Ihumātao: Reports Tainui set to buy land 'pure speculation'

Friday, 23 August 2019

Auckland visual journalist Chris McKeen walked with the hikoi from Ihumātao to the prime minister's electorate office in Mt Albert. This is what he captured along the way.

Reports Tainui is set to buy the land at Ihumātao and stop protests has been labelled 'pure speculation' by the groups involved.

On Friday morning, Newshub reported the protest at Ihumātao in south Auckland could soon be over with Tainui set to purchase it.

It comes one month after those occupying the land were served an eviction notice and a protest began.

People have been protesting on Ihumatāo for a month following an eviction notice.

The group occupying the land in Māngere for the past three years was served an eviction notice on July 23 and protests have been ongoing since.

**READ MORE:

SOUL leader Pania Newton says Ihumātao is a Crown issue that it needs to take responsibility for.

* Ihumātao: Protesters march through thunderstorm to deliver petition to Jacinda Ardern's office

* Ihumātao is a watershed moment for this generation, it cannot be ignored

* Ihumātao eviction protest: An occupation 150 years in the making

* The Detail: Why Ihumātao has opened up rifts among Māori

* Construction has halted at Ihumātao, but the protesters won't be stopping anytime soon**

Speaking to Stuff on Friday morning, Save Our Unique Landscape (SOUL) leader Pania Newton said she had not been made aware of any deal.

Newton had heard nothing of Tainui buying the land and it was not part of discussions.

She said whanau were in talks with Tainui but the land being purchased by it had not been communicated nor agreed.

'This is a Crown issue, not a treaty issue,' Newton said.

'Māori shouldn't solve Crown issues. The Crown has to take responsibility,' she said.

The office of Kīngitanga said reports of a sale were 'pure speculation'.

'Kīngitanga is continuing to facilitate discussions between mana whenua about Ihumātao and that process is ongoing,' a spokesman said.

'All else is pure speculation.'

The spokesman said when the king visited the land on August 3 that his flag would continue to fly at Ihumātao until a resolution was reached - and the flag continues to fly.

Fletcher Building Chief Executive of residential and development Steve Evans said he was 'aware of the media reports about a sale'.

'Fletcher Building is standing-by to hear the outcome of the discussions between mana whenua and Kīngitanga, and when they are ready we are here to talk about the future of the land we own at Ihumātao.'

The protesters are trying to stop a Fletcher Building housing development at the disputed site near Auckland Airport.

On Thursday, more than 300 protesters took part in a hikoi from the land to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's electorate office in Mt Albert.

The 20-kilometre route had protesters walk through a thunderstorm which featured heavy rain, hail and strong winds.

The group delivered an invitation to Ardern with more than 26,000 signatures for her to visit them at the site, something she has so far refused to do.

Fletcher bought the land off private owners the Wallace family in 2016.

Local iwi Te Kawerau a Maki reached an agreement with Fletcher that would see houses given to local Māori in a shared equity scheme, but protesters say that iwi has no mandate over the land.

Colonial troops forced Māori from the land during the 19th century Waikato Invasion: a campaign to stamp out the Māori King movement and clear lands for European settlement.