The land struggle goes on — Bastion Point

Mana (Auckland), Volume 2, Issue 4, 18 May 1978, Page 3

The land struggle goes on — Bastion Point

On Sunday, May 7, at a crucial meeting between Ngati Whatua “elders” and Ngati Whatua members on Bastion Point, a new and powerful influence was felt when 40 young Ngati Whatua people — children from both groups, marched into the meeting and urged the two factions to unite. The young people’s example and maturity obviously unnerved some of the elders, some of whom were heard to order their children to go home and “keep out of it.” However the youth insisted on their right to remain respectfully pointing out to their elders that it was the future and destiny of the young that was at stake and that until Ngati Whatua could negotiate as one people, that future seemed bleak.

This intervention by the young people was most certainly the turning point in negotiations.

On Monday, May 8, Joe Hawke and Roger Rameka walked off Bastion Point accompanied by the two paramount elders of Ngati

Whatua of Tamaki, Te Puru o Tamaki Tauna and Wiremu Reweti. Hawke and Rameka were obeying a request from these two elders that they comply with the Supreme Court injunction against them. Over the previous weekend the Bastion Point leaders had participated in intensive discussions with these elders, with a view to creating a united stand by the Ngati Whatua of Tamaki. The progress made in these discussions led Hawke and Rameka to decide to leave the land and so remove one of the obstacles to the continuation of the discussions. The Bastion Point leaders have always recognised that a united stand by the Ngati Whatua of Tamaki would be almost impossible for the government to resist. Over the next period they will be working very hard to achieve that unity. During their absence from Bastion Point, Joe Hawke and Roger Rameka will be living at the Orakei marae, just over the road from the site of the land

occupation. Extensive discussions are continuing from there. Land Occupation continues Meanwhile, the occupation of Bastion Point continues as before. The Orakei Maori Committee Action Group is working on the understanding that the government will not move to carry out a mass eviction for at least another week (to Monday, May 15). If the government should break this trust and move before then it will bear full responsibility for wrecking the discussions which are currently going on within the tribe.

The present situation emerged on Thursday. May 4, the day before Hawke and Rameka were to be arrested for defying the injunction. Support for the land occupation had been growing to an unprecedented level, and a public outcry would have resulted from any repressive measures from the government. At this point Auckland’s Commissioner of Crown Lands, George McMillan, indicated that the government's latest propos-

als for Bastion Point (where it plans to return 25 acres to Ngati Whatua at the cost of $257,000) were open to “re-negotiation” if the government was approached by a united tribe. Until this time the government had deliberately excluded the Action Committee from all negotiations, so this statement was taken as the beginning of a turn-around by the government. This was confirmed by Mr McMillan’s claim that the government was worried about the political consequences of any arrests at Bastion Point. The government is thus looking for a way in which it can back off. save face, and at the same time avoid having to give away to too many of the grievances of the Ngati Whatua of Tamaki. So far the threatened arrest of Hawke and Rameka has been held off for twenty-four hours (to Friday, May 5), then for three days (to Monday, May 8), and now Justice Speight has allowed the injunction to lie in court for another fourteen days (to Monday. Mav 22).