Council meeting archive

The commissioners have agreed in principle to transfer the land known as Te Pāhou Reserve to Ngāi Te Ahi and Ngāti Hē hapū. The land is located between Welcome Bay Link Road, State Highway 29A and Welcome Bay Road.

A copy of a Council report showing a map of the area can be found in the Agenda of Ordinary Council meeting at 11.3 page 61.

• The land was historically part of a very large area of land confiscated under the Tauranga District Lands Act 1867 and later divided through a Native Land Court Partition Order in 1924. The land was then bought and sold by various private landowners before the Council purchased it in 1981 and 1982 for reserve purposes.
• Since then, parts of the reserve have been modified for roading and other infrastructure purposes. The remaining land is mostly wetland and not open to the public.
• Next to the land is an urupā (cemetery) and prior to European settlement the wetland was also a burial site.
• The area Council proposes to reconnect to hapū is much smaller than what Te Pāhou historically represented. Council proposes to transfer ownership of this land to hapū at no cost to reconnect the hapū with the whenua (land) and where their ancestors lay.

Once Council has completed consultation, a final decision will be sought from the commissioners at a general Council meeting next year. If you wish to give feedback to Council as part of this consultation, please email TePahou@tauranga.govt.nz by 19 January 2024.