March 15, 2021
Extra charge for Maori tree sitter
An arborist arrested attempting to stop the felling of protected trees in Avondale says he was dumfounded to get an extra charge.
Zane Wedding was one of 10 Mana Rākau members who appeared in the district court at Auckland this morning charged with wilful trespass.
They were released on bail with no conditions.
Wedding says he was the only Māori in the group and the only one also charged with disorderly conduct, despite all members doing the same thing.
His arm and finger were broken when he was wrestled to the ground by security guards.
He says felling of the remaining native trees on the Canal Road block, including some with protected status, was carried out in an unsafe manner.
Guidelines set by Worksafe after an earlier attempt to clear the block were ignored, and he says the lives of not only the protesters but of the police enforcing the action were put at risk.
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