July 15, 2020
Ngati Tama backing for Mt Messenger bypass secured
Paul Silich – Chair of Ngāti Tama Rūnanga audio courtesy of Te Korimako o Taranaki and Tamzyn Pue
Ngāti Tama has voted in favour of a land swap with the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kōtahi to allow the Mt Messenger Bypass to be built.
The rūnanga said today 61 percent of its members took part in the vote, with 82 percent backing the deal,
The north Taranaki iwi will get a 120ha coastal property in exchange for 20ha of the land returned to it as cultural redress under its historic treaty settlement.
There will also be a cultural compensation payment and an environmental programme including pest management in perpetuity on 3,650ha of Ngāti Tama’s rohe.
The bypass is a new 6km route from Urutī to Ahitītī that avoids the existing steep, narrow and winding route over Mt Messenger on State Highway 3.
It will include two bridges and a 235m tunnel.
Copyright © 2020, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com