13 Apr 2015

Ngai Tahu opposes West Coast highway

2:32 pm on 13 April 2015

One of Ngai Tahu's regional tribal councils says it is against long-running plans for a road to be built from Haast to Hollyford.

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Photo: 123RF

Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio says it is opposed to the proposed route, which would run from the Arawhata River in the north to near Wawahiwaka in the south.

The runanga said it would cut through the heart of its ancestral homelands.

It said roads did not only bring tourists; they brought rubbish, pollution and would open up new corridors for the spread of pests.

The project was being promoted by Westland District Property, a subsidiary of the Westland District Council.

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