Thirty-two bach owners at Greenpark Huts next to Lake Ellesmere have until June 30 next year to leave the Ngāi Tahu-owned site.
The iwi wants all residents out of the settlement due to unconsented wastewater systems, climate change concerns and to protect the culturally significant area.
But Taumutu rūnanga, the closest marae to the settlement, has asked Ngāi Tahu to allow iwi members to stay at the huts.
The rūnanga’s executive voted on the plan after a Ngāi Tahu bach owner Don Brown raised the issue.
The motion was passed after a close 11-10 vote by its executive hui on July 14.
Ngāi Tahu has yet to make a decision on the request.
Non-Ngāi Tahu resident Ross Wilson said if the rūnanga’s bid is successful it would be discriminatory for those who still had to go.
“We’re all Kiwis. It’s a bit damn rough if your own kind stay and evict the others. I think that’s pretty rugged,” he said.
Brown said he could see how the move could be seen as discriminatory.
“I could see how they would perceive it that way,” he said.
Brown said if Ngāi Tahu accepted the request it would give non-Ngāi Tahu hut owners leverage to fight the eviction.
“There would definitely be legal action,” he said.
Scarrott was unaware of the Taumutu vote until informed by The Star.
“I did hear a whisper there was a vote but I did not know it was only Ngāi Tahu residents,” he said.
Ngāi Tahu interim chief executive Ben Bateman said it was still considering Taumutu’s recommendation. He did not give a timeframe of how long it would take.
He did not respond to whether he thought the move could be discriminatory
Taumutu chair Dr Liz Brown did not respond to questions from The Star. The questions included the motive for the decision and why only Ngāi Tahu bach owners were included in the recommendation and not others.
In 2020, Ngāi Tahu told bach owners they would have to leave by June 30, but several weeks before the date, the iwi gave residents another year to allow them more time.
In June, The Star revealed Ngāi Tahu was to establish a mahinga kai centre of excellence on the site, surprising bach owners.
Bach owners will be responsible for the demolition of their huts.
But in a twist, The Star can now reveal Ngāi Tahu will pay for the demolition if bach owners sign an agreement by October 30.
If bach owners do that, they effectively lock themselves into leaving by June 30 next year.
Scarrott said the move was "scare tactics".
"It’s holding people at ransom. Either sign here, shut up and go or pay to get rid of your place.
"When they rang me, I told them it was scare tactics."
Scarrott said he expected residents to not sign on and just leave the huts without paying for the demolition.
He traces his whakapapa back to pre-Ngāi Tahu Ngati Māmoe and Waitaha iwi which used the lake as a valuable food source 400-500 years ago.
He has lived in his current bach on-and-off for 30 years.
"I felt confident Taumutu rūnanga were supportive of my continued occupation," he said.
Brown told The Star he would not be leaving and said he was considering legal action, depending on the Ngāi Tahu decision.
"My son and I are looking at where to from here. We’re fishermen, we’re not lawyers or have any legal experience."
Wilson was unsure if he would take legal action but said if Ngāi Tahu granted the Taumutu request, others probably would.
"It would open it right up. It’s something I’d have to consider if it was an option," Wilson said.
