Media Release

Monday 29 July 2019

Iwi leader to go to Police over Ardern’s “interference”

A senior member of Te Kawerau a Maki, David Rankin, has stated that he will lay a complaint with the Police this week over Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s interference in the current land dispute at Ihumatao.

The complaint will allege that the Prime Minister used her position to interfere in a legal transaction and as a consequence, will deprive the iwi of dozens of homes which Fletchers has contracted to provide to the mana whenua of Ihumatao.

“I don’t take this action lightly,” says Mr Rankin, “but the Prime Minister has directly interfered in a legally valid arrangement, and at great cost to the iwi. First, she destroyed kiwi-build, and now she is destroying iwi-build. Fletchers have agreed to provide 40 houses to our people, which is exactly 40 more houses than the Labour Government has managed to provide to us.”

Mr Rankin admits that the complaint to Police will make him unpopular, but he says that there is a bigger issue at stake. “Ms Ardern has breached the kawa of our hapu, and her actions will leave some of our old people without houses. This is intolerable, and also breaches the law.”

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