Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting
te-pati-maori
Thu Jun 17 2010 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting
Thursday, 17 June 2010, 10:34 am
Press Release: The Maori Party
Hamilton City Council (Parana Park) Land Vesting Bill
Rahui Katene, MP for Te Tai Tonga;
Wednesday 16 June 2010; 4.30pm
Just over six weeks ago a historic piece of legislation was passed, framework for a new era in the relationship between the Crown and Waikato-Tainui.
That Act focused on restoring and protecting the health and wellbeing of the Waikato River for future generations.
It is timely then to recall the words of the late Sir Robert Te Kotahi Mahuta
The river belongs to us just as we belong to the river. The Waikato tribe and the river are inseparable.
"It is a gift left to us by our ancestors and we believe we have a duty to protect that gift for future generations."
To the people of Waikato Tainui, the river is indeed a taonga tuku iho - the treasured legacy which their tupuna have entrusted in their care.
It is of the utmost relevance to this Bill.
And yet today the local member for Hamilton spent a long time talking about Mr Parr in his speech, and has brought a Bill into the House which fails to even mention Maori let alone the profound importance that Waikato-Tainui accord to the need to protect, enhance and restore all waterways.
In fact it was really good to listen to the Honourable Nanaia Mahuta talk about some of the Maori history to this park.
Just to be clear, Parana Park is immediately adjacent to the Waikato River in Hamilton.
And if anyone has any doubt about the connection, they might talk to Environment Waikato scientist Bill Vant who has confirmed that as recent as fifty years ago septic tanks at Parana Park were discharged directly into the river.
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Think about it. The place to which Waikato Tainui would go to swim, to wash, to be cleansed, to pray, to be healed - and pollution is being directly dumped into this pristine pool.
It doesn't make sense.
Of course we understand the purpose of this legislation in vesting Parana Park in the Hamilton City Council, falls within a chain of legislation which should be updated and modernised.
This Bill is no longer subject to the trusts of the last will and testament of George Parr - a farmer who died back in 1929.
It also supercedes the 1958 legislation which was introduced to ensure the land was protected from inappropriate use - bearing in mind that up until that time it had been used for a children's convalescent home for patients from Waikato Hospital.
That history is important- but equally important is the history and authority of mana whenua who take seriously their obligations as tangata tiaki, to care for their environment.
And the recent history is especially important in terms of the role of the Waikato River Authority.
The co-governance approach associated with this Authority shapes a new era of resource management in which accredited commissioners appointed by Waikato-Tainui; Raukawa; Ngati Tuwharetoa; Maniapoto and Te Arawa river iwi will be appointed to Waikato Regional Council hearing committees and boards of inquiry for applications for resource consent.
It is a very positive approach - the Authority comprising equal numbers of Crown and iwi appointed members, sitting together at the table, overseeing the management of the health and wellbeing of the river.
And in doing so, the Authority gives life to the concepts of Te Mana o te awa - the respect for the tupuna awa; and Mana Whakahaere - the exercise of control, access to and management of the river and its resources, in accordance with tikanga.
In undertaking my research into this Bill I came across a study in which 150 marked farm-reared juveniles of the threatened giant kokopu were released into streams in the urban Kirikiriroa, Parana Park, and Mangakotukutuku catchments in Hamilton. Survival of the kokopu species is of vital interest as an aspect of our environmental protection and management - and reminds us again of the need to care for the health and wellbeing of the Waikato River - the River that runs directly adjacent to Parana Park.
There are other aspects of the history of the land that may come up through select committee stage - particularly the historic association that Ngati Wairere have with this area known as Putikitiki.
And there may well be many many more stories that need to be heard. It is, therefore, in the interests of the iwi and mana whenua that we support this Bill to bring their stories to the fore.
ENDS
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