Today, Christchurch's paper, The Press has an interview with Awhitia Kohu and Moko Hillman, two Ruatoki residents terrorised by heavily armed Police during last year's October 15 raids. Neither Awhitia or Moko were arrested in the raids but they still had their house searched and were, along with their children, forced out of their homes whilst being 'painted' by rifle laser sights. The Police also searched their 15 year old daughter at gunpoint.

To quote from the article:

"At about five o'clock in the morning I heard a crash and a bang outside," said Kohu. "I went outside on my deck, through the sliding door … and I had all these little red spots all over me.

"The police were yelling out: `put your hands up'."

The red dots were the night-sights used by the police, who were armed with automatic weapons.

The article continues:

"Me and my children were escorted out onto the road. They already had dragged their father outside onto the road, and then the kids saw him getting cuffed, " Kohu said.

"They had him up against the bank and the kids are crying, carrying on, freaking, we don't know what's happening."

Hillman was taken to Rotorua for questioning.

This article should be read by everyone. It succinctly and vividly describes the terror forced on the Tuhoe people by the NZ Police. [Full article]

This morning life-sized posters of Helen Clark dressed as a 'ninja cop' appeared throughout Wellington. Today is the one year anniversary of gun-toting and armoured police terrorising people around the country in the name of terror prevention. Around 60 houses were raided at dawn, an entire community was locked down, and 17 activists were arrested on firearms charges in the NZ police's failed first attempt to use anti-terror law. [Public Art in Remembrance of 15 Oct 2007]

In Ruatoki, the community that was completely locked down and terrorised during the raids, there will four days of Stalls, Music, Movies, Activities, Art Display, Launching CD, Guest Speakers, Whakawhiti Korero, Krumping Competition, Photographs of the Raids at the Te Rewarewa Marae, Ruatoki, Te Urewera from 15th-18th October More

Auckland Come down to Aotea Square from 5:30pm tonight (October 15) for some fun and games to contrast the trauma and oppression felt on this same day a year ago. Food Not Bombs will provide food and hot drink, there will be music, and there will be mega twister! Bring your friends, family, blankets to picnic on, and all your usual banners and things if you like.

There will also be a solidarity picket outside Auckland District Court this Friday 17th October from 9.30am-10.30am. On Friday the Judge will be releasing his decision whether or not those arrested in the raids have to face trial. [More]

In Melbourne there is a picket of the NZ Consulate taking place on Wednesday October 15th at 1pm. More

9:30am-10:30am outside the Auckland District Court

Deposition hearings for the arrestees of the October 15th 'anti-terror' raids recently ended. On October 17th the judge will release his decision as to which charges will proceed to trial. The October 15th Solidarity group in Tamaki-Makaurau are calling for a morning picket to show support and solidarity for the arrestees.
We have not forgotten the state surveillance, repression, and imprisonment of Maori sovereignty activists and anarchists. We have not forgotten the racist harassment of the residents of Ruatoki. We have not forgotten the long history of colonisation, violence, and confiscation. Nor have we forgotten the indigenous struggle for self-determinatoin and resistance to the colonial state that continues to this day.

Come show your support for Tino Rangatiratanga and Te Mana Motuhake o Tuhoe. Stand in solidarity with the arrestees.

Auckland District Court 9.30am-10.30am on Friday October the 17th.

Please bring banners, placards and flags.

Ka whawhai tonu matou, ake ake ake!

Fairfax was today judged not guilty of contempt of court by Wellington's High Court. Fairfax published leaked suppressed evidence in the Operation 8 trials late last year, in clear violation of a court order.

The suppressed evidence published by Fairfax in the Dominion Post was only the most controversial portions of transcripts of recorded conversations between defendants. It was released shortly after the Police were denied the power to press terrorism charges and was no longer admissible under the comparatively minor arms charges which had to be pursued instead. In all probability, the evidence was leaked by the Police themselves to save face after their terrorism investigation fell over on its face.

“The market isn’t functioning properly. . .” - George Bush, Sept 25

What’s behind the current woes on Wall Street? Are the problems the result of just a few greedy speculators or do they reflect deeper problems within the system? Why do all the ‘mainstream’ discussions of the problems focus on the interests of business - what about the workers? Is there an alternative that puts workers’ interests first?

If you are in Dunedin or Christchurch Come along and hear Paul Hopkinson, John Edmundson and Philip Ferguson of the Workers Party address these issues:

DUNEDIN 7.30pm, Wednesday, Oct 15

OUSA Clubs & Societies building

84 Albany Street

CHRISTCHURCH 7pm, Wednesday, October 22

Workers’ Educational Association

59 Gloucester St

Next Wednesday marks the first anniversary of the nationwide police raids on the homes of activists from the Tino Rangatiratanga (Maori Sovereignty), anti-war, environmental and anarchist movements. The majority of the arrested activists were held in prison for nearly a month. The entire town of Ruatoki was blockaded by heavily armed police. Men, women and children were locked in freezing cold sheds for hours without charge while their houses were trashed by police.

A number of events are happening around Aotearoa to mark the anniversary of this dark day.

Wellington
Saturday October 11, 11am-4pm. Garage sale and cakestall, followed by a social at the Freedom Shop to raise money for the October 15 support fund. [More]

Auckland
Saturday October 11. 10am-11am. Saturday Soapbox at the Otara Markets. Guest speakers will talk (10am to 11am) about last year’s October 15 police raids on activists and the Tuhoe community. Organised by the Workers Party. [More]

Wednesday October 15. 5:30pm meet in Aotea square for fun and games to contrast the trauma and oppression felt on this same date a year ago. Food Not Bombs will provide food, there will be music, and there will be mega twister!
Organised by October 15th Solidarity [More]

Ruatoki
15th, 16th, 17th, 18th October. Te Rewarewa Marae, Ruatoki, Te Urewera. Stalls, Music, Movies, Activities, Art Display, Launching CD, Guest Speakers, Whakawhiti Korero, Krumping Competition, Photographs of the Raids. [More]

Melbourne
Wednesday October 15. Protest outside NZ Consulate 1pm. [More]

8th October Tonight we descended on the weapons conference delegates as they were entering the duxton hotel on wakefield street, wellington for the ‘Minister of Defence awards for excellence’ and gala dinner (one presumes, covered in a nice bloody sauce). Their composure was disrupted with shouts, screams, drums and general noise. Food not bombs served up a tasty soup, delicious dumpstered bananas and bread to keep us going for 2 hours.

The duxton hotel has been surrounded by poolice and provision security scum for two days. They have gone to extreme lengths to keep the conference secret and to keep disruption to a minimum. The police were inside and outside the hotel, filming people from cars and on foot. Provision security were also using film and video cameras to record events. One suit-wearing scumbag quickly donned a balaclava in order to avoid being filmed by us, while another was forced out of the lift as he tried to hide from people. [More]

Activists greet the opening of the 11th annual 'NZ Defence Industry Association Forum' aka Weapons Trade Conference.

Tues 7th October – Today the 11th annual 'NZ Defence Industry Association Forum' kicked off at the Duxton Hotel, Wellington. Despite the howling wind and rain, activists converged outside the weapons conference to highlight what was going on inside to the public, and to let the representatives of 37 weapons companies inside know that their war profiteering ways would not proceed unapposed.