The board representing Māori interests in Auckland has lost an appeal seeking to retain some protection for culturally significant sites.
Photo: 123RF
The High Court has upheld the decision of the Auckland Council to remove from its Unitary Plan, schedules of sites significant to Māori, and restrictions on activity near those sites.
The court found that the plan's Independent Hearings Panel acted correctly in removing references to specific sites, but keeping a policy allowing sites to be identified in the future.
The council originally proposed that activities close to 3000 sites of significance to Māori would require an extra layer of assessment and approval.
