Mau Whenua are sowing their iwi’s heritage seeds into Shelly Bay whenua they say is rightfully theirs, three months after they first started occupying the disputed Wellington land.
“It's not for us … it’s for our future generations to make sure they’ve got a place to come to, a turangawaewae (a place to stand),” iwi member Josh Parata said.
Mau Whenua, a collective of Taranaki Whānui members, have been peacefully occupying the land since last November, when Wellington City Council sold and leased sections of land to The Wellington Company – the final property in the area necessary for their proposed half billion dollar residential development.
But it’s the main whenua sale by the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust, Taranaki Whānui's trust established to manage the iwi’s treaty settlement from the Crown, that Mau Whenua is disputing, saying iwi members did not consent to the sale from as early as 2015.
“We still believe we own it because the uri, descendants, we did not agree to sell the land,” Parata said.
About 30 members are living on the land full-time, with many more people supporting the occupation when they can around other commitments.
“It's grown from a core whānau group to the wider whānau and now the wider community as well occupying here,” Parata said.
“We encourage people to be self-sufficient.”
Supporters from Hokianga to the South Island have turned up in support.
About 600 to 800 people attended a music festival at Shelly Bay last Monday, with nine bands performing and information tents set up for people to learn about why the site is being occupied.
“They walk past and see a scary occupation. But, when they come in and talk to us they realise, yeah, well it's a community issue, not just a Māori issue … I think it's important people engage in what's happening here, this issue here,” Parata said.
This week, iwi protested the arrival of development contractors, calling the police before the workers left on their own accord.
“We want the land back, that’s our long-term goal, short-term goals are stopping development, holding space, until our court cases can get heard.
“Meet at the table and talk about things before they bring in bulldozers,” Parata said.
A High Court case challenging the legality of the land sale was put on hold late last year when financial backing for the group to cover legal costs was cut.
Mau Whenua board member Dr Catherine Love told 1 NEWS the group is calling for the Government to launch a public inquiry into how the sale occurred, saying an investigation is in the interests of all New Zealanders.
"All we are asking for is a careful and thorough review of the facts," she said in a statement.
Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust has been approached for comment.
In a statement, The Wellington Company founder Ian Cassels said the developers respect the iwi members' right to protest but "would point out that most of what they have publicly campaigned for has or will be achieved, and that this has been in train for quite some time".
Cassels said the matter is one for iwi to sort out internally.
"We [The Wellington Company] are in partnership with Taranaki Whānui and we will all wait for their process to deliver its position on the latest developments.
"It is unfortunate that some individuals continue to fuel this dispute in pursuit of their own personal positions," he said in the statement.
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