- Re: And So it Begins- once upon a time nz had a mohaka river....... Archived Message
Posted by Tinman
on 22/3/2012, 9:25 am, in reply to "And So it Begins"
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taken from stuff.co.nz - dom post ...A Hawke's Bay iwi is applying for customary title to a stretch of coastline, but says public access to beaches will not be blocked. Ngati Pahauwera, with Te Rarawa in the Far North, is the first to seek title under the new Marine and Coastal Area Act – under which they need to prove exclusive and continual use of the foreshore since 1840. The Hawke's Bay iwi has begun talks with Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson, having earlier prepared evidence for a Treaty claim and Maori Land Court case. Its claim covers the coast from the Waihua River, about 15km west of Wairoa town, to 10km southwest to the Waikari River. The larger Mohaka River flows in between these two. "A lot of this coast is just cliffs," iwi spokesman Toro Waaka said yesterday. "We wouldn't block the coast for walkers or fishers." However, some vehicle access might be restricted because people had been using the tracks to dump rubbish or hoon around in cars or on motorbikes, Mr Waaka said. There had been a lot of misrepresentation about the customary title issue, with claims that Maori would block public access to the coast, he said. The area was sparsely populated, with only a few farmhouses, mainly along the rivers. It included some areas of wahi tapu or other special significance. "Our main concern has always been protection," Mr Waaka said. "We learnt early on, with regard to the Mohaka River, that if you don't own it you have no say. We just want to have a say in development and sustainability." The iwi was concerned about issues such as the degradation of the Mohaka River, petroleum exploration and fishing. Originally, Ngati Pahauwera territory extended south nearly to Napier but it had lost a lot of land through colonisation and incursions by other tribes, Mr Waaka said. Now the iwi has 80 hapu and more than 7000 registered members. It would prefer to settle the issue by negotiation but would go to court if necessary, he said. Last December, Ngati Pahauwera settled its Treaty claim with the Crown, receiving an apology for past injustices and assets worth about $70 million, including the 15,485hectare Mohaka Forest, two farms and a block of DOC land. Apart from developing for sale what else is there??? scarey huh! |
Link: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/5158014/Hawkes-Bay-iwi-in-coast-claim