Ōtāhuhu maunga. Photo / SuppliedBy Will Trafford of Maori TelevisionProtesters are threatening to set up camp on Ōtāhuhu maunga "if and when the chainsaws come out". The residents oppose a plan by the Tūpuna Maunga Authority to fell 278 exotic trees, which the authority says they will replace with natives, "to restore the wairua and mauri of the maunga". The Tūpuna Maunga Authority was established to restore the maunga (most of which were pā sites) to their pre-colonisation state. Waru says she does not know exactly when the authority plans to take the Ōtāhuhu trees down but says she and other locals stand ready to occupy the maunga.

Source: New Zealand Herald September 24, 2021 23:48 UTC