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The owners of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter have agreed to work with Ngai Tahu on restoring the whenua around the smelter.
The agreement with New Zealand Aluminium Smelters and Rio Tinto Aluminum was signed on Friday at Te Rau Aroha Marae at Motupōhue (Bluff) by representatives from Murihiku Rūnaka and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.
Smelter chief executive Chris Blenkiron says the guidance of iwi will be invaluable.
He says the agreement reinforces the commitments to remove waste and remediate the Tiwai Peninsula, irrespective of the smelter’s future.
Tā Tipene O’Regan, the upoko of Te Rūnaka o Awarua, says he has always believed there is a future for this land, and mana whenua can now engage in responsible environmental management and look at a long-term future for Tiwai.
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