1,000 signatures reached
To: Gisborne District Council, Trust Tairawhiti, Eastland Port
Oneone ki te Whenua
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We, the undersigned, urge our leaders to act now and take the following actions:
- Action Item 1 WHAKAHOKIA WHENUA MAI The immediate return of all lands within the Ngati Oneone tribal estate that are not operating as core business of Eastland Port and Gisborne District Council.
- Action Item 2 WHAKAMANA TANGATA Financial recompense by Trust Tairawhiti (as the sole Shareholder of Eastland Port) to Ngati Oneone for the continued alienation from our lands and, refrain from placing further demands on Ngati Oneone causing duress, suffering and grievance.
- Action Item 3 TE TIRITI Actively seek a pathway whereby Ngati Oneone are treated in the same vein as a "Treaty" Partner who holds mana whenua of said lands, as opposed to a community group.
Why is this important?
On the 5th of May 2025, Ngati Oneone activated 'Oneone ki te whenua' 185 years to the day that our tipuna Rawiri Te Eke Tu signed 'ae ra' on Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
80 years later, the whenua of his hapu was taken piece by piece in the name of public works and harbour development. Within 10 years Ngati Oneone was displaced and homeless, a people without whenua.
Today the Gisborne District Council, Trust Tairawhiti and Port Eastland are the owners of what remains of that whenua. Port Eastland has offered a small piece back with conditions. Those conditions continue to oppress our right as a hapu to exercise our Tino Rangatiratanga, offering land and in return silencing our voice regarding future port development, RMA applications and the risk of being fined if we were to ever oppose them. 100 years removed from our whenua, enough is enough!
Ngati Oneone Hapu has lived, bred and died on our tribal lands from Pouawa in the North of Gisborne to Te Toka a Taiau, Turanganui awa, including the lands known as Kaiti/Kai Iti/Puhi Kai Iti. In 1852 our first Pa (on Hirini St) was built.
In 1885 the Harbour Board was enabled to carry out major works under the Harbour Board Act, in the area:
- The blowing up of Te Toka a Taiau
- The blowing up of Puakaiwai/Punaariki/Tuaiti Is
- The removal of Te Poho o Rawiri Pa and tribal housing
Under the Public Works Act, significant lands were taken, here to name a few:
- Titirangi Maunga (parcels of land sold to pakeha individuals and corporations)
- Rakau a Ue Urupa (roadway created, urupa desecrated)
- Turanganui awa - Rua Koura (continued degradation)
- Ruatanuika maara/gardens (destroyed)
- Te Umu a Tawhiwhi (destroyed)
- Te Waiu o Hamoterangi (destroyed)
- Te Pioi Pa (destroyed)
- Puhi Kai Iti - reefs (destroyed)
- Roadway put through Rakau a Ue Urupa
The raupatu of our lands has alienated Ngati Oneone occupation and cultivation in these areas, destroyed puna wai, wahi tapu and urupa.
Atrocities on Ngati Oneone hapu, whenua and wai are actions that have been applied and imposed on our hapu for the past 100 years. In all those years, Ngati Oneone have not been treated in Fairness, Dignity or Human Rights. This cannot be the responsibility of the fourth generation to seek redress!