The proposal of the Commissioners to transfer what I understand to be $16 million worth of land out of city ownership to a partnership between the council and a Māori Trust is inappropriate for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it is not for the Commissioners to give away ratepayer land on some ‘feel good' exercise, particularly when they were put in place allegedly because of Tauranga councillors' poor record of funding needed infrastructure.

Most of us are facing a massive rates increase with many proposed capital projects in the pipeline, [and whilst talking of pipelines the potential confiscation of our water assets]. To transfer to co-ownership, even with a perpetual lease, would reduce the borrowing capacity of TCC and may well mean that TCC has to pay higher interest on whatever it does borrow.

References made to some 1333 acres of the main peninsula held by the Church Missionary Society allegedly in trust, but certainly on an understanding that the peninsula would be preserved for the good of all.

However circumstances changed – Māori having signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, which was re-affirmed at a Kohimarama conference in 1860.

Yet a small minority decided to rebel and a civil war broke out. Like all civil wars, economies and civilians suffered. Trade in grain in particular, which is something that is echoing currently in Ukraine. Everyone was involved with the fear and the anguish and the disruption let alone the suffering of the combatants.

After the local battles at Gate Pā and Te Ranga, the Government effectively confiscated most of the CMS land, partly because they had an obligation to pay off the soldiers with land grants. Reference was made about confiscation of 50,000 acres reducing hapū 'to landless squatters”.

This emotional term misses several points. Firstly, the land was only confiscated from the combatant iwi, no doubt many innocent people suffered from that. The original amount was 290,000 acres. So 240,000 was returned, which tells me that Māori then had enormous wealth. If they now no longer own the 240,000 acres they must have sold it and used that wealth elsewhere. Plus, they still had their non-confiscated land.

So overall circumstances changed significantly and certainly Archdeacon Brown and the CMS suffered when land – which they had paid the Māori owners for – was taken by the Government, I understand, without compensation. Around that era the Government was generally broke anyway.

The next point is in the late-1900s the legislation that formed the Waitangi Tribunal was followed by settlements with most or all iwi for their perceived sufferings. I appreciate that most settlements are never 'enough”. However Ngai Tamarawaho's issue, if they really have one, is with the Government – and not Tauranga City Council.

I also doubt that the Commissioners have a mandate to give away city council land. But if Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has given them that mandate, then to my mind that would be valid cause for legal action by Tauranga citizens for $16 million compensation.

Bill Capamagian, Tauranga City.