Te Ahiwaru spokesperson and trustee Anya Tahere. Photo: Supplied
A South Auckland hapū is demanding to be included in any potential Crown deal that's done around buying Auckland International Airport Limited (AIAL) shares, following Auckland Council's decision to sell down a significant portion of its holdings in the airport.
Te Ahiwaru is a Māngere-based hapū, and its trustee and spokesperson Anya Tahere, who leads engagement with the airport, says the trust must be involved in discussions between Council, the Crown and Waikato-Tainui, to acknowledge its status as mana whenua, and it should be seen as rightful recipients of any available airport shares.
As reported by Te Ao Māori News, Waikato-Tainui executive chair Tukuroirangi Morgan said the council's share sell-off presents a significant opportunity for the government to purchase the shares and use them to settle their remaining claims in the area.
However, Tahere says any discussion about the shares needs to include Te Ahiwaru, and as of yet they have not heard directly from Auckland Council.
"For too long Te Ahiwaru have been overlooked and dismissed in the political and environmental landscape of Tāmaki Makaurau.
"We are the mana whenua and ahi kā of lands in and around the airport, and have been directly impacted by its development and growth.
Speaking on 531pi's Pacific Mornings with Agnes Tupou, Tahere said the cuts announced in the annual budget last week will be especially difficult for South Auckland, and the decision to sell shares is particularly disappointing for locals, given the former Manukau City Council held onto its10 percent holding in order to benefit community services.
"We're disappointed in the approach and what that means for our communities, hard decisions were made."
She says, as mana whenua, her hapū would like it acknowledged how it's been impacted by the airport's presence over many years.
Ihumātao. Photo: RNZ
"Our people deserve to be recognised and compensated for the 1863 land confiscations and following injustices that have led to land loss, awa and moana degradation, social inequities and an ongoing encroachment to our papakainga in Ihumātao, the longest continual settlement of Māori in Tamaki Makaurau."
Te Ahiwaru is the closest hapū to Auckland Airport. It was only 14 years ago the airport exhumed the bodies of 85 ancestors - believed to have lain there for six centuries - to build its second runway.
"We have had to put up with wāhi tapu desecrated and have had to continue to sacrifice our wellbeing for the greater good of Auckland," says Tahere.
Auckland Council said that any decisions on the process for its partial divestment of airport shares are still being made. Group treasurer John Bishop said the timing will depend on a number of factors and it will continue to work with its financial advisor, Flagstaff, to formulate a sales process geared to deliver maximum value to council, balanced against execution risk.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.