“Aotearoa is Māori land. All of it is Māori land, and there are pockets of Māori land that must be protected.”
That from Qiane Matata-Sipu of Makaurau Marae following the government’s announcement of $30m to resolve the long-simmering dispute of the Ōtuataua stonefields in the south-west of Auckland city.
Yesterday a resolution was signed between the Kiingitanga, the Crown and Auckland Council, to settle a dispute that lasted almost all of 2020.
According to Housing Minister Megan Woods the land must be used for housing. Nothing has been decided yet but Matata-Sipu says the whenua will be put into a "trust of sorts while we establish a rōpū whakahaere and that rōpū whakahaere will steer the future of the whenua.”
“There are a few steps in the process that we still need to undertake and so while this secures the whenua now and stops the immediate threat of such a huge development on our whenua taurikura.”
This is a big settlement between the government and Fletcher Building, and according to Te Ahiwaru of Makaurau marae, the iwi is are just grateful the issue has been addressed.
According to Natalie Ngaha, co-chair of Te Ahiwaru Trust, “It is a huge relief for us because it’s been a long time coming and our whānau have been fighting for so long for us to be able to get to this point.”
Ngāti Tahinga Wilson, who is spokesperson for the Te Ahiwaru Trust says they are grateful for the intervention by the Kiingitanga.
“It is correct that, without the Kiingitanga it would have been difficult to get this done. Not impossible, but it would have been difficult.”
Furthermore, according to Matatā-Sipu, she has no concerns about the people who are against this agreement.
In the coming months, all relevant parties will discuss a path forward, Tūmamao Harawira. Te Ao Mārama