Maori Nation
A look at the controversy surrounding the arrests of Maori activists in New Zealand.
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More than a dozen New Zealanders, some Maori, were arrested in October in a major operation involving hundreds of police.
The police, backed by controversial new anti-terror legislation, claimed they were terrorists who met in the mountains to plan attacks on New Zealand soil.
Outraged Maori groups said those arrested were only practicing traditional bush craft and hunting.
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| Maori groups said those arrested were practicing traditional bush craft and hunting |
Maori demonstrators took to the streets throughout the country to protest the 17 arrests.
Critics predicted the re-opening of old wounds would do more to harm than good to New Zealand’s race relations.
The government has since said it cannot bring any charges under the Terrorism Suppression Act.
To discuss the political storm the arrests have created, 101 East is joined by Hone Harawira, a Maori Party MP, Dr Tracey McIntosh, who is of Tuhoe descent and from Auckland University, and MP Ron Mark of the New Zealand First Party.
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This episode of 101 East aired on Thursday November 29, 2007
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