A Māori community on Auckland's North Shore has vowed to fight for their local marae, amid claims the incorporated society that runs it has locked them out.
Awataha marae on Auckland's Northshore. Photo: RNZ / Mihingarangi Forbes
An impressive display of finely woven tukutuku panels decorate one wall of the Te Puna Hauora, the health centre at Awataha Marae. The adjacent wall features a commanding line-up of North Shore kaumatua who have passed on.
While their tribal connections are from Ngāti Maniapoto, Tūhoe, Ngāpuhi and other places, they played a significant role in establishing one of Auckland's urban marae, Awataha Marae.
But despite their contributions and many others, they don't hang on the walls of Awataha's meeting house, some 50m away.
At a community meeting last night, the local community reflected on these kaumatua and how they should take pride of place inside the wharenui.
They spoke of their frustrations at not being able to utilise the marae space at Awataha in the way a community should.
Unlike other marae, there is no trust board, whānau hui or working groups that run Awataha Marae. Instead an incorporated society and its members are at the helm.
One family makes up the leadership of the society and are able to decide who joins and who does not.
For many years locals say they have been locked out of their marae, unable to hold hui, wananga or even farewell their dead.
Beach Haven local Hohepa McLean said the marae belonged to the community - the whole community, and should not be hijacked by a few people.
Hohepa McLean said Awataha Marae shouldn't be hijacked by a few people. Photo: Supplied
But Awataha Incorporated Society chief executive Anthony Wilson said there were mistruths being told.
"No application for membership had been made on their behalf so of course they're not members," he said.
The marae doors were open to anyone, he said.
"It's a community-based marae but you have to follow the same protocol as we've always done, which is you have to send in your membership, pay your dues and we have to approve the membership - it's not automatic."
Barrister Kit Littlejohn said a group of locals had applied to join but had received no response from the leadership.
While an incorporated society could decline applications for membership, it did have obligations to the society's set of rules, he said.
The community members argued those were not being upheld.
"I've drawn it to [the society's] attention that some of the things they say they are doing, and some of the things they're obliged to do, haven't been done but they've been reluctant to get into the fray," Mr Littlejohn said.
The marae land, which is estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars, is administered by Land Information New Zealand on behalf of the Commissioner of Crown Lands.
It was issued in 1988 to the Awataha Marae Incorporated Society.
Crown Property Group manager John Hook said: "The lease is for the leasee's own use and benefit."
