MEDIA RELEASE – Ōpihi Whanaungakore: Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa has lodged an appeal in the High Court

media

17 August 2021

In its recent Jurisdictional Decision, the Environment Court dismissed the argument pursued by Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa that the Environment Court has jurisdiction to hear the appeals against the Whakatane District Council’s decision to grant consents to develop land to MMS GP Limited.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa have today lodged an appeal against this decision in the High Court. 

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa, alongside Hapū members, are opposed to the consent application which seeks to develop culturally significant land.  Ngāti Awa, consider the subject site at 77 Bunyan Road and the broader areas surrounding the site to be ancestral land of significant cultural value. The consent application was made by MMS GP Ltd which outlined developers’ plans to build 240 residential lots, a retirement village, 13 access lots, eight reserve lots, and seven public road lots.

END