It now means all 32 hut owners in the small settlement near Lake Ellesmere, including the five who are Ngāi Tahu, will have until June 30 next year to demolish their baches and leave the lakeside settlement.
Ngāi Tahu says sea level rise, issues with wastewater removal and drinking water supply, and the cultural significance of the area are reasons for ending hut leases.
The decision came after the iwi met with Ngāi Tahu hut owners last week.
The meeting came after a request by longtime Greenpark Huts Ngāi Tahu resident Don Brown.
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In July, Brown went to Taumutu Rūnanga, the closest marae to the settlement, seeking to stay.
The rūnanga voted 11-10 to ask Ngāi Tahu to allow Brown and the four other iwi members to remain.
Since then Ngāi Tahu has been considering the request and last week met with Brown and others to give them the verdict.
Said chief executive Ben Bateman said.: “Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu has confirmed it has completed a reconsideration of the Greenpark Huts lease situation for Ngāi Tahu whānau following a request to do so by Te Taumutu Rūnanga.
“As a result of this review, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu has determined it will not be changing its approach and will continue to work individually with Greenpark Huts leaseholders.’
Bateman would not say why the iwi refused the request.
When Selwyn Times asked Brown about the meeting, he declined to comment.
“I’ve been asked to respect the confidentiality of that meeting so I have nothing to say about that meeting,” Brown said.
In June, Selwyn Times revealed Ngāi Tahu was planning to establish a mahinga kai centre of excellence on the site, surprising bach owners.
The iwi has revealed few details about the centre including its size, location, and timeline for its construction
Last week Ngāi Tahu also met separately with bach owner Kane Scarrott to discuss the demolition.
Ngāi Tahu has offered to pay for the demolition of huts, but only if hut owners sign an agreement by the end of this month.
“They said are you going to sign (the demolition agreement) and I said I’m not going to sign,” Scarrott said.
“They said what about the asbestos in your house, and I said there is no asbestos.”
Scarrott said Ngāi Tahu then offered to pay for an asbestos test, which he refused.
He thought the iwi may have been using the asbestos as a scare tactic to get him to sign the agreement, due to the cost to remove it.
Ngāi Tahu did not answer questions about Scarrott’s meeting. It would also not say how many hut owners had signed on to the demolition agreement.
“Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu will not be commenting publicly on private interactions with individual leaseholders,” Bateman said.
