Hapu, iwi clash on Rena's fate

Military personnel pictured at work to remove oil from Papamoa Beach after the container ship MV Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef off the coast of Tauranga on the morning of October 5 2011. The ship eventually broke up in January 2012 and the salvage operation continues. Photo / Alan Gibson

A Tauranga hapu has spoken out against its iwi's decision to no longer oppose a proposal to leave the Rena on the Astrolabe reef.

Peri Kohu of Judea-based hapu Ngaitamarawaho, a constituent of Ngati Ranginui, said the hapu would continue to support Motiti Island's Ngau Te Hapu/Te Patuwai's bid to have the Rena removed from the Astrolabe Reef even though Ngati Ranganui leaders had withdrawn their opposition.

On Tuesday, Ngati Ranginui Iwi Society announced it had signed an agreement with the owners of MV Rena and would withdraw its opposition.

Mr Kohu said Ngati Ranginui's decision meant it had withdrawn its support for Te Patuwai.

Despite that, Ngaitamarawaho supported Patuwai's aspirations to have the ship removed, he said.

"We will be at the Environment Court in September, our genealogy is directly linked to those people, they will speak on our behalf regarding the removal of that vessel."

Ngai Te Rangi iwi chairman Charlie Tawhiao said iwi and hapu within the Bay of Plenty unanimously supported the Rena being removed from the reef until about a year ago.

They would continue to oppose the plan.

Collective meetings were held within the Te Moana a Toi Iwi Leaders Forum, he said.

"Which was formed in response, as a collective, to the Rena crisis and all through it's existence it was very clear the Rena needed to be removed and that was conveyed to the owners and insurers every time they came to see us."

Mr Tawhiao said the group had stopped meeting when different iwi began to voice different opinions.

"There were factions within it who were starting to question that principal or position and rather than risk all out war, that group went into abeyance."

There was no subsequent decision by that group but the group also operated on the basis that constituent members had to make their own calls.

Ngati Ranginui Iwi members did not return calls to the Bay of Plenty Times yesterday.

Iwi's growth
According to the NZ Statistics' 2013 Census on Ngati Ranginui Iwi, 8967 people, or 1.3 per cent of the total population of Maori descent, belong to Ngati Ranginui Iwi, an increase from 7644 people from the last census conducted in 2006

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