A Rotorua family is upset a privately owned Maori meeting house - with an asking price in the millions - has been put up for sale, with some even being reduced to tears.
The wharenui (meeting house), which is on the grounds of the secluded Spa Hotel in Taupo, is New Zealand's only privately owned Maori meeting house. News of it being up for sale was reported on TV3 news on Tuesday night.
The report said the whare had been in private hands since chief Hohepa Tamamutu sold it for £150 to the Pakeha proprietor of the Spa Hotel in Taupo in 1886. It also said it had already received offers of up to $12 million.
A family group from Rotorua, who wished to remain anonymous, and have a family link to the whare's carver, Wero Taroi of Rotorua iwi Ngati Tarawhai of Te Arawa, said they were opposed to the sale because it should be in the hands of Maori. They were also upset a sign on the door said it allowed people to enter wearing footwear, eat, drink and even smoke inside.
The family drove to Taupo yesterday to see the whare. One of the members said he didn't know the whare existed until they got the calls.
When the family arrived they were amazed at the carvings and artwork inside but astonished it appeared the whare was being treated with disrespect. An aunt of the family said, "It makes me upset and I couldn't help shedding a few tears when I came in here knowing this beautiful place might stay in the hands of a private owner.
"These are some of the most beautiful carvings around ... and I think they are carvings that shouldn't go out of Tuwharetoa [land]. It should stay where it is or go back to the Maori people."
Another member of the family said although he preferred to see the whare back in Maori ownership, he would be happy if it was sold to a private owner who understood the meaning of the whare and gave it the respect it deserved.
The sign made the aunt even more upset. "That shouldn't be allowed. It's very disrespectful and the fact that people can do all that in here should ... never have been," she said.
However, the whare's property manager Mike Antoniadis told The Daily Post yesterday the whare wasn't open to the general public and those privileges weren't allowed anymore. He said he wasn't aware of the sign and it would have been put up by a previous owner. Mr Antoniadis said they wanted to sell the whare because it was of national importance and "too much of an important project for them to look after".
Members of Ngati Tuwharetoa could not be reached for comment.