October 12, 2020
Arrest a surprise for candidate
The Māori Party’s Hauraki Waikato candidate says she did not expect to get arrested yesterday.
Donna Pokere-Phillips was among a group of people arrested at Shaw’s Bird Park at Tamahere, which will be destroyed by the alignment of a new road to serve Hamilton’s fast-growing southern edge.
She says when police turned up she was hearing about the significance of the land to the Shaw whānau and mana whenua.
"Getting arrested shone a light on the issue and it's a big take – it's an Ihumātao situation and we have that in every rohe. I won't apologise for what happened, it is what it is. All I can say is I didn't anticipate getting arrested yesterday," she says.
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