Ngati Hine is up in arms over a sale of a block of land on Whangarei Harbourside to private interests by the Whangarei District Council.
The Northland iwi says the land is part of a Treaty claim still before the Waitangi Tribunal.
Waatea News reports the Kaituna Block on Whangarei Harbour was bought by two private companies, Culham Engineering and Norsand for $6.1 million. It is adjacent to other Maori land.
Iwi spokesman Mike Kake says the block was confiscated under the equivalent of the Public Works Act and should be returned to Maori.
The district council says appropriate legal advice was sought which clearly identified Kaituna Block as council-owned land.
