KAITIAKI NATIVE PEACE KEEPING FORCE
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10565293
A law unto itself
By Jehan Casinader 3:00 AM Sunday Apr 5, 2009 They call themselves the "native" police - Waikato-based members of a group that has decked out patrol cars and asked for half the police budget to enforce the law. But the real police say the group is "not special", and if members break the law while trying to keep it, they will face prosecution like any other member of the public. It is the latest effort by the United Tribes of New Zealand to insert itself into running the country. The group, which claims authority over an "independent state" within New Zealand, has previously found trouble producing its own driver licences and passports. This time it has its own badges and seals, and will soon issue warrants to volunteer officers. The officers patrol the streets of the Waikato in vehicles marked with blue and red livery and the name "Native Pirihimana" - the Maori word for "police". Inspector Huri Dennis, the Maori strategic adviser for the New Zealand Police, said: "If they break the law, we'll deal with it on a case-by-case basis. If they get into a situation where they take the place of a police officer, for example, by trying to issue a trespass order or make an arrest, they will be dealt with just like any other member of the public." Police instructed the group to change its name from "Native Police" to "Native Pirihimana", and to remove the lights . Waikato Police are monitoring the Pirihimana. |
http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/police-threaten-maori-sovereignty-group-for-police-impersonation-2009040717
Police threaten Maori sovereignty group for police impersonation
Tuesday 7 Apr 2009 5:54 p.m A 15-year-old, second hand patrol car with a burglar alarm for a siren is the face of a new self-styled enforcement agency who says they have no respect for Police or Maori wardens. “We’re above them,” says one member. “And they should realise that they're making our people suffer.” They call themselves Native Pirihimana - the Maori word for police. The say their job is to uphold the law as they see it. This involves anything from catching truants to speeding drivers. “I cannot catch them. This car's not fast enough, but when they do 120/130kmph past me I can get this up to 160kmph, but I don't normally,” explains Rex Dennis, Native Pirihimana Cmmr. “I just put the lights on and they pull over, It's unbelievable.” However, the real police say that is illegal. They have issued a statement saying United Tribes and Native Pirihimana have no lawful authority and could face big fines or a year in prison for impersonating a police officer. It is not the first time United Tribes has got into trouble with authorities. In the past members have attempted to issue police with trespass notices and others have even been caught producing their own drivers' licenses and passports. But United Tribes claim those members are long gone and say there is no reason why they can not operate lawfully alongside police. “The last thing New Zealand needs is another policing agency and ending up like the Americans where they have so many policing agencies doing the same job, the only winner becomes the criminals,” explains Grey O’Connor, Police Association President. Yet United Tribes say they are not deterred. They say they are planning a fleet of at least 20 vehicles that will be up and running by the end of the year. |
NZ Post denies Maori Traveller's Permit claim
BY BELINDA FEEK
Last updated 12:00 14/01/2010
New Zealand Post denies it accepted a Maori Traveller's Permit during a transaction in its Chartwell store this week. Scott Pollard, New Zealand Post's head of retail operations and marketing, said the permit was not an acceptable form of identification. Te Akaimapuhia Maori Incorporation member Diane Ratana told the Waikato Times this week she used her permit to change the ownership of her vehicle at the Chartwell NZ Post store. However, Mr Pollard said the permit did not contain all the required identification elements. "The manager of this store requested, and was given, other formal identification, a birth certificate, that allowed him to confirm the customer's identity. "This was an unusual situation and we generally ask customers to provide their New Zealand driver's licence or passport." In response to Mr Pollard, Mrs Ratana said she still felt vindicated by being able to use her permit as a photo ID. "What it comes down to is I was able to use my photo ID and I felt I got accepted. "It just makes me feel good about it because as a Maori we're getting noticed about who we are and what we stand for. It's all about Maori sovereignty."
Mrs Ratana revealed her use of the permit after one of the sovereignty group members, Wiremu Peihopa, who is also known as Billy Griffith, was arrested after producing his Maori Traveller's Permit as his driver's licence on Monday night. Waikato police Senior Sergeant Kent Holdsworth said Mr Griffith was stopped because his car had no registration plates. Mr Holdsworth said after producing his permit with the name Wiremu Peihopa he was arrested for providing false details. Mrs Ratana, who used the permit at Work and Income New Zealand in Porirua two years ago, labelled the arrest "harassment" and said the incorporation would help Peihopa in fighting his charges against the permit's use. The incorporation has been linked to Gerard Otima, who last year sold passports and residency permits to Pacific Islanders for $500. However, Mrs Ratana said no money exchanged hands in their organisation, everything was free. The permits were made by a few of its members, she said. "We're not making any money out of it. We're just here to pass on our knowledge to the rest of our people."
However, Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples has warned people against using the permits. United Tribes of New Zealand (UTNZ) pirihimana commissioner Rex Ainsley, of Waihi, also distanced his organisation from the permits. "They do not have my endorsement. I'm trying to be lawful. "But I'm saying there are some that are being printed against my better judgment, but I can't control all Maori."
- Waikato Times
Note: UTNZ has no connection to these permits however it is further evidence Colonial Government hosted on Native Customary land
must recognize and liaison with the lawful Maori Nation to mitigate confusion.
BY BELINDA FEEK
Last updated 12:00 14/01/2010
New Zealand Post denies it accepted a Maori Traveller's Permit during a transaction in its Chartwell store this week. Scott Pollard, New Zealand Post's head of retail operations and marketing, said the permit was not an acceptable form of identification. Te Akaimapuhia Maori Incorporation member Diane Ratana told the Waikato Times this week she used her permit to change the ownership of her vehicle at the Chartwell NZ Post store. However, Mr Pollard said the permit did not contain all the required identification elements. "The manager of this store requested, and was given, other formal identification, a birth certificate, that allowed him to confirm the customer's identity. "This was an unusual situation and we generally ask customers to provide their New Zealand driver's licence or passport." In response to Mr Pollard, Mrs Ratana said she still felt vindicated by being able to use her permit as a photo ID. "What it comes down to is I was able to use my photo ID and I felt I got accepted. "It just makes me feel good about it because as a Maori we're getting noticed about who we are and what we stand for. It's all about Maori sovereignty."
Mrs Ratana revealed her use of the permit after one of the sovereignty group members, Wiremu Peihopa, who is also known as Billy Griffith, was arrested after producing his Maori Traveller's Permit as his driver's licence on Monday night. Waikato police Senior Sergeant Kent Holdsworth said Mr Griffith was stopped because his car had no registration plates. Mr Holdsworth said after producing his permit with the name Wiremu Peihopa he was arrested for providing false details. Mrs Ratana, who used the permit at Work and Income New Zealand in Porirua two years ago, labelled the arrest "harassment" and said the incorporation would help Peihopa in fighting his charges against the permit's use. The incorporation has been linked to Gerard Otima, who last year sold passports and residency permits to Pacific Islanders for $500. However, Mrs Ratana said no money exchanged hands in their organisation, everything was free. The permits were made by a few of its members, she said. "We're not making any money out of it. We're just here to pass on our knowledge to the rest of our people."
However, Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples has warned people against using the permits. United Tribes of New Zealand (UTNZ) pirihimana commissioner Rex Ainsley, of Waihi, also distanced his organisation from the permits. "They do not have my endorsement. I'm trying to be lawful. "But I'm saying there are some that are being printed against my better judgment, but I can't control all Maori."
- Waikato Times
Note: UTNZ has no connection to these permits however it is further evidence Colonial Government hosted on Native Customary land
must recognize and liaison with the lawful Maori Nation to mitigate confusion.
