July 29, 2019
Spiritual support gives SOUL heart
One of the founders of SOUL says the action at Ihumātao is a multi-generational whānau effort, not just one for rangatahi.
Qiane Matata Sipu estimates 10,000 people visited the protest site over the weekend to show support for the action to stop construction of a 480-home development.
The Government is trying to bring the various parties together to resolve the dispute,.
Ms Matata Sipu says while rangatahi are fronting the kaupapa, the taumata is stacked with kaumātua and kuia.
She says a highlight was yesterday’s services, with more than 25 faiths sharing karakia throughout the day.
"All of those little things show that while this issue is very much a personal issue for the whānau, the marae, the papakainga, the ahikaa of Ihumātao, it is also a bigger issue about protecting whenua, about Māori and indigenous rights, about protecting our sacred spaces, and all of that has become evident over the last week to the public and something we have been trying to do over the past five years and has now just been amplified," Ms Matata Sipu says.
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