Whangārei Stop Co-Governance meeting drowned out by protesters’ waiata and dancing

Protesters block the door to Whareora Hall on Sunday, preventing people attending a controversial Stop Co-Governance meeting organised by Julian Batchelor. Photo / Mike Dinsdale

A Stop Co-Governance meeting was held up for more than an hour yesterday as a large crowd of protestors blocked the front door and told tour organiser Julian Batchelor: “Go home, we do not want your division here.”

Batchelor, who owns a property in Rāwhiti, planned to discuss his viewpoints on the Treaty of Waitangi at the Whareora Hall on Sunday afternoon. However, he was unable to speak on time as police reportedly refused to let the meeting go ahead at 3pm due to safety concerns.

More than 200 protesters had gathered outside the hall, blocking its entrance. They sang waiata and danced as they showed Batchelor his “divisive message” was unwelcome in Whangārei.

Prominent iwi members such as Te Poari o Ngātiwai (Ngātiwai Trust Board) chairman Aperahama Kerepeti-Edwards and Northland Regional Council chairwoman Tui Shortland (Ngāti Hine, Ngātiwai, Te Rarawa) helped blocked the hall’s entrance.

From the doorway, Kerepeti-Edwards told Batchelor he would not move.

“Mr Batchelor, if you want to hold your hui, then go home to your area and hold it there,” he said.

“You are not welcome here.”

Kerepeti-Edwards said as mana whenua, he and others were exercising their rangatiratanga.

Shortland said she showed up to stand beside the community, who did not want to see division preached in their district.

She told Batchelor during the protest: “We have been here for hundreds of years and we are part of the land. We don’t want this type of behaviour here.”

“This causes division and more violence against Māori.”

Te Poari o Ngatiwai (Ngatiwai Trust Board) chairman Aperahama Kerepeti-Edwards and Northland Regional Council chairwoman Tui Shortland talk to Senior Sergeant Christian Stainton at Whareora Hall. Photo / Tania Whyte

Police worked to remove Kerepeti-Edwards, Shortland and others from the entranceway before closing the front door, separating protesters outside from the 20 to 30 people who had made it inside to listen to Batchelor speak.

Eventually, the meeting was able to get under way after 4pm, and despite the Advocate being initially invited to attend, the reporter was barred from entering.

Although inside, Batchelor’s message still had to compete with the sound of the protesters. He briefly stepped outside to complain about the noise as protesters had a speaker placed near the door, but the singing from protesters just got louder.

Julian Batchelor briefly comes out of his Stop Co-Governance meeting in Whangārei. Photo / Mike Dinsdale

One meeting attendee, who did not want to be named, said he was not at all racist.

“I just want to hear what he has to say, I’m interested. If there was a pro-co-governance meeting here, I’d turn up to that too, as I want to hear what everybody has to say on this.”

The man was disappointed he could not get into the meeting. He said he felt intimidated by the number of protesters present.

Rally organiser Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn (Ngāti Kuri, Te Rarawa) was pleased so many people had turned out in force, both Māori and Pākehā.

She said it was a bit bizarre some people were not allowed at the meeting, because if there was nothing wrong with the message being promoted, then the doors should have been opened to all.

Up to 200 protesters turned up to Whangārei’s Whareora Hall on Sunday to object to the messages from a Stop Co-Governance meeting organised by Julian Batchelor. Photo / Mike Dinsdale

“But this community has turned out to say this message of division and hatred is not wanted. This is an excellent turnout and shows how the community in our place feels about these messages that are designed to divide. We are about unity.”

At one point towards the end of the meeting, attendees inside used one of their ‘Honour Te Tiriti’ signs to block views into the hall.