March 09, 2014
Iwi seeks review of farm sale
Bay of Plenty iwi Ngati Whakahemo has gone to the High Court to challenge Landcorp’s decision to sell a dairy operation at Pukehina on the tribe’s ancestral land.
A substantive hearing will be held next month.
The Bay of Plenty iwi filed for a judicial review on Friday after the state owned farmer signed an unconditional sale agreement for the block.
Lawyer Willie Te Aho says Landcorp put on hold its tender process in December to give neighbouring iwi Ngati Makino a chance to come up with an offer, which is was unable to do.
But it’s refusing to deal with Ngati Whakahemo because of advice from the office of Treaty Settlements that the iwi’s clams were dealt withi n the Te Arawa Afflieate Settlement – something the Mataatua-linked iwi denies they were part of.
He says the case highlights a concern shared by many iwi that Landcorp is ignoring its responsibility to take the Treaty of Waitangi into account, and a wider investigation is needed.
"And that review needs to actually identify the lands that aren’t core to the Landcorp business and those lands that should be made available for the settlements of iwi firstly and secondly if not for settlements, than for purchase by Maori, because ultimately, we want to get our lands back," Mr Te Aho says.
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