In early November FMC and Backcountry Trust met with members of Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua, other members of Ngāi Tūhoe, and the Gisborne and Nga Tapuwae O Taneatua Tramping Clubs at Taneatua, Ruatahuna and Whakatane to discuss the removal of huts from Te Urewera and raise our clubs’ concerns. In these meetings, we: - Heard about and came to understand some of the hurt Tūhoe feel by the presence of huts they didn’t necessarily want and were built without consultation with them, especially those huts built on wahi tapu sites.
- Agreed that we could work together with the Te Urewera Board, Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua, as the mandated management authority for Te Urewera, noting that Te Urewera is a legal person under the Te Urewera Act 2014, which requires her to be managed for her own best interests by Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua.
- Came to understand the very deep frustration Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua has felt over the last eight years trying to work with DOC managing Te Urewera in what has been in essence a very difficult divorce.
- Came to understand that by removing the huts, Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua wish to achieve a “reset” so that they can move forward with replacing the huts in a way that allows for Tūhoe to “reconnect” with Te Urewera and to welcome visitors. This comes after having attempted to make a more gradual arrangement with DOC in recent times.
More practically, from these meetings we understand that: - Free access to Te Urewera for anyone camping is guaranteed.
- The Waikaremoana huts remain in place this summer. We will also work towards having a full list of standing huts published.
- The bridge network does and will remain, and bridges will continue to be maintained.
- New accommodation will be built in Te Urewera for trampers and others.
- Tūhoe kaupapa is that everyone is welcome in Te Urewera, and just as at any high country station, courtesies of talking with the locals will go a long way. Trampers intending to visit Te Urewera are encouraged to contact the iwi with intentions on 06 837 3803 or email teureweravc@ngaituhoe.iwi.nz.
When dealing with the many issues at Te Urewera, we must always look to the future and how we can achieve best outcomes for our members in the future. This will call for patience with Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua, and their patience with us. Finally, FMC is aware of the recent interim injunction against the removal of huts in Te Urewera. We await the final determination of the proceedings, and we hope the final resolution is timely. The following links are worth reading to help understand the situation: The Te Urewera Act 2014 Te Kawa o te Urewera (the Te Urewera Management Plan, but think of it as “Te Urewera’s personality”) The High Court injunction to stop removal of huts
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