Unlawful land occupations appear to be more prevalent as Maori assert what they say are their cultural rights of land ownership. Some of those claims may be legitimate, but many aren’t and are breaching the private property rights of others. With our highest court now recognising tikanga in common law, the time has come for Parliament to provide clarity about how the Police and the Courts are to respond to land occupations and ensure “fairness” and “equity” for all.
The Northern Advocate recently reported on a land occupation in Opua. It says,
“Two years after Tony Williams, of the Ngāpuhi hapū Te Roroa ki Ōpua ki Haumi, started his occupation of the headland known as Puketiti in 2020, peaceful protests are continuing at the site. Paula Beck, a resident who has been manning the Kellet St site along with several others, said they intend to occupy it "until the land is given back".
