Prison protesters ordered out

By BRIDGET CARTER

Protesters who have spent up to a year occupying the Northland Prison site have been told to leave.

Prison project manager John Hamilton said he "won't wait too much longer".

Someone would be speaking to about a dozen opponents today about why they had not yet left the Ngawha site, near Kaikohe.

Originally Mr Hamilton told protesters they could stay on the land and demonstrate peacefully until the 350-bed prison was finished, probably in 2005.

But he changed his mind last week after the police and firefighters were called when a car was set alight on the site.

"That sort of behaviour is unacceptable," he said.

"If they are not intending to leave, I will have to decide what to do next because I am determined now that the site is cleared. We cannot have that sort of unsafe action going on."

Since June last year, several protesters have lived at Ngawha, but only one in recent months.

However, demonstrators returned last week when construction on the $132.8 million prison began.

The department was hoping to landscape the area occupied by protesters, Mr Hamilton said.

One of the main objectors to the prison, Woody Wihongi, suspects a hidden agenda behind the Corrections Department's new stance.

"There is some other reason they want us to move," he said. "They are finding any little excuse, but I don't think they can really. The agreement is down."

Mr Wihongi said he and his family had about $40,000 outstanding on a mortgage taken out to pay more than $100,000 for an unsuccessful fight through the courts to stop the prison being built on land protesters say is sacred to Maori.

Far North police area controller Inspector Mike Rusbatch said he had not heard from the department in the past week.

"Our line is that it is an issue between the Corrections Department and occupiers," he said. "We will consider our options if and when spoken to."