‘Killing the community’
The Ma¯ ori Council is calling for an inquiry into the Kaiko¯ura rebuild and is backing a community group calling for the halt of new work on State Highway 1.
The New Zealand Ma¯ ori Council has called for an end to the emergency provisions enacted after the Kaiko¯ ura earthquake in 2016, which require ‘‘little or no consultation for new works’’.
Ma¯ ori Council executive director Matthew Tukaki said he was asked to intervene after being told the ongoing construction was ‘‘killing the heart and soul’’ of the community. ‘‘The question is, has this project gone well above what it should have done?’’
After meeting with Minister for Transport Phil Twyford and community group Protect Our Unique Kaiko¯ ura (POU) in October, the Ma¯ ori Council detailed its concerns saying it believed the recovery alliance, the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR), was ‘‘acting outside of the spirit and scope of the emergency provisions’’.
‘‘There is no doubt that what has been achieved is an engineering marvel. But it was not meant to be an engineering marvel – it was meant to ensure that the community could continue living their lives, in some ways, as if nothing had happened.’’
A letter from Tukaki to Twyford said the ongoing construction work was having ‘‘negative impacts on the well-being of the entire community who continue to be shut out of decisions with illegitimate references to the emergency legislation’’.
A spokesman for Twyford said he was ‘‘considering their letter and would reply in due course’’.
Tukaki has concerns the construction of ‘‘unnecessary’’ barriers meant Ma¯ ori have been denied customary rights in accessing kaimoana and sites of cultural significance.
He has called for an inquiry into whether works along the coastal strip fell outside the work approved. This includes the shared user path and the road realignment at Half Moon Bay.
The community was ‘‘deeply concerned’’ this was a case of ‘‘build now and ask permission later’’. Tukaki called for an ‘‘audit and internal inquiry’’ into NCTIR’S budget to ensure it was not a case of contractors seeking payment for work that was not needed or was not approved.
Protect Our Unique Kaiko¯ ura coast leader Sharon Raynor, of Nga¯ ti Kurı¯, said it was grateful for initial works and the reopening of SH1, but it had continued beyond what was necessary. The collective formed in 2019 from mana whenua, surfers, divers, farmers and fishermen.
‘‘There is concrete through bays and beaches, barred fencing, blocked beach access and nonessential guard rail littering the entire coastline,’’ Raynor said.
‘‘Blocked access to mahinga kai food gathering areas, disregard to our urupa, desecration of a significant cultural talisman, trampling through wahi tapu sites and turning our coastline into a sideshow for tourism.’’