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Auckland Council’s Independent Māori Statutory Board has raised fears that the lag on scheduling Māori heritage sites will mean Māori are dislocated from their wāhi tapu, or sacred sites.
Board member Edward Ashby said Council was currently scheduling around 32 Māori heritage sites every five years.
“There are about 2800 (Māori) historic heritage sites on the Unitary Plan so if my maths is correct … I will be 450 years old by the time the Māori Heritage catches up to the non-Māori heritage,” Ashby said. See note below.
He said Auckland’s expected growth presented positives and negatives in communities.
“One of the negatives is often the erasure or subdivision and dislocation of kaitiaki from their wāhi tapu.”
Chief of strategy Megan Tyler said it was easier for Council to focus on public land first because it is council controlled.
She said it was a matter of ensuring it was the right location with iwi, and working with private landowners could take a considerable amount of time.
“If you or the board have any views about how we can speed up (the process), apart from putting a whole lot more people or budget to it, then we would like to hear from you. The process will still take a lot of time because it is people-heavy.”
Note: Auckland Council later said the 2800 figure was incorrect as 2800 was the total figure (both Māori and European) of heritage sites scheduled in the Unitary Plan. Council could not provide a breakdown of what sites were on private and public land, nor could it say how many sites were in Rodney.
