Whanganui River
Photo: 123rf
Earthworks on Punakewhitu, which is privately owned by John Oskam, have been suspended, after dozens of members from the local hapū Ngāti Tuera and Ngāti Hinearo stepped in.
Ken Mair (Ngāti Tuera, Ngāti Hinearo) who is chair of Porangahau marae, which is situated less than a kilometre from the maunga, said it was a wahi tapū to his people, and was a part of their identity. It s deeply spiritual to us and immensely significant to us and to see this damage and desecration of our maunga by outsiders, I mean it really saddens and angers us and that s an understatement.
Earthworks on ancestral Whanganui maunga suspended after protest msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Brian Stalter/Unsplash
Part of the hillside of Punakewhitu was bulldozed to open up the entrance and exit to the property to allow logging trucks to get in and out. (File photo)
This story was originally published on and is republished with permission. Earthworks on an ancestral maunga next to the Whanganui River have been suspended temporarily, after local hapū brought the bulldozing to a halt, saying they weren t consulted on the desecration of their wāhi tapu, or sacred site. Dozens of members of Ngāti Tuera and Ngāti Hinearo went to Punakewhitu maunga last week, after a call went out on social media from Hine Stanley (Ngāti Tuera) for descendants to come to the site.
Earthworks on ancestral Whanganui maunga suspended after protest rnz.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rnz.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Whanganui River Road earthworks suspended following protest over consultation
18 Feb, 2021 04:00 AM
4 minutes to read
Around 100 protestors converged on the site on Thursday. Photo / Bevan Conley
Work has been suspended clearing a portion of a cliff face at the Pūnakewhitu/Gentle Annie lookout on the Whanganui River Road. About 120 gathered to protest at the site on Thursday morning arguing there was little consultation with local hapū.
The earthworks, which involve clearing a portion of the cliff face directly next to the lookout picnic tables is being undertaken to widen the access road to a private property.
According to protest organiser Ken Mair, the earthworks at the site began on Wednesday, to the surprise of local hapū.