WHAKATANE PA SITE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 25, 17 November 1944, Page 5

WHAKATANE PA SITE

PLANNING NEW LAYOUT

BOROUGH COUNCIL'S CO-

OPERATION

The growing need! to recondition and lay-out Wairaka Pa which adjoins the eastern. Strand and which for many years: has been the subject of much, adverse comment, was referred to in a letter from the Minister of Native Affairs to the Whakatane Borough Council last Monday evening. The Council was in full accord' and promis<ed the maximum co-operation. The. Minister quoted Judge Harvey of the Native Court j Avho had urged that, it was high time something was done to relieve the present position. The first step Avas to effect a road layout and straighten the. sections. *t was suggested that the unused roadway running round the foot of the hillside he opened and used for access, * Cr Sullivan said the question was one of long standing. For many years efforts had been made to have the Government recondition the houses. It had seemed once that this would be fulfilled. The first thing was to give the settlement a better layout. He thought the closing of the rear road might assist a new plan. The Mayor: Docs, not the Whakatane Development Company have .sections fronting that road? Cr Canning: The company has sections all along the base of the cliff and running out a& far as the Heads. He strongly favoured the cutting up of the Maori Pa site into uniform blocks, after which a settlement could be made of it. Cr Sullivan counselled the drawing up of a sketch plan by the council which could be. submitted to the Minister by way of getting something done. He suggested a 50ft. roadway and a general replanning of the area, in order that something decent could be evolved. Unless the council pushed the idea it would be a long time before anything was done. The Mayor offered to interview Judge Harvey on the matter and to convey to him the. council's desire to offer its full co-operation in the matter and to prepare if it was wanted, a' sketch r-'an of proposed subdivision plus an estimate of road in g costs.