June 12, 2018
Council paves way for Te Kawerau a Maki marae
Te Kawerau a Maki’s hopes for a marae in its ancestral heartland territory have come a step closer.
Auckland Council’s environment and community has agreed to ask the Minister of Conservation to revoke a reserve classification from land on Bethells Rd, Te Henga the iwi wants to develop as a marae and papakainga.
The revocation would remove compliance costs and enable Te Kawerau a Maki to obtain commercial funding, if this was needed.
The matter now goes to next week’s finance and performance committee to consider the disposal of the land to the tribe.
Te Kawerau a Maki and the former Waitakere City Council identified Te Henga as the preferred marae site in 1995 as it was near its ancestral village at Waiti.
The council bought the 2.6 hectare block in 2009, but the iwi rejected the option of occupying it by lease.
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