Ancestral lands taken under the Public Works Act was the crux of a claim presented to the Waitangi Tribunal in relation to the Kaikohe Aerodrome and former railway line.
Ron Wihongi was the elder who recently protested over the former railway line also taken under the Public Works Act. It hasn't been returned to the original owners but is now being promoted as a cycleway for tourists.
He is a lead claimant in this case and says, “It was a deceitful move taking the land for military purposes and then use it for commercial purposes, and that shows the ignorance of both the council and the Crown.”