Land held by the Porirua City Council at Rangituhi/Colonial Knob could be returned to Ngāti Toa Rangatira.
The council decided at its meeting on Thursday to investigate how it could pass back 107.5 hectares of council land at Rangituhi, which includes Te Rahui o Rangituhi reserve that features most of the Rangituhi/Colonial Knob Walkway.
The council’s chief executive, Wendy Walker, described it as the most important Ngāti Toa land in the council’s hands.
The iwi formally raised the prospect late last year, saying it had no intention to cut public access to its ancestral maunga/mountain other than having its name on the title.
Rangituhi also hosts a series of mountain bike trails built by the local Mana Cycle Group.
The land was alienated from Ngāti Toa in the late 19th century and has since become a patchwork of parcels held by different owners. Outside of the council, some are in private hands, while the Department of Conservation (DOC) manages the Rangituhi/Colonial Knob Scenic Reserve, which covers the summit.
Ngāti Toa chairperson Callum Kātene wrote to Mayor Anita Baker last December, requesting the council start a formal process to return Rangituhi to the iwi.
“This is an important step in honouring our whakapapa, our tikanga, and our enduring responsibilities to the land,” he said. “Rangituhi Maunga is a taonga of deep cultural, historical and spiritual significance to Ngāti Toa.
“It is a treasured place for recreation, wellbeing and environmental restoration. We wish to be clear that our commitment to public access and community use will continue.”
Kātene told councillors at Thursday’s meeting the iwi would not oppose the discussions being expanded to other locations in the city.
The council’s strategic property manager, Julia Bates, expected the investigation would take three or four months to generate some “high-level” options. The council might need to have discussions with DOC, and that could change the timeline.
In recent years, Ngāti Toa reacquired other lands it once lost, including Kāpiti and Mana Islands, as part of its treaty settlement.
It also bought back 53ha of land at Whitireia from RNZ last October for $5 million, 177 years after gifting it to the Anglican Church in exchange for an unfulfilled promise to build a school for its rangatahi.
Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
