Multi-million dollar fund to pay to relocate cyclone-wrecked marae, homes on Māori land

A multi-million dollar government fund will soon pay to move cyclone-wrecked marae and homes on Māori land out of harm's way.

But no plans for relocation are set in stone yet, and eight months after the council buyouts of other homes began, marae representatives say the Crown's process has been too slow.

After last year's devastating storms, hundreds of properties were labelled Category 3 - too unsafe to live in, and eligible for a buyout funded by the government and local councils.

The government and councils agreed early on that whenua Māori - or Māori land - should be separated out from that buyout process, given it is more complex, and often owned by multiple parties.

Until now, the plans for whenua Māori, which includes seven marae and 23 residential land blocks across Hawke's Bay and Tai Rāwhiti, have been under wraps.

But documents obtained by RNZ under the Official Information Act show the government will pay to relocate homes, marae, and other "culturally significant assets".

The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet's (DPMC) Cyclone Recovery Unit has established a fund that will cover the costs of moving, buying or building homes, buying or leasing new land, and rebuilding or moving marae buildings "in a culturally safe way" - as well as the associated legal, technical, consenting and compliance costs.

"The Cyclone Recovery Unit works directly with owners, trustees, and residents to understand their current land use, living situations, and property valuations to develop an appropriate financial support package," a Cyclone Recovery Unit spokesperson said.

It had initially set aside $75 million for it.

But that had since grown, with further funding set aside in Budget 2024 because the number of affected marae had increased since the original funding was allocated, they said.

The unit would not reveal how much money was added, citing commercial sensitivity.

Cabinet papers showed the buyout option would still be available - but designing an option for whenua Māori was necessary "to recognise the unique characteristics associated with whenua Māori and the Crown's Treaty and legal obligations".

The level of support provided for each marae or landowner would be determined on a case-by-case basis, to reflect complexity around ownership arrangements and mitigate the risk of a blanket amount of money providing either too much or too little, the papers said.

There are seven eligible marae - two in Hawke's Bay and five in Tai Rāwhiti - as well as 23 residential land blocks, with 14 in Hawke's Bay and 11 in Tai Rāwhiti.

The government wanted to have the fund opened by October last year, the papers said.

"It is anticipated that the Hawke's Bay local authorities may be able to make offers by early October 2023 to residents in the voluntary buyout scheme, and that the proposals ... seek to achieve broad alignment with that timing to ensure equitable outcomes for Māori."

But that was not so.

Help for whenua Māori landowners 'very slow'

Petane Marae in Hawke's Bay is one of those eligible for help through the fund, and its chair Tania Eden said it had been a "long, drawn out process".

"We had our initial discussions with the Crown in June last year," Eden said.

"It's been a very slow process."

Eden understood dealing with whenua Māori was complex, but had still hoped it would be treated with the same urgency as buyouts of other homes.

"We're confident that things have now picked up with the current government, and they're looking at a process going forward."

They had been in "lots and lots" of meetings over the last year, and it was not until the marae put together a Crown negotiation team in February that discussions seemed to speed up, she said.

As the marae cannot be built in its current location, they had agreed to find land in their rohe that was not Category 3, and rebuild there, she said.

"It's had a huge impact on our people, they've not been able to gather, not been able to hold tangi, not been able to hold meetings," she said.

"The ultimate dream I guess, what we want, is to have a place for our people to go to."

But the mechanics of that relocation was not yet decided, and Eden hoped that would be ironed out with the Crown soon.

Also in Category 3 and eligible for the funding is Tangoio Marae, north of Napier.

Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust was mandated to spearhead discussions with the Crown on behalf of the marae and affected residents, and chair Tania Hopmans also hoped things would speed up soon.

"We have seen there was additional funding provided in Budget 2024 ... and we are hopeful that this will enable the Kaupapa Māori pathway to catch up to the general property buyouts, which are well underway."

As the "discussions are ongoing" it would be inappropriate to comment further, she said.