March 20, 2023
Co-governance critic draws Orewa protest
Ngāti Manuhiri and members of Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa Marae led a protest against Saturday’s Orewa meeting of Christian evangelist Julian Batchelor’s roadshow against co-governance.
Meetings in Kerikeri, Whangarei and Dargaville have also sparked protests, and Mr Batchelor brings his message to Auckland and Hamilton this week.
Police were on hand to keep the protesters separate from the mainly elderly pakeha crowd.
Mr Batchelor says New Zealand is at war and co-governance amounts to Māori controlling the country.
Hibiscus and Bays Local Board member Jake Law says Mr Batchelor is a white supremacist using his roadshow to make racist claims and discriminatory remarks toward Māori.