Elders protective of maunga
Ma¯ori elders are determined to protect a Far North sacred mountain identified as a potential site for a new cell tower.
Utakura in the Hokianga is a site earmarked under ‘‘tourism site priorities’’ for the Government’s Mobile Black Spots Fund to increase mobile coverage.
Whakarongorua is a sacred maunga (mountain) for the Hokianga hapu¯ of Te Popoto, Ngahengahe, Nga¯ti Toro, Nga¯ti Pakau, Te Honihoni and Nga¯ti Ra¯hiri, and has been identified as a possible location for a new cell tower near the Pou Herenga Tai – Twin Coast Cycle Trail.
Kauma¯tua (elder) Te Porohau Ruka-Tekorakora said it was the hope and dream of local elders to prevent damage to sacred sites.
The maunga is home to a taniwha of the same name, RukaTekorakora said, with ancestors also buried on the hillside.
‘‘We are opposed to them using our mountain tops and populating them with things which do not belong,’’ he said.
‘‘We are really concerned about them putting a tower on top of our sacred taniwha and bones of our ancestors. We want to tell them [the Government] to back off and allow the wairua [spirit] of the land to remain.’’
Hokianga man Patrick Burling agrees. ‘‘We’ve got to protect it as a special place.
‘‘We are having a meeting and hope they realise there are other options and recognise the significance of the place and that all Nga¯puhi whakapapa [descend] from it. We want everyone to know about the meeting and have their say.’’
Crown Infrastructure spokeswoman Tanya Hansen said that under the Government’s Rural Broadband Initiative and the Mobile Black Spots programme, mobile and broadband coverage to Utakura Valley was proposed to provide broadband to residents and mobile coverage to the cycle trail. In partnership with the Government, Vodafone, Spark and 2degrees, will build 27 new cellular sites in the Far North under the Mobile Black Spots Fund.
These will include ‘‘tourism locations’’ Tane Mahuta, Cape Reinga, Ninety Mile Beach, Kaeo and Takahue by 2020.
Coverage along parts of SH1 near Cape Reinga, and SH15, near Kaikohe are also set to be improved in the next couple of years.