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Everything isn’t sweet right now in Tinopai, with the Northland community split by a dispute over the collection of honey.
Resident Mikaere Miru says the problem happened when honey giant Comvita signed a deal to place hives on a block without checking with neighbouring Maori owners along the peninsula and landowners are objection to their land being bulldozed for tracks and platforms.
When Comvita didn’t show up at a hui to discuss these dealings and explain their actions or apologise, the road was blocked.
"I put it squarely at the feet of Comvita. If they had done their research properly I think the onus is upon them to make sure that when they engage with people, what people say is actually legal, it is true, it is on the land they say that they actually own. And they did none of that and hence the raruraru we have in front of us now".
Mikaere Miru says as well as having proper legal advice, honey firms should also have cultural advisors when they go into areas to make deals around Maori land.
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