24 Dec 2013

Top of the South iwi mends fences at port

7:43 am on 24 December 2013

A Te Tau Ihu tribe is working to repair its relationship with Port Marlborough over the future of Waikawa Bay.

Te Atiawa O Te Waka-a-Maui Trust - at the top of the South Island - has been campaigning against the business expanding its boat marina.

The plans went before an independent Board of Commissioners and the port lost, partly on cultural grounds.

The iwi says it has since re-established its relationship with Port Marlborough.

Writing in the tribe's latest panui (newsletter), chair Glenice Paine says she's aware of concerns by some of her people over the engagement between her board and the port.

She says the board recognises how important it is to honour the past but there's also a need to look to the future, and there is a responsibility to provide for Te Atiawa generations not yet born.

If the tribe wants to have a say in the development and management of Waikawa Bay, then it's best to be engaged, be visible in the community, and not be too quick to say "no" to every opportunity that's offered, Ms Paine says.