Regional Development Minister Shane Jones is under fire for comments seen as dismissive of Ngāti Kuku’s role as kaitiaki of Tauranga Moana, amid legal challenges to the Port of Tauranga’s expansion under the Fast-Track Approvals Act.
Ngāti Kuku and other hapū have opposed the Stella Passage project, citing environmental damage and poor iwi engagement.
“The local hapū Ngāti Kuku, who have been a perennial pain in the butt to them, they have decided to further litigate, and they base the purpose of their litigation around kāpata kai, which is that term, the kaimoana gathering places, and they say that the port is polluting their traditional food gathering areas, all of which is fiction, because the port is not going anywhere,” says Jones.
He argues the real threat is land-based runoff and says Treaty clauses should be changed to a consultation framework as per the Treaty settlements, with no veto power over an enterprise of that scale, which is important to far more New Zealanders than half a dozen whānau.
