October 12, 2020
Candidate arrested in bird park protest
Māori Party Hauraki-Waikato candidate Donna Pokere-Phillips has been arrested at a protest to stop survey work for a planned road through a Hamilton bird sanctuary.
The 7 hectare sanctuary at Tamahere created by Murray and Margaret Shaw stands in the way of a road to service the new Peacocke development, which will add 8000 houses to the area.
Hamilton City Council says the road alignment was decided by independent commissioners after public consultation and won't change.
Ms Pokere-Phillips says the proposed road threatens a pā site, Nukuhau.
She says while Waikato Tainui has signed off on the work, it is opposed by Ngāti Maniapoto.
She was one of a number of people arrested on the site this morning in an encounter streamed on Facebook.
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