Kua hui tahi ai te iwi, te kaunihera me te hapori ki te whakatapu i te tīmatanga o te whakahounga o te ara ki te tihi o Mauao.

Nā tētehi karakia i te pūtake o Mauao i tohu te tīmatanga mana o tētehi kaupapa nui hei whakatika i te ara ki te tihi o te maunga, whai muri i ngā horo whenua nui kua pā ki te whenua.

I hui mai ngā rangatira iwi, ngā kaitiaki, ngā pākeke o Tauranga Moana me te Koromatua o Tauranga, a Mahé Drysdale, me ngā kaikaunihera ki te whakatapu i te wāhi, ā, ki te inoi mō te haumaru o ngā kaimahi i mua i te tīmatanga o ngā mahi. E whā marama pea te roa o te kaupapa nei, mēnā ka pai te huarere, ā, ka kati tonu a Mauao ki te marea i tēnei wā.

Hei tā Josh Te Kani o Ngāi Te Rangi, he mea nui te karakia hei whakamana i te hiranga ā-ahurea o Mauao, me te whakarite hoki i te huarahi mō ngā mahi kei mua. I kōrero hoki ia mō te nui o te kino kua kitea, tae atu ki ngā wāhi kua tino horo i ngā ara hīkoi pērā i Ruarapapari me Motu Kauri.

“Ko te ara hīkoi ki raro nei, huri rauna anō i tō tātou maunga, he mea anō tēnā, he nui, he uaua ko ngā mahi whakapai anō i tērā o ngā ara” 

I tohu anō a Te Kani ki ngā pānga huna kei raro i te mata o te whenua, arā, ngā ara wai kua pakaru e whāngai ana i ngā hapori kei raro i te maunga. 

“Tērā pea kāore te hapori whānui e mōhio ana kua whati ngā rerenga wai nā ngā horo whenua – koinei tētahi o ngā mahi tuatahi me aro,” hei tāna.

Hei tā Charlie Rahiri, Te Kaihautu Whakaora o Te Kaunihera o Tauranga e tata ana ki te 42 ngā horo kei runga i a Mauao, ā, e 12 pea ngā mea nui rawa. Ahakoa te rangirua o te huarere, ka haere tonu ngā mahi, ā, mā ngā kaitiaki o te maunga te whakatau i ngā āhuatanga matua.

“Heoi anō i kitea mātou te whānuitanga o te mahi i tēnei ata, nō reira e mihi ana ki ngā kaiwhakatika, arā rātou i tīmata ai tō rātou nei mahi i tēnei rā, kāore anō tō maunga i whakatuwhera ki te marea,” hei tāna.

I kī anō a Rahiri he kawenga ngātahi tō ngā iwi e toru o Tauranga Moana me te hapori whānui ki te manaaki i a Mauao. Heoi anō, ko te haumaru te mea matua, otirā i ngā wā ka heke te ua, ka rerekē wawe ngā āhuatanga.

“Hei te marama o Hūrai, Ākuhata pea ka kōrero anō tātou ko te mau trust, ko te kaunihera o Tauranga Moana me ngā iwi e toru me pēhea rā te ara whakamua?

Ka aro tuatahi ngā mahi ki te whakatuwhera anō i te ara ki te tihi, ā, ka tukuna tonutia ngā pānui ki te iwi mā ngā hui ā-iwi.