January 22, 2013
Treaty claims set aside for Wallaceville cash grab
The Government has decided to ignore Māori interest in the former Wallaceville Animal Research Centre in Upper Hutt and has put the 60 hectare block on the market.
Several iwi including a Ngāti Tama group in which claimed a connection to the land, has been declared surplus by AgResearch.
The land, next to the Trentham Racecourse and Defence base, is identified by the Upper Hutt City Council for future urban development, and there has also been interest expressed in building a film studio there.
An application by Māori to list it as a site of significance has been dismissed, and Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Christopher Finlayson and Māori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples have decided not to land bank it.
Expressions of interest close on 30th January.
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