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Ngāti Toa Purchases 80 Hectares Of School Land In Hutt Valley
Wellington iwi Ngāti Toa has secured over 80 hectares of land in the Hutt Valley, with the purchase of Crown land currently being occupied by schools.
The property arrangement stems from the iwi's Treaty settlement with the New Zealand government, which was formalised in the Ngāti Toa Rangatira Claims Settlement Act of 2014.
Each school will continue to operate without any interruption. All that will change is the land will now be leased by the Crown from Ngāti Toa.
The acquisition is part of the iwi's Deferred Selection Properties (DSP) arrangement, a strategic investment tool for both cultural and economic reclamation.
As part of the first DSP transaction in May 2022, Ngāti Toa secured 40 Crown properties. This brought the total number of school sites purchased through the DSP arrangement to 71.
Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira chairperson Callum Katene emphasised the significance of the milestone.
"This purchase is more than a business transaction; it is a reclamation of our whenua and reaffirmation of our role as kaitiaki. These lands will serve as a foundation for Ngāti Toa Rangatira to thrive for generations to come, while ensuring the continuation of essential education services for our tamariki and mokopuna.
"It is a powerful example of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in action - tangata whenua and the Crown working in partnership to enable everyone in the community to prosper."
Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira chief executive Helmut Modlik highlighted the broader implications of the DSP deal.
"This is about tino rangatiratanga in action-leveraging every opportunity to reclaim our whenua and secure a prosperous future for our mokopuna."
The long-term value in this transaction lies in creating a perpetual income stream through Crown leases and securing land that holds significant cultural and historical importance for Ngāti Toa in the Hutt Valley, he said.
The newly acquired properties across Hutt Valley, plus the earlier land purchases, supported the position of Ngāti Toa as a significant partner to the Ministry of Education.
Hutt Valley school land secured in the deal include:
- Avalon Intermediate
- Avalon School
- Belmont School
- Birchville School
- Dyer Street School
- Fergusson Intermediate
- Fraser Crescent School
- Maidstone Intermediate
- Hutt Intermediate
- Kelson School
- Koraunui School
- Mangaroa School
- Naenae School
- Pinehaven School
- Plateau School
- Pomare School
- Rata Street School
- Silverstream School
- Taita Central School
- Taita College
- Tawhai School
- Te Kura o Hau Karetu
- Totara Park School
- Trentham School
- Tui Glen School
- Upper Hutt College
- Upper Hutt School
- Waterloo School
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