The Anglican Church of Aotearoa will make a formal public apology to two Tauranga Moana hapu over its role which led to them losing 423ha of land to the Crown.
The apology concerns the sale by the Church Missionary Society of a block of land to the colonial government in 1867 on which downtown Tauranga was later built.
On December 1 the Anglican Church leaders will make a public apology to Ngai Tamarawaho and Ngāti Tapu hapu over the sale of land known as Te Papa Block from The Elms to Gate Pa to the government.
In 1838, missionary, Archdeacon Alfred Brown negotiated with local Māori to buy a large parcel of the Te Papa Peninsula for use of a mission station.
On November 30, 1838, 80 per cent of the 1333 acres of the two hapu's traditional lands, later known as the CMS Te Papa Block, was transferred to the Church Missionary Society.