A sacred archaeological area of Ōwairaka/Mt Albert in Auckland has been damaged, after 27 trees were found to have been planted into the site illegally.
The disturbed area was previously unmodified, meaning it was in the original form of the maunga dating back near 1000 years to a preserved historic pā settlement.
At one section the planting spans a historic pā terrace and there is also evidence of disturbed midden, or ancient shell deposits, dating to the pā site.
Given the historic significance of Ōwairaka, any illegal modification is prosecutable under the Reserves Act 1977 and the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014. The damage has been reported to Heritage New Zealand.
Paul Majurey, chair of the Tūpuna Maunga Authority, said the sacred site at Ōwairaka appears to have been deliberately altered with a large area around the planted trees treated with herbicide, deepening the damage to the maunga.