‘I don’t want my mum in the harbour’: Historic urupā a metre from collapsing cliff

Tuesday, 16 June 2026

A whānau from the northern shore of the Hokianga is sounding the alarm over kōiwi (human remains) falling into the harbour.

This video is part of this week’s episode of The Hui. The full episode is at the bottom of the story. The reporting was produced by The Hui and has been published by Stuff with permission. For more stories and videos from The Hui, click here. The Hui is made with the support of Te Māngai Pāho and New Zealand On Air.

A whānau from the small settlement of Te Rangi, on the northern shore of the Hokianga, is sounding the alarm over what they warn could see kōiwi (human remains) falling into the harbour.

They fear for the future of the urupā (cemetery) at the historic Ripeka Tapu Church.

Rising sea levels, surging tides and extreme weather events have all contributed to coastal erosion, which has left the cliffs eating at the edge of the church grounds.

Hinemoa Smart says the whānau have explored options to protect the urupā, but choices are limited.

Hinemoa Smart, principal of the nearby Mātihetihe kura and kaikaranga for her marae, says the whānau have explored options to protect the urupā, but choices are limited.

“We have a massive slip just on the edge of our boundary where it’s less than a metre away from our first kōiwi,” she said.

“I don’t want my mum to end up in the harbour.”

Drone footage shot by the Hui illustrates how close the edge of the urupā is to tumbling into the sea. Smart’s dad, Harry, says he’s watched as the bank receded metres in his lifetime alone.

Rising sea levels, surging tides and extreme weather events have all contributed to coastal erosion.

“I’m weeping inside,” Harry Smart said.

The church has a Historic Place Category 2 designation signifying it holds historical and/or cultural significance. It is the first Anglican church built in the Hokianga and dates to the 1870s.

Harry Smart says he’s watched as the cliff has receded metres in his lifetime alone.

Smart said the whānau have considered several options, including relocating the urupā across the road. Alternatives that would not last as long include building a retaining wall and planting native bush to slow erosion.

“We always say, ‘Moe mai koe i tō moenga roa,’” said Hinemoa Smart. “But it won’t be a moenga roa if we’re moving them. And what keeps playing on my mind is, how do we let them rest if we’re going to move them?”

The church has a Historic Place Category 2 designation signifying it holds historical and/or cultural significance.

Coastal erosion is increasingly affecting communities in Hokianga and across the country.

Far North mayor Moko Tepania, who has whakapapa ties to the area around the church, says the risks are immediate.

“This is really tough. We are trying to plan with our communities for what this is going to mean in 100 years’ time, and we’ve got communities in the Far North who are experiencing this first-hand, right now with the risk of having our kōiwi put out into the harbour because of the effects of climate change and severe weather events.

“So this is a really hard conversation to have, but I think we have to be brave in our conversations about what it means and the decisions that we are going to have to make.”

The Far North council has adopted a climate resilience programme to accelerate protection work.

The plan is structured around three pou, including supporting Māori-led approaches grounded in mātauranga Māori.

Full weekly episodes of The Hui are live on Stuff and Whakaata Māori from 7.30pm each Monday. Here’s this week’s show: