High-profile lawyer Moana Jackson has resigned as patron of a wing of police recruits following the police raids at Ruatoki.
Mr Jackson, the director of Te Hau Tikanga (the Maori Law Commission), has been representing the Bay of Plenty community, where nationwide raids were focused.
He has criticised
the actions of police, who arrested people under the Firearms Act while gathering evidence to try to justify charges under the Terrorism Suppression Act.
The Solicitor-General this week ruled there was not enough evidence to meet the high threshold required to authorise prosecutions under the Act.
Police spokeswoman Katrina Graham said Police Recruit Wing 244 would still have Mr Jackson's name associated with it to acknowledge "the significant contribution he has made throughout the wing's training".
"Moana explained to the wing earlier this week that current circumstances have put him in an awkward position with his role as a wing patron," she said.
At the Maori Party Conference last month, Mr Jackson questioned why in Ruatoki a whole community had been blockaded, while the Wellington suburb of Brooklyn was not locked-down during a search there.
"I do not buy that this was a racially-neutral act," he told party members, adding that the "so-called" terrorism allegations should be looked at through the lens of Maori resistance.
"Every act of resistance by Maori since 1840 has been met with opposition. Colonising powers don't take challenge to their authority lightly. Those who take power unjustly defend it with injustice," he said.
Ms Graham Mr Jackson had been very involved and supportive of police recruits and police appreciated him personally explaining the reasons for his resignation.
"Moana was chosen for the qualities he would bring to the role of patron, which he confirmed during his patronage, and New Zealand Police's position on his selection as a patron has not changed," she said.
- NZHERALD STAFF
