Police are at a disputed housing development in Auckland where an eviction notice has been served against occupiers.
Ihumātao is next to the Ōtuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve in Māngere, home to New Zealand's earliest market gardens and a significant archaeological site on land considered wahi tapu (sacred) by local hapū and iwi.
Part of the land, 32 hectares, is zoned as a Special Housing Area and is owned by Fletcher.
A group has been occupying the land, near Auckland Airport, in an effort to stop the development going ahead.
"Police have been aware of the situation at Ihumātao and we have been involved in ongoing negotiations with all parties involved for an extended period of time, with the aim of reaching a peaceful mediated outcome," Rogers said.
Protesters block Ihumatao Quarry Rd in Mangere, South Auckland. Photo / Doug Sherring
"This has included negotiations with local iwi, the local marae, the group Save Our Unique Landscape and Fletcher.
"We have been working closely with local Iwi to address the cultural factors involved and ensure everyone is treated with the utmost respect."
Police would remain at the site to resolve the matter and no arrests had been made.
Makaurau Marae kaumātau Te Warena Taua said that some of the protestors had left, but others were hiding at the neighbouring Stonefields Reserve. He said police would remain at the scene until "peace is returned to the village."
The group Save Our Unique Landscape (SOUL), which opposes building on the land, delivered a petition with 18,000 signatures to Parliament in March. It urged the government to intervene by either buying the land at Ihumātao or mandating a process to enable affected parties to come up with an outcome that everyone can live with.
Makaurau Marae kaumātau Te Warena Taua said police would remain at the scene until "peace is returned to the village." Photo / Michael Craig
In a statement, Fletcher Building said kaumātua representing mana whenua from Te Kawerau ā Maki, Te Ākitai Waiohua, and Tainui, walked onto the land that Fletcher Building owns at Ōruarangi Road and asked protestors to leave.
It said it had tried to engage with the protest group since 2016, but they had never shown a willingness to find a solution.
"Today's action by kaumātua and kuia, was a significant gesture," Steve Evans, chief executive of residential & development at Fletcher Building, said.
"It was a powerful message to protesters to leave. It was a request from elders who have lived at Ihumātao all their lives - not from Fletcher Building or Police, but from those people who know this land, and its importance.
"Fletcher Building has worked closely with mana whenua for the past three years. We haven't always agreed, but today we supported their hīkoi onto the land, and they support our development moving ahead.
"We are proud that once the Ōruarangi development is complete, iwi members and those who have whakapapa to Ihumātao, will have access to warm, dry, sustainable housing, that will bring them home again. It is unfortunate that a handful of protesters, have attempted to stop that from happening."
Appeals against the Ōruarangi development had been extensively tested in the courts including in the Māori Land Court, Environment Court, and the United Nations and were unsuccessful.
Fletcher had committed to returning more than a quarter of the land it owned to mana whenua, he added.
