Protesters gather outside Craggy Range following new track deal

Protesters outside Craggy Range winery last night. Photo/Duncan Brown

A group of protesters gathered outside Craggy Range last night to express their disappointment in a new deal relating to the controversial Te Mata track.

More than 50 people attended the demonstration, holding placards and tino rangatiratanga flags, as guests arrived at the winery for one of the first Winter F.A.W.C! events, which opened last night.

The protest comes after Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi and Craggy Range announced on Thursday an agreement to close the original track, buy 28ha of land from the Drabble family and create an alternative track on the eastern face of the peak.

Last month Craggy Range said it would not be able to remove the track as previously promised because an expert landscape report it had commissioned stated remediation could make the landscape worse.

Protests have been held at Craggy Range every weekend since then, first organised by a small group mainly from Waimarama mana whenua, because they were angered by the change of plan.

More than 50 people attended the protest with placards and tino rangatiratanga flags. Photo/Duncan Brown

Waimarama kaumatua Robert MacDonald said last night's protest was a way of saying that the latest proposal was not accepted by everyone.

"Things haven't really changed.

"I don't think it's a resolution."

The new proposal might not even go ahead considering Craggy Range previously reneged on its promise to remove the track, MacDonald said.

"Are we supposed to believe that suddenly they're going to do a good deed?"

More detail about the new plan was also needed before it could be believed, he said.

The process undertaken by Hastings District Council and Craggy Range in the first place was still an issue and both entities needed to be held to account, MacDonald said.

"I would also like to see Craggy Range remediate the track as they promised."

The group would be holding more protests outside Craggy Range today and tomorrow morning at 11am.

A Craggy Range spokesperson said the winery did not want to comment on the protest.

The track was closed in December but was still used many people, however, yesterday morning further fences and signs were installed to prevent this.

New fencing was put up on the Te Mata Peak track to stop walkers yesterday morning. Photo/Warren Buckland

Several people who were walking the track were caught out by this while using the track and had to climb over fences to get back to their vehicles.

One of the walkers was Te Mata Peak People's Track Society Incorporated chairman George Williams who climbed the slope before sunrise without realising the fences had been put up on his way back.

He had to climb over a side gate to get out and would not be walking the track again.

Williams said he felt disappointed that the new fences were put up and by Thursday's announcement.

"We feel very unappreciated, dismissed ... left out of the process when I thought we were in the process.

"I felt a bit suckerpunched ... why can we have one track and not another track?"

The announcement also did not address the fact that remediation of the track could make the landscape worse, he said.

"We want the best outcome for the community, the whole community.

"We want to be part of this and we're not just going to roll over."

During Thursday's announcement Craggy Range chief executive Michael Wilding said the current track would be closed and a cultural impact study would guide the new track.

The new walk would be longer, more culturally sensitive and enable iwi to tell the stories of the seven faces of Te Mata and Rongokako.

The land would be purchased in a trust, the benefactors of which would be Ngāti Kahungunu and the Hawke's Bay community.

The land would also allow for a carpark at the bottom of the current track for 25 vehicles.

Work on remediation is planned to start in spring when the roots of new seeds and grasses would hold.