Ruakura, he tauira toohenehene

Ko tō Ruakura Tumu aa-uta, te kaiwhakatoohenehene kaupapa anamata moo Waikato.

Ka whakatuwheratia ana aa te 2022, ka noho hei panukutanga matua i te whiikoitanga, ki te whakapiki ake i te tuaapapa rawa tapeke, kia nui atu i te $6 piriona aa te 2050, e hua mai ai he kapewhiti aahua $200 miriona i ia tau.

E tuu nei a Ruakura i te waahi papai rawa atu ki te whakarite me te whakawhiti i ngaa utanga mai, me ngaa utanga atu ki waenganui i a Taamaki, i a Kirikiriroa, i a Tauranga, me ngaa haumi tauhokohoko ki taawaahi. 

Ka tuu teetehi tumu aa-uta 30 hekatea, ki te manawa o teetehi papawhenua nui ake, aa-whakahaere, aa-ahumahi, aa-arumoni 480 hekatea te tapeketanga. 

Ko toona haurua o ngaa rahinga o ngaa utanga i Aotearoa i teenei waa, e whiti nei i waenganui i eenei waahi nei. Ka whai hua a Ruakura hei takawaenga, i te tupuranga matapae 60% o ngaa rahinga kanateina hei te ngahurutanga e tuu nei, me te huarahi horipuu ki ngaa wahapuu o Taamaki me Tauranga maa te rerewee me te rori. 

He tauira ao hou nei te hauhake i teenei whaitua taurikura, noo te rakahinonga roa a Waikato, e ai ki a Taitimu Maipi, mema poari o mua o Te Poari o Tainui.

I tauhokohoko te iwi i te harakeke ki ngaa tauiwi hei tukunga ki Ahitereiria i ngaa 1820. Tae rawa ki te 1850, i rite te awa o Waikato ki te Hurahi Matua 1, teeraa ia ngaa waka e hari haere nei i te harakeke, i ngaa huanga kai, me ngaa kararehe ki ngaa maakete o Taamaki.

“Puta noa i teenei rohe, araa ngaa waahi tauhokohoko peeraa i Taupiri. Kaatahi ngaa iwi ka tae ki Manukau, ka tere ai i te ao. Ehara i te hanga hou,” e ai ki a Maipi.

Ahakoa raa te whakapaawera me te poohara i puta mai ai i ngaa Riri Whenua o Aotearoa, me te raupatu i ngaa miriona eka koo atu o te whenua, i kaha hoki te mahi a Taawhiao ki te whakatuu tuuaapapa ohaoha maa te Kiingitanga, maa te whakarite i toona anoo paaremata, i ngaa kooti, i te pirihimana me te peeke.

Te whakaora i te
ohaoha motuhake

Koo atu i te kotahi rautau, ka kitea e Taa Te Kotahi Mahuta te whakataunga Tiriti a Waikato-Tainui hei huarahi whakaora i te ohaoha motuhake. I roto i ngaa whenua i whakahokia ai, ko ngaa rawa whenua ‘whai hua nui’ i huri ai a Waikato hei rangatira nui moo ngaa whenua o te rohe nei. 

I haupuutia e ngaa waahi o Hopuhopu me Te Rapa te moni whiwhi tuatahi $2,000, i utua ai ki ia marae kaipaanga o Waikato, i haina ai i te Heads of Agreement. 

I paanuitia hoki e Te Poari o Tainui tana whaainga kia taaparahia ana whenua, hei teenaa whakatupuranga e haere ake nei, kia aahua rite te nui o te whenua ki teeraa i raupatungia ai.

Heoi anoo, naa ngaa whakatau whakangao kino i raruraru aa-puutea ai te iwi i 1999. I whakatuma a Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) ki te mahi taumanu i te korenga o te iwi e whakaea i teetehi puutea taurewa $14.3 miriona, naa te heenga haeretanga o ngaa whakawhanaketanga o ngaa whare ki Ahitereiria. I waawaahi hoki te hautuutanga o te iwi naa taua take, kia papaa a Taa Te Kotahi me ana kaitautoko ki a Kingi Poorima, naana te Te Kaumaarua i heamana. 

Te mutunga iho, i pootingia ai a Porima, ki te whakatutuki i teetehi putanga me HSBC. I hokona ngaa rawa i Ahitereiria, me ngaa rawa nui nei te tuuraru, i purutia ngaa rawa whai hua, i kanorautia te whakangao, ka mutu i whakaitingia te whakapau puutea.

I tangohia e Tainui Group Holdings (TGH) te mahi whakahaere, me te whakatupu i ngaa rawa ohaoha a te iwi, $166 miriona te waariu, i 2003.

I teenei raa, kua piki aua rawa ki te $1 piriona. Ko te Base teeraa ki Te Rapa, ko te Tainui Novotel ki Kirikiriroa, ki te Papa Waka Rererangi aa-ao whaanui o Taamaki, me te Ibis Tainui Kirikiriroa.

Ko ngaa mahinga
tahitanga te matua

Kua whakatupungia hoki ngaa whakahoahoatanga pakihi ki a Perry Group, ki Te Kaunihera o Kirikiriroa, ki The Warehouse, ki Te Papa Waka Rererangi o Taamaki, ki ngaa hootera Accor me ngaa pakihi e homai nei ngaa ratonga hoahoa, hanganga, kaupapa hoki. Kua whakatupungia e aua whakahoahoatanga ngaa moni hua, me te kauanuanu moo Waikato-Tainui.

I hua mai hoki i teenaa ngaa mahi e tino hiahiatia ana, me ngaa tuumanako pakihi, e whakawhiwhi mahi nei ki ngaa taangata 4000 koo atu, waihoki 1300 he mema noo te iwi. He kaupapa mahi tahi 50:50 hoki te tumu aa-uta ki Ruakura me Ngaa Wahapuu o Tauranga, e aahei ai a TGH te whai i ngaa puukenga me whiwhi e ia ki te whakahaere i te pokapuu. E kii nei a Chris Joblin, te taahuhu Rangapuu o TGH, e maaia ana raatou naa te mahi tahi me Ngaa Wahapuu o Tauranga.

“Me whakaaro ake ki too raatou tuuranga i te kupenga tautukutuku rawa o te motu, ko raatou te wahapuu nui katoa, noo reira maa te whakahoahoa ki teetehi peeraa i teeraa me ngaa puukenga tautoko i oo maatou, a Ruakura e torohaki.”

E kii nei a Mark Cairns, te Taahuu Rangapuu o Te Wahapuu o Tauranga, araa te maarama o te whakaaro kia mahi tahi me TGH ki te whakatinana i ngaa aaheinga moo ngaa kaiwhiwhirawa me nga kaitukurawa. 

“E whakakotahi ana i too maatou ake tohungatanga ki te whakawhanake me te whakahaere wahapuu, i ngaa hononga aa-rohe kaha o TGH, me te rahinga, me ngaa painga o Ruakura, naa oona hononga aa-rori, aa-rerewee hoki.”

Hei te mutunga iho, e hiahia ana te iwi ki te whakatupu painga moo oona taangata, me Aotearoa hoki. Kia haangai te koorero, he kaupapa here hoki naa TGH e mea nei kia 60 oorau te whakahokinga atu o ana hua moni ki te Tarahati Whenua. Tae atu hoki ki ngaa whiwhinga aa-tau moo ngaa marae 68 e whai paanga ana. Tae rawa atu ki te 2045, kua eke pea ki te $1 miriona moo ngaa marae nui. Ka whakamaamaa pea te whakaohoreretanga ohaoha o te mate urutaa ao whaanui KOWHEORI-19 i ngaa whakahokinga pae tata o te peka arumoni o te iwi. Heoi anoo, noo te mea he kaiwhakangao mau roa, he ooritetanga kaha, he iti te nama, he koopaki kanorau, ka taunaki teeraa i a TGH kia puta te ihu. Waihoki, ko te whakawhanaketanga o Te Tumu aa-uta o Ruakura teetehi huarahi pea ki te whakauu i teeraa.