'Significant damage' to pā site on Auckland mountain

The 20m path which has been carved into Otahuhu, Mt Richmond. Photo / file

A 20-metre track suspected to have been dug out has sliced through an ancient archaeological site on an Auckland maunga.

The damage along the Mt Richmond site was a prosecutable offence under the Reserves Act 1977 and the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority's Mike George confirmed the mess was reported last Thursday but it was unknown who caused it or why.

The authority's operations manager Nick Turoa said the damage was most likely caused by a spade, because there were no track marks leading up to the site.

"From time to time we do find trees being planted and areas being dug at or similar, but nothing like this," Turoa told Stuff.

He said people were overstepping the mark when they were modifying areas without the authority of the administering body.

In 2014 a landmark Treaty of Waitangi settlement was passed transferring the ownership of 14 Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains) to the Mana Whenua tribes of Auckland.

This enabled the establishment of the Tūpuna Maunga Authority to govern and manage the sites.

Auckland Council is responsible for the routine management of the maunga under the direction of the Tūpuna Maunga Authority.

Turoa said he would like to find the people responsible and provide awareness around why people shouldn't be cutting tracks or planting without authorisation on sites of significance to mana whenua.