Māori land block spared in Northport rail link project - minister

Rail Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a Māori land block south of Whangārei will not be acquired by the Government to build the Marsden Point Rail Link project.

The 80-acre area is one of the last plots of Māori freehold land in the Parawhau hapū rohe and is owned by the Kopuwaiwaha Block 2B2 Trust.

Chairperson Mere Kepa told 1News earlier this month she had long feared it would be compulsorily acquired under the Public Works Act to build the project.

The 19km spur would connect Northport at Marsden Point to the national rail network.

In a statement, earlier this month, KiwiRail said it had engaged with landowners along the proposed route and had changed designs to avoid the freehold land.

"Owners of some Māori freehold land along the route did raise concerns with us. We respected their views and realigned the rail corridor to avoid their property, purchasing the needed land from an adjoining landowner," a spokesperson said.

But even after KiwiRail confirmed the redesign to 1News, Kepa remained unconvinced, claiming the state-owned enterprise had not formally confirmed this with her.

"That’s news to me, I have no idea what you’re talking about," she said.

KiwiRail told 1News it had communicated its plan to Kepa in 2023 but could not provide 1News with a written record of this when asked. The Whangārei District Council had not received an application from KiwiRail to change the designation of the land.

Peters said he was keen to ensure there was total clarity on the matter.

"The land owned by Kopuwaiwaha Block 2B2 Trust will not be purchased by KiwiRail or the Government," he said.

Peters has whānau ties to the area and the local marae of Takahiwai.

"I didn’t have conversations with them because I knew they were not going to be concerned, because the land was not going to be taken," he said.

Asked when he would like to see the project built, Peters said "yesterday".