Calls for greater transparency from Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa are intensifying as trustees of Ōpihi Whanaungakore say the iwi must confront growing tensions over hapū authority, governance and the future of one of Ngāti Awa’s most culturally significant sites.
Speaking to Pūkāea, Ōpihi Whanaungakore trustee Hemi Hireme said the trustees were not seeking to create conflict with the Rūnanga, but rather an open discussion about the Rūnanga’s December 2025 decision to withdraw its appeal against the archaeological authority for the proposed development at Ōpihi Whanaungakore.
“The silence of the Rūnanga is what we want to know,” Hireme said.
“Why are they not talking to us? Why are they not explaining the processes behind the voting that happened? Why aren’t they giving us an account of the circumstances behind that vote and what went on with the negotiations with the council and the developers?“
Development proposal
The dispute centres on a proposed residential subdivision at Ōpihi Whanaungakore near the beachside suburb of Piripai, east of Whakatāne. The development, proposed by MMS GP Limited in partnership with Whakatāne District Council, affects part of the 26.9-hectare site historically known as the 100-acre block.
The whenua lies within land confiscated from Ngāti Awa during the 1866 raupatu. Although the block was later returned to Māori ownership, it gradually passed into private hands before being acquired by the Whakatāne Borough Council, now the Whakatāne District Council. In 2017, the council sold the land now proposed for development for $7.775 million.
The original proposal covered almost the entire site. Following mediation and Environment Court proceedings, the approved development footprint has been reduced to less than half of the land, with additional area set aside as a buffer adjoining a recognised urupā.
Supporters say the revised proposal provides greater protection. Trustees and several Ngāti Awa hapū, however, maintain that any development on the whenua remains unacceptable. They regard Ōpihi Whanaungakore as one of Ngāti Awa’s few remaining ancestral landscapes to have escaped large-scale development. They say the wider area is of profound cultural and spiritual significance, containing ancient urupā and holding oral traditions that link the whenua to the earliest history of Ngāti Awa and the arrival of the Mataatua waka.
Legal battle
The proposed development has been the subject of legal challenges spanning several years.
In addition to resource consent proceedings, trustees appealed an archaeological authority granted by Heritage New Zealand. The authority, required before earthworks can proceed on a site where archaeological material or kōiwi may be disturbed, was challenged because it should not have been issued without proper consideration of hapū opposition or the involvement of the Māori Heritage Council.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa initially joined that appeal alongside the trustees and Ngāi Taiwhakaea, before withdrawing in December 2025. That decision now sits at the centre of the trustees’ concerns.
As the Environment Court heard the appeal in February, more than 500 people marched through the streets of Whakatāne in a hīkoi organised by trustees and supporters, demonstrating their opposition to the proposed development.
The Court later found Heritage New Zealand’s decision-making process to be deeply flawed, saying it failed to comply with both statutory requirements and the organisation’s own internal processes. However, rather than referring the matter back to the Māori Heritage Council, it issued its own modified decision allowing earthworks over a reduced area of the site.
Questions over the December vote
Hireme said the trustees remained concerned that Ngāti Awa hapū delegates were not fully informed before Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa voted to withdraw its appeal.
He said that the conclusion was based on discussions with delegates, including a recent hui attended by representatives from several Whakatāne hapū.
“We shared some of the background and the lack of information they were provided with, and that’s concerning because the lack of information means the consent that was given was not informed,” he said.
The trustees are calling for hapū delegates to be provided with all relevant information and for a fresh vote on whether Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa should continue participating in the archaeological protocols and cultural monitoring associated with the proposed development.
“We want the process to be open and transparent, and we want the consent to be informed.“
Trustees sought dialogue
Hireme said the trustees had repeatedly sought direct engagement with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa, including requesting a hui with Chair Tūwhakairiora O’Brien and new Chief Executive Mike Panapa.“We’ve had no response from the Rūnanga or from Mike,” he said.
“It sends the wrong message… it basically says we don’t matter.“Rather than simply opposing the development, Hireme said the trustees wanted an explanation for what had prompted such a significant shift in the Rūnanga’s position.
“This is why we need to know what’s going on, because it’s not just about the situation. It’s about the future of Ngāti Awa as an iwi and the relevance of the hapū. That’s what’s at stake.“A question of hapū authority
While the development remains the immediate issue, Hireme said the deeper question is who holds authority over wāhi tapu.
“When did hapū become susceptible to majority decision?” he asked.
“When did we give away the mana of hapū to a committee of individuals?“
He said Ngāti Awa’s strength had always rested in recognising the mana and responsibilities of individual hapū.
“Our strength is in our differences, not our sameness.“
Mayor acknowledges competing responsibilities
Whakatāne Mayor Nándor Tánczos told Pūkāea he understood why many people believed Ōpihi Whanaungakore should be protected.
He said he opposed Whakatāne District Council’s original 2017 decision to sell the land, believing community concerns warranted greater consideration. However, he said the council was now bound by legal obligations arising from that decision.
“I have a lot of aroha for the people who are trying to act as kaitiaki for the area,” Tánczos said.
He said the current proposal does not extend into the recognised urupā reserve and includes an enlarged buffer zone, while acknowledging many whānau regard a much wider area as wāhi tapu.
“I don’t see any villains in the story,” he said.
“I think everyone’s trying to find the best outcomes... but it’s a very difficult situation because you’re coming up against issues of tikanga and legal obligations.“Rūnanga declines commentPūkāea sought comment from Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa regarding the trustees’ concerns, including the December 2025 vote, their requests for a hui and the Rūnanga’s current position on the proposed development.
Communications Lead Tāwera Simpson-Rangi responded, saying the organisation had “no further comment at this time.
”Court-assisted mediation is expected to begin in the coming weeks. Hireme said the trustees hoped it would provide an opportunity to resolve their differences with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa before any further decisions affecting Ōpihi Whanaungakore were made.
“What we want to do in mediation is sort out our particular issues.
”We need to be talking to each other, not to a judge.
“Waiho mā te whakamā e patu”
”Reflecting on the divisions within Ngāti Awa, Hireme invoked the words of the revered Ngāti Awa ancestor Te Tahi-o-te-Rangi, whose act of mercy after being betrayed by his own people lives on in the whakatauākī: “Waiho mā te whakamā e patu; waiho hai kōrero i a tātau kia atawhai ki te iwi.“
”Let shame be their punishment; let us be remembered for showing compassion to the people.“Hireme said the whakatauākī remained relevant today, not as a call to condemn others, but as a reminder that Ngāti Awa must learn from its own history.
“This is about what we’re going to leave - or not leave - our mokopuna.
“He said the trustees hoped mediation would provide space for genuine kōrero within the iwi before any further steps were taken. But if that failed, he believed a noho whenua was increasingly likely.
Ultimately, Hireme said the dispute was about far more than a housing development.
“The best thing we can say to our mokopuna is our culture is worth fighting for.”
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