Occupiers of a proposed housing site on Miramar Peninsula are braving Wellington's winter weather, and say they will stay there as long as it takes.
The occupation site at Mt Crawford. Photo: RNZ / Harry Lock
Current propositions are for the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust (PNBST) to purchase the land and work with the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development to build a 300-home village.
But the occupiers are concerned any such development would see the land "commercialised", when they want to see any development designed and retained for Māori.
Surveyors were spotted at the site as far back as October, but activity has ramped over the past week as engineers started drilling into the ground.
The occupation at the site was set up on Friday and, over the weekend, between 30 and 40 people either visited or stayed at their modest settlement over the weekend.
"We've got people coming and going like any occupation," explained Ihaia Puketapu, who has been here since Friday. "We're kind of like a sub-in sub-out system."
The geotechnical works were commissioned by the PNBST who are currently investigating the viability of the land for such a significant housing development.
Talk of developing the land goes back years. In 2012, when the prison was decommissioned, the business group Enterprise Miramar tipped it for a commercial development.
At the time, Wellington architect Ian Athfield leapt to its defence, wanting it to be "retained as public open space," while acknowledging its cultural value to Māori.
The debate has continued, although the present occupiers are not anti-development but want to ensure it is the right kind of development.
"Some of our leaders want to kick all those fundamental core elements of our very being - they want to kick that to the curb and just commercialise everything," Puketapu said.
He argued, in the past, PNBST has frequently commercialised its assets and then sold it off.
"For example, Waiwhetū School was cultural redress land returned, that got commercialised by the Commercial Board.
"Do you know how many of our people now live there in that development? Zero.
"If the strategy is just to sell our most valuable land, what's the whole point of that? You can't live off a bank balance."
He said, all the while, some iwi members are unable to get a home, instead living on couches, in sheds and in cars.
"Well I'm sorry - we're not going to let this happen anymore.
"There's a whole lot of questions that need to be answered by the leaders, so I hope those leaders are ready for some really hard questions."
The Trust is in discussions with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) over the land, and part of those talks is about making some of the houses affordable through KiwiBuild.
In a statement, HUD said there are still no firm plans for the Mount Crawford site, and that no developer has been assigned. The Ministry said a range of issues remain to be investigated, including legal constraints, site conditions, infrastructure limitations, and the local environment.
But Puketapu said he wanted to see the land developed and then retained for Māori - using Māori developers, complete with a papakāinga, a marae, and a kura kaupapa.
"We can't compete with the market, so we need a place where we can have our own land when we can have control of how we want to conduct a traditional Māori economy."
The Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust declined to be interviewed, telling RNZ it speaks first and only to its members.
However, it did send a document entailing answers to frequently asked questions.
The document stated the development would benefit the Taranaki Whānui membership both through housing opportunities, as well as an avenue to enhancing the key cultural and historical attributes of the site.
It also promised the community would be consulted and engaged with "when appropriate".
Alison Cole, a lawyer, iwi member and one of the group's spokespeople, argued the Trust has a legal obligation to work in the interests of their members.
"Maybe the first step is that we need to make sure all information is going ahead to the trustees and then you have a full and frank conversation and the opportunity for that information to be shared transparently with uri members as well."
She said the argument that the development is still just an idea being scoped out at this stage is irrelevant.
"There's histories wherein just that symbolism of marking on the land and those preparatory steps - it's a very powerful symbol of dispossession.
"I do understand the challenges with leadership trying to work with the Crown, trying to herd cats and engage with their own uri at the same time, the point is that uri are paramount, and the law reinforces that too."
Allies at the bottom of the hill
It is not the only occupation on Motu Kairangi / Miramar Peninsula.
Below Mount Crawford is Shelly Bay, where a group of iwi members, called Mau Whenua, are protesting another proposed housing development.
Shamia Makarini from the group said they shared the same kaupapa.
"We're protesting the actions and behaviours coming from our post-settlement governance entity, particularly the commercial board and their lack of consultation and acknowledgement of the wishes of iwi."
No decision has yet been made on whether the Trust will purchase the land at Mount Crawford, but the Ministry of Housing says the ball remains in the Trust's court.
Similarly to those at Shelly Bay, Puketapu promised to stay there as long as it takes.