Ngāti Manawa iwi withdraws support for Murupara aquifer deal

Ngāti Manawa has pulled out of a planned water bottling project with New Zealand Aquifer in Murupara. Photo / File

Central North Island iwi Ngāti Manawa has pulled out of a planned water bottling project with New Zealand Aquifer in Murupara.

At the Te Runanga o Ngāti Manawa AGM held at the weekend in Murupara, the board told beneficiaries the ownership of the resource consents to take water was a major factor in the iwi deciding to pull out of the venture.

Te Runanga o Ngāti Manawa chairman Kani Edwards said they maintained that the resource consents should be controlled by the iwi to ensure the safety and protection of the wai (water).

The tribe lost no money in the venture, Edwards said, and the runanga remained optimistic the project could be revived in the future.

"The due diligence of the planned project has helped us understand the many possibilities and directions we can further investigate.

"We still have huge social problems in Murupara that need urgent attention, as our people are suffering. We will continue to look at all the opportunities to environmentally and socially use our treasured and abundant wai for the betterment of our people."

Whakatāne district mayor Tony Bonne said he wasn't surprised by Ngāti Manawa's decision.

"We've been working very closely with Ngāti Manawa and they made it quite clear that they needed to own the water consents, which I totally agree with, so I actually totally agreed with the chairman and fully support their decision."

Bonne said the district council wasn't in any discussions with any of the water companies and was never involved in the negotiation.

"Our council was working with Ngāti Manawa."

Meanwhile, Heidi Hughes, spokeswoman for Greater Tauranga, an organisation which has been protesting the growth of the water bottling industry in the Eastern Bay, also welcomed the iwi's decision.

She said her organisation was fighting the water bottling plans because of the use of plastic bottles, the additional traffic that would be created, and the overall "unsustainability" of the projects.

Hughes said Greater Tauranga acknowledges the need for development and job creation in Murupara and hopes Ngāti Manawa is able to find another means of producing that.

Murupara has an unemployment rate of 27 per cent, four times the national average.

Edwards said most of those who do work are earning less than $21,000 a year.

The tribe was, however, still focused on water opportunities and were open to collaborating, in particular with other iwi or New Zealand groups.

"We will ensure that any agreement reached has built-in processes and safeguards protecting our kaitiakitanga - our guardianship of our treasured water resource.

"We understand the need to control the process, and to reflect the values and mana of our people.

"This is a Tino Rangātiratanga move. We do not want to go another 30 years of not determining our future, but we are prepared to be patient to find the right partners."

The Rotorua Daily Post has approached New Zealand Aquifer for comment.