Protect Pukeiāhua - Waikato hapū campaign to buy a historic garden site

Waikato hapū Ngāti Tamainupō are launching a campaign to crowdfund $1 million dollars to help buy a historic garden site at Pukeiāhua Pā in Ngāruawāhia, and we are so excited to share our new vision for Pukeiāhua as a public space with community gardens and orchards, nature-based playground, kōhanga reo, community events centre and amphitheatre overlooking the Waikato River.

Exactly one year ago, we stopped the developer from excavating a site which is culturally significant to the hapū and the original consent for development was revoked once it had been revealed that due process had not been followed. Today, we are focused on sharing a vision with our community to protect this whenua for future generations.

The Pukeiāhua crowdfunding proposal has been set up as an ‘all-or-nothing’ campaign on Givealittle. This means if the target of $1 million dollars is not reached within six months, all donations must be returned. While there is a risk of failing to meet our target, we are confident that Aotearoa and the global community will get in behind the project.

As our Kaumātua David Huirama said, "We are standing here to protect the last of our tupuna gardens. My view is that we either ‘go hard or go home’. And we are not going away!”

Last year, the developer offered to sell the land back to us once they learned of it’s cultural significance. We are moving forward with this offer, in good faith, and the crowdfunding proposal is just one aspect of our fundraising strategy.

There is no sale and purchase agreement at present, and Ngāti Tamainupō will continue dialogue with the current landowner and other potential funding bodies while the crowdfunding campaign is taking place. In the event that the campaign is successful and the land is transferred as a result of the fundraising, the land would be transferred to the Pukeiāhua Pā Inc, a charitable trust

We know $1 million dollars is just under half of what we will need to buy the land. However, we think it will send a message about community support for this project and motivate potential partners to come to the table.

A hapū campaign of this nature and scale has not been done before, as far as we know. We have a capable team of local volunteers with communication and fundraising skills who are providing sound advice to us on this journey.

In the words of our spokesperson, Kimai Huirama: Imagine Ngaruawahia in 2040. As the town changes and grows, how will Ngaruawahia retain its unique identity? Our vision is simple. Let’s launch the town into a future which breathes life into stories of our past.