Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei
Reserves Board
What is the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Reserves Board?
The Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Reserves Board (Reserves Board) is the statutory authority established under the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Settlement Act 2012 (and prior to that the Ōrākei Act 1991) to co-govern the Whenua Rangatira and Pourewa Creek Recreation Reserve.
The reserves board is responsible for an expansive area of land lying on the harbour edge between Paratai Drive and Mission Bay, including Ōkahu Bay – the Whenua Rangatira – as well as an expansive area of bush and grassland to the east of Ōrākei Basin known as the Pourewa Creek Recreation Reserve.
Importance of the Whenua Rangatira and Pourewa Creek Recreation Reserve
Pourewa is a community vegetable garden – a māra kai – a revegetation nursery for the whānau of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.
The māra kai was completed in June 2020 to a design that incorporated the mauri, wairua, tikanga and whakapapa of the land with a traditional sustainable horticultural and agricultural practice. No artificial fertilisers or weed killers are used. Composting is at the heart of the operation.
Although only a remnant of the original 700 acre Ōrākei Papakāinga, the Whenua Rangatira and Pourewa Creek Recreation Reserve maintain a strong spiritual and cultural relationship with surrounding landmarks of importance to mana whenua including (but not limited to):
- Upper Waitematā and Kaipara Harbour
- Takarunga (Mt Victoria)
- Takapuna (North Head)
- Rangitoto
- Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill)
Management and use of the Whenua Rangatira is to reflect the spiritual, social and cultural heart of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei (Marae, Urupā, Papakāinga) and promote the Whenua Rangatira as a taonga to be treasured by all peoples living and visiting Tāmaki Makaurau.
These sites are wholly owned by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei but, by way of treaty settlement, are to be managed for both the benefit of the hapū and the people of Auckland with all “reasonable” costs being funded by Auckland Council.
Membership of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Reserves Board
The reserves board is comprised of equal representatives from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and Auckland Council including one member of the local board. It is chaired by a representative elected by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and the deputy chair is elected by Auckland Council.
The current members of the reserves board are:
- Chair: Marama Royal
- Deputy Chair: Cr Desley Simpson
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei members are:
- Wyllis Maihi
- Alec Hawke
Auckland Council Members are:
- Scott Milne
- Linda Cooper
