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After decades without a formal marae or papakāinga housing, Te Kawerau ā Maki, can finally begin building on land in West Auckland.
The iwi has re-acquired ancestral land at Te Henga - or Bethells Beach - after reaching an historic agreement with Auckland Council and a member of the original settler Bethells family.
Negotiatons to transfer the land go back more than a decade and this week marks an important milestone according to Edward Ashby from Te Kawerau ā Maki.
He speaks to Māni Dunlop.