March 06, 2013
Expressway divides Kapiti urupa
Māori on the Kapiti Coast will to work with the New Zealand Transport Authority to mitigate the impact of a proposed expressway on wāhi tapū.
The Environmental Protection Agency has given the green light to the four-lane road from McKays Crossing to Peka Peka, and says its conditions should accommodate the concerns of mana whenua.
Takamore Trust Chair Ben Ngaia says the trust and Te Ati Awa ki Whakarongotai have been fighting the roads issue in the area since 1948. While the approved route is better than earlier proposals, it still runs through the sprawling wāhi tapū.
“Our wāhi tapu has various urupa and one in particular is the Maketu tree area where the road is only 5 metres away from the burials that are within that particular urupa. The Takamore Trust feel quiet disheartened from the NZTA decision. The way forward for us is to continue to try and work closely with the NZTA to make them clear of our continued concerns, right through to the construction period,” says Ben Ngaia from the Takamore Trust.
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