Their arrival in the capital coincided with police’s efforts to clear Parliament’s grounds of protesters, who were camped there angry at the Government’s Covid response.
Judge Wills said with time it was easy to forget the protest’s impact not only on police but also on traffic, pedestrians and visitors to the city.
“A tent city grew up, streets were blocked with parked vehicles, Portaloos, mobile shower units, toilet blocks arrived, an automotive premise was repurposed as a commercial kitchen, preparing and selling food ... Students at Victoria University had their campus taken over and the start of the academic year was disrupted.”
The judge accepted Natanahira hadn’t planned to stay on Parliament’s grounds and was there purely out of interest. “No doubt you’re rueing that interest now,” she said.
But upset at what he saw that day, he entered the fray, throwing six paving stones at the police, two striking police’s riot shields.
Natanahira, who resigned from Kaitaia’s Abundant Life School when vaccine mandates were introduced, recorded a series of livestreams on social media from Parliament grounds.
In one of those livestreams, he admitted throwing the pavers.
His lawyer Mike Dodds, who appeared from the Kaitaia District Court through AVL, told the court of his client’s “moment of madness” which he hadn’t been allowed to forget.
Having been caught on camera Natanahira had been publicly vilified and put through the social media wringer, he said.
Dodds submitted his client was a “high-quality human being” with an “incredible array of positive attributes” and worked hard to serve his family, hapū, iwi and the broader community.
Natanahira was deeply remorseful, had apologised to police and as a result had a new understanding of how difficult police’s role was. He stressed this was genuinely a one-off incident that his client had learnt from.
Police prosecutor Lydia McIvor acknowledged that Natanahira was entitled to receive a discount for his good character, clean record and strong community ties, but said even in a heightened state there were legitimate ways to redress a situation.
Judge Wills told the court she had received numerous letters of support describing Natanahira as a gentle family man, an accomplished and humble artist, and a leader who has made many valuable contributions to both individuals and his community, particularly in the field of Māori art.
“It’s clear you’ve touched many lives with your service, which makes your fall from grace a very long fall,” she said.
Judge Wills also noted the offending had a significant impact on areas Natanahira is passionate about, including developing Māori art and working as a cultural adviser between iwi and the Crown.
Both had been impacted either through his ability to gain contracts or to travel, she said.
Judge Wills said Natanahira now had a journey to get back to where he’d come from.
On both charges, he was convicted and sentenced to five months community detention.
Catherine Hutton is an Open Justice reporter, based in Wellington. She has worked as a journalist for 20 years, including at the Waikato Times and RNZ. Most recently she was working as a media advisor at the Ministry of Justice.
