Wellington iwi leader calls for 'political solution' to end protests

Thursday, 17 February 2022

Mandate and anti-vaccine protesters gather in their hundreds on the lawns of the Parliament grounds in Wellington.

Leaders of Taranaki Whānui in Wellington say a “political solution” is needed to end the stalemate between police and protesters around Parliament.

Iwi leaders from across Wellington have condemned the protesters’ aggression and treatment of the land they have been occupying for more than a week.

Kara Puketapu-Dentice, chair of the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust which represents Taranaki Whānui, said politicians needed to negotiate an end to the protest. He said a law enforcement solution alone would not be enough.

Kara Puketapu-Dentice is calling for a “political solution” to end the occupation of Parliament grounds.

“Our political leaders need to find a way out of this and stop the harm that’s happening on our ancestral lands, with some protesters having threatened our people and property,” he said.

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Protesters have been at Parliament for 10 days.

Iwi leaders across Wellington have also reported that kaumātua and tangata whenua were facing abuse from the protests.

“We’ve already had smashed windows and threats made against some of our kuia and kaumātua and uri [other Taranaki Whānui descendants] involved in the Covid response,” Puketapu-Dentice said.

He said the protests had not always been peaceful, and that anyone comparing it to the events of Parihaka was practising “cultural misappropriation”.

“Our tribe’s symbol is the raukura/feather, representing peace and unity, which is the kaupapa [message] we bring to this raruraru [dispute].”

Taranaki Whānui tūpuna from Te Ātiawa once used the land at Parliament to land waka, and to cultivate food for the nearby Pipitea Pā.

Ngāti Toa, which also has mana whenua in Wellington, also issued a statement on Thursday which called for the protesters to leave.

In a joint statement, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira chair Callum Katene and chief executive Helmut Modlik said the protesters’ actions had been “disgraceful and disrespectful”.

“As mana whenua, we support and encourage the New Zealand Government, the Wellington City Council and the NZ Police to clear the roads of Wellington and to protect all those who have been and continue to be threatened, intimidated and victimised,” they said.

They said Ngāti Toa marae and iwi members had been the targets of intimidation from anti-mandate protesters.

They supported their right to protest, and acknowledged the stress many of the protesters faced.

“We understand that, and call on the Government to urgently evaluate the options for removing and healing that pain,” they said.

“However, the intimidating and threatening behaviour that some protesters have shown towards the Wellington community, and in particular, tamariki and rangatahi on their way to and from school, has been deplorable.”