Te Mata Peak track controversy 'a wake up call', says Maori artist

Haumoana artist Jacob Scott thinks the controversial walking track on Te Mata Peak has damaged relationships between local bodies, iwi and property owners. Photo/File.

The controversial track on Te Mata Peak's eastern slope has hurt not only the land but the people of the land, Haumoana artist Jacob Scott says.

The artist said the disputed walking track had damaged relationships that now needed to be repaired so parties could reach a resolution.

"I think the track is controversial because it's a visible cut to an icon and it's a cut that's hurt not only the land but also the people of the land.

"The action has woken up many people to the reality that our landscape is subject to change as is our culture – so how is this to be managed."

Scott, son of the late Māori architect John Scott, said while the "easy answer" would be to remove the track, relationships between local bodies, iwi and property owners needed to be re-constituted first.

"The track should be removed once a plan is put in place to address a multitude of regional issues around ownership and kaitiakitanga."

The artist likened the walking track to "a slash on the neck of Rongokako", the grandfather of Kahungunu and ancestor of all iwi of Ngāti Kahungunu.

"This scar on the peak is a slash on the neck of Rongokako, its the tip of an iceberg and a wake up call for all of us to sort out where we are and what's really important."

The cultural importance of the landscape was why the track had proved to be so controversial, he said.

"We all see Te Mata as an iconic peak in our region. It's a unique anchor point that enables us to easily get to an amazing height to see the whole of the Bay through the eye of the hawke."

However, some people had developed different ideas of what ownership meant, he said.

"We should have a bigger world view than who owns what and who can do what they like within their surveyed property boundaries because icons like this are shared and the land needs to be able to be itself and endure changes in time and circumstance for all."

Scott said change was inevitable and had already seen the local landscape transform over a short period.

"I once took a Japanese sculptor up the peak and he looked out across the landscape and said where are the trees? How did this happen.

"In Japan even with their large population the area would still be in bush but here we have pastoral farming, fences, boundaries that dissect the landscape and rivers with polluted water."

He said even innocent actions which misunderstood the bigger picture could have consequences.

"We need to learn to care, nurture and share and be able to all enjoy what we have.

"Take down the boundaries, enjoy the shape and form of the land as she is, live well in our place, and leave it in better condition for the next generation to come."

The artist said he hadn't walked the track and wished to see a new "more enlightened" regime that recognised kaitiakitanga and the value of mana whenua established in the region.