A nation-wide media awareness campaign began on Thursday, 11 November to remind Ngāpuhi everywhere about Tūhoronuku.

From April 2011 Tūhoronuku will be seeking mandate from Ngāpuhi throughout Aotearoa-New Zealand and into Australia to begin negotiating a comprehensive Treaty settlement with the Crown.

The awareness campaign will include advertising on Maori Television (Native Affairs); online advertising on the New Zealand Herald and Northern Advocate websites, and print advertising in community newspapers and magazines. (See attached online advertisement.)

Tūhoronuku is hapu-driven, acts through appointed representatives and includes Ngāpuhi irrespective of where they reside.

Said Lorraine Toki, Tūhoronuku Project Manager: “The purpose of the media awareness campaign is to raise the profile of our website www.Tūhoronuku.com where Ngāpuhi can find out more about our settlement process and how Ngāpuhi can participate.

“These are exciting and challenging times for Ngāpuhi. We need to do it once, do it right and move forward.”

Ngāpuhi leader Raniera (Sonny)Tau said Tūhoronuku had given its commitment that communications and advertising will be stepped up for the important mandate process, so that all Ngāpuhi – no matter where they live – have an opportunity to participate in this historic event.”

Said Mr Tau: “Ngāpuhi was the first tribe to sign the Treaty, and it is now time for us to settle and benefit culturally, socially, economically and politically. We want Ngāpuhi to be restored to its rightful place of prominence in our nation”.