Juliane Chetham (left), Aperahama Edwards and Deborah Harding want local hapū and iwi to be fully consulted on changes at Refining NZ. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Juliane Chetham (left), Aperahama Edwards and Deborah Harding want local hapū and iwi to be fully consulted on changes at Refining NZ. Photo / Michael Cunningham
A Northland hapū with claims over land on which Refining NZ's Marsden Pt Oil Refinery sits are disappointed at being left out of decisions regarding conversion of the refinery to a fuel-only import terminal.
Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust Board wants to sit at the governance table of the publicly-listed companygoing forward, saying local iwi didn't have any input at the time New Zealand's only refinery was built at Marsden Pt and in the decisions that subsequently flowed.
"The opportunity for hapū and iwi to be involved in decision-making process has always been at arm's length." When it becomes troubleshooting time, 'it's better talk to the hapū and iwi and bring them in', board chairwoman Deborah Harding said.
The board has claims over land at Marsden Pt, commonly referred as Poupouwhenua, as part of the Treaty of Waitangi claims.
"The area was confiscated and there are a lot of other hapū groups that have connections to that land, but we feel it's really important that we start those conversations and be a part of the strategy and have the time to collaborate and look at actually, what do we think the future of that refinery looks like."
Board environment spokeswoman Juliane Chetham said there should be an opportunity for more than just heavy industries to be established, with more of a mixed-model use potentially featuring open public space, and hapū initiatives taking place.
If there was going to be renewable energy or mahi like that happening on the site, she said the local hapū and iwi wanted to be fully involved in the process.
She said whānau from many areas camped at the site and gathered kaimoana up until the refinery was built, but the relationship since has slowly become more disconnected.
"So we will be looking at any way possible we can reconnect with that whenua, but the flipside to that is we won't be wanting to take responsibility for a heavily contaminated site either and that's the other part of this conversation.
"We're trying to get a really good handle on what's in the groundwater, what sort of contamination is onsite. We don't want the Crown, the community and the refinery to be having a narrow scope of what the repurposing of that site should look like."
Chetham said the environmental, cultural and social impacts of the refinery's new model were quite wide-reaching.
She said the board has not been asked for any real input into the refinery's proposed new operating model, as both the refinery and the Crown ministers the board had been speaking to treated this as a business decision.
Chetham said iwi and hapū members have been among workers and contractors who have lost their jobs since the strategic review of the refinery's operations was announced about 18 months ago.
The Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust Board is worrying about whānau who have lost jobs at the refinery. Photo / Supplied
Ngāti Wai Trust Board chairman Aperahama Edwards said these were distressing times for their whānau within the hapū, iwi and the wider community, who for a long time have been dependent on the refinery.
"The refinery has been quite an iconic feature across the district for so long so it's employed many of our whānau over the years, and trying to adjust to these changes is significant."
A Refining NZ spokeswoman said the company has a strong working relationship with its iwi partners, represented by the board and both parties having recently signed a comprehensive relationship agreement.
She said since the strategic review began, the refinery has been discussing with the community, including its iwi partners, what the future of the business might be.
"We understand and appreciate the role of all our iwi partners, and their connection to the land upon which we operate, and we do not take that for granted.
"We endeavour to acknowledge the cultural significance of Poupouwhenua/Marsden Pt to Patuharakeke Te Iwi, and we are willing partners in maintaining the high environmental standards of our operations to ensure they do not adversely impact cultural practices in the surrounding area."
She said as Refining NZ was a publicly listed company, governance decisions on its future rightly sit with the refinery's board of directors.
