December 07, 2020
Ngai Tai eyes island opportunities
The chair of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki says the Department of Conservation’s admission it was wrong to offer ferry company Fullers a concession to run guided tours on Rangitoto and Motutapu islands has set a platform for better cooperation between the iwi and DOC.
James Brown says with Fullers dropping its plans in the face of the Supreme Court challenge, the iwi is now working on opening up Motutapu to more visitors.
It runs guided walking tours and ebike experiences on both islands, and is has applied for a whale and dolphin watch concession in Tikapa Moana, the Hauraki Gulf.
"That particular experience will provide better access for Aucklanders not so much into the gulf but around to places like Home Bay on Motutapu a Taikehu where at the moment there are no ferries and it is probably the most under-utilised campground in the whole of Auckland so we are looking to elevate those sorts of landscapes for us to provide these experiences," Mr Brown says.
Ngāi Tai now owns the island, which is Auckland’s largest farm, and will start restocking it next week to reduce the fire risk from long grass.
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