January 13, 2013
Concerns over effect of Rotorua plan
There’s concern that the Rotorua District Council’s proposed District Plan could consign Maori to a mythical past.
Planning services manager Liam Dagg says a significant proportion of the district's population were Maori, so the plan recognises special relationship tangata whenua have with their ancestral land.
It allows for the protection of significant cultural and historical sites that are waahi tapu or taonga.
Sandra Eru, the manager of Taheke 8C Trust, says while some Maori interests have been recognised, undeveloped Maori land is seen as providing a rural backdrop for the benefit of others.
"There appears to be a focus on planning for a traditional, almost pre-European, settlement image of Maori rather than a contemporary view of Maori as an emerging economic power with aspirations beyond the traditional," she says.
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