The old Whakatāne dump site is a toxic legacy that will never rest easy on the shoulders of the iwi. Part of our once pristine tribal estate, the site was used as a dump site up from the early 20th century until the 1980s.

Ngāti Awa have always held that the use of this land as a dumpsite is a continuation of the disregard for Māori land rights that began with the historical injustices of raupatu.

Historically, the site was part of the “Opihi Block” as it is referred to in Māori Land Court records and was a key area for Ngāti Awa, both culturally and economically. This connection stretches back to Toi Te Huatahi and beyond.

That connection was interrupted in the mid-19th century when much of our land was wrongfully confiscated, and despite some areas being returned, the legacy of these actions continues to affect the community, the taiao and our iwi.

In the 1970s and 1980s, as our kaumatua and pakeke continued the calls of our tīpuna to have our historical grievances heard and settled with the Crown, concerns about the environmental impact of the old Whakatane dump began to emerge.

Issues such as leachate contamination, which posed a risk to nearby water sources and the surrounding environment, were raised. These environmental risks were particularly significant given the proximity of the site to areas of cultural importance to Ngāti Awa.

The dumpsite was eventually closed in the mid-1990s.

After its closure, the site was not adequately remediated, leading to ongoing environmental issues. The lack of proper closure measures meant that the site continued to leach contaminants into the surrounding land and waterways, exacerbating concerns from both environmentalists and Ngāti Awa.

Nowadays, the consent conditions for the Whakatāne District Council regarding the old dump site are governed by a series of environmental and operational requirements designed to mitigate the impact of the site.

These conditions typically include:

• Environmental Monitoring: The council is required to regularly monitor groundwater and surface water quality around the dumpsite to ensure that contaminants are not leaching into the surrounding environment. This monitoring is crucial to detect any potential pollution early and to take corrective actions as necessary.

• Site Remediation: The council must implement remediation strategies to manage the legacy of the landfill site. This includes covering the site to prevent rainwater infiltration, which could otherwise lead to leachate production, and managing any existing leachate systems to prevent contamination.

• Maintenance and Security: The council is responsible for maintaining the site, ensuring that it remains secure and that any risks to public health and safety are minimized. This involves regular inspections and maintaining the integrity of the landfill cap.

• Cultural Considerations: Given the proximity of the site to culturally significant land for Ngāti Awa, the council must engage with local iwi to ensure that any activities related to the site do not further impact sacred areas. This includes consultations and, where necessary, involving iwi in monitoring and decision-making processes related to the site's management.

• Reporting and Compliance: The council is also required to submit regular reports to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, detailing the results of environmental monitoring and any actions taken to address issues at the site. This ensures transparency and accountability in managing the site’s environmental impacts.

Ngāti Awa continue to be kaitiaki to the whenua, even in its degraded state, by ensuring that the organisation that has inherited the responsibility of managing and mitigating the environment impact of the old dumpsite, Whakatāne District Council, maintains its obligations.

After many months of careful negotiations, Waiotahi contractors began remedial work at the site last week to ensure that local waterways aren’t contaminated by seepage following an opening karakia from Ngāti Awa kaumatua.

This situation highlights the ongoing struggle for Ngāti Awa to protect our cultural heritage against modern-day challenges and the importance of acknowledging and rectifying the historical grievances that have led to the current situation.

Nā, reira ko au te whenua, ko te whenua ko au – me whawhai tonu tātau!

Historical background:

The land that became the Whakatāne town dump site at Burma Road was originally part of a larger block of land that had undergone several changes in ownership due to historical land confiscations and subsequent reallocations.

• Historical Background and Land Confiscation

Nineteenth Century Land Confiscations: Following the New Zealand Wars in the 1860s, large areas of land, including those around Whakatāne, were confiscated by the Crown as punishment for Māori resistance. This included significant portions of land historically occupied by Ngāti Awa. Much of this land was later reallocated, sometimes returned in part to Māori ownership, and sometimes sold or granted to European settlers and other parties.

• Transition to Public Ownership

Twentieth Century Subdivision and Sale: Over time, as Whakatāne developed, portions of these lands were further subdivided and sold. Some of the land was eventually acquired by the local government as part of efforts to support the infrastructure needs of the growing town. The specific processes of land acquisition by the council likely involved purchasing parcels of land from private owners, who had acquired them through earlier subdivisions, or through government allocation for public use.

• Establishment of the Dumpsite

Designation for Waste Management: By the mid-20th century, the need for a centralized waste disposal site led the local council to designate the Burma Road site for this purpose. The council's ownership of this land was instrumental in its decision to establish the dumpsite there, given its remote location relative to the town's residential areas, making it a seemingly suitable choice at the time.

The transition of the land into council ownership likely followed a common pattern of local government acquiring land for public works, particularly in a period when environmental regulations and considerations of cultural significance were less rigorously applied than they are today. The exact details of the purchase and the legal processes involved would be found in historical land records held by local government archives.

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