maori tell juken nz to pack up and go

Another maori occupation.

"Nga Kaitiaki/Kaumatua o Nga Ngahere o Tangitu has begun an occupation at Mangapa/Omahuta (Otangaroa State Forest) in protest at what it claims are a series of breaches of acceptable practice by Juken New Zealand, accompanied by the issuing of a trespass notice against the company yesterday morning.

Spokesman Allen Heta said the kaumatua of the rohe concerned met at Kenana on Saturday morning, and agreed to the occupation of their tupuna whenua, and to serve notice on Juken NZ that, as of yesterday, the company was no longer permitted to continue its logging operations within their ngahere.

Juken NZ, its contractors and sub-contractors, were required to remove all the plant and machinery from Omahuta/Otangaroa by tomorrow, although Nga Kaitiaki/Kaumatua were still to consider whether the company would be allowed to return."

Good job - if these multinational companies, here to strip our assets and make more money for themselves, cannot treat maori with respect they should be booted out. What specifically have Juken NZ done or not done?

"Mr Heta said the occupation and trespass notice had been agreed to in response to the company's total disregard for mana whenua, mana tangata, mana tane, mana wairua and mana tapu.

Specifically, the company stood accused of showing reluctance to notify tangata whenua prior to commencing operations involving tapu sites, sites of significance "and the like", the illegal logging and removal of 200- to 500-year-old rimu, kauri, kahikatea and totara trees, the blocking of streams with slash, tree heads and whole trees, and failing to make any effort to address that issue over the last three or four years.

It has also allegedly taken metal from the protesters' whenua for use on a private road on private land "and other blocks", has made no attempt to repair skid and landing sites. It has also failed to re-erect or replace fences that had been damaged as a result of its operations."

We will see more and more of these protests because maori are not going to be shoved around in their own country and be treated with total disregard.