Maori refuses to forgive and forget

Press, 16 July 1977, Page 4

Maori refuses to forgive and forget

There is no forgiving and c forgetting in Joe Hawke’s I book. Bastion Points exist all t over New Zealand —memo- c rials to broken promises, t treaties, and trusts. v Mr Hawke, the leader of the Bastion Point protest, ' said in Christchurch yester- € day that he intended to bring' s these “underhand Govern-. ment land-transfer practices” 1 to light. "No. We won’t forgive and 1 forget." he said. “Of the land that was once ’ in Maori ownership, only 4.5,1 per cent remains.” The rest had been’ alienated by the Crown after it had originally undertaken to reserve it for ever as trust; land for the occupation and’* benefit of ’he Maori people. 1 Little Hagiey Park was a ■ case in point. It was right 1 that the acre and a quarter of Haglev Park at present- 1 vested in the Christchurch!’ City Council by act of Parlia- ’ ment be returned to Maori; 1 title under the Ngai TahuJ people because it had heen‘ ! illegally taken from them in l the first place. The Government used the} 1 Public Works Act to evict [I people from any land on, which they wanted to build: f roads, hospitals, bridges, or I sewerage plants, said Mr Hawke. It did it at Bastion i

compulsory-acquisition clans| Point in 1950 by applying; the compulsory-acquisition; clause and by burning and’ bulldozing the 40 homes that' were vacated. The argument was that the' 12 acres concerned were “an I eyesore, unhealthy, and ram-! shackle,” he said. But at the same time it; refused anv more than one’ tap on the marae and re-! fused to install sewers. In. 1950, the Auckland *'’ity| Council refused building: permits. “They wanted us off the, land from the outset,” said Mr Hawke. There was talk in official quarters of a model pa on the site and a hill to authorise this was presented’ to Parliament. But the Maori owners wanted to rebuild. The proposed visit oi Prin-| cess Elizabeth in 1950 was a; deciding factor, he '.aid. She; would have had to ’our oast the site and the area had to be “cleaned up.” Maoris werestill living on the site when; the Government used tnei Public W’orks Act to take the Maori freehold title off them, and vest it. in the Crown. i The State houses promised for these people were never built. Much of the 700 acres around Bastion Point that be-

{longed to the Maoris in 18691 became alienated when long- I term leases expired. Land I was not returned to the orig-; inai owners but was appro-! i priated under the Public I Works Act and the Town and; (Countrv Planning Act and! 'sold. “1 have every right to go: [to the people living in Para-i ■ tai Drive and tell them toI ! get off my land,” said Mr[ ; Hawke. “That land belonged [ Ito my great-grandfather, under long-term lease.” I ; The Government had just* [made the Ngati Whatua tribe: ' an offer of 13 acres “in a { back-room deal with Pro-! ' lessor Hugh Kawharu and a ' few Ngati Whatua elders” 'but this was totally unacceptable to the Orakei Maori Committee action group, .which was not invited. ! Mr Hawke is leader of the !: group. | He called Professor Ka-; ’j wharu one of the “Uncle ,’Toms” who had sold the j Maori heritage. ,! The action committee opposed the deal because its ' conditions demanded that all 1 future claims to al) Ngati '.Whatua lands be dropped, ! that the committee approved ’ the subdivision, that pro- [ testers stopped “squatting” at Bastion Point, and that .$214,000 was paid for road- | ing and related works norm- ; ally’ done by the State. It was bad enough rent- ; ing your own land, let alone I paying the State $214,000 for | a service it normally provided : from taxes, said Mr Hawke.