It appears that the Destiny Church has been the only church to acknowledge the wero presented by the reaction to the proposed development of Ihumātao next to the Ōtuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve in Māngere.
On Saturday, Brian and Hannah Tamaki and about 100 Destiny Church supporters arrived at Ihumātao.
Hannah Tamaki said she was there “supporting the people on the ground”.
Mana Movement leader Hone Harawira arrived at the same time as the Tamakis.
Harawira and Tamaki seem to be better tuned to the “people on the ground” than mainstream New Zealand.
A revolution underway?
“Even though he arrived at Ihumātao with members of the Destiny Church which was odd to me, he’s representing an important Maori constituency in doing so,” says Christine Rose on the Daily Blog.
“Some people have been scathing of the popular support the Ihumātao protestors have received. There have been accusations of bandwagoning,” she says.
Rose, however, suggests another explanation; Ihumātao is a unifying cause.
She says they are:
- frustrated with past injustices that are perpetuated today
- sick of the privilege of corporates
- angry at the ruination of shared heritage, of desecration for money
- sick of political complacency, of the conservatism of power
“Ihumātao is being described as a revolution, this era’s Springbok Tour, our Bastion Point, the biggest Māori movement of our time,” she says.
Who is listening?
In 2017 The Ihumātao protesters attended the Fletcher shareholders’ meeting
They had obtained the right to attend by buying Fletcher shares.
They didn’t get much airtime. Board chairman Sir Ralph Norris had the microphone one was using to ask questions turned off to silence her.
The shareholders’ feeling towards the protesters was hostile.
Just shrug and forget it
“Aucklanders have got used to crass developments, and the steamrollering of the past, and feel powerless to stop it,” says Rob stock writing on Stuff.
“Our tendency is to shrug and just push it from our minds.
“The truth is Fletcher is building at Ihumātao not because it is a good idea, but because it is convenient.”
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