Ōpihi Whanaungakore – Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa presents argument to the Environment Court to hear appeals
Yesterday, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa presented argument to the Environment Court against the Whakatāne District Council’s decision to grant consents to allow 77 Bunayn Road to be developed.
The first step was to argue that the Environment Court has the right to hear the appeals. The Applicant (MMS GP Limited) and the Whakatāne District Council argued that the Environment Court cannot hear Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa’s appeal (and the appeals by Ngai Taiwhakaea and the Ōpihi Whanaungakore trustees) due to a lack of jurisdiction. Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa argued that the Environment Court has the right to hear the full appeals.
We anticipate receiving the Judge’s decision within the next few months. We will post the decision on our website and Facebook pages when it is received.
