The leaders of Taranaki Whānui want the Environment Minister to approve a ‘fast track’ consenting process to enable them to build houses on the former Mt Crawford prison site.

Taranaki Whānui has proposed that the 13-hectare site – known as Mātai Moana – is transferred from the Department of Corrections to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MHUD) with about half of the land used for housing.

The iwi has spent five years trying to secure the land after it became surplus to Corrections’ requirements.

“Under our Treaty settlement, we have rights of first refusal for the land. We have developed a design which is sensitive to its environment, upholds and celebrates the cultural significance of the site to Taranaki Whānui, resilient into the future and achieves multiple social and economic benefits for our people and the wider community,” says Kara Puketapu-Dentice, Chair of the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust.

The proposal will see an iwi-consortium design and build up to 700 houses and papākainga housing, which are leased to tenants, with Taranaki Whānui retaining the freehold title in the properties.

Mr Puketapu-Dentice says the iwi is also negotiating with the Crown to convert 72 hectares of Motu Kairangi (Miramar Peninsula) into a national eco-sanctuary.

Both proposals will enable Taranaki Whānui to exercise rangatiratanga over the peninsula and secure the whenua for future generations.

“Our decisions have been influenced by the teachings of our ancestors and needs of future generations. Only through the eyes of our tūpuna, may we see the path forward.”

Mr Puketapu-Dentice says the iwi is moving with purpose and pace to lock in the opportunities and aspirations of its people, which may not present themselves again.

Taranaki Whānui will reveal more details to the public about its plans in the near future.

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