Iwi in south Wairarapa are against a residential subdivision on a waahi tapu which contains rare pre-European stone gardens.
Haami Te Whaiti from Kahungunu ki Wairarapa says the land at Waiwhero was formerly a fish factory.
He says the South Wairarapa District Council should have known about the land's importance to the iwi through a national archaeological database, and failed to tell the new owner it was unsuitable for intensive development.
Waatea News reports that as well as being a former papakainga, the land was the site of a battle when the stream ran red with blood - hence the name Waiwhero.
