Ngāti Tukorehe members are flying their flags even higher after what they call a “racist” and targeted act of vandalism.
The Horowhenua-based iwi was angered when multiple tino rangatiratanga, He Whakaputanga and Toitū Te Tiriti flags were torn down from theirmarae and whenua in Kuku, south of Levin, over the weekend.
The flags, which line both sides of State Highway 1 in the lower North Island, were erected in November last year to support the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti, the march to Parliament opposing the Act Party’s Treaty Principles Bill.
They’ve flown since as a symbol of mana motuhake and identity for whānau within that rohe.
However, over the weekend, multiple flags were torn down in what the iwi said was a “racist attack”.
“We had someone that was racially motivated to tear down our flags at the front of our marae,” said Tipi Wehipeihana, speaking on behalf of Ngāti Tukorehe.
The vandalism first occurred on Saturday night, when five of the 40 to 50 flags were pulled down. Whānau re-erected them on Sunday.
But the attack escalated on Monday afternoon when an unknown man returned and began ripping down more flags “in a fit of rage and anger, motivated by racism”, Wehipeihana said.
Unlike the Saturday incident, whānau witnessed the attack, confronted the man and recorded his number plate.
“Our iwi are angered by this act of racism. Some would call it an act of aggression. Some would even call it an act of terrorism. But at the very least, it’s vandalism of our belongings on our land and our property.”
Wehipeihana believed the same person was responsible for both incidents.
“We also believe it was the same person that pulled the flags down on Saturday night because, unlike Saturday night, we have witnesses to his behaviour and his actions.”
He said a full description of the man and his car had been given to police in Levin.
‘Who we are as Ngāti Tukorehe’
Ngāti Tukorehe first installed the flags as a show of support for those travelling south to protest against Government policies affecting Māori rights.
Since then, the flags have remained as a visible expression of their identity.
“All the flags that fly on our whenua in Kuku are on Māori land, whenua Māori, Māori-owned properties,” Wehipeihana said.
“It’s just a show of, firstly, who we are as Ngāti Tukorehe in our own whenua of Kuku. It was also a show of our support from our iwi to the hīkoi, which we were a part of, to voice our opinion about the Treaty Principles Bill that we were dead against.
“Since then, it’s been our way of restaking our mana whenua in Kuku.”
While Wehipeihana acknowledged the flags “might be triggering one way or another”, he said many people had supported them.
“Regardless of that, if I don’t like the colour of that individual’s house or their letterbox per se, I’m not going to stop, get out of my car, rip the letterbox off the stand and chuck it on the ground just because I don’t like the colour of it.
“We’ve heard growing up all our lives, ‘Kuku is just a blip on the map, don’t blink because you’ll miss it.’ Well, I tell you what, people aren’t blinking and missing it now.”
To those who felt uncomfortable, Wehipeihana said the door was open.
“Call into any one of those houses where those flags stand and have a kōrero with any one of those homeowners, because you’ll be surprised at the conversation that you have.
“It’s not one of hate. We’re not about that. We don’t hate people. We love people.
“We are Ngāti Tukorehe, we love our people, we love our whenua, and this is one way of showing that for us.
“These blatant and violent acts of racism that were performed by this one particular individual taint all of that for us.”
What mattered most was being able to stand proudly as tangata whenua on their whenua.
“We live in a democratic society. We have the rights. And we are free to do these things, to erect our flagpoles and show our support of our tino rangatiratanga, our Tukorehetanga, on our whenua in Kuku.
“We may be a small iwi. We may be a small rohe in a small area, but we hold our own.”
In a statement to RNZ, police said they had received a report of “wilful damage” at a property on SH1 in Kuku on July 7.
“Inquiries into the incident are ongoing to locate the persons responsible.”
Anyone with information that could help the inquiry is urged to contact police online or by calling 105, using the reference number 250708/4661.
