KEY POINTS:
One of the people leading a hikoi to protest the anti-terrorism raids has called for Police Commissioner Howard Broad to come and meet the Tuhoe people face to face.
The hikoi, which drew about 150 supporters when it reached Palmerston North today, will march on Parliament tomorrow morning.
Hikoi spokesman Taiarahia Black, of Tuhoe, and a professor of Maori Studies at Massey University, said the raids in Ruatoki, the focus of much of the police activity during the October 15 swoop, had stirred up immense anger amongst the community.
"This hikoi is being held to highlight again and again and again the absolute recklessness of the police decision to go in and - the word used this morning was attack - attack our homes," Prof Black said.
Prof Black said Ruatoki residents due to speak in Parliament grounds tomorrow would describe fathers being handcuffed and thrown to the floor, mothers being wrenched out of bed in their nighties and children who would be traumatised for years to come.
And these were innocent people, he said.
He said Tuhoe people could not help but link the raids with the invasions that took their land 150 years ago.
The raids could have been avoided if police had met with iwi leaders in Ruatoki.
"I would have said get the leaders to the table, get Tame Iti to the table, and say, this is what I'm seeing, what's going on," he said.
"That's common sense."
Mr Broad had acted recklessly, and then the legislation had not backed him up.
He wanted Mr Broad to come forward and face up to Tuhoe, and also to publicly admit he had got it wrong.
A core group of about 60 protesters will stay in Levin overnight and travel to Wellington in the morning.
The hikoi is expected to reach Parliament about 9.30am.
- NZPA
