Heritage NZ seeks plan to protect pa¯ site
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga has weighed into a long-running access rights battle at a historic pa¯ site in Taranaki.
The Crown agency – and regulator – says fragile archaeological remains at Hauranga Pa¯, near Oakura, are being damaged by mountain bikers, walkers and joggers criss-crossing the Weld Rd Coastal Reserve. It wants a management plan created to protect the pa¯ site.
Hauranga Pa¯ is situated on both freehold Ma¯ori land and a New Plymouth District Council-managed reserve about 17km southwest of the city.
Weld Rd reserve is popular with beachgoers, surfers and people using the Oakura Coast Trail – which traverses part of the pa¯ site captured inside the coastal reserve.
Nga¯ti Tairi hapu¯ chairman Keith Manukonga said the issue was straightforward – the entire pa¯ site was considered wa¯hi tapu and council signage already asked people not to cross it.
‘‘It was a hill pa¯ occupied by people and, yeah, people are buried on it. Just because it’s Crown land doesn’t mean you can do what you want to it.
‘‘We want the pa¯ protected, to put a walkway over it is only going to save, like, six seconds rather than walking around on the sand at the base of it.’’
The Oakura Coast Trail is electrical engineer and film-maker Clive Neeson’s baby. Neeson said over the past 35 years community enthusiasts had removed weeds and planted hundreds of trees while the council had built bridges and laid cycle track.
He said not being able to negotiate a way around Hauranga Pa¯ would compromise the whole 10km long trail.
‘‘Blocking off that link, for whatever reason, means that people have to go via the ocean, which most seniors can’t do.
And in fact for most of the summer the river comes up and blocks it off anyway, as it is now blocked off by piles of driftwood and so on, so really that stymies the whole project.’’
Neeson believed a boardwalk would prevent damage on the hill, but he was also open to a cycleway around the foreshore. But he feared people would still scale the hill regardless.
Heritage New Zealand wants the district council to create a management plan for Hauranga Pa¯ in accordance with an October archaeological report.
The district council said in a statement that it took its role as guardian of the reserve seriously.
It said it was running a survey over the summer to gather the views of residents and those who visit the reserve to help shape the next steps to protect the area and enable access to the beach.