Cyclone Gabrielle: Māori fear for whenua future with recovery plans

After the Government's plan to not rebuild in some places after Cyclone Gabrielle, Māori in Hawke's Bay are worried about their whenua. Photo / RNZ

By RNZ

Māori affected by last week’s land categorisation in Hawke’s Bay say they’ve got a huge choice to make: stay on their whenua (land) or leave.

Petane Marae in Te Matau-a-Maui, just north of Napier, was devastated when Cyclone Gabrielle hit.

Whānau there at the time had nowhere to run, fleeing to the rooftops after a fence broke and a massive wave of water and slash rushed in.

Now the marae is among more than 200 properties in Hawke’s Bay that have been labelled Category 3, meaning they cannot be rebuilt on.

Chairwoman Rose Hiha is shattered by the news - her whānau’s connection with this place goes back more than a century.

“We’ve got our urupā just down the road and just down from the marae, it’s our whenua,” Hiha said.

“It’s everything for us, it’s our tikanga, our kawa [set of protocols], everything that’s been taught to us that’s there and it’s just part of us.

“You know just to leave it, there’s are the things that our tīpuna [ancestors] left for us.”

Last week, Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson announced a voluntary buyout scheme, with the cost split between the Government and councils.

Petane Marae holds a special place for local iwi. Photo / Hastings District Council

However, Hiha said the marae is facing tough decisions.

“We’ve got to be mindful that we won’t get insurance. We most probably are not able to get any help, financial help but as Māori we do what we do and coming together is the main one. We’re going to have to make a decision as a hapū of where we sit.”

Whakaaro (opinions) from whānau are mixed. Some living around Petane Marae have made it clear they are not going, while others have left, out of safety concerns.

Te Matau a Maui iwi Ngāti Kahungunu still have more than 100 whānau staying on marae, in emergency housing and with relatives.

Chairman Bayden Barber said leaving the whenua would come at a massive cost, not just a financial one.

“There’s going to be some complications just around the personal connection, blood spilled to maintain the ahi kā [continuous occupation], and everyone has personal connections to their land,” Barber said.

“This is multi-generational, there’s pakiwaitara [folklore], there’s whakapapa [lineage], there’s stories and legends that are connected to the whenua. All those relationships come into play as well.”

Bayden Barber said everyone has connections to the land. Photo / RNZ

He and others are questioning where iwi and hapū are meant to go if they sell their land.

In Wairoa, almost 700 homes have been designated Category 2, which means they can be rebuilt but need strengthened flood protection.

Tatau Tatau o Te Wairoa Trust’s chairman Leon Symes said whānau are frustrated they still need to wait for further assessments.

“They’re still in limbo, still don’t know whether they should be repairing their whare [homes] or can they do anything in that respect,” Symes said.

“Although it’s moved the kōrero [discussion] process along, it hasn’t got to the point where we have confidence that we can move forward.”

Some people are still living in makeshift and overcrowded accommodation while struggling to find warm homes, with winter now here.

Plus there’s the question of where the putea [funding] will come from to upgrade their homes.

Symes fears lack of cash to fix their homes could lead to whānau being forced out of the area.

“Even though they’re not in Category 3, they don’t have the financial means to implement some of these mechanisms, so if there’s not a plan for them or any assistance available for them to move forward and give them confidence, I think we start looking at potentially alienating some of our whānau from the land.

“And we know that they won’t move and they will go back and stay on that whenua.”

The Government says work is under way to engage with iwi and hapū, including working out appropriate procedures for whenua Māori.

East Coast MP Kiritapu Allan, a key member of the Māori caucus, said $30 million from this year’s Budget will fund rebuilding homes on Māori land.

Meanwhile, more data and engineering reports from around Hawke’s Bay are due out on June 16.

- RNZ