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September 24, 2015
Disgust at oil company tactics against hapu
Waatea Team
Posted On September 24, 2015
A campaigner against oil drilling in Taranaki says Greymouth Petroleum deliberately targetted Maori land after the rest of the community made it clear the drillers weren't welcome.
The company is in the Environment Court challenging the refusal of a resource consent to drill at Tikorangi near Waitara.
The application was opposed by Heritage New Zealand and the Otaraua hapu, who say the site is actually the secret grave of Wiremu Kingi Te Rangitaake, whose opposition to land sales triggered the First Taranaki War of 1860.
Emily Bailey from Climate Justice Taranaki says that makes the bid particularly frustrating.
"He spent his whole life fighting the crown to protect the whenua for his people, my people. He is still having to do it in his grave. It's disgusting and it's frustrating that this company knows the community doesn't want them there so that they pick on the hapu as the last resort for where they can drill," she says.
Emily Bailey says the evidence of Greymouth Petroleum's consultant historian Buddy Mikaere also rankled, because he was denying the hapu's view of its own history could be correct.
Judge Brian Dwyer has reserved his decision
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH EMILY BAILEY CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MzMwNjQ=
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