The Ōtepoti/Dunedin community will join people around Aotearoa to stand in solidarity with kaitiaki at Ihumātao who are being evicted by police from their whenua.

They will gather outside David Clark’s office in North Dunedin for a peaceful action calling for the Government to respect Te Tiriti o Waitangi by stopping plans to build at Ihumātao in Auckland.

Ihumātao was confiscated under the New Zealand Settlements Act in 1863 as part of the colonial invasion of Waikato that drove mana whenua from their lands. Now, Fletcher Construction has purchased the land using developer-friendly provisions in the Special Housing Act 2013. They plan to develop it with unaffordable housing.

“This is colonisation in action. The mana whenua of the land were driven from it illegal-ly once, and now Te Tiriti obligations are again being ignored as this culturally sacred land is threatened further” said Fiona Clements Kai Tahu, Clan Gordon.

“We invite anyone in Dunedin who wants to stand against colonisation and racism to join us tomorrow. If you’re unable to make it, we invite you to call +64 9 525 9000 or email Fletchers Building Ltd at fbcomms@fbu.com to let them know how you feel.”

SOUL (Save our Unique Landscape), led by local mana whenua, have been cam-paigning for years to protect Ihumātao. Having exhausted their legal avenues to stop development, they are now calling on people from around Aotearoa to join them in de-manding Fletcher stops construction.

“Our people are nothing without this land. It defines our identity, health and wellbeing” said Pania Newton, SOUL Spokesperson.

“SOUL is doing everything possible to avoid confrontation on the land. But our kauma-tua are preparing to stand in front of the bulldozers if they come,” said Newton.

Event details:

Friday 26 July 2019, 11am — 2pm, David Clark MP Office, 32 Albany Street, Dunedin

For more information, please visit:
https://www.protectihumatao.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/1322405561240391

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