By SCOTT KARA
Top tribal elders from Ngati Whatua refused to speak at the opening of the Royal New Zealand Navy's new marae in Devonport at the weekend in protest at the way the marae was set up.
The tranquil calm of Saturday morning's powhiri at Ngataringa Bay was broken by sometimes tense speeches from members of different tribes and the Navy.
Guests at the opening of Te Taua Moana Marae included Maori Affairs Minister Dover Samuels, North Shore Mayor George Wood and commanders from the armed forces.
Those that did speak from Ngati Whatua were not senior elders as would normally be expected.
Te Warana Ratima, from Ngati Whatua, said the elders who should have spoken did not because they were offended over not being consulted properly.
But Navy kaumatua Bert McLean said it was naval land and a decision was made to do things the Navy way. "And I'm glad they stuck to that. This might be their [Ngati Whatua] land spiritually but physically it's Navy land. It's Navy land and [the marae] is Navy funded."
However, Mr Ratima said Ngati Whatua were tangata whenua so consultation and procedures relating to Ngati Whatua should be used when opening something as important as a marae.
The tribal tension did not affect brother and sister team, Lieutenant Selwyn Kaye-Iritu, from the Navy, and Corporal Nane Service, from the Army. The pair had tears in their eyes during the opening because they saw the marae as a lasting reminder of their parents who had passed away.
Protest at opening of Navy marae
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