Neke atu I te kotahi rau ngā uri o Ngāi Taiwhakaea, he hapū nō Ngāti Awa e poroteehi ana I runga I te maungarongo mo ngā whakariterite o te karapū hahau pōro o Whakatāne, kia pōtihia te hokona o tētahi whenua nā o rātou tipuna anō I nohohia I mua atu I ngā raupatu whenua.
I tere kaupare te hunga utu hea I te mana whenua e porotēhi ana I tā rātou taenga atu ki te hui.
Ko tā te tiamana o Taiwhakaea Marae, Manukorihi Tarau, “We’ve got two strategies, one is to actually, that through our hapū that are here today and that’s to protest against the sale. The other one is to obtain the money from our lands trusts to purchase the land.”
Na tētahi mema o te hapū i whakamohio atu ki a rātou i te hokotanga o te whenua. Na whai anō i whakapā atu te hapū ki te karapū hahaupōro o Whakatāne hei tuku tono kia taea e rātou te hoko i te taha raki o te karapū.
Ko tā te tiamana o Te Pāroa Lands Trust, Stan Ratahi, “Koira ngā whakaaro kei roto I ngā uri o Taiwhakaea ināianei, kaua e tukuna o tātou whenua ki ētahi atu.”
E mea ana tēnei hapū, ko te hiahia hoki o Te Kaunihera a Rohe o Whakatāne kia whakatū whare ki tēnei wāhanga whenua. E ai ki te hapū koinei hoki te rori ki tēnei whenua, heoi ko tā Taiwhakaea, nā rātou tonu tēnei wāhanga.
Hei tā te kaunihera ki a mātou o Te Kāea, ko tēnei wāhanga o te rori kei raro I te mana whakahāere o te kaunihera. Heoi anō, hei ki tā tētahi māngai o te tari o Whakatāne e mea, e aruaru tonu ana rātou nā wai te mana whenua, tāria te wā ka mohio.
“Ko tō tātou mōhio, mo o rātou karapū noa iho, ēngari kei te hoko ēnei whenua ki ētahi atu kia tū o rātou whare hou,” tā Ratahi.
E ai ki te Tokotoru, te hunga e hiahia ana ki te hoko I ngā heketea tekau mā ono, heoi anō nā runga I ngā nawe, I whakaae te karapū kia riro mā Ngāi Taiwhakaea te mana rangatira ki te hoko I ēnei whenua te whakatau ā te heamana o te karapū hahau pōro.
Ko tā Thompson, “Yes, we did receive an offer from them which we accepted. I really don't want to disclose the money because I don't think that it's politic to do so.”
“It’s been in their possession for thousands of years and through government miss-management, they lost it and they have taken the opportunity to buy it back and I am more than happy to see it go to where its wanted.”
“It's been in their possession for thousands of years and through government miss-management, they lost it and they have taken the opportunity to buy it back and I am more than happy to see it go to where it’s wanted.”
Ko tā ngā mema poari o Taiwhakaea he ahu whakamua tēnei mā rātou mo te hokinga mai o te whenua.
Ko tāna, “Why should we pay? But after thinking about it, if we don’t buy it, somebody else is going to buy it.”