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The Manukau District Council have begun dismantling
the meeting house Te Umupuia belonging to Ngai Tai in Howick,
to build a new two-storey building there.
However, the local community don't like the idea one bit.
A garden which symbolises the bond between Maori and Pakeha.
It was a dream of Emilia Nixon. She purchased this land.
She approached Ngai Tai elders
about establishing their meeting house here in her garden.
But the Manukau Council has begun demolishing the building
to redevelop it.
This was the original meeting house which was established in 1936
by Ngai Tai and the land owner Emilia Nixon.
In 2004, the meeting house was a victim of arson.
Ngai Tai later removed the ancestral name of the house.
Since that time, management of the land
has been in the hands of the Manukau council,
who has decided to invest $700,000 to build a new two-storey building.
The council says the new building will for the community.
However, the Howick Community Board believes
that the new building will be a Maori house,
which they do not support.
We are entitled to our opinions,
but the previous house was visited by people from throughout the world.
The new building will be up within the next four months.
Rapaera Tawhai, Te Karere.