Central Auckland hapū Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei is sending a clear message to iwi that want to invest within its rohe or tribal territory to “come through the front door” first.
The hapū has endured significant loss throughout its history of colonisation and was rendered to a quarter acre section by 1855.
It’s now rebuilding its estate, with over 160 hectares of commercial and cultural land in its portfolio, and a total asset base worth $1.5 billion.
But Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust deputy chairman Ngarimu Blair said it was disappointing to see iwi based outside of Auckland investing in the city without meeting with them first.
“If a Ngāpuhi buys a house, pai ana (all good), but if the iwi entity invests here under traditional leadership structures then we expect our tikanga to be followed,” he said.
“Being tūturu Māori is when you go into a tribal district as manuhiri (visitors), you seek out the local home people to acknowledge them as the host, and build a relationship with them. That’s all we ask.”
But that had not always occurred.
“Not all of them have come through the front door and we have a list of them,” Blair said.
Among them was Ngāi Tahu, an iwi based in the South Island, that opened the All Blacks Experience at Sky City in 2020 and purchased property at Onekiritea, Hobsonville.
“They made amends for that, have left town, and they’ve said when they come back they will come to the marae,” he said.
“We are actually holding on to a taonga that they brought with them for safekeeping so that when they do come back, we have that pounamu in our meeting house, and we will reignite that relationship.”
Ngāi Tahu Holdings chief executive Todd Moyle acknowledged mistakes had been made.
“In recent years, we have been working closer with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, which is an improvement on years gone by,” he said.
“We acknowledge there were instances in the past where Ngāi Tahu Holdings did not engage appropriately, and we appreciate the willingness of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to work with us to address these issues.
“We value our current strong relationship and look forward to future opportunities for collaboration and partnership.”
But the hapū’s northern neighbour, Ngāpuhi, could be next to invest in Auckland when it eventually settles.
Penetaui Kleskovic, who affiliates to the tribe, certainly hopes so.
“Once we get the economic endowment, we need to look towards Auckland, and the tribes in Auckland will say, ‘Ngāpuhi has no legit claim there’, but they do,” he said.
“If I have discussions with the Crown negotiators, I’ll say to them, ‘We want all of the remaining assets on the Crown’s balance sheet within the Auckland area’.”
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust chairwoman Marama Royal said the hapū was very protected of its rohe.
“That’s not because we don’t want to share, it’s because no one has endured the losses we have in a place like Auckland,” she said.
“For us, the protection of this, and the fact we have had to purchase back everything we have, sends a clear signal that we are here to stay, and we are the true ahi kā of central Tāmaki.
“All we’ve asked is that they have the courtesy to come through the front door, not the back door – it’s as simple as that.”
