The Kāpiti Coast District Council has voted to protect the Kārewarewa urupā, a Māori burial ground at Waikanae Beach, more than 50 years after it lost its cemetery status, RNZ reports.
The decision adds the site to the district plan as a place of significance to Māori. The urupā is linked to the 1839 Battle of Kūititanga, and many of those killed in the battle are buried there. Its "Māori Cemetery" designation was removed in 1970, and about half the land was later built on. Further development largely stopped after the remains of 11 people were found in the early 2000s.
In 2020 the Waitangi Tribunal found a series of Crown failings had led to the iwi losing ownership and control. Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, which led the case, welcomed the vote as the end of an intergenerational fight.
Source: RNZ
