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Doors slammed as representatives of a post-settlement entity stormed out of a Hawke’s Bay Regional Council meeting over a claim its opposition to a flood spillway of the Wairoa River through Māori land could be a breach of tikanga.

The meeting in Wairoa confirmed the council’s support for the spillway, which is in the path of 16 homes, six hectares of Māori whenua and 18ha of general title land.

The decision advances the $70 million Government-funded infrastructure project to the next stage, which will see the construction of comprehensive flood mitigation measures including a spillway and strategic stopbank placements.

Three organisations – the Wairoa District Council, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust – have discussed at length the merits of flood spillways to protect the town from further flooding following Cyclone Gabrielle and then more homes flooding in June 2024 as the river mouth blocked during a storm.

But the Tātau Tātau trust, a post-settlement entity for the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa, has said it won’t support a specific recommendation and the decision on a way forward should be made by mana whenua.

Tātau Tātau’s walkout was prompted by Deputy Mayor Denise Eaglesome-Karekare’s address to the hui.

Her property is directly affected by the recommended flood mitigation plan for North Clyde, known as Option 1C.

Tātau Tātau chair Leon Symes said it believed as an entity it couldn’t make decisions about whānau whenua.

He said Māori had always been mindful of Crown processes.

“We have been promised things in the past and those promises haven’t been delivered. So you can see our scepticism, particularly for the whānau on the whenua here.

“They have built up memories and those memories on that whenua are about to be extinguished.”

He said he understood the decision had to be made but “we will never stop fighting for our whānau”.

Eaglesome-Karekare said that by its own admission, Tātau Tātau says it can’t make decisions about land for which it is not the landowner, and that supporting such a recommendation would be a breach of tikanga.

She said the vast majority of impacted whānau supported Option 1C.

“Of course, we would all prefer a solution that doesn’t affect our whenua and our homes, but the reality is we do not have the luxury of time,” she said.

“This is not about being forced into a position. This process has been ongoing for 24 months. What drives our decision is the urgent concern that the next flood, heavy rain or cyclone could take the choice out of our hands.

“From the outset, my utmost concern has been for the welfare of our people and the preservation of our marae and urupā where our precious tupuna rest.

“Our whenua is taonga and under the preferred option our whenua is not being taken from us. We remain forever mana whenua. This is something we have actively negotiated by engaging in this process, not burying our heads in the sand.

“By its own admission, Tātau Tātau states that it can’t make decisions about land for which it is not the landowner and that supporting such a recommendation would be a breach of tikanga.

“By that logic, opposing a recommendation put forward by affected mana whenua could also be considered a breach of tikanga.

“Is the whenua more important than the people? I refuse to believe for one second that our tupuna would want us to remain in danger.”

She said what “we have always wanted as mana whenua is the ability to speak for ourselves”.

“Those who are not personally impacted by this option must understand and respect the sacrifices we are making for the good of Te Wairoa. We have been through every scenario, every hard question and challenged every aspect of this process.

“We do not need negativity or uninformed theories. We need your support, respect and understanding as we navigate the rest of the process for the safety and future of our people.”

Regional council chair Hinewai Ormsby said the decision after the meeting was a significant step forward for the Wairoa community, many of whom have been involved for some time, and all of whom have been waiting for a solution and way forward.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little welcomed the fact that Wairoa now had an identified proposal to work towards.

“Getting to the stage where we have a preferred option has been a long and hard journey for our impacted whānau. While the final decisions rest with the Crown and impacted mana whenua/land, property and homeowners, we now have a firm proposal that hopefully provides certainty and direction, so our impacted people have the necessary information to make their decisions.”

What is option 1C?

The preliminary design on the spillway is 170m wide and 2m deep, enclosed by small stopbanks averaging 1.2m high. Several homes in Frasertown will also be lifted.

Subject to land access and further community consultation, the final design of Option 1C may require modifications.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.