A Gisborne hapū is one step closer to building a school, after councillors voted to approve the sale of three council land lots on Wednesday.
“If Ngati Oneone could convert the land into a kura... and see heaps of activity and children having fun and growing our community there, I would be all for it,” Councillor Larry Foster said at the council meeting.
The land had “been no man’s land for such a long time,” he said.
Ngāti Oneone has sought the return of ancestral lands through a “Reclamation of whenua” movement, where a fire and site activation on Hirini Street were kept lit and stoked for 174 days and nights.
As part of the movement, the hapū called on the council, Trust Tairāwhiti, and Eastland Port to return ancestral lands that were not being used for core business.
The agreement sees three land lots on Ranfurly St sold for market rates to Poho o Rawiri Marae Committee.
The Committee is Ngati Oneone’s designated entity for land holdings.
According to the meeting’s report, the hapū have had long-term aspirations to relocate a kura once housed on its Te Poho-o-Rāwiri Marae grounds back to the area, and the land they sought was in proximity.
The council acquired the land from Eastland Port in 2016 and holds it under the Public Works Act.
As it is under heritage reserve zoning, it is unsuitable for commercial development, and the council had no plans for the land, the report says.
As soon as an interim a lease was issued to Ngāti Oneone on October 24, the prominent hapu stopped its peaceful protest at Hirini Street.
The report said the council had also acknowledged the land’s shared interests of Ngāi Tāwhiri and Te Whānau ā Iwi and were working with those groups.
During the meeting, Council chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann said that the council had good reason to not pursue an open sale.
“Considering the circumstances of the statement of Intent, the long historic whakapapa ties and connection to the land associated and adjacent to Te Poho o Rawiri Marae, there are significant reasons to be able to justify going direct,” said Thatcher Swann.
Following a hīkoi on May 5, the fire was lit at Ngāti Oneone’s site of activation for the movement – Te Pā Eketū Shed, a warehouse-sized property on Hirini St where the hapū had its original Te Poho-o-Rāwiri Marae and Pā.
The hapū had been removed almost a century ago to develop the Gisborne Harbour under the Public Works Act.
At the meeting, Deputy Mayor Aubrey Ria, who is Ngāti Oneone chairperson Charlotte Gibson’s daughter, said that because of “a perceived non pecuniary conflict [of interest]”, she would not vote on the paper.
According to the meeting’s report, the council will draft the sales and purchase agreement on Thursday for negotiations with Poho o Rawiri Marae Committee Incorporated.
The Kura history and plans
According to the report, Te Kura Kaupapa o Horouta Wānanga was originally established at Te Poho o Rawiri Marae to address the lack of kura kaupapa in the Kaiti area.
However, as the kura was extremely popular, it quickly outgrew its facilities.
In 2014, the marae underwent a major upgrade, and the kura was relocated to the old Gisborne rectory, the former boarding facilities for Gisborne Boys’ High School, where the school’s roll continues to grow.
“The move was intended as a temporary measure, with the long-term vision for the kura to return to Te Poho o Rawiri Marae, where it began.
“To that effect, work has been underway with the Ministry of Education to build new facilities for the kura on land blocks on Ranfurly St adjacent to Te Poho o Rawiri Marae,” the report says.
The marae kōhanga reo, Te Tihi o Titirangi Kohanga Reo, sits on the marae grounds and is “a feeder kohanga to the kura”.
“The kura is projecting a further roll increase, and Ngāti Oneone are keen to secure the Land to facilitate its long-term growth and support the community’s desire to have a kura kaupapa education option for their tamariki.”
According to the report, the Ministry of Education has now commenced the building project, and Ngāti Oneone signalled willingness to pay market value for the land.
