Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu Act 1996 Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu (TRONT) was established by the tribe in time to receive money from the Government for compensation related to its Waitangi Tribunal claim. It disestablished Te Runanganui o Ngai Tahu that had been set up by the tribe but which had no legal standing. It also dissolved the Ngaitahu Maori Trust Board that had been established (along with other Trust Boards throughout the country) in 1955 by the Government to ensure that the tribe�s affairs were managed correctly. Ngai Tahu had always felt that the Trust Board was not in the tribe�s best interest because it had to gain the approval of the Government to spend more than $200. The Board was legally accountable to the government rather than the members of the tribe � hardly consistent with the principles of equal partnership enshrined in the Treaty. With TRONT established, the tribe is a legal identity which enabled the tribe�s funds to be managed and distributed to tribal members. |