Te Wehi Heketoro Ratana remanded in custody, accused of defacing Te Papa Treaty exhibition

A man alleged to have abseiled from the roof of Te Papa before defacing the museum’s Treaty of Waitangi exhibition with spray paint will remain in custody after appearing in court today.

Te Wehi Heketoro Ratana appeared in the Wellington District Court on charges of intentional damage and obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty.

Ratana, 29, of Nelson, appeared before Community Magistrate Carla na Nagara this morning and will remain in custody until an application for bail can be heard by a District Court judge on Thursday.

A bail application was not made due to “jurisdiction”.

The protesters defaced the exhibition at Te Papa yesterday. Photo / Supplied

The public gallery was filled with supporters attending Ratana’s court appearance after yesterday’s incident at the museum.

As Ratana was led back to the cells, one supporter called out to him, “Kia kaha, brother.” Ratana made hand gestures towards the gallery as he left the dock.

Two fellow protesters have been charged with breaching bail. The 52-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man will be dealt with administratively by the court.

Four protesters in total were charged after yesterday’s incident. The remaining 53-year-old woman, charged with intentional damage, did not appear.

A police statement said 12 people were arrested, of whom eight were trespassed after refusing to leave Te Papa.

They were escorted out of the museum, formally trespassed and released without charge.

An angle grinder was used as part of the protest. Photo / Supplied

The protesters are part of a group called Te Waka Hourua, which has previously called for Te Papa to take down the English version of the Treaty of Waitangi which hangs across from Te Tiriti O Waitangi on level 4 of the museum.

After the protest, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said protests should not include defacing property. He didn’t give a view on whether the English version should be taken down.

In 2021, the group protested across Wellington, calling for the English version to be taken down.

Haimana Hirini, a spokesperson for the group, told NZME yesterday that the English version “misleads visitors” by making them think it is a translation of Te Tiriti.

“It most certainly is not. While Te Tiriti affirms Māori sovereignty, the English document says it was ceded.”

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.