Landowners back plans to block Cape Palliser access due to ‘shocking' vandalism
The hapū representing some owners of the land said the whenua is deeply scarred and access needs to be closed indefinitely to allow it to heal.
Ngāti Hinewaka spokesman Haami Te Whaiti told Checkpoint the land owners feel angry and sad about the 'shocking' range of damage done to the land.
'We've put up with this situation for a very, very long time. We've tolerated vehicles running through. We've never tried to stop them. We always discussed this with the council and we've obeyed the law. We haven't prevented anybody from driving through there,' he said.
Te Whaiti said the number of vehicles going to the Cape Palliser coast has significantly increased over the past five to 10 years.
'There's been a number of four-wheel drivers going there just to use it as a playground... to do wheelies and all sorts of things that they do to create a whole lot of ruts,' he said.
Te Whaiti said the land was significantly damaged by a large fire in the 1990s and these activities threaten to undermine the hapū's attempts to regenerate the land.
'It's terrible and we pride ourselves on having exercised our kaitiakitanga after the fire, we fenced off a whole area so that the land would revegetate. So, anything about pristine is what we've done ourselves to bring it back to that,' he said.
'But it's not pristine if it's going to have all these ruts and vehicle evidence using it... as a track for their enjoyment.'
South Wairarapa District Council said it has engaged with Ngāti Hinewaka and agreed the 'continued vandalism, disrespect to the land and its owners and the poor social behaviours displayed are not acceptable'.
The council said the proposed bylaw is being developed using powers under the Local Government and Land Transport Acts but acknowledges that restricting walking access to the paper road would not be legally enforceable.
However, that right of access doesn't extend to the adjoining private land, and council is responding to issues raised by the hapū around ongoing damage to land bordering the paper road.
It is accepting feedback on the proposal until August 19, which will then be reviewed before a final decision is made.
– RNZ
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
NZ mum and son in 'good spirits' since release
A New Zealand woman detained in a United States immigration facility for weeks with her six-year-old son is recovering at her Washington home after being released, her lawyer says. Sarah Shaw and son Isaac were detained at the Canadian border more than three weeks ago because she mistakenly tried to leave and re-enter the US without both parts of her visa approved. While she was legally able to work in the US and was employed by the state of Washington, the paperwork she needed to travel was pending - something she did not realise at the time. She had dropped her two older children off in Vancouver, Canada to catch a direct flight home to New Zealand. Isaac had all the correct paper work, but was taken with Shaw to the Dilley Immigration Centre in Texas. In the weeks following, Shaw's case got global media attention and the pair were released over the weekend. Shaw's lawyer Minda Thorward told RNZ's Checkpoint programme today that mum and son seemed to be "doing well" since their release and sent her a photograph of the pair together in which they seemed to be "in good spirits". "I talked to Sarah a little bit, but I think she was trying to spend the weekend recovering and recuperating and kind of just laying low, but I'll be talking to her again soon." Being detained was a traumatic experience generally speaking, Thorward said. "It's gonna have some traumatic impact, [that's] especially true for children... in a place like Dilly there's nothing to do... you have limited access to your lawyer, it's hard to talk to family, sort of isolating, a very difficult experience. "I hope it won't have any lingering effects, but you never know with kids... just depends on the specific child, but I hope not." It was unlikely there would be any legal repercussions for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Thorward said. "Unfortunately there's such a broad discretion in terms of what ICE and border control can do at the border. We can't really sue or anything like that, I mean we could sue to get them out of detention..." She hoped Shaw would not be targeted further by ICE. "Because of the continued media attention and broad community support... I'm really hopeful for a positive outcome for her case, but there's so much uncertainty in immigration law right now we just can't predict what's going to happen. "But, I think the fact so many journalists are interested in this case is a really good thing, and I think we should not turn our backs, and we need to continue to shine a light on these abuses of discretion. "I think continuing to allow for the public to see what's happening is what really needs to happen." In terms of why Shaw's case had garnered so much attention from the media and wider public, Thorward said she believed part of it was down to the fact she was a "young, pretty, white, single mum". "I think because she just really was someone who had really tried to do everything right, had checked all the right boxes as far as she knew, I'm not exactly sure but that's my theory." International pressure was what saw Isaac and Shaw released, Thorward believed. "All of the media attention, the New Zealand consulate being involved, it's a very high-profile case and ICE was very under the microscope here and they just caved to that pressure." Thorward said Donald Trump's administration wanted to dramatically expand detention and it was likely those who would feel the worst of it were people of colour and marginalised communities. "I think the people who will be targeted are people of colour and other marginalised communities... they will be a lot more vulnerable to abuse. "I think it's going to be a really dangerous time in the US."
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- NZ Herald
Landowners back plans to block Cape Palliser access due to ‘shocking' vandalism
People including four-wheel drivers, quad bikers and campers use the road, along with surfers and hikers. The hapū representing some owners of the land said the whenua is deeply scarred and access needs to be closed indefinitely to allow it to heal. Ngāti Hinewaka spokesman Haami Te Whaiti told Checkpoint the land owners feel angry and sad about the 'shocking' range of damage done to the land. 'We've put up with this situation for a very, very long time. We've tolerated vehicles running through. We've never tried to stop them. We always discussed this with the council and we've obeyed the law. We haven't prevented anybody from driving through there,' he said. Te Whaiti said the number of vehicles going to the Cape Palliser coast has significantly increased over the past five to 10 years. 'There's been a number of four-wheel drivers going there just to use it as a playground... to do wheelies and all sorts of things that they do to create a whole lot of ruts,' he said. Te Whaiti said the land was significantly damaged by a large fire in the 1990s and these activities threaten to undermine the hapū's attempts to regenerate the land. 'It's terrible and we pride ourselves on having exercised our kaitiakitanga after the fire, we fenced off a whole area so that the land would revegetate. So, anything about pristine is what we've done ourselves to bring it back to that,' he said. 'But it's not pristine if it's going to have all these ruts and vehicle evidence using it... as a track for their enjoyment.' South Wairarapa District Council said it has engaged with Ngāti Hinewaka and agreed the 'continued vandalism, disrespect to the land and its owners and the poor social behaviours displayed are not acceptable'. The council said the proposed bylaw is being developed using powers under the Local Government and Land Transport Acts but acknowledges that restricting walking access to the paper road would not be legally enforceable. However, that right of access doesn't extend to the adjoining private land, and council is responding to issues raised by the hapū around ongoing damage to land bordering the paper road. It is accepting feedback on the proposal until August 19, which will then be reviewed before a final decision is made. – RNZ
Otago Daily Times
11-08-2025
- Otago Daily Times
'Unprecedented': Northland gets more cops as crime surges
By Peter de Graaf of RNZ An "unprecedented" spate of violent crimes and a significant police shortage in Northland has seen more than 90 police staff called in to bolster the region's thin blue line. The special staff operation has been running for three months, with about 30 police from as far as Southland re-deployed to Northland for five weeks at a time to plug the gaps, with no end date in sight. Northland police have been stretched this year by nine alleged homicides in a four-month period - more than all the homicides recorded across the region in 2024. Superintendent Matt Srhoj, the head of Northland police, said the pressure was compounded by a shortage of 25 officers across the region. Eighteen months ago the staffing deficit was double that, a shortage of 50 police. Srhoj said Operation Tai Pari was currently on its third cohort of 30 staff. He said investigating homicides took a lot of time, and large teams of staff had to be assembled at short notice. "As a result, some other matters that we would normally be investigating get put on hold, or don't get the timely attention that they deserve … So we put the call out [for extra staff] so we could still respond to other matters." He described a run of four homicides during a three-week period in February and March as "unprecedented". Most of the extra officers had been placed in Mid and Far North towns such as Kaikohe, Kerikeri, Kaitāia, Kawakawa and Moerewa, where staffing pressure was greatest. They were being used to boost staff numbers in front-line, investigative and road policing roles. Srhoj said more rotations were possible in coming months. Other parts of the country were not left short-staffed because just two or three came from each district at a time. Northland had supported other districts with staff when they were in need. Srhoj said the officers sent to Northland would have been paid regardless, but the operation's cost was "significant" because of the extra allowances, travel and accommodation. Srhoj told Checkpoint that bringing in officers from out of region was not a permanent solution. "It's only a short-term to medium-term sort of strategy... obviously we're looking at ways that we can increase our recruiting, we've got a real desire to get our local people... We've got dedicated recruiters who are doing a really great job at getting people who do apply through in a timely fashion. "We're quite lucky as an organisation to be a national police force, you know we can call on support from across the country when needed." Roddy Hapati Pihema, a community leader and Kawakawa-Moerewa representative on the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board, described the temporary boost to policing numbers as a "positive step". Burnouts and burglaries were "rife" in his area, but police were so stretched it could take a week or more to respond to a non-emergency call. He gave the example of a kuia who had been told to preserve evidence and not touch anything after her home was broken into, and ended up waiting two weeks. "So having police officers coming into our community form other areas, I think that's a positive thing," Hapati-Pihema said. "My only concern is that a lot of police who come from the cities don't understand the dynamics of rural living. It's not the same here. But I'm really happy something's being done. Crime's just got out of control and it needs to be reined in. The biggest issue is that people believe they can get away with it, because there's not enough police out there." That was not the fault of police, but a problem that had to solved by central government, he said. John Vujcich, Kaikohe representative on the Far North District Council, also welcomed the boost to the thin blue line. "They're doing what they need to be doing, which is getting on top of those [homicide] cases. So I think it's great. The sooner they get on to those cases, the sooner justice is seen to be done." However, Vujcich said he had not noticed any more police on the ground, which he believed was needed to deter street racing - which had led to the tragic death of a 12-year-old girl last week - and methamphetamine dealing. And while more police were needed, they could not solve the Far North's problems on their own. "You need to deal with the crime, but you also need to pick people up who've fallen into a hole, which may not be any fault of their own. You need to give them opportunities and teach them they are worth something, and give them skills and well-paying jobs." But some Northlanders had noticed extra police on the streets. A Kaikohe man, who did not want to be named, said he had been stopped at a traffic checkpoint for the first time in three years. Everyone manning the checkpoint was from outside the district, he said. "I know most of the police in Kaikohe, and the odd ones that come across from Kerikeri, but there were absolutely no familiar faces there at all." He was delighted to see extra police in the town and hoped they would deter "the bloody motorbikes running riot, the lawlessness, cars speeding through the town". "I think it's great, quite frankly… They're just so under-resourced." Meanwhile, Srhoj said good progress was being made in recruiting new officers in Northland, in Whangārei especially - though the pool of potential recruits became smaller further north. Police were keen to recruit Northlanders because they were more likely to stay long term. "We've had more people going through police college coming back to Northland than we've ever had." Srhoj also hoped the opening of a new police college campus in Auckland would help boost numbers. Northland's deadly crime wave Northland police launched nine homicide investigations in a four-month period between late January and May, one more than in all of 2024. They include two alleged murders in one day on March 15 (in Whangārei and Kaikohe) and on May 21 (in Kaikohe and the remote Utakura Valley, near Horeke). Two cases (one alleged murder, one manslaughter) involve three-year-old children. Police have made arrests in all nine cases, which are continuing to make their way through the courts. There have been no more homicides (a legal term covering murder and manslaughter) since May 21. The nine victims are: - 29-01-25: Kyle Jenkins, 17, Whangārei. - 23-02-25: Reign Puriri, 3, Te Kamo (Aitua Puriri has pleaded guilty to manslaughter/failing to provide the necessaries of life, and is due to be sentenced in October). - 27-02-25: Yvonne Chapman, 66, Onerahi. - 15-03-25: Toby Adams, 62, Whangārei. - 15-03-25: Estene Rapatini, Kaikohe. - 15 or 16-04-25: Archibald McKenzie, 63, Te Tii (Kerikeri). - 09-05-25: Geoffrey Ware, 55, Parakao. - 21-05-25: Catalya Tangimetua-Pepene, 3, Kaikohe. - 21-05-25: Daniel Hepehi, 77, Utakura Valley (Horeke).
