Thousands of people have come to support the resistance against a housing development at Ihumātao in South Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell
A Māori-led struggle against a housing development planned on confiscated, sacred land has drawn in thousands of supporters from across the country.
But while the land of Ihumātao and the contested Fletcher development is the focal point, from those attending it is clear the protest is a flashpoint for Māori issues.
On Friday night one young man from Ngāpuhi said of why he'd come down from Kaitaia with his whānau: "When there is injustice regarding the land, we come together, no matter who or where it is."
The modern-day issues at Ihumātao are complex, involving a private developer, legal battles, complex housing legislation, debates over who is mana whenua, and a government unwilling to get involved.
But the underlying root of it all, the confiscation in 1863 - and legacy it has left for the original inhabitant - is quite simple, and is a common thread for this nation's indigenous people.
Māori lawyer Moana Jackson says it is that initial injustice that has resonated so strongly with people across the country, both Māori and non-Māori.
"There are moments when issues become crystallised, an injustice becomes so apparent, so unbearable, that it captures the nation's attention.
"Bastion Point was one, the Foreshore and Seabed issue was another, and now Ihumātao is doing the same.
"There is a lot going on, but we cannot lose sight of the fact that land was confiscated off Māori in 1863, and has led to the complexities we see there today."
The country was also in a different place today, with more people aware of past injustices than there was even in the 1970s when the major protests took place, Jackson said.
It is not just in New Zealand, though, with a protest against an oil pipeline planned through indigenous land at Standing Rock in the United States in 2016 drawing in thousands of supporters from across the globe - and millions on social media.
This year protests over a planned giant telescope atop Hawaii's highest mountain Mauna Kea, which is considered sacred, also captured the world's attention.
International guests have visited Ihumātao too, including Cook Islands Queen Pa Upokotini Ariki of Takitumu Vaka, who said indigenous peoples faced similar colonial issues the world over.
"Captain Cook never discovered my island, he never stepped foot on it. [Why] do we have to have his name?"
Along with increasing awareness, the influence of social media, digital imagery and instant and viral messaging has played a vital role in bringing people together.
Hashtags such as #protectihumātao connect followers to updates from supporters, artwork and memes are regularly posted on Instagram, and videos - many taken live from the site - can be shared to thousands at the touch of a button.
Protest leaders with Save Our Unique Landscape (SOUL) and Makaurau Marae have been active across all social media platforms in sharing their messages.
An official invite to Jacinda Adern from the mana whenua of Makaurau Marae at Ihumaatao.
— Protect Ihumātao (@protectihumatao) July 29, 2019
Let's get her down here to meet with us whanau! SHARE this post and TAG @jacindaardern#protectIhumatao pic.twitter.com/Hh7UUJU85X
Even 15 years ago, Jackson said, when organising the Foreshore and Seabed protests, they were reliant on spreading messages via phone calls to landlines.
"That technological change has definitely helped with immediately raising awareness. A lot of young people are very smart on social media, and have used it well.
"But it is a double-edged sword, and equally allows the racists and messages of hate to come out as well."
The 506-day occupation of Bastion Point, led by mana whenua of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, is regarded as one of those "crystallising moments" in New Zealand's political history.
Speaking at Ihumātao on the weekend, Government Minister Willie Jackson said people today were generally more aware of injustices against Māori than back then.
"People say this is like Bastion Pt, I say it is nothing like Bastion Pt. Then, 90 per cent of the country was saying 'Get those Māori off the hill'; now 90 per cent are against the Government."
Sharon Hawke, daughter of occupation leader Joe, said there were obvious similarities with Ihumātao - a land dispute and a protest by Māori through occupation, and also divisions within the hapū.
But the land at Bastion Pt was not in private ownership, rather taken by the Crown for defence purposes, but never used until they tried to build houses on it.
"It was a lot more clear cut, but without getting into too much detail, they both come down to the land and how the original occupants were removed," Hawke said.
"We need to focus on who the real enemy is, and it is not Māori, but the wider context of the Treaty and settlements."
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Huriana Kopeke-Te Aho (@hurianakt.a) on
Young people are more aware, Hawke said, with decades now of Waitangi Tribunal hearings and reports providing thorough evidence of past injustices, and better - but not great - education in schools.
People who didn't experience the big protets of the past, but knew there were ongoing injustices, wanted to be a part of something.
Hawke was 15 at the time of Bastion Pt, and for her it was a "real political awakening".
"The experience at Ihumātao you can't get in a text book. At night they will all be talking about the issues, storytelling. It is their right to bear witness and be part of something."
Indeed dozens of schools from across the country have made the journey to Ihumātao so their students can be part of history.
On Wednesday about a dozen students came from Te Kura o Te Moutere o Matakana, near Tauranga.
Tumuaki (principal) James Rolleston said their iwi Ngāi Te Rangi was facing similar whenua disputes around Matakana Island and Tauranga.
"These tamariki will be the kaitiaki (protectors) of the future, so it is important for them to be here to experience it."
Māori studies Professor Margaret Mutu said when she was growing up they knew something was wrong, but the political climate was different.
"Up north my elders lived through a generation where if they dared question or stand up against Pākehā there were severe consequences," she said.
"My generation started asking questions, and were out there with the Land March; we knew something was inherently wrong.
"This generation now are even more informed, and just won't put up with any rubbish.
"When they see something that is unjust, regardless of the processes that have gone before, or issues like it being private land, they will challenge it. That is what we are seeing here."
Moana Jackson said people today were re-looking at the Treaty settlement process, regarded by the Government as "full and final".
"Every settlement I have been involved in, and all of those I know who have been involved, know they have been inadequate," she said.
Young people today, armed with more knowledge, a more receptive public and the power of social media, were less willing to accept that inadequacy.
"Whether it is the amount of compensation, waahi tapu sites, or the more fundamental isue of constitutional reform - that has always been known to Māori, but I think there is increasing awareness among non-Māori of those shortcomings, and more willingness to challenge them."
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