April 30, 2024
Awataha on notice over tangihanga ban
The manager of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, Alan Riwaka, says the iwi will seek to have the land under Awataha Marae handed over to it if the existing lessee is booted out.
The Commissioner of Crown Lands has given the Awataha Marae Incorporated Society an ultimatum to step up to its commitment to be a marae for Māori on the North Shore, including hosting tangihanga and opening up to new members.
Mr Riwaka says the society has clearly been in breach of the lease granted in 1988, and the community of Te Raki Pae Whenua has been driven to breaking point.
The runanga got in behind the local community five years ago to make these things happen.
“That hasn’t been an easy pathway. I find the last five years hard enough, let alone 35 years. I can appreciate what whānau have gone through. Many people have passed away during the course of this fight,” Mr Riwaka says.
The commissioner has ordered Awataha Marae to hold a special meeting to address membership applications and other issues including designating facilities for tangihanga.