A dispute over ownership of a Wellington waka had its first airing in the High Court on Wednesday.
The waka, Te Raukura, was to have been the centrepiece of a new waterfront wharewaka which opened in Wellington on Waitangi weekend.
However Waiwhetu Maori in the Hutt Valley, who restored the waka and have been housing it, have refused to return it to the capital.
The High Court hearing set a timetable for the filing of evidence and information, leading up to a full hearing of the case in April.
