Members of Hawke’s Bay iwi Ngāti Kahungunu gathered on Monday at Kahurānaki Station to protest the recent sale of the station, which includes the ancestral mountain of the same name.
Kahurānaki Station – a 1156ha sheep and beef farm south of HavelockNorth – came up for sale earlier this year, the first time the station had been on the market for more than 100 years.
The iwi launched a fundraising campaign to buy it, including the “He Maunga Ka Taea” horse trek from Mahia to the summit of Kahurānaki over 10 days, but were unsuccessful in their bid.
Ngāti Kahungunu iwi chair and Waimārama Marae spokesman Bayden Barber said they didn’t advertise the protest, but the “kūmara vine” did its work and about 70 whānau turned up.
“We want to have an engagement, a conversation, so that they understand the importance of Kahurānaki to us. We’d love to buy it off them, we’d actually love for the settlement not to happen.”
Barber said the iwi was hopeful that the purchasers would engage in open dialogue about how the aspirations of marae and hapū could be met, but the iwi couldn’t do anything if they didn’t know who they were talking to.
Ngāti Kahungunu chair Bayden Barber (centre) at a protest against the sale of Kahurānaki Station. Photo / Myra Lynn Barber via RNZ
Tamatea Pōkai Whenua Trust tendered the bid on behalf of the iwi, and trust chair Pohatu Paku said both the trust and wider community were disappointed by the sale of the station to an undisclosed buyer.
“We undertook an exhaustive due diligence process, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders and conducting thorough investigations in our bid to repatriate this taonga for our people,” Paku said.
“The overwhelming support from Kahungunu whānau, marae and hapū was a powerful testament to the collective desire to see Kahurānaki returned. Initiatives like He Maunga Ka Taea, for example, along with various other fundraising efforts, were expressions of that shared commitment.
“We are, however, deeply disappointed that the tender process itself did not allow for the kind of open and transparent dialogue that is essential to honouring the true significance of this whenua,” he said.
“The process was inherently limited, leaving little room for meaningful negotiation or the type of engagement we believe is necessary to safeguard the interests of our people.”
Paku hoped the preferred purchasers of Kahurānaki Station would engage with Tamatea Pōkai Whenua in good faith.
“This is not just about reclaiming land, it is about restoring a deep cultural connection, and we believe there is a real opportunity to work together, honouring the mana of this maunga.
“By engaging with us, the preferred purchasers will not only acknowledge the ancestral significance of this whenua, but also contribute to a positive and lasting relationship, built on respect and collaboration. We would value the opportunity to share our history and outline our aspirations and expectations as a trust and explore how we can move forward together in a way that, again, honours the true significance of this whenua.”
The He Maunga Ka Taea fundraising campaign organiser, Kelly Aroha Huata, said this was not a normal land acquisition.
“This is not a straight land and sale purchase. This is whakapapa. Do the right thing. Return the whenua to those who have a deep spiritual, cultural & emotional connection to the land. Come forward and let us buy Kahurānaki back.”
Kahurānaki Marae and Ngāti Kahungunu kaumātua Jerry Hāpuku said: “My ancestor Te Hapuku’s dying wish in 1878 was to be placed so that his eyes could close watching the sacred Kahurānaki mountain. To us, this is not about the money, but the mana or prestige that Kahurānaki gives our people.”
Barber said this was the first time in a century that there had been a chance to buy back the mountain. There were 23 marae and more than 50 hapū that had a direct connection to Kahurānaki, and they would not give up on it, he said.
“At the end of the day, our final outcome, the only outcome, is for that mountain to be back in Māori hands, Māori ownership.”
