(TAKUTAI MOANA) BILL E kau I te wai e, e kau I te wa

question is, how much more dredging will happen to accommodate their
needs, and at what expense to our cultural and spiritual associations with
our maunga Mauao and our moana Te Awanui?
In the process of accommodating the whims of the rich, we have also
witnessed the building of two marinas – a continued cluttering of the
harbour itself. Certainly the congestion of the harbour as we now see it
today, shows a complete disregard for the lived experiences and
interactions, needs and thoughts of others who care about the harbour
and its once pristine condition.
These significant factors have impacted severly and changed the whole
face of the harbour itself. Seafood is no longer available in the
abundance I experienced as a child, and if it is, it comes with algae bloom
as a result of the pollution. We only need ask those who were affected
by shellfish poisoning, they gathered from within the harbour as recent as
2-3 months ago. Our Kaupapa Māori Health services within Ranginui iwi
receive updates from Toi Te Ora: Public Health, that tell us where rāhui
have been placed in and around the harbour as a result of contaminated
shell food.
I often ask myself ‘what does it mean, that in today’s society, what is
happening? A lot of seafood and shellfish that we relied on is no more,
particularly within the inner harbour itself.
To answer my own question I must turn to the beliefs and values which I
have been raised with and compare these with those of the decisionmakers
of today who have continually allowed these violations to take
place, and in doing so show total disregard for me, my whanau, hapu, iwi
and culture.
I reflect on the following excerpt from a famous speech made by Taiaho
Hori Ngatai of Tauranga Moana in 1885 which is set out here because in
the words of the Waitangi Tribunal it ‘precisely captures the character
and significance of Maori traditional rights to the foreshore and its
fisheries, and the nature of rangatiratanga protected by the Treaty’: 3
Now, with regard to the land below high-water mark immediately in front of
where I live, I consider that that is part and parcel of my own land...part of my
own garden. From time immemorial I have had this land, and had authority over
all the food in the sea... My mana over these places has never been taken away. I
have always held authority over these fishing places and preserved them; and no
tribe is allowed to come here and fish without my consent being given. But now,
3 Tauranga Moana Report, 1886-2006, Chapter 7, 498.
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