3rd October 2018
Matanuku Mahuika
CHAIRMAN
Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou
HoldCo Group
By Email: Matanuku@kahuilegal.co.nz
Tena Koe Matanuku,
WHAREKAHIKA MAORI COMMITTEE RESPONSE – Hicks Bay Port
Tena kōtou, ōtira, ko tātau me ō tātau āitua kua mate, kua haere ki te pō, haere atu ra. Me mihi ka tika, ko tātau te hunga ora, kia ora anō tātau katoa.
Firstly, thank you for your letter dated the 21 September 2018.
Your explanation and the motivation why HOLDCo have been drawn towards a Port proposal idea and the 6 points outlined have been noted.
I read your letter at our hui which was presented as inward correspondence. This drew a mixed emotional response from the whanau. To put it simple, the general feeling was “this letter is too late”. The trust and relationship between the Hapu and HOLDCo is at an all-time low.
It was enlightening to have some of the hapu present, who I thought had intimate knowledge of the workings of our Iwi Authority. Their clarity on explaining the workings of HOLDCo being a subsidiary of Te RunangaNui o Ngati Porou, which as they described was a stand-alone group that seemingly has no accountability to anyone except themselves, this statement I found astonishing. In fact, one of the Hapu who holds a Senior Executive position in Te RunangaNui o Ngati Porou Governance even went further by stating even he had not seen any pre-feasibility report nor realised the financial outlay that was involved in that work.
This type of information does not inspire our hapu to support anything.
Since returning home 11 years ago, I have been either directly or indirectly involved in 5 proposals (this one included) of a Port or similar project in our area. During this period, I have been the chairman of the Hapu and on none of these occasions has any of these groups made their initial contact via my details. There has always been a sour undercurrent to these approaches.
It is well known Wharekahika as a commodity, has natural assets that have obvious financial value and yet no one wishes to initiate an open and honest process where we are all inclusive at every stage, not just at some level.
We live in an instant gratification world, where the mantra focuses on “what is in it for me” as opposed to how can we all win. This key element of “WIN WIN” has been lost.
If you recall, my conversation with you I mentioned, “If the Port project does not benefit ALL of Ngati Porou and their beneficiaries, then my suggestion is, we should not do it.” This I stand firm on.
Wharekahika has the most to lose and minimal to gain. Our RISK is too great.
Conclusion
60 plus Hapu members attended our hui. A process was set up identifying those who resided in Wharekahika and were descendants, those who were descendants that resided outside of Wharekahika, community that reside here and other. There were 56 people who voted. The purpose of the exercise was to give a broad spectrum of reply rather than just mine. The results were;
• 53 whanau do not want a Port with 2 needing more information;
• 49 whanau do not want a feasibility study conducted;
• 4 whanau want a feasibility study conducted with 1 person wanting more information.
The over whelming majority who took time to attend were unanimous “They do not want a Port, or a feasibility study done”.
Besides individual reasons why people of Wharekahika strongly oppose a Port development, there were 13 other MAJOR concerns raised at our Hapu hui:
1. HOLDCo does not follow a CLEAR process when dealing with sensitive, significant, live changing proposals concerning Hapu.
2. Poor communications and engagement with key stakeholders i.e. Hapu/Landowner. Two Hapu Hui with HOLDCo in 18 months is pathetic and unacceptable.
3. The Hapu waited 18 months expecting to review a pre-feasibility study? This report has failed to be delivered and honored in a timely manner.
4. It is frustrating and difficult to understand, why HOLDCo would expect the Hapu to support a full feasibility study when HOLDCo has failed to produce a pre-feasibility study in a timely manner.
5. HOLDCo have demonstrated through various correspondence including this letter, that they had no intentions of honoring the people’s motion of presenting a pre-feasibility study on time. HOLDCo has deliberately left any Hapu involvement out and already pushed ahead and moved to the next level of preparing for a full feasibility study. In fact, the hui held on the 26th August was misleading and dishonest and most people felt it was a complete waste of time.
6. HOLDCo does not follow an appropriate process for dealing with direct or perceived conflicts of interest?
7. February 2017, the Wharekahika Waahi Tapu report was handed over in good faith to HOLDCo ONLY to assist with a pre-feasibility study? This Waahi Tapu report has not been returned.
8. There is evidence that the Company Terra Fermah are NO good. HOLDCo should not be compromising the Mana of the Hapu by engaging with these types of people. We do not want Terra Fermah gaining any financial profit from Wharekahika.
9. HOLDCo have gone well over their $50,000 budget for a pre-feasibility study. Estimated cost spent so far is over $300,000 of Iwi money?
10. A “NO Port” in Hicks Bay Petition has reached more than 4500 signatures and continues to increase weekly.
11. It has been extremely damaging for the Hapu to hear about Government hui, to see Ngati Porou Forestry present power point presentations, to read newspaper articles in which we were called names and to see other media coverage regarding a proposed Port in Hicks Bay that has been in some way influenced by HOLDCo without any knowledge to the Hapu. These actions have been stressful and harmful to the people and community of Wharekahika.
12. HOLDCo states they will withdraw its support and cease any involvement in a port development if the people decide AFTER a full feasibility study is done. HOLDCo still cannot guarantee this proposed Port development will be completely shut down! There are others involved.
13. It is concerning that our TRONPnui representative, Ani Pahuru-Huriwai appears to have been kept in the dark deliberately throughout this entire process. Her battle to gather the little information on behalf of the Hapu has been extremely frustrating, when you consider the investment HOLDCo put into the project over the last two years.
For us it is clear, the majority do not have trust or confidence in HOLDCo nor do we believe HOLDCo has been working in the Hapu best interests. Although you have given a personal assurance the time factor has eroded the value of it.
Our Hapu are worried and are hurting. We’re completely frustrated, angry and are astounded with the way HOLDCo has mis-managed this process and the people of Wharekahika. The lack of empathy is unquestionable.
It has given me no pleasure in pointing out the above concerns. As I have said in Hui, we do not want to fight with our own Iwi Authority nor do we want to display any media coverage that negatively shines or impacts on Ngati Porou.
I have been tasked with the position of leadership by my Hapu and it would be negligent of me if I did not represent the voice and the concerns of our people.
As I close I want to take the moment to say that this exercise has been painfully time consuming and is a large monkey on our back. Personally, your letter and involvement has arrived too late and for that I am disappointed. Most of this grief could have been avoided.
It is timely, I now formally request the return of our Waahi Tapu report I sent on February 2017, in good faith for the sole purpose of assisting in the pre-feasibility report. As the committee Chair I do not consent to this information being used for any other purpose and ask for its speedy return.
It is also our belief the pre-feasibility report in its entirety should be released to our Hapu and held in our archives for future reference, and only be used at our discretion.
As Chairman of the Wharekahika Maori Committee, the people have spoken.
We the majority of Te whanau a Te Aotaki raua ko Te Whanau a Tuwhakairiora DO NOT WANT A PORT development in Hicks Bay or SUPPORT Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou Holding Company Initiating a Proposed Port Feasibility Study in Hicks Bay:
(From the reading of your letter, the feasibility process has already been initiated!)
I personally do not wish to continually correspond back and forth. Should this require more perhaps we should meet and discuss. I think this is best.
Heoi anō Matanuku, ko ēnei ngā kōrero o te hapū nei. Kua whakaputa ngā whakaaro rangatira o te hapū nei, arā kei te whakahē katoatia te hapū o Te Whānau-ā-Tūwhakairiora me Te Whānau-ā-Te Aotaki ki te takakino i tā tātou nei kāpata kai. Nā reira, kei te tū whakakiriūka au, waihoki tātou katoa ngā hapū o Wharekāhika ki te whakahē i tētahi tumu herenga waka. Nā reira, kei te mihi atu au ki a koe
Naku Noa
Kingi Houkamau
Chairman Wharekahika Maori Committee