Occupation of Waiouru picnic site ends quietly

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 15, Issue 691, 17 June 1997, Page 9

Occupation of Waiouru picnic site ends quietly

By

Anne

McElwain

The occupation of the Waiouru pic nic site at the junction of State Highways 1 and 49 ended quietly, five days after it began. "I am very pleased it was all over in a short time," said Community Board chairman Bobby Vine. "It was a very scary exercise.... which caused some tension in the community." The discovery that the picnic site was owned by Tranz Rail and not the Ruapehu District Council limited immediate courses of action. However, the efforts of mayor Weston Kirton who met with and negotiated with the protest group created communica-

tion bridges that ultimately assisted in resolving the issue, said Mr Vine. "Hape Lomax showed a responsible attitude to negotiations from the council, passed on by the mayor," Mr Vine commented. "I hope that they will gain what they want ... and that the meeting with the ministers goes well." Having staked their claim in Waiouru, several of the group had gone to Wellington on Tuesday to meet with Ministers of Conservation, Energy and Defence, Although this meeting did not come off as planned, communications between the ministers and the protest group representatives resulted in the ministers agreeing to a meeting on 19 June.

Further discussions with Mr Kirton late that evening contributed to the group' s agreement to leave the picnic site within 48 hours. The fact that they complied peacefully within half that time period is to their credit, said Mr Vine. "Whether they did right or wrong in the law's eyes, they behaved themselves very well and local iwi gained a lot of mana," said local motelier Barry Hodgson (Welcome Inn), who was very pleased that the occupation did not drive a wedge between townspeople and the iwi as happened in Wanganui. "The picnic area was left spotless and in the same condition as it was prior to the occupation," he added.