Otaraua hapu save wahi tapu from oil pipeline

Hapu to break camp at well-site

By HARRIET PALMER - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 27/05/2009

Maori who have occupied an oil company's well-site for more than two months are packing up and going home today.

Otaraua hapu began camping on the side of Ngatimaru Rd near Waitara on March 23 after pipeline drilling by Greymouth Petroleum threatened what it claimed was the waahi tapu (sacred) site of Tikorangi Pa.

Last night at a policy meeting of New Plymouth District Council, members of the hapu told councillors and council officers they were concluding the lengthy protest. The hapu then informed Auckland-based Greymouth Petroleum via fax stating it was willing to accept a verbal statement by CEO Mark Dunphy that Greymouth subsidiary company Petrochem had no further plans to bore a pipeline under Tikorangi Pa. Initially the hapu had been firm about staying until it had written confirmation from Mr Dunphy but yesterday said after he had repeated the promise to the district council it was ready to accept his statement.

Relations between the oil company and the hapu have been tense and yesterday hapu spokesman David Doorbar said the hapu was pleased to be withdrawing despite negotiation with Greymouth "not necessarily" giving it the confidence "needed to leave any earlier".

Support from the council in listing the pa as a protected waahi tapu site was credited by Mr Doorbar as a reason for packing up camp. "With the support of the New Plymouth District Council we are now going through the appropriate channels that will hopefully see our waahi tapu protected under the district plan," he said.

Last night the policy committee approved a recommendation for an independent review of Tikorangi Pa and a subsequent identification of the site as protected waahi tapu if it meets the criteria.

Information provided by council includes a Taranaki Herald article dated September 15, 1860 describing the destruction of "Tikorangi Pa" on September 3, 1860 by a party including the 40th regiment, the Royal Artillery and "friendly natives".

The council hopes to have the independent review completed by the next policy committee meeting within a few months.

Mr Doorbar said while the occupation had brought the hapu together and closer to achieving a common goal, the fight was "not over".

"It is important oil companies who work in our communities understand the impact they have, not just on tangata whenua but on the wider farming community ... for ourselves we feel we have achieved the outcomes of why we undertook this occupation. Greymouth Petroleum did not drill through Tikorangi Pa. It remains to be seen whether or not we have to return to any form of peaceful occupation in the future."

Greymouth Petroleum was contacted by the Taranaki Daily News last night but had not commented before the paper's deadline.