FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Te Ata Tino Toa are stoked the flag will fly on the harbour bridge next year.

"It took a lot of campaigning and lot of hassling politicians and beauracrats but finally it will fly" said spokesperson Teanau Tuiono.

"We were not suprised that the Tino Rangatiratanga flag was the winning flag, there were other flags but this flag represents the here and now for us"

"The symbolism of the flag reminds us that the struggle for respect and integrity as tangata whenua is not only an idea from the past that it is also an idea from the here and now. It reminds us of the struggle that we ourselves have lived thru. It reminds us of Pakaitore, of the Takutai Hikoi, Marches on Waitangi, Terror raids.

Sure some people will chuck off at as a protest flag, my quick response to that is. So what? ..... Without struggle we would not be around, we would not have the things that we have. It is important to remember that the Kawanatanga has never given us anything we did not first have to struggle for"

ENDS

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