When Maori shareholdings and titled areas were consolidated Tahamata Incorporation developed into a very profitable iwi farming enterprise. Mr Edward O'Conner, the designer and engineer responsible for executing the Ohau River Scheme for the Manawatu Catchment Board found that the position of the proposed 'cut' had been decided upon because the natural gas line at Tahamata had been designed with a wet and dry crossing. In
1971
the wet crossing lay beneath the existing river bed. The dry crossing was very close to the dune systems. Due to the proximity of the dry crossing, a north turning meander had to be considered. This required the almost complete removal of the dune complex. O'Conner wrote a report that overviewed the development of the scheme within Tahamata. On Saturday19
February1972
discussions were held with affected parties at a special meeting arranged with members of the Ngati Tukorehe Tribal Committee and Manawatu Catchment Board staff.60 The Ohau River Scheme was explained to the Tribal Committee, who was in favour of the scheme as a whole and of the diversion channel that would be put through tribal property. The Committee members felt that they were gaining a large benefit for their tribal farm, which would more than compensate for the small amount of land lost. On 4 MayI972
a number of committee members would again attend a local ratepayers' meeting that explained the details of what would happen to the Ohau River 'loop'. There was limited criticism of the scheme and no request for compensation. The Ngati Tukorehe Tribal Committee was the key administrator for the farm before the creation of Tahamata Incorporation Committee in1974,
so the tribal committee sanctioned the project to proceed.61Despite this official tribal authorisation or mandate not all remaining Maori landholders of Te Mateawa and Ngati Te Rangitawhia, and certainly not all the tribal descendants and their spouses agreed to the Ohau River 'cut' going ahead. There were concerns over detrimental impacts to areas deemed sacred or resource rich. At the time the Manawatu 59 Personal communication with Mr Neil Candy and Mrs Margaret Candy (nee Home), 5 September 2005.
60 Board staff included Mr A.G. Leenards, Mr. D.M. Brown and Mr Edward Q'Conner, the engineer.
61 Letter to the Secretary of Manawatu Catchment Board, Palmerston North from Edward Q'Conner, engineer of the project dated 20th June 1972 concerning Ohau River Scheme Report on Ngati Tukorehe Tribal Property.
TIle resolution to incorporate Tahamata Block was passed on 6th November 197+ TI,e Committee elected to supervise Tahamata Incorporation was Mr. Arthur Price, Mr. Rameka Wehipeihana [Nigger Mick], Mr. Martin Wehipeihana [Boy Dot], Mr. Paora Natana [ Paul] Te Hiwi, Mr. Cyril Seymour [Happy], Mr. Matehaere Patuaka, Mr. Wiremu Katene, Mr. Francis Nepahio Putu LDarkie] with Mr. Jim Goodwyn (accountant) and Ian Joll (consultant and secretary). l11e committee entered into a contract with the farmer, Mr. Neil Candy to purchase 233 acres of his land which was added to the 489 acres ofland already owned. Taken from a letter to the Registrar of the Maori Land Court on 15 July 1975, from Mr Arthur Price chairperson of the Tahamata Incorporation Committee.
C H APT E R F O U R
Figures 4.28: Flood damage during the time of the cut.
1 mages sourced from files by Mr Edward O'Conner for Manawaru Catchment Board, Oha" River Scheme Stage One Contract IlS.
Damage to Contract Area Caused by Flood- Sunday 14th May 1972, Horizons Regional Council Archives: Palmerston North
1 2 9
Catchment Board implemented the project, tribal members made their concerns known to the water engineer and Maori overseer. During and after the 'cut' there were concerns over property rights, ownership of the diversion channel and compensation calls for losses of farm income, land and access to the river. It would appear that people had agreed in principle to river diversion work as a future benefit for the farming incorporation. However no one was really prepared for the reality of the 'cut' project.
Not long after the initial excavation work and stop banking at the contract site, significant flood events62 created large, deep scour holes which affected the stability of the surrounding area. The flood waters removed the contractors channel block, damaged stopbanks, removed a foot of topsoil from the lower extremity of the flood way and created numerous erosion pockets. Though a certain amount of flood damage was beyond the contractor's power to prevent, by not acting immediately to alleviate some of the created problems until days later, the continuous water flow over the scour holes caused more damage to the floodway than necessary.63 There would be another flood with ongoing problems due to heavy seas, high winds, exceptionally high tides and fresh water in the river that combined to wash away the river block at the downstream end of the diversion. Again, further prolonged and heavy rain in the upper Ohau River Catchment caused similar conditions, washing away the consolidation work that the contractor had done in late June.64 This extensive damage
62 The flood events took place on 14 May 1972,30 June 1972 and from 10-14 July 1972.
63 Manawatu Catchment Board, Ohau River Scheme Stage One Conuact 115. Damage to Contract Area Caused by Flood- Sunday 14th May 1972, rue 9/3, Horizons.mw Archives, Palmerston North, 2-4.
64 Manawatu Catchment Board, Ohau River Scheme Stage One Contract 115. Damage to Contract Area Caused by Flood - 10th-14th July 1972, rue 9/3, Horizons.mw Archives, Palmerston North, 3-5·
1 3 0 H E! W H ENUA O RA
raised anxieties for tribal shareholders and non-Maori lessees as well as other farmers, especially those who had not agreed to the 'cut' proceeding in the first place. 65
Despite the devastating start to the project, and how the Ohau River Scheme so dramatically altered waterways, the original designer and engineer Mr Edward O'Conner was willing to listen to local Maori concerns. He reconsidered ways in which he approached drainage and water engineering in areas of significant cultural landscape. The Scheme team learned that the blind creek area was a particularly special place for local delicacies, with entities present that were better left undisturbed. At one point in the development of the Ohau River Scheme project O'Conner was very keen to run the stop bank or cut through the blind creek but was promptly told not to.
"We were actually going to cut the loop near the blind creek straight out to sea for drainage because we were originally .. . going to put stop banks straight across the end and carry on. We were told pretty quickly that we couldn't put a cut here. People were quite definite about that. George Gray the overseer explained to me, 'Look Ted, don't push it, don't even argue it, just let it go'. So we left the end of the loop open and it was open for quite some time. It was only covered in at a later date with a culvert through the stop bank or the barrage."66
In the early 1970S the engineering survey team was at the lower reaches of the Ohau River every winter. The area was arable in summer because the land was always green, however in winter the cows paddled in water much of the time. The lay of water had much to do with the shallow groundwater below so steeping the river channel made for better drainage and allowed for more productive land in winter. Particular individuals with marriage ties to tribal owners could see that the diversion development would give the burgeoning tribal farm better opportunities and advocated for it to proceed. This activity took some explaining to other Maori owners. Others were not so sure, and the engineer well remembered the opposition the earth works faced.The cut in the Ohau River meander was a major project for the area that would cause significant change. O'eonner distinctly recalled the level of opposition as it was quite a drastic transformation for the region.
65 Mr Pat Easton who farmed Te Rauawa on the other side of the Ohau River was very anti-Scheme. He feuded with another local non-Maori farmer across the Ohau channel when the survey work was being done. He initially was very hostile to Mr Edward O'Conner the engineer when they first met. This was because he was the Catchment Board engineer and secondly, because the engineer was a friend of the farmer he fought with. Easton and O'Conner eventually resolved the impasse between them. Easton had an extensive history of previous scheme attempts in the Ohau River that dated hack to just after WWII. He held some old Public Work Department plans outlining a scheme devised between 1942-1946.
66 Despite the assurances the later effects of the cut would impact on the special nature of the blind creek. As he explained, "1
would have left both to the lower end of the old Ohau channel and the blind creek open for a considerable period. 1 was told that the barrage and blind creek barrage were requested by Tahamata because of flooding . . . On completion of all stop banking, the sedimentation would cease on the Ohau floodplain . . . this sediment was transferred to the Tahamata area downstream of the cut." Personal communication with Mr Edward O'Conner,July 2007, Palmerston North.
C HAPT E R F O U R 1 3 1
Figures 4.29: Before the Ohau River 'cut', taken between 1942-1948.
Aerodrome Services Public Works Department, National Publicity Studio, Prime Minister's Department, 1946, National Archives, Wellington. AAQT 6404 WA2176
"In terms of the change was the productive land that you were going to get . . . You wouldn't get away with digging a cut like that in this day.The Resource Management Act would just cut you to shreds. But back in those days and strange though it may be, the cut had actually been approved way back in
1967,
perhaps just before the old Water and Soil Act. To get the Government subsidy for it you had to carry out all the survey and get the approval oflocal people. That's when I was brought in . . . I did all the survey and engineering work for it and of course had to obtain the approval,and that's when it bogged down."
During the time of consulting with local resident Maori on site over the 'cut', O'Conner recalled the serious erosion on some of the bends of the lower Ohau River. He considered pulling pine trees for bank stabilisation but they were too far away so the team thought of using some of the cabbage trees on site to layer them against the bank to provide protection. The Scheme was again promptly told 'No, don't touch anything.' The tI kouka
132 H ET W H ENUA O RA
Figure 4.30: Ohau River 'cut'.
Aerial photograph by Lawrie Cairns for Horizons.mw Regional Council, Palmerston North, 2005
Figure 4.31: Ohau River 'cut'.
Aerial photograph by Lawrie Cairns for Horizons.mw Regional Council, Palmerston North, 2005
C H A P T E R FOUR 133
[
Cordyline australis]
were cultural markers and their possible use as bank stabilisers in the vicinity was opposed. O'Conner remembered N gati Tukorehe Tribal Committee member Mr Rameka Wehipeihana67 being very helpful in explaining areas where the Scheme works should and should not go. There was concern with a nearby former meander area that sometimes collected water in it."It was believed that there was something significant close to that 'loop' . . . There seemed to be some disagreement about it. Rameka Wehipeihana said 'no' and another fellow didn't think there was any but his wife thought there was . . . She got a bit upset about it. She started to cry, so we had to be a bit careful. Your great uncle tried to explain it to her. I presume it's one of those things about local knowledge . . . Others disagreed that there was anything significant there, others were unaware and some were a little unsure. Some were very definite [and she] was the one that seemed to think there was something there and was quite upset about it. I can remember people trying to explain to her that wasn't the bend . . . I had to let them argue for quite some time."
O'Conner talked and deliberated over the progress of the cut at evening meetings at the home of those most concerned about the operation. Mrs Wairau Patuaka68 came to realise that the scheme was not going through the area that concerned her. When finally putting the 'cut' through between the two meanders, the team were warned to keep clear of another particular dune system. This was near the area marked with tI kouka that stood within stands of toetoe, tall native grasses and harakeke in and around the old man lupin. The former Tutangata-kino cultivation area was also in the adjacent peninsula. The engineer noted the remnant wahi tapu areas he had been clearly informed about, and kept well clear those places. O'Conner marvelled at people's remarkable spatial awareness. He stood by people in a seemingly featureless area, where they recited and indicated the position of former landscape features.69