Ihumātao
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Ihumātao is an archaeological site of historic importance in the suburb of
Māngere Māngere () is a major suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, located on mainly flat land on the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of Manukau, Manukau City Centre and south of the Auckland CBD, Auckland city centre. ...
,
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
. Once a
The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...
site, it stands on the Ihumātao Peninsula, at the base of Ōtuataua, part of the
Auckland volcanic field The Auckland volcanic field is an area of monogenetic volcanoes covered by much of the metropolitan area of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, located in the North Island. The approximately 53 volcanoes in the field have produced a divers ...
. Its scoria cone reaches above sea level. Māori first settled in the area as early as the 14th century CE. During the
Invasion of the Waikato The invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...
in 1863, the local Māori had their land confiscated by the New Zealand government as punishment for supporting the Kīngitanga movement. The name translates as "cold nose". The land was largely used for farming until late 2016 when the construction-management company
Fletcher Building Fletcher Building Limited is one of the largest listed companies in New Zealand, with a market capitalisation of nearly NZ$4 billion. The company was split from Fletcher Challenge in 2001, formerly New Zealand's largest business and multinati ...
acquired the site as part of a housing-development
project A project is a type of assignment, typically involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a specific objective. An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of events: a "set of interrelated tasks to be ...
. A group of local activists, led by Pania Newton, opposed the development of the site and staged protests and an occupation of the land over the next three years. In December 2021, the site was purchased by the government with the proposal that it be used for housing purposes. a steering committee is developing a plan for the future use of the land.


History


Māori settlement

The Ōtuataua Stonefields are part of an area known as Ihumātao or Te Ihu a Mataoho ("The Nose of
Mataoho Mataaho (also known as Mataaoho and Mataoho) is a Māori deity. Variously considered a god of earthquakes and eruptions, the guardian of the earth's secrets, the god of volcanic forces, or a giant, Mataaho is associated with many of the volcan ...
"). The Stonefields feature Māori stone garden mounds and Māori and European dry-stone walls; the visible histories of Ihumātao are interwoven with the history of Auckland, as it is possible to trace the history of human presence in Auckland from initial Māori settlement to the arrival of Europeans in the 1860s with their pastoral farming techniques. The coastline of
Māngere Māngere () is a major suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, located on mainly flat land on the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of Manukau, Manukau City Centre and south of the Auckland CBD, Auckland city centre. ...
, Ihumātao and Pukaki Creek was first settled by Māori as early as the 14th century AD/CE. According to traditions the first settlers were the
Ngā Oho Ngā Oho, also known as Ngā Ohomatakamokamo-o-Ohomairangi, is the name of a historical iwi (tribe) of Māori who settled in the Auckland Region. In the 17th century, Ngā Oho and two other tribes of shared heritage, Ngā Riki and Ngā Iwi, form ...
people. In the early 17th century, the area was within the
rohe The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ' to describe the territory or boundaries of tribes (, although some divide their into several . Background In 1793, chief Tuki Te Terenui Whare Pirau who had been brought to Norfolk Island drew ...
of
Te Kawerau ā Maki Te Kawerau ā Maki, Te Kawerau a Maki, or Te Kawerau-a-Maki is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Predominantly based in West Auckland (Hikurangi also known as Waitākere), it had 251 registered adult members as of J ...
, and by the mid-17th century was a part of
Waiohua Te Waiohua or Te Wai-o-Hua is a Māori people, Māori iwi (tribe) confederation that thrived in the early 17th century. The rohe (tribal area) was primarily the central Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau area (the Auckland isthmus) and they had pā (for ...
, a confederation of Ngā Oho and other
Tāmaki Māori Tāmaki Māori are Māori ''iwi'' and ''hapū'' (tribes and sub-tribes) who have a strong connection to Tāmaki Makaurau (the Auckland Region), and whose rohe was traditionally within the region. Among Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the M ...
tribes. The papakāinga (village) of Ihumātao is considered the oldest settlement in Auckland. The Ōtuataua Stonefields were part of a greater settlement of the
Auckland isthmus The Auckland isthmus, also known as the Tāmaki isthmus, is a narrow stretch of land on the North Island of New Zealand in the Auckland Region, and the location of the central suburbs of the city of Auckland and the central business district. ...
, which has been surveyed, mapped and investigated by archaeologists since the 1970s. It is estimated that there was once about 8,000 hectares of stonefield gardens, of which the 100 hectares at Ōtuataua is the last remaining example. Other South Auckland stonefield garden sites included
Wiri Wiri is a mostly industrial-commercial focused suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It was formerly part of Manukau City until the merger of all of Auckland's councils into the ' super city' in 2010. The area was named after the chief Takaanini W ...
, where there were 300 hectares of prehistoric agricultural activity involving about 120 hectares of arable land growing kūmara, taro and gourds, and Matukutūreia (McLaughlins Mountain) which has been destroyed by quarrying. The Ōtuataua Stonefields were created during the 15th century, using Polynesian agricultural techniques and traditions. The stonefields acted as boundary walls, windbreaks and drainage systems for the crops grown in the area, which included
kūmara The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of the ...
(sweet potato), hue ( calabash gourds),
taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...
, uwhi (ube yam), tī pore (Pacific cabbage tree) and
aute Luis Eduardo Aute Gutiérrez (13 September 1943 – 4 April 2020) was a Spanish musician, singer, composer, and film director. Aute died in April 2020 from Covid-19. Biography First years in the Philippines Luis Eduardo Aute was born in Mani ...
(the paper mulberry tree). The environment-modifying techniques used in the Ōtuataua Stonefields allowed early Tāmaki Māori to propagate crops which were not suited to a cooler climate. During the 17th and early 18th centuries, the area was farmed for the Waiohua peoples. After the defeat of Waiohua paramount chief
Kiwi Tāmaki Kiwi Tāmaki (died ) was a Māori people, Māori warrior and paramount chief of the Waiohua confederation in Auckland region, Tāmaki Makaurau (modern-day Auckland isthmus). The third generation paramount chief of Waiohua, Kiwi Tāmaki consolid ...
circa 1740 AD/CE, many Waiohua people fled the region. When the Waiohua people began to re-establish themselves in the Tāmaki Makaurau area in the later 18th century, most settled around the
Manukau Harbour The Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and opens out into the Tasman Sea. Geography The harbour mouth is between the northern head ("Burnett ...
and
South Auckland South Auckland ( or ) is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. The area is south of the Auckland isthmus, and on the eastern shores of the Manukau Harbour. The area has been populated by Tāmaki M ...
. At the time of European colonisation, Ihumātao had continued be occupied by Waiohua-descendent peoples
Ngāti Tamaoho Ngāti Tamaoho is a Māori iwi (tribe) of Auckland and the Waikato District of New Zealand. It is part of the Waiohua confederation of tribes. They have three marae, which are at Karaka, Mangatangi and Pukekohe. The tribe is a strong support ...
,
Te Ākitai Waiohua Te Ākitai Waiohua is a Māori iwi of the southern part of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. History Te Ākitai Waiohua are descended from Kiwi Tāmaki, the grandson of Huakaiwaka, himself the ancestor of the Waiohua iwi, who lived in Tāmaki ...
and
Ngāti Te Ata Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...
, who lived in a disbursed circuit around the Manukau Harbour, as opposed to continuously occupied villages. The arrival of European settlers in the area significantly altered the Ōtuataua Stonefields, which were altered to contain animals. Ihumātao provided food for the growing township of Auckland until the 1863, primarily corn, potato, kūmara, pigs and fruit. In 1845, hostilities broke out between Ngāti Tamaoho and Ngāti Te Ata over land boundaries on the
Āwhitu Peninsula The Āwhitu Peninsula is a long peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand, extending north from the mouth of the Waikato River to the entrance to Manukau Harbour. The Peninsula is bounded in the west by rugged cliffs over the Tasman Sea, but ...
. A
hui The Hui people are an East Asian ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam. They are distributed throughout China, mainly in the northwestern provinces and in the Zhongyuan region. According to the 2 ...
was convened at Ihumātao by
Waikato Tainui Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in the Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zeal ...
chief (and future
Māori King Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
)
Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (died 25 June 1860) was a Māori people, Māori rangatira who reigned as the inaugural Māori King Movement, Māori King from 1858 until his death. A powerful nobleman and a leader of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato iwi of the ...
, who facilitated a compromise between the iwi, and allowed members of Ngāti Tamaoho to settle at Ihumātao. In 1846, the Wesleyan Methodist Church established a mission at the foot of
Maungataketake Maungataketake (also Ellett's Mount) is one of the volcanoes in the Auckland volcanic field in New Zealand. It had a 76 m high scoria cone, beside a 100 m wide crater, before they were quarried away. It was the site of a pā. Layers ...
, near Ihumātao. In May 1857, thousands of Māori gathered at Ihumātao for the hahunga (exhumation of bones) of Ngāti Tamaoho rangatira
Ēpiha Pūtini Ēpiha Pūtini ( 1816 – 22 March 1856) , born Te Rangiata-Ahua Ngamuka and later known as Jabez Bunting was a prominent chief of Ngāti Tamaoho, who occupied the area south of Papatoetoe and through the Hunua Ranges to the Bombay Hills. As ran ...
(also known as Te Rangitāhua Ngāmuka and Jabez Bunting) was held at Ihumātao. The hui involved many discussions between chiefs on how they believed the New Zealand Crown had failed them, and was one of the integral hui that led to the birth of the
Māori King Movement Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
in 1858.


Crown acquisition and land contestation

In 1863, due to fears of an imminent war with Waikato Tainui, Governor Grey ordered the eviction of all Māori occupants of the South Auckland and Manukau Harbour areas, who did not swear an oath to the Queen and give up arms. Most Māori occupants of the area felt they had no choice due to their strong ties to Tainui and Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, and were forced to flee to the south. Only a small number of occupants stayed, in order to maintain
ahi kā Ahi kā or Ahi kaa (burning fires) is a principle in Māori culture, referring to take whenua (land rights) through visible occupation and use of land. Ahi kā is one of the traditional means to establish mana whenua (authority over land). Exte ...
(the fires of continuous occupation). While fleeing, Te Ākitai Waiohua rangatira Ihaka Takanini and his family were captured by his former neighbour, Lieutenant-Colonel Marmaduke Nixon, and taken prisoner on
Rakino Island Rakino () is a rural locality (a village) in Chernushinsky District, Perm Krai Perm Krai (, ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a Krais of Russia, krai), located in Eastern Europe. Its administrative center is Perm, ...
, where Ihaka Takanini died. The former residents of Ihumātao and the Manukau Harbour began returning to the area in 1866. In 1867, the
New Zealand Government The New Zealand Government () is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand. As in most other parliamentary democracies, the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch, and more specifica ...
acquired Ihumātao through a land grant. The land known as Oruarangi Block was farmed by the Wallace family for 150 years. The Wallace family, and other British immigrant farmers, dismantled and rearranged the stonefields to better suit their uses of the land. The rocky terrain was unsuitable to European farming methods, and could not be plowed mechanically. Some of the first dairy farms in Auckland were established on the farms near Ihumātao. Members of Te Kawerau ā Maki, a tribe whose heartland is in the
Waitākere Ranges The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland, New Zealand, West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. ...
, began living at Ihumātao in the late 20th century after being displaced from their traditional lands at
Te Henga / Bethells Beach Te Henga, or Bethells Beach, is a coastal community in West Auckland, New Zealand. The Māori name for the area, "Te Henga", is in reference to the long foredunes which run along the beach and look like the or gunwale of an upturned waka hull. ...
. In the early 1980s, an archaeological survey of the stone structures of Ihumātao and the wider area was conducted. Many Māori archaeologists and historians highlighted significance of the area, and pressured the
Manukau City Council Manukau City was a territorial authority district in Auckland, New Zealand, that was governed by the Manukau City Council. The area is also referred to as "South Auckland", although this term never possessed official recognition and does not ...
to act to preserve the lands. In 2001, the Manukau City Council, the
Department of Conservation Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
,
New Zealand Lotteries Commission The New Zealand Lotteries Commission, trading as Lotto New Zealand since 2013, is a Crown entity that operates nationwide lottery, lotteries in New Zealand. It was established in 1987 and operates under the Gambling Act 2003. Its oldest and mo ...
and
Auckland Regional Council The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council (one of the former local government authorities) of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989. The ARC ...
purchased much of the stonefields area from four farming families, creating the Ōtuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve in 2001. The Manukau City Council attempted to preserve the adjacent land at Ihumātao as part of the reserve in 2009, however this was later overruled on appeal by the
Environment Court The Environment Court of New Zealand () is a specialist court for plans, resource consents and Natural environment, environmental issues. It mainly deals with issues arising under the Resource Management Act 1991, Resource Management Act, meani ...
. In 2014, the New Zealand Government and
Auckland Council Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...
designated 32 hectares adjacent to the Ōtuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve as a Special Housing Area (SHA). This was met by opposition by a Māori activist group led by
University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...
law graduate Pania Newton called "Save Our Unique Landscape" (SOUL), who opposed the proposed development due to Ihumātao's historical significance. SOUL staged protests and erected a whare and pou whenua on Ihumātao Quarry Road. In 2016, the "Wallace Block" on Ihumātao was sold to
Fletcher Housing Fletcher may refer to: People and fictional characters * Fletcher (surname), including lists of people and fictional characters * Fletcher (given name), lists of people and fictional characters * Fletcher (occupation), a person who fletches arr ...
, a subsidiary of Fletcher Building, which has plans to build 480 houses on the land. Archaeologist Dave Veart has described the planned Fletcher development as "like building houses on the fields alongside Stonehenge." The
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...
announced its support for the preservation of Ihumātao in 2015.


Protest action and occupation

In response to Fletcher Building's planned housing development on the Oruarangi Bloc, the protest group SOUL led by Pania Newton set up camp beside Ihumātao Quarry Road on 4 November 2016. This camp, which became known as
Kaitiaki Kaitiakitanga is a New Zealand Māori term used for the concept of guardianship of the sky, the sea, and the land. A kaitiaki is a guardian, and the process and practices of protecting and looking after the environment are referred to as k ...
Village, numbered twenty individuals with participants sleeping in caravans, sheds, tents, and an empty boat. SOUL contended that the land was taken by proclamation during the Waikato War in 1863 and that its confiscation under the New Zealand Settlements Act 1863 breaches the
Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...
. In 2017, SOUL appealed to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
, which recommended that the designation of Ihumātao as a Special Housing Area be reviewed by the Government to "evaluate its conformity with the Treaty of Waitangi, the
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples , , The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP or DOTROIP) is a legally non-binding United Nations resolution passed by the United Nations in 2007 that delineates and defines the individual and collective rights of indig ...
and other relevant international standards" and that "the free and informed consent of Māori is obtained before approving any project affecting the use and development of their traditional land and resources." In 2018, SOUL appealed to the Environment Court who declined to overturn the permission granted to Fletcher Building to build houses in Māngere. In March 2019, SOUL and their supporters in Wellington submitted a petition to the
New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament () is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Monarchy of New Zealand, Sovereign and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by his Governor-General of New Zeal ...
demanding government intervention to prevent a confrontation on Ihumātao. In April 2019, SOUL also delivered a 20,000 signature petition to the
Mayor of Auckland The mayor of Auckland is the elected head of local government in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island; one of 67 Mayors in New Zealand, mayors in the country. The principle city of the region (and its namesake) is Auckland. The may ...
Phil Goff Philip Bruce Goff (born 22 June 1953) is a New Zealand retired politician and former diplomat. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1981 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2016. He served as Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, le ...
, calling on Council and the government to protect the land. According to media reports, the Ihumātao housing development dispute was characterised by a generational divide within Te Kawerau ā Maki. While younger members of the tribe including Pania Newton and her cousins were opposed to the housing development and sought the return of Ihumātao to their iwi, tribal elders including Te Warena Taua supported the housing development and regarded Newton and her cousins' actions as disrespectful. The iwi's leadership body, the Te Kawerau Iwi Tribal Authority & Settlement Trust, supported the housing development, stating that they had negotiated an agreement with Fletcher and Makaurau Marae Māori Trust for the land to be returned to "''mana whenua''" (power associated with possession and occupation of tribal land). Fletcher Housing announced that they were committed to returning 25% of the land (roughly eight hectares) to the Kingitanga. On 23 July 2019, SOUL were served an eviction notice in the Oruarangi Block, and five people were subsequently arrested. Another person was arrested after climbing on a vehicle to prevent it entering the blockaded area. On 25 July
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
sent human rights observers to the site to document the human rights situation and ensure the rights of protestors were respected. Solidarity protests were held outside Parliament in Wellington on 24 July and Dunedin on 26 July. Green Party co-leader
Marama Davidson Marama Mere-Ana Davidson (née Paratene; born 29 December 1973) is a New Zealand politician who entered the New Zealand Parliament in 2015 as a list MP (member of Parliament) representing the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, of which she be ...
and MPs
Chlöe Swarbrick Chlöe Charlotte Swarbrick (born 26 June 1994) is a New Zealand politician. Following a high-profile but unsuccessful run for the 2016 Auckland mayoral election, she became a parliamentary candidate for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, ...
and
Golriz Ghahraman Golriz Ghahraman (; born 1981) is a New Zealand former politician, lawyer and writer. The former United Nations lawyer was a child asylum seeker, and became the first refugee elected to New Zealand Parliament, New Zealand's Parliament. Ghahrama ...
supported the protestors, but
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Jacinda Ardern Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician and activist who was the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was ...
said the government would not intervene. On 25 July 2019, seven supporters of the occupation were arrested after blocking traffic on a road leading out of
Auckland Airport Auckland Airport is an international airport serving Auckland, the most populous city of New Zealand. It is the largest and busiest airport in the country, with over 18.7 million passengers served in the year ended December 2024. The airpor ...
to call attention to the situation at Ihumātao.


Crown intervention and mediation

On 26 July 2019, Ardern backtracked on her earlier announcement and announced that no further building would take place at Ihumātao while the Government and other parties negotiated a peaceful solution to the dispute. On 3 August 2019, Kīngi Tūheitia, the Māori King, visited Ihumātao with a contingent of over 400 and listened to mana whenua and supporters. Views and history were shared, and an account was given of Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, first leader of the Kīngitanga, receiving his title at Ihumātao. A Kīngitanga flag was also raised to fly until a resolution is reached. Just hours after Tūheitia's visit, footage of two armed police officers carrying rifles around Ihumātao caused considerable alarm to protestors and supporters, and led to calls for guns to be removed from the site. On 4 August 2019, SOUL protestors and supporters held a
hīkoi A ''hīkoi'' is a walk or march, and especially a protest march, in New Zealand. The word comes from the Māori language, and often implies a long journey taking many days or weeks. The most famous hīkoi was the 1975 Māori land march, on wh ...
to Pukeiti/Puketapapakanga a Hape and back to the camp site through the fenced-off area of Kaitiaki Village, the site of SOUL's original occupation. At the same time, protestors pushed the police's frontline about 50 metres down Ihumātao Quarry Road from its original location at the intersection with Oruarangi Road, and moved tents into fields that had previously been blocked off by police. As the hikoi passed through Kaitiaki Village, Organise Aotearoa members who had joined the occupation spoke with First Security workers hired by
Fletcher Building Fletcher Building Limited is one of the largest listed companies in New Zealand, with a market capitalisation of nearly NZ$4 billion. The company was split from Fletcher Challenge in 2001, formerly New Zealand's largest business and multinati ...
, discovering – and later publicising – that for two weeks, the security guards, mostly recent migrants and students, had been sleeping in a milking station with broken windows on scavenged mattresses from Kaitiaki Village, where temperatures regularly drop below at night, without access to electricity, safe drinking water, or the meals they had been promised by First Security. On the night of 5 August 2019, there were reports of clashes between protesters and the police. Protesters accused the police of using
kettling Kettling (also known as containment or corralling) is a police tactic for controlling large crowds during demonstrations or protests. It involves the formation of large cordons of police officers who then move to contain a crowd within a l ...
tactics and unreasonable force while the police claimed that protesters had attempted to breach the cordon around the disputed land. The next day, SOUL protesters and supporters staged a protest outside the Fletcher Building headquarters in Penrose in Auckland, as part of a national day of action that had been planned before the clashes of the previous night took place. Similar protests were held in Whangarei, Hamilton, Hastings, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. In early August 2019,
Opposition Leader The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
Simon Bridges Simon Joseph Bridges (born 12 October 1976) is a New Zealand retired politician, broadcaster and lawyer. He served as Leader of the New Zealand National Party, Leader of the National Party and Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), Leader of t ...
called on the protesters to "return home" and criticised Ardern for halting construction. Earlier,
Mana Movement The Mana Movement, originally known as the Mana Party, was a political party in New Zealand. The party was led by Hone Harawira who formed it in April 2011 following his resignation from the Māori Party. Harawira won the 2011 Te Tai Tokerau by- ...
leader and Māori activist
Hone Harawira Hone Pani Tamati Waka Nene Harawira is a New Zealand Māori activist and former parliamentarian. He was elected to parliament as the member for the Māori electorate of Te Tai Tokerau in 2005 as the Māori Party candidate. In 2011, following ...
denounced the police as "pigs" in a Facebook post. In response to Bridges' remarks, Ardern reiterated the Government's commitment to finding a solution to the Ihumātao dispute. On 22 August, about 150 protesters marched from Ihumātao to Ardern's electorate office in Mount Albert calling on her to visit the site. On the same day, a group of students including Youth MPs were expelled from Parliament for a year after disrupting parliamentary proceedings by singing the Māori song " Tutira Mai Nga Iwi" while holding up the
Tino Rangatiratanga flag Tino is an Italian name or nickname, often a diminutive of the names Agostino, Costantino, Martino, Antonino, Valentino, Giustino, Sabatino, Faustino, Santino, Tristino, and other names ending in -tino. Tino may refer to: People Given name ...
to draw attention to the hikoi. On 18 September 2019, the leader of the Kīngitanga Tūheitia Paki announced that mana whenua wanted the return of the land. He called on the Government to negotiate with Fletchers for the return of the land to its rightful owners. The
Māori Party Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
also issued press release supporting the mana whenua of Ihumātao and calling on Ardern and the Crown to reach a solution with the mana whenua. In response to media coverage, deputy prime minister
Winston Peters Winston Raymond Peters (born 11 April 1945) is a New Zealand politician. He has led the political party New Zealand First since he founded it in 1993, and since November 2023 has served as the 25th Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand), ...
claimed that the SOUL protesters had little authority among the Māori community. On 19 September, National MP
Andrew Bayly Andrew Henry Bayly (born 1962) is a New Zealand businessman, adventurer, and politician. He was elected to the New Zealand Parliament at the 2014 general election as the MP for Hunua, representing the New Zealand National Party. He is curren ...
was ejected from Parliament for attempting to disrupt Parliamentary proceedings by asking several questions about the implications of the Ihumātao dispute for treaty settlements nationally. In mid September 2019, then-acting prime minister Winston Peters stated that Finance Minister
Grant Robertson Grant Murray Robertson (born 30 October 1971) is a retired New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party who served as the Minister of Finance from 2017 to 2023, as Minister of Foreign Affairs in November 2023, and as the 19th Deputy Pr ...
had entered into meaningful discussions with Fletcher on how to deal with the disputed land. In mid October, members of the SOUL group complained that they had been left out of talks between Fletcher and the Government. In early November 2019, the Crown heritage entity
Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...
announced that it was considering raising the heritage status of the Ōtuataua Stonefields reserve and the Ihumātao reserve to Category 1, the highest category ranking. Heritage NZ however stated that they would not change the consent for Fletcher Housing development. In mid November, it was reported the Government was considering loaning the Auckland Council NZ$40 million to purchase the Ihumātao land from Fletcher Building. This announcement was met by criticism from elements of the Māori community, who reiterated their calls for the return of Ihumātao. In late November 2019, Fletcher Housing chair Bruce Hassall defended the company's handling of the Ihumātao dispute, claiming that the company had bought the land in good faith, consulted with iwi groups, and followed proper land procedures. On 21 January 2020, Pania Newton, the leader of the SOUL group, issued a statement to the media that they were close to completing a deal on the disputed land at Ihumātao. Fletcher Building also stated that discussions on the future of the site were "progressing." Fletcher also removed fencing and restored a road to the maunga. On 23 June, Radio New Zealand reported that the Government was considering making a decision to purchase Ihumātao under the Housing Act.


Crown ownership

On 17 December 2020, the Government reached a deal with Fletcher Building to buy the disputed Ihumātao land for NZ$30 million with the proposal that it be used for housing purposes. A steering committee consisting of the ahi kā (the occupiers), a Kīngitanga representative, and two representatives of the Crown would decide its use, with Auckland Council acting in an observer role. On 20 April 2021, the
Auditor General An auditor general, also known in some countries as a comptroller general or comptroller and auditor general, is a senior civil servant charged with improving government accountability by auditing and reporting on the government's operations. Freq ...
ruled that the Government's purchase of Ihumātao was unlawful since the Government did not seek the right approval for using the $29.9 million. The Auditor-General had investigated the purchase after receiving complaints from the National and ACT parties that the Government had used money from the Land for Housing Fund to purchase Ihumātao against Treasury advice. In order to validate the purchase, the Government would have to pass legislation legitimising the purchase of Ihumātao land. The Government said that this was a "technical error" that would be validated in the next
Budget A budget is a calculation plan, usually but not always financial plan, financial, for a defined accounting period, period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including tim ...
, which was due to be announced the following month. In July 2022, ''The New Zealand Herald'' reported that a decision on the future of the land could be up to five years away. the steering committee was still working on a plan and a spokesperson said there were no updates.


Ōtuataua

The volcanic cone of Ōtuataua is sited within the Ōtuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve and as the dominant landscape feature, lends the 100 hectare reserve its name. The cone provided a fortified village to the original inhabitants, with the lower slopes of the volcano supporting intensive Māori gardening. The volcanic soils extend to the shoreline where there was access to the abundance of the Manukau Harbour. The sandy beaches and wide tidal flats were once rich with shellfish and the harbour provided fish and a regionally important shark fishery. The Ōtuataua cone was quarried in the 1950s, and the scoria used for building work – including the building of Auckland Airport. At the completion of quarrying, remedial reconstruction created a shallow, grassy crater. Adjacent to Ōtuataua in the Ōtuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve lies Pukeiti (literally "small hill"), Auckland's smallest volcano.


See also

*
Māori protest movement The Māori protest movement is a broad indigenous rights movement in New Zealand (). While there was a range of conflicts between Māori and Pākehā, European immigrants prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, the signing prov ...
*
Bastion Point Takaparawhau / Bastion Point is a coastal piece of land in Ōrākei, Auckland, New Zealand, overlooking the Waitematā Harbour. The area is significant in New Zealand history as the site of protests in the late 1970s by Māori against forced ...


References


Print references

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Further reading

*''City of Volcanoes: A geology of Auckland'' – Searle, Ernest J.; revised by Mayhill, R.D.; Longman Paul, 1981. First published 1964. . *''Volcanoes of Auckland: A Field Guide''. Hayward, B.W.; Auckland University Press, 2019, 335 pp. .


External links


Ōtuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve



Aerial view of Ōtuataua when still being quarried.Photo-essay on Ōtuataua Stonefields Historic ReserveRNZ interview. Dave Veart on Ihumatao: the 'legislation is failing us'. 27 July 2019
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ihumātao Māori politics Protests in New Zealand 2019 in New Zealand Auckland Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board Area Populated places around the Manukau Harbour Te Waiohua Te Ākitai Waiohua Ngāti Tamaoho Ngāti Te Ata Environmental justice Nonviolent occupation Populated places established in the 14th century