July 31, 2014
Solution proposed for Waitara lands
The New Plymouth District Council will tomorrow consider a new plan to resolve the future of the Waitara endowment lands.
Te Atiawa negotiators have come under fire from some of their own people for not taking the land as part of the tribe’s treaty settlement.
The land, which is leased to homeowners and private businesses, includes the Pekapeka block, where the first Taranaki War started in 1860.
Mayor Andrew Judd says the proposal has come out of discussions between the council the crown, Te Atiawa Iwi Authority and the post-settlement governance entity.
The council will promote a local bill giving the iwi some of the land and the first right of refusal on other parts, in addition to its settlement with the Crown.
In exchange, the iwi would support the removal of all statutory trusts and restrictions from the Waitara endowment land and any income and sale proceeds from the land.
Mr Judd says it’s a way for the iwi to have land to stand on in Waitara and for the council to be able to use the proceeds from endowment land for the betterment of the entire Waitara community.
Copyright © 2014, UMA Broadcasting Ltd