The Ahuriri story very much mirrors the Māori story right around the country. Ahuriri wanted a partnership with the Crown, but the Crown repeatedly broke its word and breached its obligations under the Treaty. They did not, like many other iwi and hapū, receive the ongoing benefits from European settlement that the Crown had promised. In 1851 they agreed to sell the Ahuriri block for the price that the Crown offered. After Ahuriri Hapū did agree to sell the block, the Crown failed to ensure that adequate reserves were protected in their ownership. 