A place of deep sentimental value for one family is about to change forever.

Mount Maunganui resident Matthew Henry (Harry) Oram says his grandfather's memorial plaque, who is the son of a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, is being removed from Mauao this week.

Harry says he is frustrated with the "lack of communication" between the Tauranga City Council and families who own the plaques.

"We never even got the chance to say thank you to local iwi for our time using the space on Mauao. A discussion like this would have been great for closure."

Tauranga City Council is in the process of removing the remaining memorial plaques which sit on Mauao in the coming weeks, as part of the 'Mauao Placemaking Project” collaboration between Tauranga City Council and Ngā Poutiriao ō Mauao (Mauao Joint Administration Board).

According to Tauranga City Council, 'many” of the plaques have remained on the historic site for more than 20 years.

The removals have also sparked a conversation between the Mauao Joint Administration Board and Tauranga City Council on whether to remove the memorial of British backpacker Monica Cantwell, who was murdered on the landmark in 1989.

For Harry, the memorial plaque for his grandfather who he was named after is a place to reflect, as well as serve as a direct connection to the country he calls home.

Harry was named after his great grandfather, Sir Matthew Oram, who was knighted after becoming the 13th Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1950 to 1957.

Harry Oram says the plaque is a place where he went to think about every major life decision. Photo: Taylor Rice/SunLive.

'I was born in Hong Kong. As much as I love Hong Kong I am not Chinese. When I lived in England, because my mother is Asian, I was sometimes not English enough. The memorial here is a symbol to me that I am a New Zealander,” says Harry.

When his grandfather was alive, Harry says he would always tell his father to make sure his children know 'they are New Zealanders”.

"It's significant for my whole family too. Both of my sisters were engaged on the mount. It became a destination for any family member to visit. It's akin to my grandfathers gravestone."

Harry says when the bench first went up in the mid-1990s, there weren't many benches around, and the spot was chosen because it was his grandfathers favourite place to sit.

"I want to make it clear we are really grateful for our time on Mauao, we don't want to put in dispute the iwi sovereignty over Mauao. It would have just been nice to talk with the decision makers to discuss options as it means a lot to our family.

"If they wanted us to upgrade the bench and pay for it, we would have. If it meant we had to pay regular rent we would have done it as it means so much to us.

"It was explained to me later on the phone it was about signage, and the decision makers don't want anything non-Māori on [Mauao] it.

"It would have been nice to have this explained properly, and at least give our family enough time to deal with it. My sisters are overseas and will be returning to New Zealand in January, so they won't get to see the bench again.

"It also hurts me the most because ever since I was about 11, I knew I was going to have a son named Matthew Henry too, and have a photo of myself, my dad, who is also named Matthew Henry, and my son on the bench."

Harry says although the bench can be moved anywhere, the specific spot is significant to his family due to the memories associated with the space. Photo: Supplied/SunLive.

The Mount Maunganui resident also believes there has been a miscommunication in regard to the time limit agreed upon for the memorials.

'Back when my father purchased the plaque to remember my grandfather, there was no time limit on the memorials,” says Harry.

Tauranga City Council spaces and places manager Sarah Pearce says prior to the plan to remove the memorials, plaques were to be maintained and remain on site for '10 years with no right of renewal”.

'Many of the seats have remained on the site for more than 20 years,” says Sarah.

Harry says at the time of his father's purchase of his grandfather's memorial, there was no such rule.

'My father even renewed the plaque a few years ago, and had it upgraded to look brand new. The council had the chance to tell us then the memorials had an expiry date, but they didn't."

Harry says he does not believe the issue of the memorial removals should incite racial discussion.

"The ongoing project is great for the local iwi. I am just frustrated at the lack of communication between the Tauranga City Council and the families with the memorials."

Harry adds the council told him they were finding it "difficult" to find the families associated with the memorials.

"They told me they even put my name into Google. If you Google my name right now there's lots of information that's right there and easy to access."

"When the council did call me, the way it was presented me it was as though our memorial should have never been allowed in the first place, and our sentimental value to the location was nothing but an inconvenience.

"I'm not pointing any fingers or trying to call anyone out. But this whole process does appear as disrespectful and insensitive."

A Tauranga City Council spokesperson says they have been in touch with some of those who have memorials on Mauao. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

A Tauranga City Council spokesperson says since the first seat was removed, they have been "working hard" to gather the contact details for those who have memorials on the remaining seats.

"We are pleased to be in contact with a number of families to discuss alternative, long-term memorial opportunities," says the spokesperson.

As the large majority of these seats were installed over 20 years ago it is challenging to locate contact details that are accurate.

"All plaques that need to be removed will be stored safely until they can be collected by the families. We would like to work with the families to discuss the possibility of planting trees in memory of their loved ones.

"We encourage anyone with a memorial seat on Mauao that we haven't been able to make contact with to reach out to our Mauao Ranger, Josh Clark on 07 577 7000."

Harry spoke about this topic on the most recent Buzzworthy 'Future Buzz' podcast. To watch the full episode, visit the Buzzworthy website.