'Palace' violates pa: Maori

By Philip English

AUCKLAND - Maori in Maraetai are angry that a large "palace" is being built on the pa of their ancestors.

The Ngai Tai people say the site of the ancient Oue Pa, dating back to 1250, is their most-valued taonga.

They say they were not consulted about the development, and are demanding that the house be removed.

Ngai Tai say that their ancestors used to bury their dead, unusually, in tidal mud in front of a steep, terraced slope on the seaward side of the house. They believe that hundreds of their forebears lie in the area.

Tribal spokeswoman Merle McKenzie, of the nearby Umupuia Marae, says the house is an unwelcome addition to the landscape, and the planning system has failed the people.

The Manukau City Council decided that the house, which overlooks the sea, could be approved without public input and gave the project the necessary resource consents.

The developer did undertake consultation with Maori, but did it with Maori trusts in Auckland City and in Pukekohe.

The applicant is also said to have delivered consultation documents to Umupuia Marae.

But Mrs McKenzie, the marae environmental representative, said the people there did not receive the papers. "It wasn't until the scar appeared on the hill that we knew something was happening.

"This is the traditional main area of Ngai Tai. This is where the history is. This is where the people are - not a post office box in Auckland or Pukekohe.

"What do you tell your children? That you didn't do your best to help preserve your heritage?"

She said Pakeha in nearby Clevedon, both established families and new arrivals, had also questioned the size and siting of the house.

"The lady up the hill said, 'Merle, what are you going to do about it?' There is concern among those people who know something of the history of the area and those who expect these coastal landscapes to be protected."

The marae is gearing up for legal action.

Mrs McKenzie has documents describing the house as a "subservient" residential dwelling. "I do not see anything subservient about it at all," she says. "The resource consent is for a residential dwelling but [it] has become a palace."

Mrs McKenzie said the marae's argument was not with the applicant but with the system. The Auckland Regional Council had lacked the foresight to buy the land adjoining Duder Regional Park. She claimed Oue Pa had been ignored as a significant archaeological site and that the Manukau council had not followed planning documents aimed at protecting significant cultural, spiritual, coastal and natural sites.

Manukau's manager of environmental policy, Ree Anderson, said approaches had been made to the Umupuia Marae to engage the people there in consultation but there had been no response.

"There are several tangata whenua authorities within the city with whom we consult. We ensure that we contact all relevant authorities."