Ihumātao looms over PM’s Tūrangawaewae visit

The Government is heading for the Koroneihana hui at Tūrangawaewae this afternoon – and Minister Shane Jones expects the struggle at Ihumātao to loom large.

The Government's position so far is that the occupation by the Save Our Unique Landscape Group is one for Waikato Tainui to resolve.

He says while SOUL leader Pania Newton has amassed a broad coalition of support for her position the land is a heritage site that needs absolute protection, a resolution will require some difficult trade-offs.

"Trade off is just an indelible feature of Māori politics, always has been, always will be. Whether you call it te tatau pounamu, the greenstone peace, whether you call it te ringa kaha, the peace imposed, whether or not you call it moea te pō, just let time take care of things, so these things are indelibly etched in our Māori history as they are in all political movements," Mr Jones says.

He says the final decision won't be made by Pania Newton but by people close to her who are able to set out the pathways to a resolution.

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