Three protesters arrested at south Auckland's Ihumātao

Tuesday, 23 July 2019

Fletcher Building filmed the moment workers walked onto Ihumātao to serve eviction notices to protesters occupying the area.

Three people were arrested at south Auckland's long-disputed Ihumātao site on Tuesday evening, during a protest.

The group illegally occupying the land in Māngere for the past three years got served with an eviction notice earlier in the day and police were at the site to assist with its enforcement, said superintendent Jill Rogers.

The occupiers objected to the land being turned into a housing development by Fletcher Building.

Those arrested for obstructing police would get formal warnings before being released from custody, said Rogers. Police would remain at the site into the night, as a crowd had gathered at the cordon.

Police are assisting the serving of an eviction notice at Ihumātao.

* Fletcher Building directors dig heels in on controversial Ihumatao development

* Commemorating Bastion Point eviction 40 years later in Ihumātao, south Auckland**

Fletcher Building wants to build 480 houses near the protected Ōtuataua Stonefields reserve at Ihumātao, but locals are against the plans.

Around a dozen people have established a 'kaitiaki village' on Ihumātao Quarry Rd and have been living there full time in protest, claiming the land is a sacred Māori site and should be preserved for future generations.

Protesters linked arms to stop the arrival of a police van, demanding to know why it needs to go in.

'You're doing what you did at Bastion Point. I was there' one yelled.

Another asked 'what are you doing to my people Jacinda.'

One resident said they had heard about the eviction through social media on Tuesday morning and went straight to the site from work.

Two men are walking up and down the road, waving flags in protest

More people were coming to protest, she said, as they're mana whenua here to stop developer Fletcher Building building homes on wahi tapu (sacred grounds).

The public wait outside a cordon at Ihumātao after eviction notices were served to protesters

I have no roots. My people cut and ran to get here. Those connections are all abstract for me.

I long for roots. To know the earth, the moods of the seasons, to be friends with the life around me.

So seeing it stolen *hurts* my soul for those who know it.#MaunaKea #Ihumatao

A witness described the scene as peaceful at the moment

— #ProtectMaunaKea. (aka WalkingAustin) (@WalkingInAustin) July 23, 2019

Fletcher Building chief executive Steve Evans said kaumatua and kuia had promoted a powerful message to the protesters to leave, not just from Fletcher Building or police, but those who know the land.

'We are proud that once the Ōruarangi development is complete, iwi members and those who have whakapapa to Ihumātao, will have access to warm, dry, sustainable housing, that will bring them home again. It is unfortunate that a handful of protesters, have attempted to stop that from happening.'

'We have committed to returning over 25% of the land that we own to mana whenua, and we are currently working through how to do this. Returning land is a first for a corporate like Fletcher Building, and we hope it further cements an enduring relationship with tangata whenua.'

Evans said Fletcher Building had tried to engage with the protest group since 2016, but they had never shown willingness to find a solution.

Superintendent Rogers said police were supporting local kaumatua and Māori wardens, who were encouraging the unlawful occupants to leave the site peacefully.

'Police have been aware of the situation at Ihumātao and we have been involved in ongoing negotiations with all parties involved for an extended period of time with the aim of reaching a peaceful mediated outcome.'

'We have been working closely with local Iwi to address the cultural factors involved and ensure everyone is treated with the utmost respect.'

Only two occupants were inside the site at the time bailiffs and police moved in and both agreed to leave peacefully.

A protester at the scene said the reason not many people were there was because nobody lived there – but people were there daily as the land's kaitiaki (guardians), taking care of the gardens.

A witness at the scene said it was relatively peaceful at the site, with two protesters walking around carrying flags.

In April, Save Our Unique Landscape (SOUL) action group leader, Pania Newton, said Fletcher Building had cut the power to the site in an attempt to get the protesters to leave an old farmhouse, ahead of plans to block the road and start construction on May 6.

'They're trying to force us out,' Newton said. 'Power has been shut off to the whole street at this stage we're just waiting to see what will happen.'