Protestors at the Orewa leg of Julian Batchelor's 'Stop Co-governance' tour. Video / Mikaela Matenga
A Stop Co-Governance meeting has been cancelled after the chair of Ngāti Kahungunu sent an open letter urging the Havelock North Function Centre not to host the meeting of the controversial political movement it accuses of amplifying “hateful rhetoric” towards Māori.
The Stop Co-Governance Tour, whichhas already been subject to protests and controversy at venues in other New Zealand cities, was due to convene at the centre on May 17.
Another Hawke’s Bay meeting is pencilled in for May 15 on the tour’s website, but does not appear to have secured a venue yet.
Ngāti Kahungunu iwi chair Bayden Barber said the Havelock North event would have been a talk that was a “thinly veiled guise for encouraging hateful rhetoric towards Māori”.
A protest at the Ōrewa leg of Julian Batchelor's 'Stop Co-Governance' tour.
On Monday afternoon, Stuff reported that managers of the function centre had since released a statement saying the booking had been cancelled due to noise and security concerns.
“As a multi-room community facility, other groups were already booked into rooms at the centre and it would be unfair that their events would be negatively impacted by the noise and actions of opposing factions.
“No amount of security could control the level of noise or protest activity expected.”
Hastings District Council, which is listed as supporter of the venue, directed Hawke’s Bay Today’s further questions back to the venue.
“The centre is run by a trust [the Havelock North Community Centre Trust] which makes its own independent decisions on the running of the centre,” a council spokesperson said.
The Stop Co-Governance Tour has been approached for comment.
Barber said he had been told by many Māori community members that they felt unsafe knowing the event was ahead, and that it was “designed to create a zealous and violent atmosphere”, based on “misconceptions and disinformation of ‘special treatment’ for Māori”.
“I can assure you that the messages of Māori special treatment promoted in this tour are not consistent with what our people see and experience in our region every day.
“One does not need to go far here to see the huge inequities for Māori in health, education, justice, and many other areas.
“Despite this, our people turn up every day, committed to the success and prosperity of all of those who live in our region. A success built on partnership and inclusivity, not division and hate.”
Barber said the iwi was committed to the success and prosperity of all of those in Hawke’s Bay, and that this success was “built on partnership and inclusivity, not division and hate”.
Last week, a Rotorua club pulled its offer to hire out its venue for the Rotorua leg of the tour after learning of the event’s “content” and “volatility”.
At the tour’s Orewa meeting this month, police were needed to separate counter-protesters.
Its website describes co-governance as a “serious political problem”, and lists 15 reasons why it should be rejected, including claims that it is “based on treaty fraud” and that it is “threatening free speech”.
Tour organiser Julian Batchelor told the Bay of Plenty Times his concerns included a belief the Government was using a fraudulent version of the Treaty of Waitangi.
He also said those with opposing views were welcome to attend the events in the interests of free speech.
An online petition to Attorney-General David Parker has attracted more than 500 signatures calling for the tour to be canned, saying it was in breach of the Bill of Rights and Humans Rights Act and was inciting racial disharmony.
Parker last week urged people to express their views respectfully and for those who opposed them to do so lawfully.
“We’re a democracy so people have the right to express their views providing they do not break the law.”
