Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Tour operator charged with tresspass on Maori land

Updated at 3:03 pm on 15 November 2010

A Far North tour operator has been arrested and charged with trespass for allegedly using a beach road over Maori land.

Greg Hall of TuaTua Tours was last month served with a trespass notice by Kohanga Trust which owns land at the south end of Ninety Mile Beach.

The arrest follows months of dispute between Mr Hall and the trust over a concession fee for vehicle or quad bike tours from Shipwreck Bay.

Mr Hall says he will defend the charge of trespass. He says his partner and a tour guide drove over the road last weekend to collect a quad bike after finding its tyres had been slashed on the beach.

The tourist operator denies he was in the vehicle.

The trust has on Monday served trespass orders on Mr Hall's partner and staff as well.

It wants commercial tour operators to pay a concession fee to cross its land, but has not been able to secure a written agreement.

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