Road deal agreed with hapu trust

A Whangarei hapu trust has been given cash and an apology as compensation for the council using a strip of Maori land for the past 110 years.
Te Waiariki/Ngati Korora/Ngati Taka Hapu Trust accepted the Whangarei District Council deal yesterday in return for the council using a 30m strip of hapu land as part of Pataua North Rd.
Although both sides have signed a confidentiality agreement, the Advocate understands the deal is worth more than $500,000.
In exchange, the hapu is giving the council the right to use the land in perpetuity for roading purposes.
Hapu trust administrator and researcher Violet Sade said she discovered about 10 years ago that part of Pataua North Rd was actually on hapu land.
After raising the issue with the council, and after ``very amicable negotiations'' with former mayor Craig Brown and current mayor Pamela Peters, the compensation package was agreed.
The deal assures public access and allows road sealing to be completed by Christmas.
It is believed the cost of diverting the road around the Maori land was going to be millions of dollars and the compensation package is a good compromise.
Mrs Peters said the money redresses the historical use of the land, and compensates for the current land value.
"The previous council reached an agreement with iwi representatives and this council has finalised the process by formally recognising that the land was taken by the Crown," she said.
The hapu had held between 25 and 30 hui on the issue during the past 10 years and they were happy with the settlement, Ms Sade said.
The package includes money and a block of land or its agreed value - first option on the property goes to the person who sold it to the council.
"It's been a very, very good process, even though it has taken a long time, and all sides have negotiated amicably and in good faith," said Ms Sade.
She declared yesterday's karakia, powhiri and handover ceremony at Pataua North "absolutely wonderful".
As a child she used to look out over the land from her great-grandfather's house - "when the mangroves weren't as big," she said.
Mrs Peters said she was happy a resolution has been reached. "This is a special part of the district, which has both farms and beaches, and locals are keen to see this finalised and have the road sealed to improve access."
The compensation would be administered by the five trustees of the Owhetu Block trust on behalf of the hapu trust. Ms Sade said the trust planned to invest the money initially.
The land was taken by the Crown prior to 1944 for the formation of the Pataua North Rd, without legal authority or the consent of the ancestral owners Te Waiariki, Ngati Korora and Ngati Taka hapu.