Tree accused want to call PM as witness

Three people accused of trying to cut down One Tree Hill's lone pine last September want to call the Governor-General, the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice as witnesses in their case.

The trial of Pauline Creeks, aged 45, and Daniel Wilson, 47, both of Kaeo, and Cecilia Creeks, 21, of Dargaville, began yesterday in the Auckland District Court.

The trio face charges of wilful damage, assault with a chainsaw and disorderly behaviour after they allegedly tried to fell the tree during last year's Apec summit.

The group, who defended themselves after the court confirmed that their chosen representative was not a lawyer, said they wanted to call witnesses such as Prime Minister Helen Clark to prove that their actions were not wrong.

Judge Michael Hobbs said they would be given every opportunity to issue summonses but witnesses should have been organised months ago.

However, Pauline Creeks said some witnesses had not returned their calls.

The court was told yesterday that the group had wanted to get the world leaders' attention by doing something dramatic.

"We wanted to bring attention to the spirituality of people. We believed that the cause might not be heard by peaceful means," Pauline Creek said.

The group had been handing pamphlets labelled Spiritual Peoples (sic) Vision 2000 and Beyond to the public before the attack occurred. The pamphlets contained references to European, African, Polynesian and Chinese spiritualism.

In court yesterday Pauline and Cecilia Creeks questioned police witnesses and Auckland City Council arborists about the history of the One Tree Hill pine and their understanding of Maori rights in New Zealand.

Pauline Creeks asked arborist Christopher Hinton, who had monitored the pine for several years, whether he believed that having no one listen to you was a legitimate cause for damaging the tree.

Cecilia Creeks told the court that the pine had replaced a native tree, spiritually significant to Maori, which a farmer had cut down.

Mr Hinton was asked whether he believed the farmer should have been held accountable and who he thought the spiritually indigenous people of New Zealand were.

The women also questioned witnesses over their knowledge of the 1835 Declaration of Independence by Maori, the Treaty of Waitangi and the Constitution Act of 1852 which, Judge Hobbs pointed out, had since been repealed.