2024). 

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Thank you for your message.  In response, and on behalf of the Hiiona Marae Trustees and Beneficiaries, please receive the content of this letter in its entirety.

 

Background for the Years in question 2011-2024, including the years 2008-2011

 

Hiiona Marae Trustees, 2020 to the Present Day:

• AGM held Jun 2019 at the Marae - the election of new trustees as ordered by Judge Milroy, and held prior to proceeding with the business of the AGM, was facilitated by the Māori Land Court ("MLC").

• The Beneficiaries elected 9 trustees, but the MLC subsequently appointed and registered only 7 trustees: Tohu Martin (Maatini), aka. Adrian Martin, aka. "Nug" (Chair); Chris Katipa (Dep-Chair); Ari Keegan (Secretary); Kiel Katipa, Boyd Katipa (Jnr), Jaydon-Lee Walker; and Te Puāwai Martin.

• The applications of the other 2 elected trustees in Jun 2019, who were former trustees of the marae from 2011 to 2015, were not accepted by the MLC.  

• The said 7 Trustees, hereafter referred to in this letter as the "current trustees" took over in Mar 2020.

• Therefore, as the current trustees, we have been in office for 4 years as at Mar 2024.

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• AGM, held Oct 2020 at the Don Llewellyn Sports Pavillion, Hamilton - the Agenda included, among other listed items of business, the Annual Report (i.e., Chair Report & Financial Statements) for the Year ended 31 Mar 2020, which was approved by the Beneficiaries present and voting.

 

• AGM held Dec 2022 at the Marae - the Agenda included, among other listed items of business, the Annual Reports for the Year Ended 31 Mar 2021, and the Year Ended 31 Mar 2022, which were both approved by the Beneficiaries present and voting.  

• Year Ended Mar 2021 (from 1 Apr 2020 to 31 Mar 2021) was the shutdown of NZ due to COVID-19.

• Year Ended Mar 2022 (from 1 Apr 2021 to 31 Mar 2022) was the aftermath of COVID-19 variants, hence the AGM (as above) which presented two Annual Reports.  

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• AGM held Apr 2023 at the Marae & Elections of the Te Nehenehenui & Ngā Marae Tōpū Representatives of Hiiona Marae

• Ari Keegan & Mariana Papa were elected to represent the interests of the Marae in Te Whare Waiwaiā, one of 7 Whare of the Te Nehenehenui Settlement Trust.

• Robin & Rita Whanga were elected to represent the interests of the Marae on Ngā Marae Tōpū.

• Robin Whanga passed away in Sep 2023.  The current trustees co-opted Rodney Whanga to replace his father, and for the time being, Ari Keegan will stand in for Rita as an interim representative.

• The Agenda included a Year to Date (YTD) Chair Report and Finance Report for the Year Ended Mar 2023, which was approved by the Beneficiaries present and voting. 

• At the time, preparation of the Annual Statements by our Chartered Accountants for that financial period was still in progress.  These were subsequently sent via email to all the email addresses recorded on the Attendance Register.      

 

Ms. Hunt, your name is not recorded on the Attendance Register for each of the above AGMs. If a quorum is present and voting at every meeting, especially the AGMs, those who are not present will accept that decisions will be made in your absence.  The current trustees have material copies of all our Annual Reports.  You will have the opportunity to read these at the next AGM. 

 

The next AGM is set down for Sunday, 27 October 2024, to be held at the Marae, commencing 10.30am.  The Agenda will include a resolution to approve the Annual Report for the Year Ended 31 Mar 2024.  

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Hiiona Marae Former Trustees, 2015 to 2019

• Former Trustees: Judy Semenoff (Chair); Eddie Elliott (Snr); Kylie Walker; Terehia (Teresa) Elliott; and Tohu Martin (Maatini) aka. Adrian Martin, aka. "Nug."

• Please refer to these former trustees for the financial records of the marae for this 5-year period.

• Of these former trustees, only Nug was re-elected at the Jun 2019 AGM (discussed above).

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Ms. Hunt, as mentioned above, the current trustees did not take office until Mar 2020.  Regardless, we instructed our Accountants to prepare the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 Mar 2020, which was included in the Annual Report presented at the AGM held Oct 2020, and approved by the Beneficiaries present and voting.   

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Hiiona Marae Former Trustees, 2011 to 2015

• Former Trustees: Tamati Tata (Chair); Annette Tata; Alvy Tata-Hohepa; Lisa Kiri; Nathan Whanga; and Rodney Whanga.

• Please refer to these former trustees  for the financial records of the marae for this 5-year period.

• As mentioned above, the applications to be registered as trustees by two of these former trustees, who were elected at the Jun 2019 AGM, were not accepted by the MLC.  

• Why? These former trustees were asked, via the MLC, to account for and/or recover approximately $65,000 of marae funds for the 5-year period in question.

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Ms. Hunt, there is as an application process in the MLC, pursuant to the 1993 Te Ture Whenua Māori Act, which enables any one or more beneficiaries to lodge a formal Inquiry into the Administration of Māori Land vested by the MLC in the registered trustees, for example, of a Māori Reservation otherwise known as a Marae.  The Hiiona Marae Trustees are responsible for the Administration of Māori Land, a Marae, which is registered in the MLC as Waiwhakaata 3E 4C Lot 2A. 

 

Should the former trustees (Judy Semenoff & Committee) from 2015 to 2019 (as above) not provide the financial records to Beneficiaries, such as yourself, you have the ability to invoke the application process in the MLC seeking an Inquiry into the Administration of the Marae, citing the lack of financial records by these former trustees for their 5-year tenure as trustees.   

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Should the former trustees (Tamati Tata & Committee) from 2011 to 2015 (as above) not provide the financial records to Beneficiaries, such as yourself, you have the ability to invoke the application process in the MLC seeking an Inquiry into the Administration of the Marae, citing the lack of financial records by these former trustees for their 5-year tenure as trustees. 

 

We inform you that Beneficiaries invoked a similar process in 2019, opposing the applications of the two former trustees from 2011 to 2015, and any future applications from the other former trustees for this 5-year period, until they have accounted for and/or recovered $65,000 (approx.) of marae funds. 

Furthermore, whilst we have the ability as the current trustees to continue pursuing this matter against the former trustees, Tamati Tata & Committee, we were strongly advised by our Marae Projects Coordinator and trusted Advisor, not to do this, as it would only give rise to more dissension among the wider Whānau.  Instead, we were encouraged to focus on our future, and work with our Rangatahi for the benefit of their tamariki (our mokopuna), as a necessary means to uphold and protect the mana motuhake of Ngāti Pourāhui and our future generations hereafter.     ​

 

Request by the Hiiona Marae Trustees (Current) for Copies of the Financial Records of the Waiwhakaata Farm Trust for the Period from 2011 to 2023

 

Ms. Hunt, on behalf of the Beneficiaries of Hiiona Marae, who are also Beneficiaries/Shareholders of the Waiwhakaata Farm Trust, the current marae trustees hereby request, by way of this formal letter, copies of the financial records of the Waiwhakaata Farm Trust ("WFT") for the last 13 years. 

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The rationale underpinning our request is that Annette Tata, one of the former marae trustees from 2011 to 2015, is a registered trustee, responsible alongside James Pinfold (Chair), Josh Hohepa, Maude Walker, and Corrina Hunt, aka. Rina Hunt (yourself), who are also registered trustees responsible for the administration of Māori Land, otherwise known as the WFT.

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We have also been informed that Tamati Tata and/or Alvy Tata-Hohepa, the Chair and Secretary of the former marae trustees from 2011 to 2015, were registered trustees of the WFT.  Be that as it may, the standing of Annette Tata, Tamati Tata and/or Alvy Tata-Hohepa as registered trustees in the Māori Land Court on behalf of the Beneficiaries/Shareholders of the WFT are of particular interest to us. 

 

We reiterate that the former trustees of the marae from 2011 to 2015, Tamati Tata & Committee, are yet to account for and recover the sum of $65,000 (approx.), the factual evidence of which, was submitted to the MLC in Nov 2019, before Judge Milroy.  Should Mrs. Tata, Mr. Tata, and Mrs. Alvy Tata-Hohepa wish to pursue this matter, they are advised to seek clarity, not from us, but from the MLC. 

 

Furthermore, we request that copies of the relevant financial records of the WFT from 2011 to 2023 are provided to us a week prior to our next AGM on 27 Oct 2024.  Should this not occur, we intend to include on the AGM Agenda, a resolution proposing that we, on behalf of the Beneficiaries of Hiiona Marae, most of whom, are also Beneficiaries/Shareholders of the WFT, to invoke the application process of the MLC, for an Inquiry into the Administration of the WFT, citing the lack of financial records.

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Ms. Hunt, given your request for advice as to how you can access the financial records of the Marae Trust for the last 13 years, to which we believe we have responded adequately, we trust that you, too, will agree that we, on behalf of the Beneficiaries of Hiiona Marae, are also deserving of a similar response from you and your WFT Trustees Committee, to our request for copies of your financial records.  

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We note for the record that a copy of this letter will be included in the documentation to be submitted to the MLC along with our application, should our Beneficiaries determine at the next AGM, that a formal inquiry into the administration of the WFT, is necessary. 

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly and/or our Secretary, Ari Keegan, should you require further clarification regarding the content of this letter or any additional information.  We appreciate your understanding and look forward to hearing from you, please, at your earliest convenience.

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Kia tau iho mai te korowai manākitanga o te Atua ki runga i a koe, i a koutou katoa ko tō whānau.
 

Paimārire.

 

​Signed this 26th day of August 2024, on behalf of the Hiiona Marae Trustees & Beneficiaries

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