Years of memories set to vanish as river submerges marae

Tahumatua will have to be shifted to escape the Waikato River. Picture / Amos Chapple

Tawhi Mita was 15 years old when he mourned his father's death at a tangi at Ohaaki Marae.

Now a kaumatua, he reflects on the more than half a century of memories since that day in 1952 - of hui, whanau get-togethers, celebrations, and tangi - memories that will soon be the last.

The almost 80-year-old marae at Broadlands, northeast of Taupo, is sinking at a rate of around 400mm a year - about the length of a 2-litre soft drink bottle - the result of years of geothermal energy extraction deep underground by electricity generator Contact Energy.

By 2011, Contact predicts that the Waikato River, alongside the marae, will overwhelm it, submerging the whare tupuna (ancestral house) Tahumatua, and surrounding buildings, the nearby urupa (graveyard) and most of the 102ha of land.

Mr Mita and marae leaders including Rawiri Te Whare have now accepted that the battle to save the marae is lost.

"The tribe has suffered as a result of power generation," said Mr Te Whare.

"We opposed the creation of the Ohaaki geothermal power station but it was built. They said they did not predict subsidence would occur at the rate it has. They were wrong."

Since the power station was completed in 1989, Ohaaki marae - completed in 1926 - has sunk more than 2m.

Surveying the marae's ponga-log rimmed perimeter, surrounding its striking red and white buildings, the appeal of the site to the men's ancestors becomes obvious.

The marae has the bank of the food-rich river on one side, and turquoise pools billowing plumes of white steam on the other.

Mr Te Whare said the natural resources, providing hot water for bathing and cooking, combined with the location's rich soil, made the site a wise choice.

It is turangawaewae (a place to stand) for more than 1000 members of the Ngati Tahu and Ngati Whaoa hapu, who return throughout the year the many functions, from tangi to hui, hosted by the marae.

Now the men must find a way forward that appeases their people, while being acceptable to Contact Energy.

Talk of moving prompts fierce debate among hapu members.

There are calls for the marae to be saved at any cost.

Solutions include lifting Tahumatua and the other buildings to avoid being overwhelmed by the encroaching water.

But the logistics and cost of that operation make that course of action unlikely.

Some are calling for all buildings and graves to be moved, once a new site is found.

Others want the buildings and the graves left where they are - a monument for future generations to show the site once existed.

"Our old people chose the area where they wanted to be buried. Who are we to disturb their wishes?" said Mr Te Whare.

Contact's geothermal generation manager Murray Stanley said the company was doing all it could to meet hapu needs, but the subsidence had been inevitable.

The sinking results when hot water and steam are extracted from the ground. The steam generates power, while the water is pumped back into the ground.

The removal of the mixture leaves an underground gap, causing subsidence if the layer above is not strong enough.

"We have proposed several options to the people, which they are considering, including relocating the marae."

Mr Stanley said recent negotiations have involved finding an alternative site for the existing marae, or the development of a new one.

He said no financial compensation had been sought.

"The people have been very forthright in putting their position forward. They have let us know how special this place is to them. I feel for them."

He said while the situation was unfortunate, consequences were inevitable from all forms of power generation.

Mr Te Whare said progress had come at a cost. A consequence of which will be felt by Ngati Tahu, when the time comes for them to move on.