Ihumātao Deal Announced: The Government Will Buy Land For $ 29.9 Million And Hold It In Trust, It Will Be Used For Housing

The Government has reached an agreement with the Maori King, Tūheitia, over the disputed land in Ihumātao, purchasing the property of Fletcher Building for $ 29.9 million and holding it in trust.

The money comes from the Government’s Housing Land Program, as there has been a commitment that there will be housing on the site.

Auckland City Council will hold the land while Kīngitanga leads a process to determine the future of the site, consulting with the site’s mana whenua. This would lead to another process that could take up to five years.

Housing Minister Megan Woods said that all parties had agreed that there would be some housing on the site, along with some form of conservation.

READ MORE:
* Ihumātao: From confiscation to the current campaign for the return of whenua
* Dispute over the land of Ihumātao: initial agreement expected to reach cabinet today
* Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says agreement on Ihumātao is not close

“The exact form it takes will be agreed upon by the He Pūmautanga signatories; It could include housing in Papakainga, housing for mana whenua and some public housing.

“It will be a sensitive development that recognizes the special characteristics of the land,” Woods said.

The deal, made explicitly outside of the Waitangi Treaty process, ends a chapter in a long-term dispute over the land near Auckland Airport, which was once an orchard site for local iwi but was confiscated by the New York government. Zealand in 1863.

It has been the site of continuous protests since the Fletcher Building acquired the site for a housing development.

Fletchers had negotiated with local iwi in 2014 and scaled back the housing project, but protesters claimed the land should be fully surrendered.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the Government would act as a mediator last term, but was unable to move forward on any proposed solutions due to strong opposition from NZ First, which feared an “avalanche of action” would open on the claims of the Waitangi previously resolved.

Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson announced the deal on Thursday.

“The Kīngitanga, the Crown and the Auckland Council have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (He Pūmautanga) that sets out how the parties will work together to decide the future of the land,” said Robertson.

Robertson said there would likely be fewer than the 450 homes that Fletcher Buildings had planned, but he wasn’t sure if that number would ever be feasible.

He was adamant that the “single” agreement would have no implications for the overall Treaty settlement process, as the land had not been part of a Treaty settlement.

Privately owned lands are generally not part of the Treaty settlements.

Kīngitanga spokesman Rahui Papa said that King Tūheitia had given his blessing to the resolution.

“After more than 160 years of alienation from Ihumātao, the descendants of the original owners will reconnect with their whenua.”

The King visited Ihumātao in August last year and offered to facilitate the discussions.

A steering committee has been established to lead the process with two representatives from the Crown, one from the Kīngitanga movement and three from the group occupying the land.

Fletcher Building CEO Ross Taylor said the sale price made the deal practically a breakeven point for the company.

“We thank the Government for the pragmatic way in which they have approached this process. It has not been easy and we recognize his role, “said Taylor.

“We also acknowledge the iwi we interacted with during the consent and proposed master planning of the site. Any plan for the land is now a matter for the Crown and Kiingitanga. “

POSSIBLE POLITICAL RETREAT

The deal is likely to provoke a strong political backlash from National and ACT, who opposed the prime minister intervening in the dispute.

National finance spokesman Michael Woodhouse said taxpayers were paying for the government’s bungling of a land dispute.

“Taxpayers are not a bank to call in to clean up bad government decisions, particularly when it interferes with private property rights,” Woodhouse said.

“The Prime Minister should never have been involved in the Ihumātao dispute and taxpayers should not bail her out now.”

“The ramifications of this deal with Crown go far beyond the missed opportunity to build houses right away. It will call into question all final and full treaty agreements and set a dangerous precedent for other land occupations, such as Shelly Bay in Wellington. “

“More than 20,000 Kiwi families are on the waiting list for a home this Christmas. The government shouldn’t spend $ 30 million to stop the construction of 480 much-needed homes right now. “

ACT leader David Seymour said Ardern was interfering with private property rights.

“If you own land and someone occupies it, the prime minister will not defend your property rights, she will use taxpayers’ money to buy the land from you,” Seymour said earlier this week.

“The prime minister’s job is to respect the law, and nothing but private property rights. Instead, it has mocked the legal framework that was designed with the Maori and has worked so effectively to correct the mistakes of the past. “