The validity of Maori oral evidence is being called into question by Judge Treadwell of the Environmental Court. Judge Treadwell is examining the petition of the Takamore Trustees, who are fighting against the construction of the Western Link road. If constructed, the road would move traffic between Waikanae, Paraparaumu, and Raumati, bypassing State Highway 1, but would also pass through sacred Maori burial sites. The Environmental Court ruled against the Trustees appeal initially, but are reexamining the case per order of the High Court, which felt that they were not justified in their summary rejection of the Maori’s oral evidence. Treadwell has voiced his doubts about the reliability and credibility of the oral evidence, especially since it is about sites that are hundreds of years old. Treadwell will reach a decision within the next three weeks, and will hopefully take into account both the oral and physical evidence.
