March 21, 2018
Whatua has place in America’s Cup plan
Auckland mayor Phil Goff says mana whenua will be brought in for more consultation on the proposed America's Cup bases once the picture becomes clearer.
National has accused the council of ignoring Ngati Whatua Orakei as it puts together its plans for the waterfront.
Ngati Whatua spokesperson Ngarimu Blair has denied the hapu has been shut out, and Mr Goff says he has also talked to the mana whenua kaitiaki group.
He says at the moment a lot of talk is between council and government officials and Team New Zealand as they try to resolve technical issues in the vartious proposals on the table.
"As soon as we have got some clarity about the next step we will have mana whenua in again and we will talk to them and to the Heart of the City group and all of the stakeholders involved. I know with Ngati Whatua they've got a really keen interest. This is right in the middle of their area. They are going to be a key part of this," Mr Goff says.
Ngati Whatua elders took part in the send-off for the Volvo Ocean Challenge on Sunday.
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