School sale withdrawn as Maori protest grows

By Tracy Watkins
The Dominion Post
8 March 2007
http://www.stuff.co.nz/3985343a11.html?source=email

A fresh land occupation has sparked another backdown, this time over plans to sell an empty Taranaki school.

The Government confirmed yesterday that the school was withdrawn from the open market on Monday, apparently just a day before local Maori moved on to the site to protest about its sale.

The occupation was backed by Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia after her party's warning of a step-up of action over land disputes.

Te Kiri School has been occupied by South Taranaki Maori, who say the classrooms sit on confiscated land and they want it back. Another empty school, Pihama, has had protesters camped on council land beside it for about a month. In both cases, iwi say the land was taken by the Government and should be
returned now the schools are no longer needed. They had been empty for about two years.

The group said the Crown was using processes that disadvantaged communities such as theirs to "sell off these lands and pocket the money for the Government". "We've tried to communicate this peacefully and they've chosen to ignore us. Well, we won't be ignored any longer."

But it appears the occupiers may not be aware that the Office of Treaty Settlements, which had first option on Te Kiri School, has agreed that the hapu's claim to the land should be considered. In the case of Pihama, no decision had been made about whether it should be made available for a Treaty settlement.

No one from the protest group could be contacted last night.

The latest occupations follow two land protests in Northland and Coromandel, which culminated last week in the Government calling a halt to the sale of Landcorp properties while it reviewed the sales process.