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27th
FEB
Released Iti says he’s a political prisoner
Posted by karere under Maori News
Tame Iti says he will continue to regard himself as a political prisoner.
The Tuhoe activist was jailed on firearms offences related to police raids in Te Urewera National Park in the Eastern Bay of Plenty in 2007 and released from Waikeria Prison on Wednesday morning.
He has served a third of his two-and-a-half-year sentence. Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara, Urs Signer and Emily Bailey were also convicted regarding the raids.
Iti held a media conference on the Hukanui Marae near Hamilton following his release and told reporters he was a political prisoner of the state while in jail and would remain one at large until his sentence is completed in October 2014.
He held no resentment about being in jail nine months, saying he enjoyed his time there and was able to work and be creative with his art.
Iti said he was inspired by reading a book about former South African leader Nelson Mandela and wants to write one on the history of political prisoners in New Zealand.
He also said that once he returns home to Ruatoki, he would continue to hunt and use firearms because it is part of Tuhoe culture.
His lawyer Russel Fairbrother said an application has been lodged with the Supreme Court to overturn the conviction and sentence.
Meanwhile, Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara has also been granted parole and will leave prison on Monday. Urs Signer and Emily Bailey were sentenced to nine months’ home detention.
Signer said they are waiting to hear if the court will allow them to appeal against their convictions and sentences.
Copyright © 2013, Radio New Zealand
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Totally agree with Tama iti in his assessment of his situation as have been and still am in a similar type of situation. Oppression is undertaken and effected in this country via many sublime methods and is not so openly brutish as it was in the days of Parihaka, Rua Kenana, Te Whiti,Te Rauparaha etc. It is more a blocking activity of the government agencies,using banks,police, passports and monitoring of all communications etc as though one was a major criminal or gang members. Either or we do have a large contingent of Maori today who for various reason aside for the usual greed side with Pakeha imposed values. Hence the situation where Maori today now have a puny 2% of their original lands with some 50% of them without a home of their own and thousands moving across to Australia in the hope of a better life. Pakeha in the meanwhile doing the better while owning the other 98%. Obviously the work of successive chiefly and political leaders down the decades has been rather koretake our Maraes bereft of elders with few Maori reaching 60 years of age to collect a pension. Not good its it. Tama iti as we can see has stuck his head up for target practice by the media and endured regardless of media coverage both good and bad, but usually the latter. Tama iti is a reminder to all Maori that we are in fact prisoners in our own lands and that without true cohesion as one people with a common heritage going into this rapid climate change scenario it is unlikely Maori will survive as a distinct peoples and will fade into obscurity as though we never were. Such a great great shame indeed.