Summarised by Centrist
Māori landowners have been shut out of their ancestral land for over a century and are now pressing the Crown for a solution.
Over 17,000 hectares of Māori land, surrounded by private stations, Department of Conservation (DoC) land, and Defence Force land at Waiouru, remain inaccessible.
The iwi collective, consisting of Ngāti Tamakōpiri, Ngāti Whitikaupeka, Ngāti Hauiti, and Ngāti Ohuake, is currently engaged in Treaty settlement negotiations.
An independent report by the Crown Forestry Rental Trust highlights the lack of legal access as a result of the Native Land Court’s failure to order roads when the land was divided in the 1880s.
Frustrated by years of asking for permission to access their land, Mōkai Pātea iwi are demanding permanent access.
The iwi collective has tried, without success, to secure formal access through the Māori Land Court. The cost of building a road is estimated to be in the tens of millions.
Lawyer Kylee Katipo, an expert in Māori land law, points out that funding remains a significant barrier due to the costs associated with surveys, valuations, engineering, and potential compensation to private landowners.
Despite these challenges, the iwi runs a mānuka honey business and aspires to develop conservation and cultural programs on the land. However, accessing the land through DoC territory must be strictly limited, according to DoC Manawatū operations manager Moana Smith-Dunlop.
