Some Aucklanders have pleaded with the Government to stop the sale of Navy land on the North Shore under a Treaty of Waitangi settlement.
They told a select committee that the hapu Ngati Whatua o Orakei should be offered cash or some other land instead of the 3.2 hectares at Devonport.
The hearing got off to an unseemly start on Tuesday when a speaker was kicked off the Orakei Marae for disrespecting his hosts.
Alan Clarke, who said he was representing the Northland hapu of Te Taou, was asked to leave after challenging Ngati Whatua o Orakei's historical rights to the land on offer.
The committee chair, National Party MP Tau Henare, struggled to keep order as Mr Clarke insisted on holding the floor. But the disagreement over speaking rights continued and elders asked Mr Clarke to leave.
Devonport resident Joy Mace asked the committee to stop the sale of the land.
"I feel those two areas of land are a treasure which will be needed even more as the expected expansion and growth occurs, and they will be enjoyed by the entire population, including Maori.
A National MP on the select committee, Katrina Shanks, assured Ms Mace that the Ngati Whatua o Orakei deal is a good one for local people.
"I can think of no greater custodian of the land for future generations, and I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised."
Another local, John Davy, pointed out that Ngati Whatua o Orakei would be able to use the land for future financial gain.
"If it's just commercial, commerce to me is money. Pay the tribe the money, or whatever they're owed and leave that reserve as a reserve."
It was a point echoed by Bill Rainer from Shore Heritage.
"The concept that we put forward is if they're given a cash equivalent, they can buy an equivalent piece of commercial land in North Shore if need be. If they're interested in maintaining a footprint in the rohe (area), that's fine. There is other land available ... there are options and very simple options."
But Ngahuia Hawke, a member of Ngati Whatua o Orakei, said the hapu had waited a long time for a settlement, having lost almost all of its land in the 1800s.
"We will not stand for any form of dilution to the deal. We are disappointed at the outcry of our neighbours on the North Shore over parts of the settlement contained within this bill and state clearly to the Maori Affairs select committee we will not tolerate any last-minute changes to the settlement."
The Auckland Council made a submission, saying many residents are upset because they thought the land would become a public reserve after the Navy finished using it. However, the council does not oppose the sale.
The Navy has rights to use the land for between 15 and 150 years, but some residents believe it will move on once the 15 years is up.
