26 Jun 2015

Ngāti Whātua files legal action

9:01 pm on 26 June 2015

A major iwi is seeking a judicial review against the Crown over the sale of public land for housing.

The Massey East parcel of Crown land identified for housing in Auckland.

A section of the Crown land marked for housing in Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Kim Baker Wilson

Ngāti Whātua today filed a statement of claim at the High Court, wanting to clarify whether the tribe should have been offered the surplus Crown land for purchase first.

Both Ngāti Whātua and Waikato-Tainui said this month that they would seek clarity in the High Court.

Ngāti Whātua spokesperson Ngarimu Blair said the iwi had decided to proceed with legal action independently of Waikato-Tainui.

He said their aim was to have the matter dealt with as quickly as possible to ensure it did not delay the Government's housing programme in Auckland.

The iwi said the judicial review they were seeking focused on recent decisions in relation to the Government's Auckland Crown Land Programme, particularly around a property on Moire Road in the west Auckland suburb of Massey.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs