July 15, 2020
Awataha celebrates lease rollover
Northcote’s Awataha Marae has extended its lease for another 33 years.
Spokesperson Anthony Wilson says while the lease is perpetual, Land Information New Zealand didn’t want to grant an automatic rollover and raised questions abut whether the land should be available for iwi claims.
He says it’s a struggle that has been playing out since the land was fist secured by his father, the late artist and educator Arnold Wilson, the build a marae to serve not just Māori but also others in the community who wanted to learn about Māori culture and ways of doing things.
"We’re the treaty partner so when we have to go cap in hand back to the government all the time just to in some way quantify our existence it's a hard rub, and we're not alone in this – it happens all the time around the motu with our iwi claims etc," Mr Wilson says.
The rollover means Awataha can move forward with its development plans, including expanding its health services, building transitional housing, offering more education programmes, and finishing the meeting house so tangi can be held on the marae.
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