June 07, 2021
Ngāti Whātua backing hikoi against SNA "land grab"
Taitokerau iwi plan a hikoi this Friday to the Kaikohe office of the Far North District Council to protest the council’s significant natural areas policy.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua chief executive Alan Riwaka says many whānau feel the SNA policy is a land grab, because it appears to affect even land without natural fauna and flora.
It’s also seen as a potential revenue gathering exercise and a layer of unnecessary bureaucracy.
Mr Riwaka says the process is extending into Ngāti Whātua’s Kaipara rohe, and it’s clear the council has pressed ahead without the consent and approval of iwi, community, central government or landowners.
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