Strong demonstration at Ihumātao: Community rallies for Māori land struggle

Only a day after Bastion Point’s 40-Year Commemorations, hundreds of people gathered on contested land in Ihumātao to show their commitment to the ongoing campaign to stop an unwanted housing development by Fletcher Building.

Led by mana whenua, the ‘Take a Stand on the Land’ action drew strong support from the wider Māngere and Auckland communities.

Alongside Ihumātao whānau were political and Māori leaders, kaumātua and kuia, activist groups, unions, families and, students, all forming a human chain landmark along the lower slopes of the ancestral maunga, Te Puketaapapatanga ā Hape (also known as Pukeiti, Auckland’s smallest volcanic cone).

Demonstrators massed between brightly coloured flags to create a symbolic ‘protective arch’ over the land.