Taipa Point Reserve is up for sale, with an estimated land value of $1.3 million. Photo / Harata Brown.
Taipa Point Reserve is up for sale, with an estimated land value of $1.3 million. Photo / Harata Brown.
While the rest of the country tackles Covid-19, one Far North iwi is quietly fighting its own battle to reclaim a culturally and historically significant piece of land.
Ngāti Kahu started a peaceful noho whenua kaupapa (repossession action) last Friday at Taipa Point Reserve after hearing the land was upfor sale.
A collective hapū of Ngāti Kahu have assembled upon the whenua (land), where they will remain night and day until a solution is found.
Ngāti Kahu wants to see the land returned, saying it was stolen by the Crown in the 1860s, under the guise of 'surplus land'.
The current action is the third such attempt to repossess the site, which the Waitangi Tribunal (in 1997 and 2013) confirmed had been set aside for future generations of Ngāti Kahu.
The whenua is of deep cultural significance to local Māori as it was the final landing place of Kupe, the Mamaru waka and where all Ngāti Kahu hapū began.
Noho whenua leader and spokesman Wikatana Popata was part of the last repossession action in 2010, alongside his brother Hone.
Noho whenua leader and spokesperson Wikatana Popata was part of the last repossession action in 2010, alongside his brother Hone. Photo / Myjanne Jensen
The pair were unsuccessful in obtaining the land, which remained in the Male family ownership.
Popata said they were determined to find a solution to return the land and that the reclamation would be of benefit to all.
"This is an alcohol and drug-free learning space, where we can wananga (workshop), hold karakia (prayer) and discuss the dreams and aspirations for this whenua," Popata said.
"We will also have some expert carvers who will carve a pou and will share Ngāti Kahu waiata (songs) and history.
"We're not doing this for just our tamariki (children), but for everyone, so the whenua can continue to be enjoyed as it has been over the years.
"We feel it's the Government's responsibility to do the right thing, to purchase this whenua and return it to us."
A similar situation is playing out in Moringai, Ahipara, where Te Rarawa mana whenua are currently occupying a piece of land where an ancient pōhutukawa tree was recently cut in half.
A collective of Ngāti Kahu hapū is fighting to reclaim land in Taipa they say was stolen by the Crown. Photo / Callie Corrigan
The mana whenua at Moringai are also calling on the Government to purchase the land currently up for sale, with the view of eventually turning it into a reserve.
Noho Whenua working group member Callie Corrigan said the roopu (group) was working with the Crown to get the land returned to Ngāti Kahu.
"We want to save this whenua not just for our mokopuna (grandchildren), but the mokopuna of the wider community," Corrigan said.
"There are very few spaces left here in Taipa like this and this particular site is a place where all of us can come to connect to our whenua, our moana (ocean) and our awa (river).
"We want the wider community to understand that when we do these things, the benefit reaches us all, not just Māori.
"One of our key messages is nau mai, haere mai, come down here and don't be shy, you're welcome to come and have a kōrero with the whānau here."
Corrigan explained the group had communicated with the owner to ensure he was aware of their intentions before entering the land.
She also said the group were working with Taitokerau Border Control whānau member Tiriti Harrison to ensure Covid-19 restrictions were in place.
Bayleys Real Estate agent David Baguley is responsible for the sale and said Ngāti Kahu were welcome to purchase the land.
Taipa Point Reserve is up for sale, with an estimated land value of $1.3 million. Photo / Harata Brown.
"I met with the group last week at the property and they formally welcomed me to the land and we discussed the change of sale method from an auction to a tender," Baguley said.
"I explained that the owners changed the sales method to allow conditional offers on the property - that is offers with conditions.
"The group were very kind and hospitable and told me they were having a peaceful protest to draw attention to what they saw as a prolonged Treaty settlement.
"The owners have owned the land since the early 2000s and have made the commercial decision to sell."
The current value of the property is marked at $1.3 million, with most coastal properties selling above the current value in today's market.
The tender close off date for the sale is November 24.
