08 September 2015

Airport News - Kaitaia


Far North Mayor John Carter will visit a Maori occupation at Kaitaia Airport this afternoon in a bid to talk protesters into allowing flights to resume. Activists moved onto land at Kaitaia Airport at about lunchtime today, taking control of the entrance and cancelling flights into and out of the Far North. Action leader Wi Popata, of Ngati Kahu, said the occupation was a protest against a $100 million Treaty of Waitangi settlement, due to be ratified this week. The Te Hiku Claims Settlement Bill is due for its third and final reading in Parliament tomorrow and includes the settlements of four of five Muriwhenua iwi - Te Aupouri, Ngai Takoto, Te Rarawa and Ngati Kuri. Ngati Kahu is the only Te Hiku iwi to not yet settle. Mr Carter said the closure of air services into and out of Kaitaia was an "unfortunate aspect" of the occupation. "We've been happy to sit down and talk with the iwi involved all along and that continues to be the case," he said. Mr Carter said the Far North District Council had planned to meet with both affected iwi, even those who hadn't settled with Crown, to discuss what would happen with the airport land. "The best way forward is ongoing discussion, that was our stance up until this happened, and it still is." About 50 people gathered at the Oturu Marae earlier this morning, before walking to the occupation site with fence posts and corrugated iron to begin constructing a new marae. By early afternoon, their numbers had swelled to about 80 and Wi Popata said he expected more people to join the occupation over the coming hours. The protesters went to the front desk of the airport and informed Barrier Air pilot Sam Bowering they were taking over the facility. He had been planning to fly out at 2pm, he said. "We'll just be carrying on as normal," he said. "We haven't heard anything other than that."The operators of the airport locked the terminal building as the protesters gathered outside to hear speeches in the carpark. One of the occupation organisers Hone Popata said they would be occupying land beside the airport terminal, and all air operations would be closed. "We are in charge now," he said. The occupiers wanted to meet with Treaty Settlement Minister Chris Finlayson, and Far North Mayor John Carter. "They have failed on everything to respect the mana whenua of Ngati Kahu," Mr Popata said. "The last time we heard from Chris Finlayson he told Ngati Kahu to go to hell. Well, we're here to fight and to take back our land." By early afternoon, police asked the occupiers to allow the airport company Far North Holdings to retrieve a Barrier Air craft and a fuel truck. This was agreed to. "It's only a plane," one woman said. "We want our land."

Source : http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11509663

7 comments:

  1. *shakes head* Poor Barrier Air, caught up in these silly dramas....

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  2. Don't the Maori have too much time use on protesting rubbish.
    Perhaps their benefit should be cut/restricted so they can use their time more wisely to find WORK.
    Once again tarnishes Kaitaia's name.

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  3. Typical Maori, and as above said we tax payers are paying for them to do it. I'm sure they all could be lock up under the CAA act for something! Imagine if this was America, they would be all shot on the spot

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  4. This seriously annoys me. The Maori think they own the damn place and can do what they want with it. They don't give a damn about anyone else. Hey Maori, guess what? You DIDN'T buy the airport in the past. You don't have any documents to prove you have. You don't have achy economic benefit Don this airport being open. Taking all this into consideration, ITS NOT YOUR ASSET SO YOU DON'T CONTROL THE PLACE!!! Therefore GET THE HELL OUT

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  5. Maori are an embarrassment to NZ, yes they were wronged years ago but they do nothing to help themselves. They have been compensated but contnue to blow it on the pokies, drugs, alcohol, teenage pregnancy. A pack of lazy no-hopers. Get out and get a job, a living, a life, stop blaming others and expect handouts. Ditch your gumboots for subsidised tertiary education, as a native race you embarrass us all.

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  6. Couldn't have said it better

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  7. The very reason I moved to Australia. Next thing there will be a claim on airspace and every time you fly in NZ you'll have to pay them a surcharge.

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