Native trees planted in a sacred archaeological site on on Ōwairaka / Mount Albert. Photo: Tūpuna Maunga Authority
Illegal tree planting has caused irreversible damage to a sacred historic pā settlement on Ōwairaka / Mount Albert in Auckland.
The area of the maunga where about 27 trees were illegally planted and herbicide sprayed was previously in its original form dating back nearly 1000 years, Auckland Council's Tūpuna Maunga Authority said.
Authority chair Paul Majurey said the maunga is of huge significance to Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau.
"It is tragic that there are people desecrating this ancestral maunga and taonga in complete disregard to cultural significance of this taonga," Majurey said.
Any planting by the Tūpuna Maunga Authority is managed carefully with archaeologists and other experts, and permission is sought from Heritage New Zealand where necessary, he said.
Illegal modification to the site is prosecutable under the Reserves Act 1977 and the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.
Majurey said the authority wanted to hear from anyone with information on the planting.
"We have a zero-tolerance of unauthorised digging on the maunga and anyone found responsible for such activity will be prosecuted."
Staff and contractors would be closely monitoring activity on Ōwairaka, he said.
It is not the first time damage like this has been done to Auckland maunga and historic sites, with Ōtāhuhu / Mount Richmond damaged in 2018 and Takarunga / Mount Victoria in 2019.