New Zealand: Government signs Maori land deal 282 2008-07-04T01:00:00+01:00 1215126000 3423 12 en_en 3 <p>The New Zealand government has signed an historic deal to hand over a large area of forest land to seven Maori tribes.<br /><br />The settlement transfers 435,000 acres (176,000 hectares) of forest in the central North Island to the Maori. The agreement is the largest single deal between the government and Maori tribes.<br /><br />Hundreds of Maori witnessed the signing of the agreement in the New Zealand parliament. Maori paramount chief Tumu Te HeuHeu said the objective was to provide tribes with &lsquo;a strong, durable and sustainable economic future&rsquo;.<br /><br /></p> 1215189073 3423 0 0 2008-07-04T01:00:00+01:00 The New Zealand government has signed an historic deal to hand over a large area of forest land to seven Maori tribes. 0 3 3423 -1 2008-07-04T18:31:13+01:00