Wednesday Feb 6, 2008

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Members and supporters of the sovereignty group Te Ata Tino Toa gathered today to fly the largest known Tino Rangatiratanga flag above the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

The action was a visible demonstration to the nation that creative collective responses to unreasonable actions and obstacles are an integral part of Tino Rangatiratanga.

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The qualities of persistence and determination were also present, as the convoy of TATT members and supporters - including many Pakeha and visiting indigenous guests -, flew Tino Rangatiratanga flags out of their car windows.

Despite a time miscalculation involving the co-incidence of the airplane flyover, the boat presence, and the car convoy all meeting in a vertical line in the middle of the harbour bridge only slightly slowing the traffic, the largest known Tino Rangatiratanga flag flew proudly by airplane far above the two smaller New Zealand flags on the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Pakeha supporter Matthew Donaldson who was part of the car convoy commented that he thought “The action demonstrated creativity, determination, and the power of working together, all important skills to develop – as long as oppressive governments and corporations continue to collude in stealing land, destroying the environment, and terrorizing indigenous populations.”

Te Ata Tino Toa Spokesperson Teanau Tuiono commented:

“If they can’t recognize our mana within their established status quo structures, our response is to get creative and work on alternative ways to show how our mana transcends their obstacles”

ENDS