Maungaharuru-Tangitu Trust to appeal Hastings District Council decisions on Hawke's Bay sites of significance

Maungaharuru-Tangitu Trust general manager Shayne Walker said the trust has appealed decisions of the Hastings District Council related to protecting sites of significance in Hawke's Bay. Photo / File

The Maungaharuru-Tangitu Trust (MTT) has appealed Hastings District Council decisions related to protecting sites of significance in Hawke's Bay.

MTT general manager Shayne Walker said the parties had been unable to settle all issues through Environment Court facilitated mediation and would proceed to a hearing which starts on Tuesday morning in Hastings.

"MTT submissions were the culmination of many years of work in trying to protect wahi taonga on Maungaharuru, across the takiwa and coastal pa sites, including one owned by the Tremain family at Waipatiki," Mr Walker said.

The hearing comes after public uproar over the construction of a walking track on the eastern face of Te Mata Peak late last year.

The council was criticised in an independent review for not considering the cultural significance of the area before granting a resource consent to Craggy Range winery to undertake the work.

Issues surrounding the proposed Hastings district plan and whether it adequately protects the outstanding landscape qualities of Te Mata Peak were set to be discussed in a workshop that will include the council and members of its Maori joint committee.

A Hastings District Council spokesperson said the council did not comment on matters that were before the court but said discussions had been underway for several years, predating the debate around the Craggy Range track.