Photo: Supplied

Years of Treaty settlement negotiations came to a close at Parliament on Thursday as Whanganui hapΕ« representatives initialled He Rau Tukutuku, the Deed of Settlement with the Crown.

Lead negotiator Ken Mair said the ceremony marked a major milestone in a "long and tiring" Treaty settlement journey.

"It closes a chapter of the negotiations, but not the journey," he told those gathered at Parliament.

"For generations now, ngā hapū o Whanganui (the sub-tribes of Whanganui) have carried the weight of history on our shoulders. The journey has not been easy. At times it has been deeply painful."

Mair said the settlement would not erase the hurt nor restore all that had been lost, but offered a pathway to rebuild what had been fractured.

"Clay

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