Marokopa campaigner loses bid for fences

Conservation campaigner Kahu Hohaia's bid for funding to fence off the sand dunes at Marokopa has failed.

Mrs Hohaia was awarded a Queen's Service Medal this year for her services to conservation in the area. Earlier this month she was found guilty of assaulting Waitomo District Council Mayor Mark Ammon when a dispute over access land at the small coastal settlement erupted into violence.

The Ngati Toa Tupahau Trust, of which Mrs Hohaia is a trustee, applied to Environment Waikato (EW) for $13,000 to finish fencing off the dunes to help keep motorbikes, horses and cattle from damaging new plantings..

Mrs Hohaia has been involved in dune preservation at Marokopa for years and has overseen about 80,000 plantings.

- © Fairfax NZ News