A group of landowners against a wastewater plant planned for their land hope their oral history can be used as evidence in an appeal to stop the plant.
The Environment Court hearing, appealing the Whakatane District Council's resource consent started yesterday.
Two trustees of the freehold 14 acre block in Matata signed over the lease to the council last year, in a move some of the owners opposed.
Matata Papakainga Komiti, a group of the landowners, said the land was designated by their tipuna to be a papakainga.
The Komiti's secretary Jackie Haimona said the Whakatane District Council had a lot of evidence to present.
Some of their evidence would come from oral history which she said proved the land was to be used for a whanau homestead.
She said she was hopeful a good result would come out of the hearing - which was set down for three weeks.
