Parliament protester sentenced for hurling paver at police, stoking tent fire

Police in riot gear faced off with protesters outside Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Boz Taniwha claims he is not a violent man but when he found himself caught up in the savage end to the Parliament occupation, he didn’t hesitate to hurl objects at police, including a concrete paver.

Taniwha was among the thousands who joined the infamous protest at the Beehive in Wellington last year.

He also went on to become a part of the riot that took place on March 2, 2022, when police swooped in and began an operation to shut it down.

CCTV captured Taniwha’s offending, much like many others that day.

Around 3pm, he threw items on to a tent that was ablaze, including plastic and cardboard, fueling the fire momentarily.

As the resistance persisted, Taniwha went to the Cenotaph on Lambton Quay where protestors were gathered after having been locked out of Parliament grounds.

In sentencing him this week for his role in the chaos, Judge Peter Hobbs said Taniwha was among those who were “bombarding police with projectiles”.

While various objects were thrown at police who were defending themselves with riot gear, Taniwha took hold of a paving stone and threw it over the fence, striking an officer’s shield.

In the Wellington District Court, defence lawyer Raphael Solomon said Taniwha had made full admissions to his part in the riot and had apologised to police as he was taken into custody.

Solomon argued his client should be given a community-based sentence, stating he had found a stable living situation at a boarding house in the Hutt Valley.

It would be “rough justice” if Taniwha was imprisoned, he submitted.

Judge Hobbs said police were vulnerable at the time.

He said 71 police officers and emergency service workers were injured during the operation. Some were knocked unconscious and several were hospitalised.

However, Taniwha had never been before the courts for violent offending and did not regard himself as a violent person.

“I don’t think prison is the appropriate outcome,” Judge Hobbs ruled.

On charges of aggravated assault, rioting and setting fire to property with disregard for others’ safety, Taniwha was sentenced to six months of community detention and 12 months of supervision.

Hazel Osborne is an Open Justice reporter for NZME and is based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington. She joined the Open Justice team at the beginning of 2022, previously working in Whakatāne as a court and crime reporter in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.