March 07, 2021
Ngati Whatua need to korero on Erebus memorial stance
Crown Māori Relations Minister Kelvin Davis wants to see Ngāti Whātua sort out their differences on the proposed Erebus memorial beside the Parnell Rose Gardens.
The Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei board says it has been consulted on and approved the memorial at what it calls Taurarua.
But Dame Naida Glavish, who chairs Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, says many in the hapū say they were unaware of the plan, and there should have been consultation with the wider iwi because of the significance of the park as the site of the Mataharehare pa.
Mr Davis says he’s concerned Pākehā residents of Parnell are taking advantage of the Māori division.
"Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua and Ngāti Whātua ki Ōrākei probably need to have a conversation and they can sort it out among themselves. That to me is where it really needs to happen and I'm not interested in the non-Māori reasons for having that memorial there. For me this is a Ngāti Whātua issue. Let them sort it out," he says.
Kelvin Davis says for those who believe there should be more Māori monuments, his Te Arawhiti ministry has a fund for that.
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