The Sonning car park in Claudelands is earmarked for development but is now subject to a Ngaati Wairere treaty of Waitangi claim. Photo / Supplied
A Treaty of Waitangi claim over a proposed housing project in Hamilton has been filed by Tainui hapū, Ngāti Wairere, with the group saying it has never been consulted on the land's development.
The Sonning carpark overseen by the Hamilton City Council is currently home to around 300 vehicles, but it was once a pā site whose rangatira, Poukawa, signed the Treaty of Waitangi.
Ngāti Wairere historian Wiremu Puke (Ngāti Wairere, Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi) says the council is now moving to develop it, a plan only discovered through a recent Official Information Act request.
"There was no evidence of any consultation with Ngāti Wairere or Waikato-Tainui as well. We feel that's a breach of our Treaty rights, particularly given the significance of the pā site," Puke said.
The redevelopment of the Sonning carpark is an opportunity for the council to atone for placing it over the Ngāti Wairere pā site in the first place Puke says.
“I think it’s a good chance for the council to redeem itself,” he argued.
The pā site once extended from the carpark near the Waikato river across to Jesmond Park.
According to Puke, the location is believed to have been abandoned following Poukawa's death in the late 1840s or early 1850s.
He says just because a site is abandoned doesn't mean the history is erased.
“It usually becomes a burial ground,” he says.
Puke argues the site should be re-established as a green space turned living museum, to tell the story of the region, with earthworks to reestablish ditches and ramparts.
In a statement Hamilton City Council Strategic Property Manager Nicolas Wells denied that any development was concrete, saying planning was only at the beginning stages.
"There's a huge amount of work still to be done to ensure we understand any proposal and if it is to go ahead, then we will look to engage and consult with all the necessary parties," Wells told RNZ.
"We're still very early on in this process. We are nowhere near this stage."
Wells concedes the council has been notified of the treaty claim.
"We understand a treaty claim may be registered and if so, we will consider the implications of this and the best way forward," she added.
Puke argues mana whenua should be involved in discussions from the beginning and urged other Iwi to fight for their historic sites too.
"Be vigilant about these developments that are happening, particularly on top of urupā and pā sites that are in private hands as a result of land confiscation," Puke said.
"We have our rights that are protected under legislation. We do have a right to be consulted about these places and developers can't just ride roughshod over us."
