A Waiuku whānau says they have been left heartbroken after being evicted from a Te Āwhitu Road property they had called home for more than a decade.
Bailiffs and Police arrived at the rural property this week to carry out an eviction order, ending a lengthy tenancy dispute between the Heremaia whānau and Land Information New Zealand (LINZ).
“We’ve been failed by the Crown,” Te Arikinui Heremaia said through tears.
“The Crown has fast-tracked our eviction while our whānau are still trying to fight for our home.”
Te Arikinui Heremaia grew up at the property alongside her mother, Tania Maraea Heremaia, who held the tenancy for the home.
The whānau say the whenua is tied to future Treaty settlement arrangements with iwi and believe they should not have been removed from the property.
But LINZ disputes that claim, saying the eviction followed standard tenancy processes and was unrelated to any active Treaty settlement negotiations.
In a statement to Tuia News, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand Leader Built Structures Rachel Kleinsman said a routine property inspection in mid-2025 identified issues requiring remediation, including “unauthorised modifications” that raised safety concerns.
LINZ says Tania Maraea Heremaia was initially issued a 90-day notice in July 2025. The agency says an additional 30-day extension was later granted, alongside further extensions before the eviction was enforced this month.
“The matter was subsequently progressed through the Tenancy Tribunal, which granted a possession order on 20 April 2026,” the statement said.
An eviction warrant was later issued, with enforcement ultimately carried out after a final extension to 13 May 2026.
LINZ also rejected claims the eviction was linked to an active Treaty settlement process.
“While the property is being held in anticipation of a potential future Treaty settlement, there is no active Treaty settlement process associated with this property,” the agency said.
Te Arikinui says the eviction has displaced multiple members of the whānau and left them searching for stability.
“This is the home I grew up in with my mum. We’re not just losing a house, we’re losing part of our identity.”
LINZ says it took a “proactive approach” throughout the process, including extended timeframes and engagement with third-party agencies to support the transition.
The Heremaia whānau dispute aspects of LINZ’s account and say they are continuing to seek support following the eviction.
The story has sparked wider discussion online around housing insecurity, Crown land, and the treatment of Māori whānau occupying whenua tied to historical claims.