Stop this racist hatred: A small group of protesters make their presence felt at the Stop Co-Governance meeting in Mount Maunganui

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More than 20 peaceful protesters gathered outside Mount Maunganui Community Hall ahead of an anti-co-governance meeting tonight.

The event is the first of three to take place at the Mount, ending on Sunday.

People gathered hold signs, one of which reads Haere Atu Facists and another says Stop this racist hatred.

Heidi Tidmarsh from Omanu, who waves a sign that reads Unity One Love to passing vehicles, and other colleagues received lots of support from passing motorists.

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We don’t need this rhetoric that is dividing our city, she said. Get out of my town.

Meeting attendees began arriving after 6 p.m., and at least six police officers stand on the sidewalk outside the lobby.

Participants in the meeting were welcomed by Kai Ora by the protesters, and the atmosphere among the protesters is optimistic

They are also greeted with the sounds of Te Arohanui from Stan Walkers well-known studio album.

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The Bay of Plenty Times was refused permission to enter the meeting.

A protester who managed to get into the meeting and then was kicked out claimed attendees were told freedom of speech was under attack.

A call has been made for donations to help fund more meetings, they claimed.

Tauranga historian and iwi leader Buddy Mikaere said he was encouraged by the number of people who took part in the peaceful protest tonight.

We have made our point and we will come back tomorrow.

Mikaere added: It’s just amazing that most of the people who attended the peaceful protest were pkeh.

Mikaere also thanked the police for also coming.

Earlier this week, Mikaere vowed to protest anti-co-governance meetings.

Mikaere told the Bay of Plenty Times he felt embarrassed and ashamed that a community hall was hosting the anti-co-governance meetings, which he said excluded people because of their race.

Police form a line outside an anti-co-governance meeting at Mount Maunganui Community Hall this evening. Photo / Alex Cairns

The Bay of Plenty Times called a contact number for the Mount Maunganui Community Hall Committee earlier this week.

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A woman who responded and spoke as a committee representative said she would not cancel meetings because she treated the worker like everyone else.

Te Pti Mori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, who was in Tauranga yesterday as part of the Te Ara Krero party campaign tour, believes the meetings are instilling fear in people and enabling rhetoric that endangers the tangata whenua. The MP for Waiariki said he absolutely supports Mikaeres’ wish to protest the meetings at Mount Maunganui.

Julian Batchelor, leader of the Stop Co-Governance tour, said Waititi was invited to attend the meetings and, in Batchelors’ opinion, to learn about what it is really about, not about what he thinks they are.

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