Beach board workshop, tour ‘invaluable’; chair says.

Members of the new Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē/Ninety Mile Beach Board have had a fascinating first-hand insight into the coastal treasure they are charged with managing.

Chairman Haami Piripi and fellow board members gathered in Kaitaia recently (Friday 20 May)for a workshop to discuss the board’s legally-mandated roles and functions and continue getting-to-know one another.

Mr Piripi says they also took the opportunity to travel up Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē/Ninety Mile Beach to hear the history and some of the wealth of stories associated with it from a cultural perspective.

“We were also briefed by the Northland Regional Council and Department of Conservation staff about their associated work programmes and some of the pressures faced by the beach.”

He says the workshop and beach visit provided some invaluable and fascinating insights into the taonga (treasure) that is Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē/Ninety Mile Beach and he’s excited at the opportunity the board’s formation offers.

Established through Treaty of Waitangi settlement legislation for Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri, NgatiTakoto and Ngati Kuri, the board will co-develop a management plan for the beach, which has iconic status to both Maori and non-Maori alike.

The board’s membership is Mr Piripi (Te Rarawa), regional councillor Dover Samuels (deputy chair), Far North Mayor John Carter and his fellow district councillor David Collard, regional councillor Monty Knight, NgaiTakoto’s Rangitane Marsden, Graeme Neho (Ngati Kuri) and Waitai Petera (Te Aupouri).

Mr Piripi, who is also Te Rarawa’s chair, says the workshop provided a good chance to build on an informal whanaungatanga day held at Roma Marae Ahipara earlier this year and another opportunity to hear from each party first hand.

“Our shared vision is that our collective local history and knowledge of Te Oneroa a Tohe will add immense cultural value to practical environmental management of this coastal treasure and give effect to the adage our ancestors, ‘Kia mahi tahi tatou – working together.’”

Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē/Ninety Mile Beach Board members during the recent beach visit. They are, from left, Haami Piripi (chair), Dover Samuels (deputy chair), Waitai Petera, John Carter, Monty Knight and Dave Collard. (Absent are Rangitane Marsden and Graeme Neho.)

ENDS

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