Oil-Free Auckland members and supporters from Kaitaia smeared themselves in fake oil to illustrate the effects of a spill.
Oil-Free Auckland members and supporters from Kaitaia smeared themselves in fake oil to illustrate the effects of a spill.
A music festival at Ahipara at the weekend aimed to raise awareness of the oil exploration currently under way off Northland's west coast.
While the crowd fell well short of the 2000 people organisers Rueben Taipari Porter and Heeni Hoterene had hoped for, Mr Porter said everyone who attended Saturday'sStopstatoil Festival at the Kohanga/Shipwreck Bay campground went home happy.
Herbs, House of Shem (pictured) and NRG Rising at the festival.
The event was timed to coincide with the start of seismic testing about 100km offshore by the Norwegian company TGS on behalf of Statoil, another Norwegian firm which last year won a tender to explore about 10,000sq km of seabed in the Reinga Basin.
Mr Porter said the drug- and alcohol-free festival was part of a switch from fighting the oil company's plans with submissions to raising awareness among ordinary Kiwis.
"We want to get people talking about the issue, to raise awareness and raise some passion about this.
"We can't let the Government stand over us and do what they want.
"This is our land, our sea. We're the custodians of this land, we were given this responsibility by our ancestors."
Muriwhenua kapa haka group perform haka and waiata.
Mr Porter dug into his own pocket to fund the festival. The bands, including reggae heavyweights House of Shem and Herbs, were paid only enough to cover their costs. For Herbs, who performed as an acoustic three-piece, it was a natural continuation of their 1980s campaign against French nuclear testing in the Pacific.
Guest speakers included Pete Bethune, an oil worker turned environmental activist. A group from Oil-Free Auckland coated themselves in fake crude oil, made from glycerine, cocoa and charcoal, to illustrate the effects of an oil spill.
Mr Porter said he planned a series of smaller events during the summer.
A few hundred people gathered on the beach below the venue to enjoy the free music.
Paal Haremo, vice-president of exploration in Statoil, said the protesters' fears were unfounded.
Banners calling on Norway's Statoil to quit its oil exploration plans lined the campground at Kohanga/Shipwreck Bay. Photo / Peter de Graaf
"Through all our experience and participation in world-leading research, we are confident that a properly conducted seismic survey poses minimal risk for marine life.
"Our ambition is to demonstrate our strong commitments to the protection of the environment and society and to earn trust of Northlanders."
