April 13, 2015
New road to cut through ancestral lands
Tangata whenua of the southern West Coast are opposing the proposed Haast-Hollyford road from the Arawhata River in the north to near Wawahiwaka or Lake Alabaster in the south.
Te Runanga o Makaawhio says that cuts right through the heart of their ancestral homelands.
They says while tourism is important to the West Coast economy, roads don’t just bring tourists.
They also bring rubbish, pollution and open up new corridors for the spread of pests.
As kaitiaki they are concerned that the infrastructure isn’t there now to deal with the influx, and this summer has been particularly bad with not enough toilets and rubbish facilities to service visitors.
The road will cut through the Hollyford Track, where Ngai Tahu run guided walks.
Makaawhio says visitors are drawn by the remoteness and the feeling of being alone in countryside that has scarcely known human contact, which the road will destroy.
Copyright © 2015, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com