Kia ora koutou e te whānau,

We hope you are safe and well during lockdown. You may have heard that Mataharehare Pā site received a visit from authorities on Thursday?
Staff from Auckland Council under instruction from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage came to issue a seizure notice supported by a contingent of Police.

Tapu Transgression While Chief Ombudsman’s Report is Imminent
The move breached our Rāhui, was without notice, and came during a time when the release of the Ombudsman’s Report into the integrity of the resource consent process is imminent.
Some of our tents were confiscated and onlookers were gobsmacked given the cultural insensitivity by some in the party who openly challenged the validity of the Rāhui.
Thankfully the power of wairua and the Rāhui kicked in safeguarding over 100 protectors who immediately mobilised to the site from all quarters of Tāmaki Makaurau to fend off the risk of fencing being installed.
Our response to this ambush is here https://www.sosnz.org.nz/

Judge For Yourself
But all is not lost. In the wake of our tents being evicted, like a Phoenix rising from the flames a genius idea emerged from our community.
Architect Claire Chambers (with the helping hands of our protectors) has erected a huge installation marking out the accurate dimensions of the Memorial that will require 132 tonnes of concrete (which equates to the weight of 60 land rover vehicles).
https://www.facebook.com/ProtectMataharehare/videos/1033595600765951 photos by John Crawford
Come down to the site and see the impact through your own eyes to judge the potential impact of the National Erebus Memorial for yourself.

Voices of Our Community
Listen to the voices of our community speak about why the kaupapa matters thanks to the magic of videographer Conan Fitzpatrick who has crafted these videos. Check out the first one here: https://youtu.be/I2LlobOOfjg

What else can you do?
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ProtectMataharehare
Sign and share the petition www.Change.org/Mataharehare which has attracted over 18,000 signatures of support to date. People power can move mountains!
Donate to fund the peaceful protect  https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/mataharehare
Together, we remain steadfast in protecting this ancient Pā site, historic park, and Te Hā, our Tūpuna Rākau, a magnificent sprawling Pōhutukawa that is as old as Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 
 
Ngā mihi nui
 
Team Mataharehare