May 15, 2018
Kahungunu fights back on Te Mata backlash
Ngati Kahungunu leader Ngahiwi Tomoana says Craggy Range Winery has succumbed to racist pressure from Hawkes Bay locals to renege on its agreement to remove a track up the side of Te Mata Peak.
Mr Tomoana has sent an open letter to winery owner Mary Jeanne-Hutchison calling on her to go back to the plan to remediate the land over winter.
He says winery management is now coming up with legal arguments why it won't do the work and whipping up long-standing divisions in Havelock North.
"Her team has succumbed to local racist pressure because this is the same community that drove out the kura kaupapa that was to be established this year and it is the same people the charge. It is not just a one-off incident. It seems to be a course of anti-Maori views within this Havelock community," Mr Tomoana says.
Ngati Kahungunu wants a face to face meeting with the owners to fix what could be a long term rift.
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