JOSEPH JOHNSON/STUFF
For years, Māori reserve land owners battled racist and restrictive legislation to be able to gain consent to build on their own land.
A North Canterbury kuia has spent 36 years trying to build on her homeland. Senior reporter Jody O’Callaghan investigates the complex web of barriers displacing her whānau and tangata whenua across the nation. A more than 100-year-old, twisted and lichen-covered tree sits snugly against Meri Jacobs’ new home. Brought as a seedling from the Muttonbird Islands to Tuahiwi by her tīpuna, the ethereal-looking plant has prospered without the harsh southern winds.