The last chunk of Mauao still in public ownership could be gifted to Mount Maunganui hapu Ngai Tukairangi within the next two years.
The case for transferring ownership of the reserve fronting Adams Ave, occupied by the Beachside Holiday Park and Mount Hot Pools, was put to its Tauranga City Council owners yesterday.
If the council agreed, it would bring all of Mauao into Maori ownership. The rest of the mountain was vested in Tauranga Moana's three iwi by an agreement signed with the Crown in 2008.
The proposed gifting of the 5-hectare reserve to the subtribe would be on condition the businesses continued to be owned and operated by the council, with public rights of access guaranteed in any agreement. There would be no threat to the Mount Maunganui Surf Club's lease, which has 25 years left to run.
Asked afterwards if ownership would see the hapu collecting revenue from the hot pools and camping ground leases, one of the presenters, Riri Ellis, said they were not out to make money from the land being vested in the hapu.
"We are not anticipating any financial benefit as a land owner," Ms Ellis said.
The council had for years used profits from the camping ground to fund maintenance of Mauao and she did not see that changing. A joint management agreement for the day-to-day maintenance of Mauao was recently signed between the Maori trustees and the council, with this final step in Maori aspirations to own all of Mauao flowing out of this agreement.
The other presenter at yesterday's special meeting of the Tangata Whenua/Tauranga City Council Committee, lawyer Joshua Gear, highlighted how return of the reserve to Maori ownership had been anticipated in the 2008 agreement with the Crown.
He also cited a 2010 memorandum of understanding for the hot pools and camping ground which said that the future governance and management of the reserve was something the council, Ngai Tukairangi hapu and Ngai Te Rangi iwi should consider.
Yesterday's meeting was held on Waikari Marae and chaired by Huikakahu Kawe, chairman of the Tangata Whenua/Council Committee.
Ms Ellis told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend she hoped agreement in principle could be reached with the council by the elections in October.
But Mayor Stuart Crosby doubted the council would be in a position to make a decision by then because the Crown had rights where reserve land was transferred by the council. He anticipated the process could take several years and involve wide community consultation.
The presentation included a brief history of how Maori lost ownership of Mauao. It stemmed from 1865 confiscations following the battles of Gate Pa and Te Maunga, with the Waitangi Tribunal finding that the confiscation of Mauao was a "poignant" Treaty breach that failed to recognise Mauao's special status for Ngai Te Rangi.
Mr Gear said the reconnection of Ngai Tukairangi and therefore Ngai Te Rangi to Mauao was paramount, but a lot of work remained to be done on the detail.
"In the light of the current settlement climate, there is an opportunity for Tauranga City Council to contribute to history by completing the return of the entire mountain."
Mount councillor Wayne Moultrie said it was a journey that would need to be undertaken with great finesse because he anticipated community opposition.
Mr Gear was hopeful the proposal would succeed on its merits. A comprehensive historical report was almost completed and would be important in helping public understanding.
Ms Ellis said there was nothing specific by way of Treaty cash compensation that applied to the Mauao grievance. The compensation was by way of titles to the land.