3.5.1 Appeals to the Decision of Special Joint Hearings Committee by Waitaha a Hei and Nga Potiki Resource Management Unit criticised the archaeological assessments¹¹.

3.5.2 I do have a few comments of my own in regard to Phillips’ assessment including: (i) only testpitting was used to determine subsurface features, (ii) the locations and findings of the testpits were not shown, (iii) archaeological monitoring is not a suitable mechanism to detect other sites (discussed in more detail below), (iv) pa site U14/1660 is within the proposed quarry boundaries shown on the map included in Phillips report, (v) the logging process should be supervised by an archaeologist experienced in forestry operations and in methods to avoid damage to archaeological features, and (vi) the Historic Places Trust and local iwi (rather than the Regional Council) should be the ones informed if archaeological material, artefacts, or human bone were found.

3.6 1999 - Gumbley Archaeological Assessment

3.6.1 Warren Gumbley prepared an archaeological assessment¹², for the Western Bay of Plenty Regional Committee of the NZ Historic Places Trust to register the Papamoa Hills cultural landscape as a Wahi Tapu Area¹³. Although this document is in draft format at this stage and was not written for the purposes of this resource consent, it deals with the significance of the Papamoa Hill complex.

3.6.2 Gumbley discussed the investigations to date in the Papamoa Hills, which include the NZ Historic Places recovery of radiocarbon samples from five pa for dating, a more substantial investigation of pa U14/243, and a terrace site (U14/1675)¹⁴. The dates showed that all the pa were occupied after 1650, but Hikotawatawa provided one of the earliest dates of any pa in New Zealand.

¹¹ Waitaha a Hei 2000, Nga Potiki Resource Management Unit 2000.

¹² Gumbley 1999, draft only.

¹³ Ishould note that this area overlaps with the western part of the proposed quarry extension, encompassing Stages 4, 5 & 6.

¹⁴ Bowers & Phillips 1998 (cited in Phillips 1999a). Note Phillips also monitored an area on the SW side of Wharo pa (U14/166-7) where he found other subsurface evidence (Phillips 1999b cited in Phillips 1999a)