June 06, 2013
Motor camp swallows Māori land
Nelson Māori landowners are talking to the Tasman District Council about the future of the council-managed Collingwood Motor Camp at the mouth of the Aorere River.
Spokesperson Fred Te Miha says the land was slowly taken over by the camp as the owners moved about, but almost a third of the 8 hectare property is still in Māori title.
He says the land was once the site of a pā and later home to a church built by Chief Tamati Pirimona Marino.
Council property services manager Jim Frater says options include the owners negotiating a lease or partnership with the council, or selling it.
They could also move back onto the land.
He says losing the land could affect the camp's viability.
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