"Māori know their communities inside out. Māori know from years of experience that, especially in remote areas, police are under-resourced and short-staffed. The call for military support is about keeping whānau safe, and about protecting frontline police during the pandemic too."
Fellow PRG lead Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said whānau all over the country were making huge sacrifices to keep themselves and communities safe from Covid-19 by adjusting customary practices.
"Our people are adapting tangihanga; it's not easy, but we understand that individual actions impact the collective. The least the government can do is deal with those in our society who obviously have total disregard for the lives of other people," she said.
"I'd like to see a better state response immediately to those citizens and non-citizens, like tourists, who are flouting the lockdown, which aims to protect everyone, and especially our Māori communities. Māori are leading the way in this regard in Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau ā Apanui, Te Tai Tokerau, and our relations in Whanganui are calling for a stringent clamp-down by the state before community transmission is rife and our DHB and health system becomes overwhelmed."
Mr Smith demanded that the situation be addressed with urgency.
"Many households are intergenerational, with community transmission recognised as a greater risk," he said.
"Many iwi have collaborated early and in highly organised ways to make sure everyone in the community has enough food, water and medicine. An example is the collaboration with iwi, the police, local and regional councils, providing safety checks and roadblocks to ensure strict measures are maintained."
But up and down the country, iwi were reporting "stealthy" travel under cover of dark, and tourists
Whānau and iwi had sent the Forum a clear and repeated message - 'We want stronger policing
"The Pandemic Response Group is clear that stronger enforcement needs action now. The
