Historic decision to return Taniwha Springs to iwi
20 August 2015
Ownership of Rotorua's Taniwha Springs is now back with Ngati Rangiwewehi following an historic decision by Rotorua Lakes Council at a council meeting tonight (Thursday 20 August 2015). The meeting was attended by a strong contingent of Ngati Rangiwewehi representatives.
Transfer of ownership of the springs reverses a 1966 decision of the Crown when the area was taken under the Public Works Act for public water supply purposes, and vested in the then-Rotorua County Council. The return of Taniwha Springs to iwi is subject only to an easement allowing the council to continue taking water until the current consent expires in 2018.
Ngati Rangiwewehi has always mourned the loss of the springs and regarded their taking as morally wrong. In the 2012 Ngati Rangiwewehi Settlement the Crown acknowledged that the taking of the land was felt by Ngati Rangiwewehi to be the greatest grievance they bear against the Crown.
The move to return ownership of the springs gained momentum in 2012 when central government approved a grant of $1.075 million to Rotorua Lakes Council to assist with investigating and establishing an alternative water supply.
Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick described an earlier Strategy, Policy & Finance Committee recommendation to transfer ownership to iwi as "very profound."
"It signals a new way of working together. I congratulate the leadership of Ngati Rangiwewehi, and I acknowledge their patience and forbearance over a long period leading up to today's decision."
Following the council's move to return ownership of the springs to iwi, Ngati Rangiwewehi officials said they could now go home with pride and show this to their people as the way forward.
Taniwha Springs are of historic cultural significance to Ngati Rangiwewehi and are regarded as precious taonga. They are believed to be the traditional home of the taniwha Pekehaua - a central figure of local traditions - and the place where the tribe's life springs from.