Te Atatu Marae Hikoi and Open Letter to Waitakere City Council

Media Release - August 19, 2001 - Te Atatu Marae Hikoi

HIKOI A WHANAU MO TE ATATU MARAE! Ra Apa, 29 Hereturikoka 2001 Kia hiwa ra! Kia hiwa ra! E nga mana! E nga reo! Ki nga Iwi me nga Waka, huri noa te motu! He powhiri tenei kia koutou katoa: Haere mai ki te hikoi mo to tatou Marae i Te Atatu - i runga i to tatou nei Rangatiratanga. No reira, tena koutou! Tena koutou! Tena koutou katoa! (Ka huri)

UNITED MARCH FOR TE ATATU MARAE! Wednesday, 29 August 2001 Wake up! Stand up! With all your power and all your voices! To all the Tribes and Waka of New Zealand: Come and march for our Marae at Te Atatu - for our Sovereignty! So, greetings to all! Welcome! Welcome!

"Relocate" Marae "elsewhere"? Where? ... South Africa? Tangata whenua have waited more than 34 years, been refused site after site after site, again and again. Maori struggle for the Marae in Te Atatu North began in 1967. The very first site proposed was where the current Marae site is - as described by tangata whenua in Council's 'Public Consultation' last year, 10 hectares alongside the motorway from its entry to Waitakere City, and including the Waitemata foreshore, around to the mouth of the Whau River, and rising up from it.

The whenua now known as Harbourview South, in 1967 was threatened by Harbour Board plans for a gas and oil tank farm. Record funds raised in Te Atatu North for this Marae went to good use in construction of Hoani Waititi Marae, when that alternative site 9 km away was accepted. Organised protest by the working class Maori, Pakeha, Tauiwi people of Te Atatu North later stopped the tank farm. Such staunch protest kept the land safe despite repeated Harbour Board attacks - until Waitakere City Council (Waitemata, pre-1989) took over... That first and last Marae site is the only suitable one left on Te Atatu Peninsula today. As local body elections loom again, Waitakere City Council now wants to relocate Te Atatu Marae "elsewhere". Where do they want Tangata Whenua to put their Marae . . . South Africa?

Council wants to gazette Marae site as 'Scenic Reserve' - by the end of this month On May 29 this year, a Special Council Meeting voted unanimously for a 'Peoples Park' on ALL the unsold 'Harbourview' land, to be funded for 5 years by a Uniform Annual Charge of $8 pa per Waitakere City ratepayer. And to notify a Variation to the Proposed District Plan within 3 months of that meeting - by August 29, 2001. This would rezone the whole area as 'Reserve' under the Reserves Act. Waitakere City Council hopes Auckland Regional Council will take over 'ownership' of their park. Our Marae site is to be zoned 'Scenic Reserve' to ensure no "unsightly" buildings, ever. No Marae, ever.

Situations Vacant C22, NZ Herald Sat Aug 18 2001, Waitakere City Council seeks a "Landscape Projects Coordinator", for "large-scale park projects...including the 80ha Peoples Park on Te Atatu Peninsula...strong project management and communication skills...familiarity with Reserves Act and Resource Management Act". No kidding! Not "familiarity" with the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act? Not with Te Tiriti o Waitangi? ..."Applications close 4pm, Friday, August 24 2001.".. Why are unemployed project coordinators only chosen for this news? That Maori are taking such a modest one-eighth portion of the left-over (80 hectares!) of Harbourview land, for our long-overdue Marae?

Majority mandate for Marae in 'public consultation': Concealed This Council of Waitakere covered up the inconvenient results of its citywide Harbourview Land 'democratic' consultation (Aug 2000). Of 3358 respondents, Marae supporters who also supported the Peoples Park constituted an overall majority for the Marae, outnumbering by 49 those wanting only the park. While claiming the majority Peoples Park prize for Te Atatu Residents and Ratepayers Association alone, Waitakere City Council has refused to acknowledge its own findings and the clearly expressed wishes of the community for the Marae.

Council sells-off of gifted Crown land: In breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi & International Law Since 1989, in breach of both multiple Waitangi Tribunal claims (eg Wai 496), and International Law, Waitakere City Council has sold off a vast area on the Peninsula of gifted ex-Harbour Board Crown land beside the Waitemata. An overseas 'Eco Award' in 1998 for 'Harbourview Estate', to boost its 'green' self-image, was one reward the Council accepted for that theft

It ignored protests, by Maori who own the entire whenua, and residents and ratepayers, including occupation in 1998 of Harbourview land due for sale next. Central Government supplied timely assistance with renewed ratification of all Councils' 'rights' to freely sell ex-Harbour Board land, in Local Government Amendment Act (No 2) 1999.

Waitakere City Council, its LATE Waitakere Properties Ltd, and property developers have profited - from gentrification of our working class suburb that was once Te Atatu North, through commercial development and upmarket housing - on this land stolen from Tangata Whenua Maori.

Te Atatu Marae Hikoi - Homai te Whenua!

HIKOI PROGRAMME - WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29 2001 2.30 pm - Assemble Te Atatu Marae site, Harbourview South, Te Atatu Rd, next to m'way 3.00 pm - Proclamation and Declaration of Maori Sovereignty on the land 3.30 pm - Hikoi leaves Te Atatu Peninsula, from Te Atatu Rd by m'way on-ramp 5.00 pm - Rally outside Waitakere City Council, Waipareira Ave, Henderson 5.30 pm - PROCLAMATION and Declaration of Maori Sovereignty to full monthly Meeting of Waitakere City Council

Te Atatu Marae Hikoi: Contact:: Matiu Tarawa 527 0247 - Melba Wellington 834 9999, 025 820 220 email: teatatumarae@hotmail.com

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Sunday August 19, 2001

Open Letter

To: The Mayor of Waitakere City, RA Harvey, Deputy Mayor, RW Stanic; and all member Councillors of Waitakere City: DQ Battersby, DR Chapman, JM Clews, AK Corban, RP Dallow, D Freeth, PA Hulse, GE Nash, JCM Price, JG Riddell, CA Stone, DA Yates;

Please be informed that you are all in breach of the Declaration of Independence, signed at Waitangi on October 28, 1835, as well as in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, signed at Waitangi on February 6, 1840: the legal, constitutional Treaty documents of Maoridom.

Be informed that we are opposing any action you take in relation to the Variation to the Proposed District Plan for rezoning of Harbourview land at Te Atatu Peninsula under the Reserves Act and to designation of the Te Atatu Marae site on Harbourview South as Scenic Reserve in denial of Maori rights to self determination according to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

For thirty-four years Waitakere City Council and its predecessor Council have denied Maori the right to build a Marae in Te Atatu Peninsula on their papakainga; in consequence, an injunction will be filed against your Council should you proceed with this District Plan Variation to exclude the establishment of Te Atatu Marae on Harbourview South;

And should this occur, a claim for $1 billion will be made against you, the Mayor of Waitakere City, and against each individual Councillor member of Waitakere City - for which your personal accountability will ensure that there is no cost to the ratepayers of the City.

By The Taumata of the Confederation of United Tribes of Aotearoa/New Zealand Tauranga Secretariat

Copies to: Media organisations, Maori organisations, Tauiwi organisations, all Members of Parliament, The Governor-General, International Indigenous and Tauiwi organisations and others

(Ka huri)

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