Ngāti Kahu o Torongare in Whangārei is opposing a housing project on a wāhi tapu and says that if the resource consent is upheld, the iwi will occupy the whenua. The proposal is to build a 93-house development on Ōnoke Hill, a well-known site in Kamo.
Local iwi have met Whangārei District Council staff to show their opposition to the proposed development.
The 6.8ha proposed Ōnoke Heights development would run along Dip Rd in Kamo, Whangārei. Developers have long been interested in the land, and since the 1980s, several of them have sought resource consent to build on the site. Nevertheless, the Environment Court has consistently upheld the concerns of the local Whangārei iwi.
The application is by Onoke Heights Ltd, a development vehicle owned by a building company run out of Huntly in Waikato. Te Ao News, at this time, is unable to contact the owners of Onoke Heights Ltd.
Ōnoke Hill is a significant area for all iwi in Whangārei but especially for Ngāti Kahu o Torongare. It’s an ancient pā site and sits directly next to Hurupaki Mountain.