Far North iwi plans to mark coastal ownership with poles

By TONY GEE


Far North iwi Te Rarawa plans to erect a line of pouwhenua (marker poles) stretching roughly 50km along the Far North's west coast as a visual statement of what the iwi says is its customary ownership of the local foreshore and seabed.

Te Runanga o Te Rarawa chairwoman Gloria Herbert says each pole will be two to three metres high and spaced about a kilometre apart - within sight of each other.

"They won't be intricately carved. They'll be fairly plain but they will mark Te Rarawa's customary ownership rights."

Mrs Herbert said the pouwhenua initiative was "non-threatening" and the iwi had no intention of denying public access to any beach.

"We want the public to respect the pouwhenua and to understand why they're there."

Their presence would be designed to assert Te Rarawa's sense of customary ownership of the beach, she said.

The line of poles will stretch northward from inside the Hokianga Harbour on the north side, through Mitimiti and along the coast to cross Whangape and Herekino Harbours before going on to the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach at Ahipara.

Key poles will be erected at the Ahipara beach entry point.

Mrs Herbert said placement of the first markers, expected to be early in the New Year, would be accompanied by due ceremony and ritual.

An events day, with entertainment and an educational focus on foreshore and seabed issues, is also planned.

Te Rarawa plans to liaise with nearby Far North coastal iwi to try to extend the line of pouwhenua from the west coast around to the east.