I want to acknowledge the beautiful lands, the rohe centred on the inland Waitara River valley, east to the Whanganui River and its tributaries, and west to Mount Taranaki. We know that for generations, this land was where Ngāti Maru cultivated fertile soils and got resources from the area's forests, rivers, and wetlands. We also know that Ngāti Maru were not involved in the land dealings which led to the war in Taranaki in 1860 and were not directly involved in the subsequent fighting. Despite this, when the Crown confiscated huge tracts of Taranaki land to punish so-called rebels, approximately half of the traditional lands of Ngāti Maru were included. Many of your sacred cultural sites were taken and some have never been returned. The extensive loss of Ngāti Maru lands impacted so significantly, eroding tribal structures, creating severe poverty, and damaging the physical, cultural, and spiritual health of so many generations of Ngāti Maru people. 