March 03, 2021
Erebus ‘monstrosity’ result of flawed process
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua chair Dame Naida Glavish says it is not disputing Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s claim to hold mana whenua status in Tāmaki Makaurau, but she believes the hapū was not given all the information it needed on a proposed Erebus memorial.
Ōrākei has issued a statement saying it was satisfied with the reports by archaeologists and arborists about the project, which is sited on part of the old Mataharehare pā beside the Parnell Rose Gardens.
Dame Naida says because Auckland Council decided to issue a non-notifiable consent, the project did not get the scrutiny it deserved.
"There was no cultural input at all into the design of that monstrosity they intend to put up there and it is supposed to represent a flight path made of concrete and steel but the flight path is heading north – Erebus heads south," she says.
Dame Naida says there are already 27 memorials around the country to Erebus and one at Scott Base in Antarctica, close to where the Air New Zealand flight TE 901 hit the mountain in white out conditions in November 1979 killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew.
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