The signing of the deed returning land in Tauranga's CBD to mana whenua has been hailed as a 'momentous day” for the city.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke at the signing of the Te Manawataki o Te Papa Trust deed in Tauranga on Thursday morning.

The deed formalises the agreement between Tauranga City Council and the Otamataha Trust to jointly own the land known as Site A of the civic precinct, through the establishment of a new council controlled organisation (CCO).

Last month, the commissioners decided to proceed with the agreement that will see the land, valued at $17million, transferred to the CCO for a 'nominal price” of $1, then be leased in perpetuity back to council for a 'peppercorn lease” of $1 a year.

The site will be developed by council over the coming years to create the $304m civic precinct - Te Manawataki o Te Papa, (the heartbeat of Te Papa).

The precinct will house a new library, museum, civic whare (a venue for council and community meetings) and an exhibition space.

Ardern said it was 'a pleasure” to be at the event and was joined by Labour MPs Tamati Coffey, Stuart Nash and Angie Warren-Clark.

'This is a rare occasion when I'm not here because of any role that the Crown has actually played.

'I'm here simply to witness an incredibly important occasion for tangata whenua here and for the people of Tauranga.

'What you've done here is completely unique,” said Ardern

'But, you are also doing it in order to enable the people of Tauranga to enjoy more civic amenity spaces that they can feel connected to and to reinvigorate a city that has changed a lot over the years.”

She also reflected on her time spent in the city as a child at her grandparent's Welcome Bay avocado orchard, as well her early years in parliament when she had an office in Tauranga.

Anne Tolley said the site had a "long and complex history". Photo: Alisha Evans/SunLive.

Commission chair Anne Tolley acknowledged Ardern, the MPs and the Otamataha Trustees who were present.

The trust represents mana whenua from Ngāi Tamarāwaho, Ngāti Tapu and Te Materāwaha hapū - direct descendants of those who originally released the land to the Church Missionary Society (CMS).

'As we were contemplating the significant benefits that Te Manawataki o Te Papa Papa will bring to our community, the connection of mana whenua to this site and the long and complex history of the land's ownership was very much in our mind.

'We saw this as an opportunity to do the right thing and to act in a way that is both respectful of the past and mindful of the future.”

She paid tribute to the late Peri Kohu, a Ngāi Tamarāwaho kaumātua and Otamataha Trust co-chairperson, who worked with council on the agreement, and passed in away in August.

Tolley said Kohu 'struggled for so long to see mana whenua's alienation from their whenua addressed”.

'I'm sure he would be proud to see the mana of the whenua restored to its original owners through this unique ownership model.”

She said the site would be redeveloped into facilities that local people would be proud of.

It would also add "critical momentum" to $1.5 billion of private investment in the city centre and help its economic revival.

Tolley finished by thanking everyone for joining in on a 'momentous day”.

'May it live long in our memories going forward for this and for future generations.”

Commission chair Anne Tolley and Otamataha Trust chairman Puhirake Ihaka signing the deed. Photo: Alisha Evans/SunLive.

The deed was signed by Tolley and Otamataha Trust chairman Puhirake Ihaka.

Speaking after the signing, Puhirake Ihaka told Local Democracy reporting he was 'elated and relieved” to have the land returned.

'It's 184 years we've been waiting, since 1838 until now, to reoccupy our Pā site.

Ihaka said tangata whenua wanted reconciliation and the deed meant mana whenua and the council could 'go forward together in true partnership” for the 'good of all of the community” of Tauranga.

'All we [mana whenua] want is the acknowledgement. The admission that it was wrong.

'You can't turn the clock back. It'd be lovely to have the same people here now, but you can't, so you can only have the descendants on both sides who can fulfil that reconciliation.”

The Te Manawataki o Te Papa Charitable Trust trustees are expected to be appointed before the end of the year.

Site A of the civic precinct will be jointly owned by Tauranga City Council and the Otamataha Trust. Photo: Supplied.

History of the land

In 1838, mana whenua released 1333 acres of land to the Church Missionary Society to be held in a sacred trust for the benefit of Māori and the church/community in the face of increasing land demand by settlers.

Between four fifths of that land was gifted by the CMS to the Crown in the 1860s, despite the objections of mana whenua, who argued that if it wasn't to be used for its original purpose, the land should be given back.

Site A was eventually transferred by the crown to the Borough of Tauranga in 1995, to be used for municipal buildings.

The alienation from the land experienced by mana whenua was recognised by the Waitangi Tribunal as being undertaken in a manner that breached Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles.

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