Ngāpuhi has walked out on Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during the Iwi Chairs hui in Tāmaki Makaurau this morning.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāpuhi chair Mane Tahere said the Iwi is protesting the Government scrapping the Maori health authority Te Aka Whai Ora, the restrictions on Māori wards, the decision to legislate to overturn a Court of Appeal judgment on Maori customary rights, the removal of section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act and the impending Treaty Principles Bill.
“We need to make ourselves very clear that we disagree and that the attack on our iwi as well as other iwi needs to stop and we made the stance to remove ourselves as the Government was arriving, because our people are watching and our people are hurting. We feel for Ngāpuhi we would make this stand. We are not going to sit and roll out the red carpet when we know the challenges that are taking place,” he says.
Mr Tahere says the walkout was not a reflection on the hosts, Ngāti Whatua Orakei.
The forum passed a resolution yesterday to exclude the government from its meetings until further notice.
