Battler helping right wrongs for good of future generations
He has worked for decades to fix past injustices. And Paul Morgan also has an eye on the future, helping develop land for future economic and social wellbeing.
Now, Wakatū Incorporation chairman Te Poa (Paul) Karoro Reginald Morgan has been honoured as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
He is one of just 14 people receiving the honour this year. Morgan, from Tahunanui, received the accolade for his services to Mā ori and business.
The New Year 2023 honours list praised Morgan for his work helping iwi reclaim ancestral land.
For more than 30 years the Ngā ti Rā rua and Te Mā hurehure leader has dedicated himself to seeking restitution associated with the
Nelson Tenths and Occupation Lands. The land in question was purchased during settlement in the 1840s and supposed to be reserved for Mā ori, but never was.
The honours list said Morgan’s efforts included years of research and travel nationwide to engage with families affected.
The claim was settled in 2017 when the Supreme Court recognised the Crown owed legally binding duties to Mā ori landowners, independently of the Treaty of Waitangi or statute.
Despite the 2017 settlement, some legal wranglings have continued.
The Supreme Court determined the Crown had a duty to reserve this land for the benefit of the customary owners, but questions of liability, loss and remedy were unresolved.
Since the Supreme Court decision, efforts have been made to seek a moratorium preventing any sale of land held by Crown entities and agents, and state-owned enterprises. And as reported in September, Morgan has been prominent in ongoing efforts to remedy the situation.
Morgan’s contributions have extended beyond the Nelson Tenths and Occupation Lands.
He was recipient of the Tohu mō te Kaiā rahi Whakahaere Mā ori, Mā ori Governance Award in 2019.
That accolade was bestowed during that year’s University of Auckland Aotearoa Mā ori Business Leaders Awards.
“Under Paul’s leadership, Wakatū has adopted an ambitious values-based intergenerational strategy that spans 500 years — Te Pae Tawhiti,” the university said at the time.
“He has been closely involved with a range of Mā ori rights and interests issues involving natural resources, including fishing, aquaculture and forestry,” Wakatū Incorporation said on its website.
“In particular, he has been a strong advocate for Mā ori land owners and Mā ori business.” Wakatū Incorporation said Morgan had experience as a director and in governance roles in the public and private sectors across agribusiness, property, science, innovation, entrepreneurial startups and business generally.
Morgan has been alternative director of nutraceutical company Anagenix since 2011.
And he has been director and chairman of vertically integrated, family-owned Mā ori food and beverage producer Kono New Zealand LP since 2011.
He is also director, chair and member of organisations and initiatives including the Asia New Zealand Foundation and the New Zealand China Council.
Morgan was appointed a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order in 2010 for services to Mā ori business and Mā ori, and last year, Morgan was one of nine business leaders inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.