Iwi say Matamata metal works extension will 'breach Treaty rights'

Friday, 2 November 2018

Google Map image of the entrance to Matamata Metal Supplies on Barton Rd.

A metal works' company seeking consent to extend their operation onto a sacred burial site is facing opposition from local iwi.

Matamata Metal Supplies has lodged an application for six replacement, and one new resource consent, to authorise the continuation of quarry activities at their site in Okauia.

The new application asks Waikato Regional Council for consent to establish an expansion of the quarry, with Metal Supplies to obtain some additional areas for mineral extraction.

The expansion will result in the use of two new 'overburden areas' - but spokespeople from the Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Hinerangi Trust says doing so would 'cause severe harm and detriment to sacred burial caves, maunga and Mangapiko awa'.

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Matamata Metal Supplies, located 10km east of Matamata, neighbouring Te Weraiti, a peak along the Kaimai Ranges.

Matamata Metal Supplies is located on Barton Rd, on the western side of the Kaimai Ranges, 10km east of Matamata.

The quarry has been operational since the 1950s and was purchased by Matamata Metal Supplies in 1986.

It neighbours Te Weraiti, a peak along the Kaimai Ranges, and Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Hinerangi Trust spokesperson Morehu McDonald lodged a complaint to Waikato Regional Council, saying consent should not be granted due to the historical significance of the site.

In a letter attached to council's report on the hearing, McDonald said the trust was not informed or consulted by the Waikato Regional Council or Matamata-Piako District Council about the proposed expansion, despite being the closest iwi to the site.

'The violations of our sacred awa, Mangapiko, and our sacred maunga with our sacred burial caves above the quarry, are a breach of the mana, tapu, rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga of the hapū and people of Ngati Hinerangi and a breach of our Treaty rights as mana whenua,' his letter stated.

'As a people, we have buried our rangatira on our sacred maunga and have lived beneath our ancestral maunga, Te Weraiti, and we have lived off the waters, fish-life and eels of the Mangapiko awa for more than 500 years.'

McDonald also attached a letter from Heritage New Zealand to support his claims.

In it, the letter confirmed Te Weraiti had been nominated for inclusion in the Heritage New Zealand list as a wāhi tapu area, but a decision had not yet been made.

As well as Ngāti Hinerangi, Tangata Marae, Ngati Haua iwi, and Raukawa iwi also submitted against the consent.

But in his report, Waikato Regional Council senior resource officer Graeme Cooper recommended the consent applications be granted, dependant on consent conditions being met.

In the report, he said the environmental effects from the proposed activities 'should be no more than minor'.

'In the event of any archaeological sites, remains, artefacts, taonga or koiwi are unearthed, dislodged, uncovered or otherwise found or discovered during the works, the Consent Holder shall cease works in any part of the project site affected by the discovery.

'The Consent Holder shall advise the Waikato Regional Council, Heritage New Zealand, Ngati Haua Iwi Trust, Raukawa Charitable Trust and Tangata Marae as soon as practicable and within 48 hours of the discovery,' the report said.

'In my opinion, compliance with the recommended conditions should ensure that potential adverse effects on archaeological sites, remains, artefacts, taonga or koiwi of the proposed activities are no more than minor.'

The application sought a consent term of 35 years for all consents, but Cooper recommended a term of 15 years for all activities with the presumption that streams will be reinstated at the end of the life of the quarry.

The Waikato Regional Council Hearing will be held at the Matamata Club, 9 Waharoa Road East, on Monday, November 12 at 10am, and will continue on consecutive days through to Tuesday, November 13, if needed.