Land on approach to Port Otago to be jointly managed by Ngāi Tahu
A plan has been launched by Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, Dunedin City Council, the Department of Conservation and Korako Karetai Trust.
The agreement gives the rūnanga a seat at the decision-making table for any issues involving Pukekura, also known as Taiaroa Head. Local Māori have been campaigning to co-govern this area of Otago Peninsula for many years, after the Crown took the whenua for use as a military defence in the 1880s.
Rūnanga chair, Edward Ellison says the new agreement means they are once again guardians of the land. He says previous development of Pukekura has caused tension between tangata whenua and authorities; but now they will be able to play a role in any future planning for the area.