Legal administration of Maungauika/North Head transfers from the Department of Conservation to the Tupuna Maunga o Tamaki Makaurau Authority today, the last of 14 transfers begun in 2014 under the Nga Mana Whenua o Tamaki Makaurau Collective Redress Act.
The other 13 tupuna maunga (ancestral mountains), which Auckland Council had administered, returned to the 13 iwi/hapu of Tamaki immediately as part of the co-governance regime between the Tamaki collective of iwi/hapu & the council, but administration of Maungauika remained with DoC as an interim step.
The authority is a co-governance body with 6 iwi representatives, 6 Auckland Council representatives & one non-voting Crown representative. The authority is independent of Auckland Council and has its own decisionmaking powers & functions.
Authority chair Paul Majurey said the final transfer was an important step in integrating the management of all maunga in Tamaki Makaurau.
“In 2016 we adopted the tupuna maunga integrated management plan to care for & protect the maunga of Tamaki Makaurau in a cohesive way. DoC have helpfully been aligning their management of Maungauika to the values in the plan. The transfer now allows a focused effort on restoring Maungauika consistent with the other maunga. It enables these special places to be treated as a collective whole and forever valued, restored, protected & managed as the taonga tukuiho (treasures handed down the generations) that they are.”
Parking at Maungauika, in Devonport, is located halfway up the mountain, and the tihi (summit) is already a pedestrian space. Mr Majurey said: “We know that Maungauika will be a focal point for a large number of visitors around the America’s Cup event in March 2021, so we will be looking towards management initiatives to ensure visitor safety & enjoyment of the maunga during this high profile event.”
Photo: Maungauika (North Head), with the Waitemata Harbour & Auckland central city in the background. Photo: The Tupuna Maunga o Tamaki Makaurau Authority.
Link: Tupuna Maunga o Tamaki Makaurau Authority
Attribution: Tupuna maunga authority.
