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Chris McKeen / Stuff
Te Kawerau ā Maki have acquired ancestral lands in Te Henga / Bethells Beach where they can build a marae (File photo).
The Auckland-based Te Kawerau ā Maki iwi eventually acquired land at Te Henga / Bethells Beach to build a marae and kāinga whakahirahira (settlement of importance).
Te Kawerau ā Maki has been without formal marae and papakāinga since the mid-20th century, when ownership of their last remaining lands in Waiti (Te Henga) was transferred.
But in association with the Auckland Council and a member of the original Bethells family of settlers, they have acquired ancestral lands.
The search for suitable land for a Te Kawerau marae dates back to the early 1990s, and negotiations on its transfer to the iwi date back to 2007, when the former Waitākere City Council acquired the land for this purpose.
Ihumātao activists say they are relieved and eager to rest after the government bought the disputed land in South Auckland.
The president of Te Kawerau ā Maki, Te Warena Taua, said that obtaining land in Te Henga for a new farm marked a significant milestone for the future of the people and a return to their ancestral papakāinga.
“This is the culmination of years of work by our kaumātua and kuia, whom we recognize today.”
Edward Ashby, director of Te Kawerau Iwi Holdings, said that the construction of the new marae and papakāinga within the heart of the tribe was crucial to the social and cultural rebirth of the iwi.
“We see the reestablishment of our marae and kāinga here as a project of the highest cultural importance,” he said.
Chris McKeen / Stuff
Te Kawerau ā Maki President Te Warena Taua said that obtaining land in Te Henga marked an important milestone for the future of the people (File photo).
“We have continued to fulfill our duty as custodians of our ancestral whenua in Hikurangi / Waitākere, including in the fight against the collapse of the forest and the extinction of the kauri, and this development provides an axis and tūrangawaewae for our people.
“The design of our eco-marae will be part of broader aspirations to raise the mana and mauri of the iwi and the Waitākere ranges, and to embrace the community of Te Henga and the west coast.”
Ashby said initial steps included the former Waitākere City Council, led by Mayor Sir Bob Harvey, securing the land for marae purposes, its zoning as a Maori Purpose Zone in the Auckland Unitary Plan in 2016, and the Auckland Council resolving to transfer the land in 2018 led by then-Auckland West Councilors Penny Hulse, Linda Cooper and Ross Clow, as well as the Waitākere Ranges Local Board.
“Acquiring the title now allows us to seriously move toward refining our design, preparing to seek consent from resources and begin raising funds for construction.”
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff welcomed the land transfer.
“I recognize the long journey to reach this milestone and I also look to the future,” he said.
“Te Kawerau ā Maki will now be able to reestablish a marae, and we hope this land transfer will mean a closer link between the Auckland Council and the iwi.”
Auckland Council Executive Director Jim Stabback described the signing of the agreement as a “hugely significant moment.”
