Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei doing all it can to support Erebus memorial

An Auckland hapū says it will do what it can to keep a national memorial to the Erebus victims in Tāmaki Makaurau after storm damage has seen plans to build it in the Parnell rose garden abandoned because the land is unsafe. 

It is more than 43 years since the Air New Zealand scenic flight over Antarctica crashed into the side of Mount Erebus killing all 257 people onboard; New Zealand's largest peace time loss of life. 

Plans for a national memorial have been controversial with protesters and Auckland's Mayor Wayne Brown objecting to the chosen site. In the end it was Cyclone Gabrielle that forced a change in plans due to safety concerns. 

Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei has supported a national Erebus memorial in its rohe. 

Marama Royal is chair of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei Trust. She told Checkpoint's Lisa Owen the decision to abandon the site was the right one because three major slips had been caused in the area. 

Safety for whānau and the public was paramount, she said, although the hapū also felt aroha for the Erebus victims' families having to wait again. 

The hapū believed Auckland was the most appropriate choice for a memorial and would now await the decision of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and Auckland Council on a replacement site. 

It was open to taking part in discussions if it was land the hapū had an interest in. 

Royal urged critics of the Parnell proposal to "open up your hearts to those whānau members especially those who are aching".  

"It is not about not wanting something to be done - it is about opening up and embracing the kaupapa and being really supportive of what the Erebus whānau have been waiting for for a number of years." 

The memorial needed to be built sooner rather than later, Royal said. She urged the council to bring down some of the barriers around process and include the Erebus victims' relatives in any discussions on another site. 

"We need to get a national memorial put up in order to honour these people."