This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7882775.stm

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
New Zealand signs Maori land deal New Zealand Maori win haka fight
(about 3 hours later)
The New Zealand government has agreed to pay NZ$300m (US$157m, £108m) to eight Maori tribes to settle grievances dating back more than 150 years. The New Zealand government has agreed to acknowledge Maori ownership of the haka war dance used by the national rugby team, the All Blacks.
The tribes say they were victims of illegal land seizures and breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi. The agreement comes after protracted negotiations between the government and a several Maori tribes seeking compensation for historic grievances.
This was the agreement on land and human rights reached by British settlers and indigenous people in 1840. Millions of dollars are being paid in a comprehensive settlement.
The government also acknowledged Maori authorship of the Haka, the war dance used by the All Blacks rugby team. The move follows concerns the Ka Mate haka, known to rugby fans world-wide, was being commercially exploited.
The tribes involved have some 12,000 members and will receive about half the amount in cash and the rest in rents from government-owned forests and greenhouse gas emission credits. In 2006, an advertisement for Fiat cars featured Italian women doing a version of the haka.
Haka The challenge has also featured in a cinema film about rugby called Forever Strong.
The Maori chief Te Rauparaha was recognised as the originator of the Haka, written to celebrate his escape from death in a battle in the 1820s. The government has now agreed that the Ka Mate haka belongs to a Maori tribe, the Ngati Toa.
Its chief, Te Rauparaha, was recognised as the originator of the haka, written to celebrate his escape from death in a battle in the 1820s.
What exactly is a haka?What exactly is a haka?
This places ownership of the Haka in his Ngati Toa tribe. Cash settlement
The government has also acknowledged that he was detained without trial in 1846 for 18 months. Wider grievances, dating back more than 150 years, are also part of the settlement, with the government distributing NZ$300m (US$157m, £108m) to eight Maori tribes.
Concerns have grown recently at the inappropriate use of the Haka for commercial purposes. The eight tribes comprise some 12,000 members and will receive about half the amount in cash and the rest in rents from government-owned forests and greenhouse gas emission credits.
In 2006, an advertisement for Fiat cars featured an Italian woman doing a version of the Haka; it was also used repeatedly in the Hollywood movie Forever Strong. Maori make up around 15% of New Zealand's 4.3 million population.
Land They say they have been the victims of illegal land seizures and breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi, which was agreed between British settlers and indigenous people in 1840.
The deal settles three big claims of land from the bottom half of the North Island and the top of the South Island. One Maori negotiator said this latest settlement would never make up for what had been taken but would provide a resource for the future.
Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples said the agreement was a huge step forward.
It involved gathering people together, researching the history, identifying the issues and preparing claims, appointing negotiators and securing a mandate, dealing with neighbours and sorting through overlapping interests, he said.
Maori make up around 15% of New Zealand's 4.3 million population, but are at the bottom of most social indicators.