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After two-and-a-half years of opposing the tip, the Ngati Manuhiri Settlement Trust is now supporting Waste Management plans.
The promise of $10 million was the key factor behind Ngati Manuhiri Settlement Trust’s (NMST) shock U-turn to now back Waste Management NZ’s (WM) plans for a massive regional rubbish tip between the Dome and Wayby Valleys.
In a joint memorandum between the trust and WM to the Environment Court, NMST counsel Jason Pou listed a number of reasons for the backflip, including “most significantly”, the promise of “an additional mechanism to the value of $10 million to be utilised should the integrity of the Hoteo Awa be threatened throughout the consent”.
Other commitments by WM include allowing NMST input into final consent conditions and management plans, working together on onsite monitoring systems and cultural training of the dump workforce.
“As a result, Ngati Manuhiri is now confident that the Hoteo Awa, their tupuna toka, and therefore their relationship to Kaipara Moana will be protected,” the memorandum said.
The new agreement with WM superseded any previous evidence from settlement trust chair Mook Hohneck and trustee Ringi Brown, the document added.
The sudden switch from anti- to pro- has prompted an outpouring of bitterness, scorn and fury from locals and others opposing the dump, with dozens lambasting the decision on social media, calling it nauseating, disgusting, greedy and corrupt, among other things.
Omaha Marae chair Annie Baines said the trust did not speak for the iwi, and branded the decision as heartbreaking and a disgrace.
“Our marae is the only Ngati Manuhiri marae and I can tell you 100% that we are dead against this dump. What these guys [the settlement trust] are doing, I have no idea. It’s a disgrace,” she said.
“A lot of the whanau are in shock. Why? Why would you ever agree to it? We have never had any part of their decision. It’s heartbreaking.”
Wayne Greenwood is chair of Pakiri G Block Ahu Whenua Trust, which represents 217 Maori freehold landowners. He said no authority was given to the NMST to represent them.
“The settlement trust is making decisions without consulting the people, the mana whenua. They are only speaking for themselves,” he said. “We’re a Maori Land Court appointed trust, yet we’re just being worked over by the settlement trust. They have just gone ahead.
“The whole of Pakiri is up in arms about it because we haven’t been consulted.”
Fight the Tip executive member Michelle Carmichael said it was obvious that the environment was far from the leading motivation in the trust’s U-turn.
“With this clear un-environmental decision, Ngati Manuhiri Settlement Trust took a treacherous sledgehammer to years of united support between iwi and community over this proposal. Not just treachery between people, but with an environment and kaitiaki reputation of an entire culture,” she said.
“The system is wrong, because how is it morally right that a company and one mana whenua entity, without regard for others, can decide that $10 million makes it okay to pollute the very same environment (Kaipara Harbour) that is being restored with at least $300 million of public money?”
She added that there was still a “mighty and united force” remaining who would stand together to continue the fight against the landfill.
Jason Pou said on January 20 that NMST was not yet ready to make a statement.
“They have been meeting with their kaumatua and kuia over past few months to discuss matters,” he said. “These meetings are ongoing and (they) would rather continue to do this in their own way prior to making a public statement.”
He added that a brief of evidence explaining the decision was being put together for the Environment Court. The case is due to resume on January 31.
