BEEHIVE CHAT FOR MONDAY 16 APRIL 2007

Tariana Turia, Member of Parliament for Te Tai Hauauru

The Waitangi Tribunal claim of Whanganui iwi to the Whanganui river dates back to numerous petitions to Parliament from as early on as 1887. Over this period of more than a century, te awa tupua has been described as the aortic artery, the central bloodline of our heart as a people.

The claim, as reported to the Tribunal, is based on our rights to the customary authority, possession and title of the lands, waters, fisheries and associated taonga, of the Whanganui river. These rights were guaranteed by the Treaty of Waitangi; rights which have not been extinguished despite a multitude of actions to do so by the Crown. The authority, possession and title of Whanganui iwi to our awa continue to be eroded or displaced by Crown laws, policies and practices inimical to the Treaty.

Against this context then, the discharge of sewage and groundwater into the Whanganui River for a period of sixteen days from 26 March through to this last Saturday, is clearly offensive.

The problem of pollution is not just an issue for recreational fishers who may be fishing off the city marina, oblivious to the danger in the water at present.

The discharge of untreated residential and industrial waste into the river degrades the quality of the water, adversely affecting the mauri of the river.

When we talk about mauri, we refer to the lifeforce that generates and regenerates the physical and the spiritual elements of natural resources.

Mauri is central to resource management, to protecting, preserving and enhancing the life and development of our resources.

In such a context the damage of industrial and domestic effluent is not just in the adverse effects on aquatic life (shellfish), and the health and safety of humans in harvesting kaimoana or swimming; but it is also evident in the degradation of sites which are understood as sacred or tapu.

The pollution of water that results through the discharge of domestic waste water has an impact on areas of the river which whanau members may go to, for healing and cleansing, for purification rituals.

While the Council may well have complied with the requirements to advise Horizons Regional Council of the construction programme for the treatment plant, the issue that remains for me, is how to ensure that the mauri of the Whanganui River will be restored and the balanced maintained.

What steps has the Council taken to return the life supporting capacity of the river to its natural state?

How will the Council act to ensure movement from the state of Waikino (water that is polluted, spoilt or corrupted) to Waiora – the purest form of water, which has the potential to give life, to sustain wellbeing?

It is a question we will all be eager to see addressed and answered.

ENDS

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