Waikato Regional Theatre redesign to avoid sacred site

Waikato Regional Theatre Trust will challenge a decision by Heritage New Zealand Ma¯ ori Council after it declined part of the trust’s application to destroy an ancient urupa.

The decision, which was made during the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, will be mediated at the Environment Court later this month.

The council granted permission for the remainder of the construction. The point of contention centres on a historic burial ground Hua o te Atua Urupa¯ in the southeastern corner of the former Hamilton Hotel site on Victoria Street, where the new 1300-seat theatre is due to open in 2022.

Momentum Waikato, which is leading the theatre project on behalf of the trust, has changed the rejected design of the complex to protect the urupa¯ .

Since developments for the theatre began in 2018, Momentum Waikato has consulted with Te Haa O Te Whenua Kirikiriroa, which represents all five ha¯ pu in Hamilton.

The site of the historic urupa¯ is in an area once inhabited by local ha¯ pu Nga¯ ti Wairere before the land was confiscated during the New Zealand Land Wars.

Nga¯ Mana Toopu is the representative group of Nga¯ ti Wairere and opposed the original design, pointing out the impact on the urupa¯ . The original development plans involved building an open-air courtyard deck and access ramp over the urupa¯ .

The ruling by the council noted that no evidence was produced in the application to confirm that there are no human burials within the identified area of Hua o Te Atua Urupa¯ .

The Trust had argued that the development should be allowed because the majority of the urupa would not undergo any earthworks, but the council disagreed stating that the removal of 9m x 9m area of an urupa was not considered a minimal disturbance.

In its decision, the council said: ‘‘The construction of the courtyard deck, ramp, and drainage work all have the potential to cause the destruction of individual human grave sites and, cumulatively, will impact significantly on the integrity of the whole urupa¯ .’’

Robert Bidois, a spokesman for Te Haa, said he had been part of the advisory group since 2018. Efforts were made to preserve the area in question during the application process.

Changes to the design made since the original plan was submitted were supported by Te Haa and Nga¯ Mana Toopu.

Nga¯ Mana Toopu spokesman Boris Samujh said the group became part of the consultation process in February 2020 to ensure the preservation of urupa¯ site.

Samujh said elderly leaders within the ha¯ pu were not aware of the build when they were informed in June this year, despite a Nga¯ ti Wairere spokesperson speaking out about the issue in November 2019.

Momentum Waikato chief executive Kelvyn Eglinton said they had worked diligently with both groups to remedy the situation.

Since the ruling, Momentum had gone back to the drawing board and made adjustments to the design which would see no impact on the urupa¯ at all.