We understand completely the importance of having a place of mana to be able to visit and remember our loved ones. We as tangata whenua understand very deeply the need to be able to grieve and acknowledge respectfully those we have lost. Since day one we have been supportive of their journey to have a place to reflect and remember. What is sadly lost in all of this, are the families of those tragically lost in the Erebus disaster.
As a result, we remain completely in support of this very worthy and long overdue memorial. We have also asked for those making the claims to provide their evidence.
As a result we asked for clarification from Manatū Taonga in relation to these claims. Unfortunately, there have been some recent public claims that there will be greater impact on the site and to the Pohutukawa tree than was shared with us through the consultation process. There will be further cultural narrative added to the site to ensure all whānau and visitors to the site understand the centuries of connection Māori and particularly, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, have to this whenua. As mana whenua we will ensure that the works are completed sensitively and are culturally sound. We made sure that the location of the memorial would not damage the environment or be culturally inappropriate. The tupuna Pohutukawa will not be destroyed or affected – this will be retained and protected. In terms of the proposed memorial at Taurarua (Dove Myer Robinson Park), we have reviewed the archaeological assessments and expert aborculture reports. We heard directly from the families involved and those connected to the extremely difficult recovery effort and felt their anguish and the anger at the fact nothing had been done for over 40 years to acknowledge their loss. We have attended meetings held with the Erebus whānau and heard the emotional and long- overdue apology from Air New Zealand. We see this as a natural continuation of the manaakitanga that we have extended to our manuhiri since the foundation of Auckland in 1840. In November 2018, we wrote to Manatū Taonga, the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, to express our support for the project and also for the use of the proposed site which is in the heart of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei rohe. Since 2018 Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei have been engaged in relation to the progress of the Erebus Memorial project which is intended to correct this long-standing injustice. For over 40 years the whānau and friends of those lost have been left without a place for remembrance or to reflect on the enormous impact of so many lives lost and changed forever. On 29 November 1979, 257 passenger and crew of Air New Zealand flight 901 tragically lost their lives when their plane crashed into Mt Erebus, Antarctica.
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