Hawke's Bay hapū are at loggerheads with Wairoa District Council over the closure of a bridge which forces them to carry bodies nearly a kilometre on foot for burial at their urupā.
Patangata Bridge, 14 kilometres east of Wairoa, was closed to cars in August after being deemed structually unsafe.
But its repair now hangs in the air as the council says it needs to first determine who legally owns the bridge, and who will pay for its repair -which could cost up to half a million dollars.
RNZ Hawke's Bay reporter, Anusha Bradley reports.
