Iwi hopes land swap will call whānau home
Rı¯ana Te Uira White believes the return of 120 hectares of tūpuna land to north Taranaki iwi Ngāti Tama will call her people home.
White travelled from Rotorua to Ngāti Tama’s Pukearuhe Marae, near Urenui, to witness the land titles being handed over.
The site, on the map as Gilbert Rd, is down the end of Pukearuhe Rd, past the marae.
The iwi swapped 20ha that Waka Kotahi needed for Te Ara o Te Ata: Mt Messenger Bypass project in return for the area, which has significant wāhi tapu and pa sites.
The swap will also give the iwi access to Treaty settlement land that had been landlocked by privately owned farms.
The deal with Waka Kotahi comes with a pest management scheme the iwi will run around the bypass route, and a $7.7 million cultural mitigation payment.
As a descendant of Ngāti Tama’s ancestor Tama Ariki, it was very important to be on the marae to see the title deeds handed over on Monday, White said.
‘‘The return of land also brings about the return of descendants. As tangata whenua, if we don’t have land who are we? Overall, the objective is to get our descendants home.’’
And that was the case at the handover, with whānau coming from the South Island, Wellington and the central North Island, which was a ‘‘good indicator’’ that the objective was starting to be met, White said.
‘‘Many of us are scattered.’’ Poutama Whiria, a cutting tool used to carve out the Tokomaru waka that brought their ancestors to Aotearoa around the 12th century, was found on the returned land in the early 20th century.
Poutama Whiria is looked after by Puke Ariki Museum, but had a place of honour during the handover proceedings.
The returned area has been renamed Ngarautika by Ngāti Tama kuia Hurimoana Haami, who hopes that one day the name will officially replace Gilbert Rd on the map. Ngarautika was the name of the old pa site.
Te Manawaroa o Ngāti Tama Charitable Trust chair Jamie Tuuta said most of Ngāti Tama’s land was confiscated.
‘‘So there was a catch cry: I riri whenua atu, me hoki whenua mai. As land was taken, so land should be given back.’’
The 120ha provides an opportunity for Ngāti Tama to reconnect with the land.
‘‘It’s both symbolic, and from a practical standpoint there’s huge benefit. This whole area was occupied by Ngāti Tama. It’s the land of an old pa site, so it has historic significance, but it’s also relevant today,’’ Tuuta said.
‘‘Having land back gives the ability of whānau to live and breathe who they are, Ngāti Tama. It’s hard to do that when you don’t have land.’’
Waka Kotahi project manager for Te Ara o Te Ata: Mt Messenger Bypass project Chris Nally said he had been working with the iwi quite closely for three years.
‘‘I’ve come to see just how important that piece of land is.
‘‘I like to think this project is a good example of how it can be done in the future when working with an iwi partner.’’
Waka Kotahi had started building a compound at the southern end of the route and was also building access points, he said. ‘‘Once the weather is better, October, we’ll be full on into it.’’
Building the bypass should take just over four years and while the cost is estimated at $280m, rising prices could affect the bottom line, Nally said.