Cross on Puketāpapa-Mt Roskill comes down after consultation with church leaders

Following a constructive process between representatives of the Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority and church leaders alongside the Puketāpapa Local Board, the cross on the tihi (summit) of Puketāpapa-Mt Roskill was removed on Tuesday.

Prior to the Auckland Council amalgamation, the cross was erected and illuminated on the tihi for short periods at Easter and Christmas, after which it was removed and stored. However, due to a previous oversight, it has remained in place without authorisation.

Chair of the Maunga Authority, Paul Majurey, says that discussions between Auckland Council officers working on behalf of the authority, church leaders and the local board have been thorough and amicable. The process included an authorisation for Easter 2015 which included a condition requiring removal of the Cross in April.

“Staff met with the forum of church ministers and the local board to help facilitate local discussions, update them on the changes in ownership and discuss the future process for the cross. Those discussions culminated in the removal of the cross on Tuesday,” he says.

“The Maunga Authority has agreed to receive an application to erect the cross for future events and consider this next month.”

The Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Act 2014 states that in exercising its powers and carrying out its functions in relation to the Tūpuna Maunga, the Authority must have regard to the spiritual, ancestral, cultural, customary, and historical significance of the maunga to Ngā Mana Whenua o Tamaki Makaurau.

The cross will be safely stored in the meantime.

Puketāpapa-Mt Roskill is one of the 14 Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains) returned to Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau under the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Act 2014, marking an important milestone for these taonga and new guidelines for their care, use and management.

The Tūpuna Maunga are administered by the Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority, comprised of equal representatives from Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau and Auckland Council, together with one non-voting Crown representative.

ENDS

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