2007 New Zealand anti-terror raids
Encyclopedia
The 2007 New Zealand anti-terror raids were a series of armed police
raids conducted on Monday, 15 October 2007, in response to the discovery of an alleged paramilitary training camp deep in the Urewera
mountain range near the town of Ruatoki
in the eastern Bay of Plenty
. Police claimed that persons attending the camp threw Molotov cocktails and fired semiautomatic rifles and pistols.
About 300 police
, including members of the Armed Offenders
and anti-terror squads, were involved in the raids in which four gun
s and 230 rounds of ammunition
were seized and 17 people arrested, all but one of them charged with firearms offences. According to police, the raids were a culmination of more than a year of surveillance that uncovered and monitored the training camps. Search warrants were executed under the Summary Proceedings Act to search for evidence relating to potential breaches of the Terrorism Suppression Act
and the Arms Act.
On 29 October, police referred evidence gathered during the raids to the Solicitor-General
to consider whether charges should be laid under the Terrorism Suppression Act. Authorisation for prosecutions under the Act is given by the Attorney-General though he has delegated this responsibility to Solicitor-General David Collins. On 8 November the Solicitor-General declined to press charges under the Terrorism Suppression Act, because of inadequacies of the legislation. According to Helen Clark
, the Prime Minister at the time of the raids, one of the reasons police tried to lay charges under anti-terror legislation was because they could not use telephone interception evidence in prosecutions under the Arms Act.
.
Police commissioner Howard Broad
said the raids were conducted in the interest of public
safety, but declined to outline the nature of the threat. Seventeen people were arrested in the raids, the most notable being veteran Māori/Ngāi Tūhoe activist Tame Iti
, who grew up and has lived much of his life in Ruatoki. Police documents allege Iti was preparing for an IRA
style "war on New Zealand" to establish an independent state on traditionally Tūhoe land.
According to a Dominion Post
report, Iti's group, named "rama" – the Maori word for enlightenment – consisted of about 20 people including former New Zealand Army soldiers, some of whom had fought in the Vietnam War
, as well as several members in their late teens. The group's methods were allegedly derived from the IRA's Green Book training manual. The Dominions source described the group as "comical" and "amateurish." An "open invitation" to the training camps had been sent to sympathetic activists. A Christchurch activist who claims to have attended said he was "overwhelmed" and "a bit freaked out" by their military-style practices. The owner of Christchurch gun dealer Gun City, which is supposed to have supplied about 5% of the group's supplies "including a gun cabinet and magazines", claimed much of what was seized was not useful for a terrorist attack, and that the media had sensationalised the events. He pointed to media descriptions of a plastic paintball
"landmine" as a landmine.
The government group ODESC (Officials Committee for Domestic and External Security Co-ordination
), was also involved in the operation.
four days after the raid: "The police did hop on our bus and they did search our bus ... they always held their rifles." The organiser of the hikoi called on the government to acknowledge the incident and do something for the children affected by it. Speaking on Radio New Zealand she asked "I'd like to ask that question why? [was there nothing being done] is it because we're from Ruatoki? Is it because the majority of children are Māori out here?" Police maintained a strong presence in Ruatoki in the days following the initial raids and continued to question locals.
, Wellington
, Palmerston North
and Hamilton
, in addition to the Bay of Plenty
raids in Ruatoki and Whakatane
. One man was arrested on firearms charges in Palmerston North - he was granted interim name suppression. In the following days police also visited homes in Taupo
and Tauranga
.
but is also used for other activities including Yoga and language classes, a food bank and art facilities. An occupant of the house, Sam Buchanan told Radio New Zealand
the search warrant was for firearms and other materials, including things like "green jacket" and "men's black shoes." Police took away documents and bags of clothing. Although police wouldn't let the occupants leave the house, Buchanan said he was surprised the police allowed the occupants to use knives to make an apple pie during the raid. He said that some people who had been in the house had likely met Tame Iti.
were also visited by police in search of a person of interest, however, they did not have a search warrant and were refused access to the properties. Save Happy Valley is a group of environmentalist activists that use direct action, such as locking themselves to railway tracks, to oppose Solid Energy's coal
mining in the Happy Valley region. Police later located the person at another Christchurch residence. The man had attended the camp in the Urewera Range after an invitation from Tuhoe activists, according to a source close to him.
, his nephews Rawiri Iti and Maraki Teepa, Aucklander Jamie Lockett, and Radical youth
activist Omar Hamed. Within a month all were granted bail
. Others included Rongomai Pero Pero Bailey of Taranaki, who was charged with four firearms offences (all later dismissed by a judge for insufficient evidence); a 53-year-old man arrested in Palmerston North
and bailed on health grounds; Marama Mayrick, who faces five firearms charges; and Ira Timothy Bailey, the brother of Rongomai Bailey. Of the 17 arrested, 16 are facing firearms charges while one is facing a cannabis
charge. Police also attempted to lay charges against 12 people under the Terrorism Suppression act but the Solicitor General declined to prosecute for charges under the act.
Fifteen of the accused had their cases heard in the Auckland district court on 1 November with the remaining two cases being heard the following day. As a result of the first hearing Ira Bailey was granted bail and Jamie Lockett was given leave to apply for home detention. Name suppression was also lifted on another three of the arrested; Emily Bailey, Moana Hemi Winitana and Valerie Morse. Morse is a well-known Wellington anarchist activist who in June 2007 published the book Against Freedom: The war on terrorism in everyday New Zealand life. The book contains the passage "It is clear that political dissent is now more perilous and more treacherous than before 11 September. Given the new counter- terrorism laws, the possibility of being not only labelled a terrorist in the media, but prosecuted as one, is a reality. By casting political dissent as terrorism, the government, its agencies, the media, and other vested interests assault our freedom of expression" All were scheduled to have their next hearing on 3 December, though after the Solicitor General's decision not to lay terrorism charges, there were bail hearings on 9 November resulting in Valerie Morse, Emily Bailey, Omar Hamed, Tame Iti and another man who had name suppression being granted bail. The last four of those arrested were also granted bail after a court appearance on 12 November.
When the cases were heard a large crowd had gathered both inside and outside the court to support the people arrested during the raids. Because of "the real and genuine interest" in the charges, the media wanted all future hearings to be held in open, The Crown
took the unprecedented stance of supporting the media's right to photograph and cover the entire hearing. The New Zealand media challenged an appeal to retain the name suppression for two of those arrested, on 31 October the High Court dismissed the appeal, allowing the men's names to be made public. The men were revealed as Vietnam war veteran Tuhoe Francis Lambert, and Te Rangikaiwhiria (Whiri) Kemara, both residing in Manurewa
, Auckland.
On 8 November 2007, the Solicitor General declined to prosecute under the Terrorism Suppression Act
, citing insufficient evidence, and described the legislation as "complex and incoherent", and "almost impossible to apply to domestic circumstances", and recommended the law be sent to the Law Commission for review, which parliament has since agreed to.
On 18 December 2009, 8 August 2011 was set as a tentative trial date.
which published leaked evidence from the case in The Dominion Post. He told Radio New Zealand "I think it is a fairly cynical move by the Dominion to sell newspapers. They have obviously looked at it from a commercial point of view and felt they can make more money by publishing it and I think just adds to the level of contempt." On 10 April 2008 the solicitor general confirmed he would take contempt of court proceedings against Fairfax Media and Dominion Post editor Tim Pankhurst, stating that "The articles were sensational in tone and highly memorable. The fact of the publications themselves became national news."
After a trial, [t]he High Court
has found that neither Fairfax nor Mr Pankhurst (as editor of the Dominion Post
) is guilty of contempt because the publications are unlikely to prejudice a fair trial of the accused.
Government ministers, including Police Minister Annette King, asked MPs to remain calm about the issue as a police matter, and wait until details were exposed in the courts. Prime Minister Helen Clark, who was also the minister in charge of the Security Intelligence Service
, at first distanced herself from the raids, and refused to comment on SIS involvement. Later, while the case was before the courts, she told media that those arrested "at the very least" had been training with firearms and napalm. National Party
leader John Key
told media he was briefed by SIS staff days before the raids occurred. The Māori Party
condemned the move, with the MP for Waiariki
, Te Ururoa Flavell
, criticising the police for putting a community in his electorate "under siege," referring to the roadblocks imposed on the town of Ruatoki. Co-leader Pita Sharples
said the action has violated the trust that has been developing between Maori and Pakeha and sets race-relations back a hundred years. The Green Party
has also been critical, with co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons
saying the raids traumatised the local population. The party later joined protests in Auckland to pressure the government to withdraw the Terrorism Suppression Amendment and called for those arrested to be released on bail. MP Keith Locke
told TVNZ that the party would continue to protest until those held in custody are released. In a press release New Zealand First
, MP Ron Mark
stated that the police should be congratulated, and suggested a link between criminal gangs and the "suspected terrorist groups." He called for the anti-terrorism laws to be expanded to "outlaw criminal organisations such as gangs once and for all". Aaron Loyd of the New Zealand Law Society
pointed out that the legislation could already be used against gangs. The Workers Party
released a statement condemning the raids as "state violence." Socialist Worker
called for the "Terror Laws to be abolished.
Political commentators took different views on the raids, with intelligence agencies researcher and journalist Nicky Hager
suggesting the raids may have been the result of the increased police and SIS staffing and resources aimed at anti-terrorism since 2001. (The raids and the surveillance preceding them cost $8 million to plan and execute.) Veteran activist John Minto
criticised the police for the move, claiming that their actions provoked a "climate of fear and repression" while left-leaning commentator and blogger Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury
, sided with the police, saying that in his dealings with the activist community he had become concerned with the actions of "some clowns." The Herald was criticised for publishing these comments which did not mention who the "clowns" were or name the blog site Bradbury claimed to have communicated with them on. New Zealand Herald columnist Matt McCarten
saw the raids as being over the top; "Some of the young people I know who were arrested are actually vegans who don't even believe in killing animals, let alone human beings. When you get the police searching homes of environmental activists trying to save snails on the West Coast, you know that things have got really silly." McCarten also stated that New Zealanders should be more worried about the country joining the US database of terrorist suspects, and "the creeping powers of our secret police." However the 'From the left' columnist for the Dominion Post, Chris Trotter
reacted differently, saying "it wasn't the actions of the police that provoked my fury, but of those who'd forced their hand." When left-wing musician Don Franks wrote a protest song about the raids, "Safer Communities Together Blues" he took a swipe at Trotters reaction with the lyrics "The political climate's getting hotter / Got to watch out for the pigs and the pigs' Trotter."
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
, which represented over 350,000 workers, called for the repeal of the Suppression of Terrorism Act. CTU President Helen Kelly commented "the use of this law is unhelpful and is having the effect of making all political groups nervous about how this law is being and could be used." Civil Liberties group Who's Watching You called the raids "a despicable show of force by the coercive arm of the state" and said that "The extensive use of surveillance to allegedly gather information is another telling example of the Government and police force’s willingness to disregard the people of Aotearoa." Canterbury University academic and social justice campaigner David Small told bFM that the raids were draconian and probably illegal. Former inspector in charge of the Auckland police criminal intelligence Ross Meurant
called the raids "extreme and excessive" and claimed the police were guilty of "self-hype and self-justification." An independent survey taken in early November showed 48% of people wanted to wait and see what evidence the police had before they made a judgment on the raids, while 36% said they were already satisfied with the way the police reacted and 13% thought the police overreacted. The statistics were much different among Māori, with 40% of Māori saying the police had over-reacted. The sample size was 750 people.
On 16 October, supporters of Tame Iti protested at the Rotorua District Court, and peace and environmental protesters gathered in Christchurch's Cathedral Square chanted and held signs such as "Protest is not terrorism" and "Arrest me. I'm protesting, I must be a terrorist". Indigenous rights
protesters also rallied outside the New Zealand Consulate in Melbourne
to condemn the raids. Another protest occurred on 17 October outside the Wellington district court. On 19 October up to one thousand people participated in a hikoi in Whakatane, including people from the Ruatoki Valley and children from the Ruatoki primary school. One Māori elder speaking at the protest called for the overturning of the Suppression of Terrorism Act. The following day hundreds of protesters took to the streets across New Zealand, targeting local police stations. Protesters demanded the government withdraw the Terrorism Suppression Amendment Bill and called for immediate bail for those arrested in the raids. Global Peace and Justice Auckland
spokesperson Mike Treen said a 'Darth Vader police force in para-military uniforms has been terrorising whole communities' and called for a national day of action the following week. On the day Tame Iti appeared in the Rotorua
district court 500 people protested causing police to close off streets around the Rotorua Courthouse. There were protests on 27 October 2007 in 13 cities around New Zealand, and around the world including; the Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Greece and Australia.
On 3 November, a demonstration involving about 150 people took place outside a Labour Party conference. Some protesters wearing orange boiler suits had chained themselves together with gags in their mouths and a word such as "terrorist", "Māori" or "anarchist" on their backs. Others held placards with the slogans "State terrorists kidnapped our friends" and "Free political prisoners". Len Richards, a Labour Party delegate allegedly struck a protester in the face with a megaphone, though he claims "there was no violence" despite TV3 showing footage of the incident. According to the Workers Party
, the protester was one of their members. Three arrests were made at the protest, one a man attempting to break the police line and enter the Bruce Mason Centre where the conference was held, a second had been pulled off the top of a police van and a third was taken out the crowd, he claimed he had been trying to perform a haka
. Security personnel at the venue had been significantly increased from the previous day.
, but on 14 December announced he had received no reply and would represent thirty members of Tuhoe in a class action
against the police. Broad had earlier however publicly apologised to the people of Ruatoki for the raids and acknowledged that the actions of his force might take decades to heal. According to TV3 Ruatoki residents wanted utu
(reciprocity) in the form of Broad's resignation. The call for his resignation was echoed by the Māori Party and Global Peace and Justice Auckland. A hikoi protesting the raids and the Suppression of Terrorism Act left the Bay of Plenty on 12 November. The hikoi
collected signatures for a petition that it presented to parliament when it arrived in Wellington two days later. On 13 November a group of concerned individuals placed an advertisement in the Dominion Post urging the government to withdraw the Suppression of Terrorism Bill. Signatories to the advertisement included Green Party
leader Jeanette Fitzsimons
and National Distribution Union
leader Laila Harre
.
In 2009, 8 August 2011 was set as the start date for the trial in Auckland. This date was later bought forward to May 2011 with an expected running time of 12 weeks.
In March 2011, the Court of Appeal
ruled for the prosecution in saying that the defendants in the case could be tried by a judge alone. The reasons for this decision are suppressed from publication by the courts. Originally, on 9 December 2010, the decision not to hold a jury trial was itself suppressed by Justice Helen Winkelmann, but this was lifted later that month.
A documentary critical of the raids, Operation 8: Deep in the Forest, was directed by Errol Wright and Abi King-Jones and screened around New Zealand as part of the World Cinema Showcase film festival.
In September 2011 charges against 11 of the initial 17 were dropped. As a result the government passed the Video Camera Surveillance (Temporary Measures) Act 2011
.
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
raids conducted on Monday, 15 October 2007, in response to the discovery of an alleged paramilitary training camp deep in the Urewera
Te Urewera
Te Urewera is an area of the central North Island of New Zealand. Located in rough, sparsely populated hill country to the northeast of Lake Taupo, it is the historical home of Tuhoe, a Māori iwi known for their controversial stance on Māori sovereignty...
mountain range near the town of Ruatoki
Ruatoki
Ruatoki is a locality in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. It is located at the base of the Urewera Valley, approximately 20 km south of Whakatane. The predominantly Māori community of approximately 600 people affiliate with the Tūhoe iwi, with at least ten marae located in the area...
in the eastern Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
. Police claimed that persons attending the camp threw Molotov cocktails and fired semiautomatic rifles and pistols.
About 300 police
New Zealand Police
The New Zealand Police is the national police force of New Zealand, responsible for enforcing criminal law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace throughout New Zealand...
, including members of the Armed Offenders
Armed Offenders Squad
The Armed Offenders Squad is a specialist unit of the New Zealand Police designed to "cordon, contain and appeal to" armed and dangerous offenders. As the name explains, they are called upon when conflict with an armed offender has occurred or is considered imminent.The AOS draw upon a varied...
and anti-terror squads, were involved in the raids in which four gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
s and 230 rounds of ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
were seized and 17 people arrested, all but one of them charged with firearms offences. According to police, the raids were a culmination of more than a year of surveillance that uncovered and monitored the training camps. Search warrants were executed under the Summary Proceedings Act to search for evidence relating to potential breaches of the Terrorism Suppression Act
Terrorism Suppression Act 2002
The Terrorism Suppression Act 2002 is a piece of anti-terrorism legislation from New Zealand.In the first test of the Act, during the 2007 New Zealand anti-terror raids, the Solicitor-General declined to press charges under it, because the legislation was too complex. It was amended in late 2007....
and the Arms Act.
On 29 October, police referred evidence gathered during the raids to the Solicitor-General
Solicitor-General of New Zealand
The Solicitor-General of New Zealand is the second law officer of state in New Zealand. The Solicitor-General is also head of the Crown Law Office, that comprises lawyers employed to represent the Attorney-General in court proceedings in New Zealand....
to consider whether charges should be laid under the Terrorism Suppression Act. Authorisation for prosecutions under the Act is given by the Attorney-General though he has delegated this responsibility to Solicitor-General David Collins. On 8 November the Solicitor-General declined to press charges under the Terrorism Suppression Act, because of inadequacies of the legislation. According to Helen Clark
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...
, the Prime Minister at the time of the raids, one of the reasons police tried to lay charges under anti-terror legislation was because they could not use telephone interception evidence in prosecutions under the Arms Act.
Background
Ngāi Tūhoe have long-held grievances against the crown, particularly over land, including the land that now forms the Te Urewera National ParkTe Urewera National Park
Te Urewera National Park is one of fourteen national parks within New Zealand and is the largest of the four in the North Island. Covering an area of approximately 2,127 km², it is in the north east of the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island....
.
Police commissioner Howard Broad
Howard Broad
Howard George Broad, CNZM was the thirtieth New Zealand Commissioner of Police, serving from 2006 to 2011. He is a former career police officer, working in uniform and as a detective for eighteen years, before moving into senior roles at the Police National Headquarters in Wellington...
said the raids were conducted in the interest of public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
safety, but declined to outline the nature of the threat. Seventeen people were arrested in the raids, the most notable being veteran Māori/Ngāi Tūhoe activist Tame Iti
Tame Iti
Tāme Wairere Iti has become well known in New Zealand as a Tūhoe Māori activist.- Early life :Born on a train near Rotorua, Tame Iti grew up with his grandparents in the custom known as whāngai on a farm near Ruatoki in the Urewera area of New Zealand...
, who grew up and has lived much of his life in Ruatoki. Police documents allege Iti was preparing for an IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
style "war on New Zealand" to establish an independent state on traditionally Tūhoe land.
According to a Dominion Post
The Dominion Post (Wellington)
The Dominion Post is a metropolitan broadsheet newspaper published in Wellington, New Zealand, owned by the Australian Fairfax group, owners of The Age, Melbourne, and The Sydney Morning Herald.- Foundation :...
report, Iti's group, named "rama" – the Maori word for enlightenment – consisted of about 20 people including former New Zealand Army soldiers, some of whom had fought in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, as well as several members in their late teens. The group's methods were allegedly derived from the IRA's Green Book training manual. The Dominions source described the group as "comical" and "amateurish." An "open invitation" to the training camps had been sent to sympathetic activists. A Christchurch activist who claims to have attended said he was "overwhelmed" and "a bit freaked out" by their military-style practices. The owner of Christchurch gun dealer Gun City, which is supposed to have supplied about 5% of the group's supplies "including a gun cabinet and magazines", claimed much of what was seized was not useful for a terrorist attack, and that the media had sensationalised the events. He pointed to media descriptions of a plastic paintball
Paintball
Paintball is a sport in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water soluble dye and gelatin shell outside propelled from a device called a paintball marker . Paintballs have a non-toxic, biodegradable, water soluble...
"landmine" as a landmine.
The government group ODESC (Officials Committee for Domestic and External Security Co-ordination
Officials Committee for Domestic and External Security Co-ordination
The Officials Committee for Domestic and External Security Coordination is a New Zealand government committee which gives the Prime Minister strategic policy advice on security and intelligence matters...
), was also involved in the operation.
Initial raids
Roadblocks were set up between Ruatoki and Taneatua by armed police, who searched and questioned everyone who passed through. There were reports that a school bus was stopped and searched, though police superintendent Wally Haumaha said these reports were wrong. The bus driver, however, told a hikoiHikoi
Hikoi is a term of the Maori language of New Zealand generally meaning a protest march or parade, usually implying a long journey taking days or weeks....
four days after the raid: "The police did hop on our bus and they did search our bus ... they always held their rifles." The organiser of the hikoi called on the government to acknowledge the incident and do something for the children affected by it. Speaking on Radio New Zealand she asked "I'd like to ask that question why? [was there nothing being done] is it because we're from Ruatoki? Is it because the majority of children are Māori out here?" Police maintained a strong presence in Ruatoki in the days following the initial raids and continued to question locals.
Additional raids
A number of search warrants were executed in AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, Palmerston North
Palmerston North
Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
and Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, in addition to the Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
raids in Ruatoki and Whakatane
Whakatane
Whakatane is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region, in the North Island of New Zealand, and is the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Whakatane is 90 km east of Tauranga and 89 km north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatane River.The town has a population of , with...
. One man was arrested on firearms charges in Palmerston North - he was granted interim name suppression. In the following days police also visited homes in Taupo
Taupo
Taupo is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taupo District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region....
and Tauranga
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
.
Wellington
Four houses were searched in the Wellington region. Around 20 police surrounded a house used as a community centre before 6.00am and left with bags containing evidence of an unspecified nature. Despite the fact that none of the arrestees lived at this address police used sniffer dogs to search the house and nearby properties. Although police believed firearms were present on the premises, a television cameraman from TV3, which has an office on the same street, was not prevented from attending and recording the raid. The community centre is a known meeting place for activists including environmentalists and fundraisers for foreign revolutionary movementsZapatista Army of National Liberation
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a revolutionary leftist group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico....
but is also used for other activities including Yoga and language classes, a food bank and art facilities. An occupant of the house, Sam Buchanan told Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand is a New Zealand public service radio broadcaster and Crown entity formed by the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news, current affairs and arts network Radio New Zealand National and classical music and jazz network Radio New Zealand Concert with full government funding...
the search warrant was for firearms and other materials, including things like "green jacket" and "men's black shoes." Police took away documents and bags of clothing. Although police wouldn't let the occupants leave the house, Buchanan said he was surprised the police allowed the occupants to use knives to make an apple pie during the raid. He said that some people who had been in the house had likely met Tame Iti.
Christchurch
Two Christchurch addresses inhabited by members of the Save Happy Valley CampaignSave Happy Valley Campaign
The Save Happy Valley Coalition is an environmental activist movement formed with the express purpose of preventing the Cypress mine, an open cast coal mine on the West Coast of New Zealand, from proceeding....
were also visited by police in search of a person of interest, however, they did not have a search warrant and were refused access to the properties. Save Happy Valley is a group of environmentalist activists that use direct action, such as locking themselves to railway tracks, to oppose Solid Energy's coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mining in the Happy Valley region. Police later located the person at another Christchurch residence. The man had attended the camp in the Urewera Range after an invitation from Tuhoe activists, according to a source close to him.
Taupo
A home in Taupo was searched for four hours by police following previous raids elsewhere. The home owner is the organiser of Ecoshow, an environmental expo, and denied having any connection to the group in the Bay of Plenty. He suspected his home was targeted because his daughter was in a defacto relationship with a man from Ruatoki. Police seized computers and other equipment from the houseaccording to the occupant this equipment was used for the organics business run from the home.Tauranga
On 18 October, police entered the home of a Tauranga pensioner while he was out and took an old oilskin jacket, a raincoat, a polar-fleece jacket, some magnets and an air rifle leaving behind a 20-page search warrant stating there "is reasonable ground for believing" there were items inside which were an offense relating to either "participating in a terrorist group", or the unlawful possession of firearms or restricted weapons. The occupant of the home told the New Zealand Herald that he had no idea why his home was searched and was "gutted" police had linked him to people potentially involved in terrorist crimes.Palmerston North
Four houses were raided in the city of Palmerston North, one by armed police.Arrests and following court cases
Seventeen people were arrested in the raids, including Maori activist Tame ItiTame Iti
Tāme Wairere Iti has become well known in New Zealand as a Tūhoe Māori activist.- Early life :Born on a train near Rotorua, Tame Iti grew up with his grandparents in the custom known as whāngai on a farm near Ruatoki in the Urewera area of New Zealand...
, his nephews Rawiri Iti and Maraki Teepa, Aucklander Jamie Lockett, and Radical youth
Radical Youth (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Radical Youth was an autonomous group of young people who formed in early 2005 to tackle issues that affect the youth of their country of New Zealand/Aotearoa....
activist Omar Hamed. Within a month all were granted bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
. Others included Rongomai Pero Pero Bailey of Taranaki, who was charged with four firearms offences (all later dismissed by a judge for insufficient evidence); a 53-year-old man arrested in Palmerston North
Palmerston North
Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
and bailed on health grounds; Marama Mayrick, who faces five firearms charges; and Ira Timothy Bailey, the brother of Rongomai Bailey. Of the 17 arrested, 16 are facing firearms charges while one is facing a cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
charge. Police also attempted to lay charges against 12 people under the Terrorism Suppression act but the Solicitor General declined to prosecute for charges under the act.
Fifteen of the accused had their cases heard in the Auckland district court on 1 November with the remaining two cases being heard the following day. As a result of the first hearing Ira Bailey was granted bail and Jamie Lockett was given leave to apply for home detention. Name suppression was also lifted on another three of the arrested; Emily Bailey, Moana Hemi Winitana and Valerie Morse. Morse is a well-known Wellington anarchist activist who in June 2007 published the book Against Freedom: The war on terrorism in everyday New Zealand life. The book contains the passage "It is clear that political dissent is now more perilous and more treacherous than before 11 September. Given the new counter- terrorism laws, the possibility of being not only labelled a terrorist in the media, but prosecuted as one, is a reality. By casting political dissent as terrorism, the government, its agencies, the media, and other vested interests assault our freedom of expression" All were scheduled to have their next hearing on 3 December, though after the Solicitor General's decision not to lay terrorism charges, there were bail hearings on 9 November resulting in Valerie Morse, Emily Bailey, Omar Hamed, Tame Iti and another man who had name suppression being granted bail. The last four of those arrested were also granted bail after a court appearance on 12 November.
When the cases were heard a large crowd had gathered both inside and outside the court to support the people arrested during the raids. Because of "the real and genuine interest" in the charges, the media wanted all future hearings to be held in open, The Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
took the unprecedented stance of supporting the media's right to photograph and cover the entire hearing. The New Zealand media challenged an appeal to retain the name suppression for two of those arrested, on 31 October the High Court dismissed the appeal, allowing the men's names to be made public. The men were revealed as Vietnam war veteran Tuhoe Francis Lambert, and Te Rangikaiwhiria (Whiri) Kemara, both residing in Manurewa
Manurewa
Manurewa is the southernmost major suburb of Manukau City, one of the four cities that make up the metropolitan area of Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 6km south of the Manukau City Centre, and 26km southeast of the Auckland CBD....
, Auckland.
On 8 November 2007, the Solicitor General declined to prosecute under the Terrorism Suppression Act
Terrorism Suppression Act 2002
The Terrorism Suppression Act 2002 is a piece of anti-terrorism legislation from New Zealand.In the first test of the Act, during the 2007 New Zealand anti-terror raids, the Solicitor-General declined to press charges under it, because the legislation was too complex. It was amended in late 2007....
, citing insufficient evidence, and described the legislation as "complex and incoherent", and "almost impossible to apply to domestic circumstances", and recommended the law be sent to the Law Commission for review, which parliament has since agreed to.
On 18 December 2009, 8 August 2011 was set as a tentative trial date.
Charges dropped
In September 2011 the crown dropped the charges for 13 of the 17 defendants after the Supreme Court ruled certain evidence inadmissable. Tame Iti, Emily Bailey, Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara and Urs Signer are still facing charges of participating in a criminal gang and unlawful possession of a firearm. A 3-2 verdict by the court overturned previous rulings by the High Court and Court of Appeal that cameras installed by the police to record the defendants engaging in military-style training were lawful. However, it found offending by the remaining defendants was so serious the evidence collected by the cameras could be used.Leaked evidence controversy
The lawyer representing Jamie Lockett filed a contempt of court complaint against Fairfax MediaFairfax Media
Fairfax Media Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The group's operations include newspapers, magazines, radios and digital media operating in Australia and New Zealand. Fairfax Media was founded by the Fairfax family as John Fairfax and Sons, later to become John...
which published leaked evidence from the case in The Dominion Post. He told Radio New Zealand "I think it is a fairly cynical move by the Dominion to sell newspapers. They have obviously looked at it from a commercial point of view and felt they can make more money by publishing it and I think just adds to the level of contempt." On 10 April 2008 the solicitor general confirmed he would take contempt of court proceedings against Fairfax Media and Dominion Post editor Tim Pankhurst, stating that "The articles were sensational in tone and highly memorable. The fact of the publications themselves became national news."
After a trial, [t]he High Court
High Court of New Zealand
The High Court of New Zealand is a superior court of New Zealand. It was established in 1841 and known as the Supreme Court of New Zealand until 1980....
has found that neither Fairfax nor Mr Pankhurst (as editor of the Dominion Post
The Dominion Post (Wellington)
The Dominion Post is a metropolitan broadsheet newspaper published in Wellington, New Zealand, owned by the Australian Fairfax group, owners of The Age, Melbourne, and The Sydney Morning Herald.- Foundation :...
) is guilty of contempt because the publications are unlikely to prejudice a fair trial of the accused.
Reaction
New Zealand Security Intelligence Service
The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service is an intelligence agency of the New Zealand government.-Purpose:As a civilian organisation, the Security Intelligence Service takes no part in the enforcement of security...
, at first distanced herself from the raids, and refused to comment on SIS involvement. Later, while the case was before the courts, she told media that those arrested "at the very least" had been training with firearms and napalm. National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
leader John Key
John Key
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....
told media he was briefed by SIS staff days before the raids occurred. The Māori Party
Maori Party
The Māori Party, a political party in New Zealand, was formed on 7 July 2004. The Party is guided by eight constitutional "kaupapa", or Party objectives. Tariana Turia formed the Māori Party after resigning from the Labour Party where she had been a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour-led...
condemned the move, with the MP for Waiariki
Waiariki
New Zealand has a large number of hot springs, known as waiariki in Māori. Many of them are used for therapeutic purposes.The highest concentration of such springs is in the Central Plateau region of the North Island, in the Taupo Volcanic Zone...
, Te Ururoa Flavell
Te Ururoa Flavell
Te Ururoa James William Ben Flavell is a New Zealand politician and serves as a member of the New Zealand Parliament.-Ancestry:...
, criticising the police for putting a community in his electorate "under siege," referring to the roadblocks imposed on the town of Ruatoki. Co-leader Pita Sharples
Pita Sharples
Pita Russell Sharples, CBE, , a Māori academic and politician, currently co-leads the Māori Party. He currently is the member for Tamaki Makaurau in New Zealand's Parliament.-Early life:...
said the action has violated the trust that has been developing between Maori and Pakeha and sets race-relations back a hundred years. The Green Party
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...
has also been critical, with co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons
Jeanette Fitzsimons
Jeanette Mary Fitzsimons, CNZM is a New Zealand politician and environmentalist. She was the co-leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand from 1995 to 2009, and was a Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2010.-Career:...
saying the raids traumatised the local population. The party later joined protests in Auckland to pressure the government to withdraw the Terrorism Suppression Amendment and called for those arrested to be released on bail. MP Keith Locke
Keith Locke
Keith James Locke is a current New Zealand MP representing the Green Party who was first elected to parliament in 1999. he is the Green Party spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Defence, Ethnic Affairs, Pacific Affairs, Human Rights, Immigration, Police and Auckland Transport...
told TVNZ that the party would continue to protest until those held in custody are released. In a press release New Zealand First
New Zealand First
New Zealand First is a political party in New Zealand that was founded in 1993, following party founder Winston Peters' resignation from the National Party in 1992...
, MP Ron Mark
Ron Mark
Major Ron Stanley Mark is a New Zealand politician, and is the current mayor of Carterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand.-Early years:...
stated that the police should be congratulated, and suggested a link between criminal gangs and the "suspected terrorist groups." He called for the anti-terrorism laws to be expanded to "outlaw criminal organisations such as gangs once and for all". Aaron Loyd of the New Zealand Law Society
New Zealand Law Society
The New Zealand Law Society is the parent body for barristers and solicitors in New Zealand. It was established in 1869, and regulates all lawyers practising in New Zealand...
pointed out that the legislation could already be used against gangs. The Workers Party
Workers Party of New Zealand
The Workers Party of New Zealand was a socialist/communist political party in New Zealand...
released a statement condemning the raids as "state violence." Socialist Worker
Socialist Worker (Aotearoa)
Socialist Worker is a socialist organisation based in Aotearoa/New Zealand.SW evolved out of the group known as the Socialist Workers Organization, the successor organisation of the Communist Party of New Zealand...
called for the "Terror Laws to be abolished.
Nicky Hager
Nicky Hager is an author and investigative journalist born in Levin, New Zealand and now resides in Wellington. He generally writes about issues involving intelligence networks, environmental issues and politics. He has degrees in physics and philosophy...
suggesting the raids may have been the result of the increased police and SIS staffing and resources aimed at anti-terrorism since 2001. (The raids and the surveillance preceding them cost $8 million to plan and execute.) Veteran activist John Minto
John Minto
John Minto is a New Zealand based political activist known for his involvement in various left-wing groups and causes, most notably Halt All Racist Tours. A 2005 documentary on New Zealand's top 100 history makers listed him as number 89. Today he is involved with the protest group Global Peace...
criticised the police for the move, claiming that their actions provoked a "climate of fear and repression" while left-leaning commentator and blogger Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury
Martyn 'Bomber' Bradbury
Martyn 'Bomber' Bradbury is a left-wing New Zealand media commentator, radio and TV host, and was executive producer of Alt TV - NZ's Alternative music and culture channel ALT TV. He is a blogger of the Tumeke! blog...
, sided with the police, saying that in his dealings with the activist community he had become concerned with the actions of "some clowns." The Herald was criticised for publishing these comments which did not mention who the "clowns" were or name the blog site Bradbury claimed to have communicated with them on. New Zealand Herald columnist Matt McCarten
Matt McCarten
Matthew "Matt" McCarten is a New Zealand political organiser. He has been involved with several leftist or centre-left political parties, and is also active in the trade-union movement...
saw the raids as being over the top; "Some of the young people I know who were arrested are actually vegans who don't even believe in killing animals, let alone human beings. When you get the police searching homes of environmental activists trying to save snails on the West Coast, you know that things have got really silly." McCarten also stated that New Zealanders should be more worried about the country joining the US database of terrorist suspects, and "the creeping powers of our secret police." However the 'From the left' columnist for the Dominion Post, Chris Trotter
Chris Trotter
Chris Trotter is a left-leaning political commentator in New Zealand. He is the editor of the occasional Political Review magazine, and is a regular speaker, orator and singer at left-wing, union and socialist events....
reacted differently, saying "it wasn't the actions of the police that provoked my fury, but of those who'd forced their hand." When left-wing musician Don Franks wrote a protest song about the raids, "Safer Communities Together Blues" he took a swipe at Trotters reaction with the lyrics "The political climate's getting hotter / Got to watch out for the pigs and the pigs' Trotter."
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions is a national trade union center in New Zealand. The NZCTU represents 360,000 workers, and is the largest democratic organisation in New Zealand....
, which represented over 350,000 workers, called for the repeal of the Suppression of Terrorism Act. CTU President Helen Kelly commented "the use of this law is unhelpful and is having the effect of making all political groups nervous about how this law is being and could be used." Civil Liberties group Who's Watching You called the raids "a despicable show of force by the coercive arm of the state" and said that "The extensive use of surveillance to allegedly gather information is another telling example of the Government and police force’s willingness to disregard the people of Aotearoa." Canterbury University academic and social justice campaigner David Small told bFM that the raids were draconian and probably illegal. Former inspector in charge of the Auckland police criminal intelligence Ross Meurant
Ross Meurant
Alan Ross Meurant is a New Zealand public figure who has at various times gained public attention as a police officer, a businessman, a politician, and a political lobbyist.- Police :...
called the raids "extreme and excessive" and claimed the police were guilty of "self-hype and self-justification." An independent survey taken in early November showed 48% of people wanted to wait and see what evidence the police had before they made a judgment on the raids, while 36% said they were already satisfied with the way the police reacted and 13% thought the police overreacted. The statistics were much different among Māori, with 40% of Māori saying the police had over-reacted. The sample size was 750 people.
Protest
Indigenous rights
Indigenous rights are those rights that exist in recognition of the specific condition of the indigenous peoples. This includes not only the most basic human rights of physical survival and integrity, but also the preservation of their land, language, religion and other elements of cultural...
protesters also rallied outside the New Zealand Consulate in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
to condemn the raids. Another protest occurred on 17 October outside the Wellington district court. On 19 October up to one thousand people participated in a hikoi in Whakatane, including people from the Ruatoki Valley and children from the Ruatoki primary school. One Māori elder speaking at the protest called for the overturning of the Suppression of Terrorism Act. The following day hundreds of protesters took to the streets across New Zealand, targeting local police stations. Protesters demanded the government withdraw the Terrorism Suppression Amendment Bill and called for immediate bail for those arrested in the raids. Global Peace and Justice Auckland
Global Peace and Justice Auckland
Global Peace and Justice Auckland describes itself as "a network of people who provide a platform for individuals and groups to discuss and organise co-operatively on peace and justice issues." They are well known for organising the Auckland component of the global February 15, 2003 anti-war...
spokesperson Mike Treen said a 'Darth Vader police force in para-military uniforms has been terrorising whole communities' and called for a national day of action the following week. On the day Tame Iti appeared in the Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
district court 500 people protested causing police to close off streets around the Rotorua Courthouse. There were protests on 27 October 2007 in 13 cities around New Zealand, and around the world including; the Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Greece and Australia.
On 3 November, a demonstration involving about 150 people took place outside a Labour Party conference. Some protesters wearing orange boiler suits had chained themselves together with gags in their mouths and a word such as "terrorist", "Māori" or "anarchist" on their backs. Others held placards with the slogans "State terrorists kidnapped our friends" and "Free political prisoners". Len Richards, a Labour Party delegate allegedly struck a protester in the face with a megaphone, though he claims "there was no violence" despite TV3 showing footage of the incident. According to the Workers Party
Workers Party of New Zealand
The Workers Party of New Zealand was a socialist/communist political party in New Zealand...
, the protester was one of their members. Three arrests were made at the protest, one a man attempting to break the police line and enter the Bruce Mason Centre where the conference was held, a second had been pulled off the top of a police van and a third was taken out the crowd, he claimed he had been trying to perform a haka
Haka
Haka is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment...
. Security personnel at the venue had been significantly increased from the previous day.
Aftermath
Auckland lawyer Peter Williams, engaged by representatives of Tuhoe, examined whether charges could be brought against police for the raids and whether there was a case for charges of wrongful imprisonment. Williams wrote to Police Commissioner Howard Broad, seeking compensation and a restoration of manaMana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
, but on 14 December announced he had received no reply and would represent thirty members of Tuhoe in a class action
Class action
In law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued...
against the police. Broad had earlier however publicly apologised to the people of Ruatoki for the raids and acknowledged that the actions of his force might take decades to heal. According to TV3 Ruatoki residents wanted utu
Utu (Maori concept)
Utu is a Māori concept of reciprocation, or balance.To retain mana, both friendly and unfriendly actions require an appropriate response - hence utu covers both the reciprocation of kind deeds, and the seeking of revenge....
(reciprocity) in the form of Broad's resignation. The call for his resignation was echoed by the Māori Party and Global Peace and Justice Auckland. A hikoi protesting the raids and the Suppression of Terrorism Act left the Bay of Plenty on 12 November. The hikoi
Hikoi
Hikoi is a term of the Maori language of New Zealand generally meaning a protest march or parade, usually implying a long journey taking days or weeks....
collected signatures for a petition that it presented to parliament when it arrived in Wellington two days later. On 13 November a group of concerned individuals placed an advertisement in the Dominion Post urging the government to withdraw the Suppression of Terrorism Bill. Signatories to the advertisement included Green Party
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...
leader Jeanette Fitzsimons
Jeanette Fitzsimons
Jeanette Mary Fitzsimons, CNZM is a New Zealand politician and environmentalist. She was the co-leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand from 1995 to 2009, and was a Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2010.-Career:...
and National Distribution Union
National Distribution Union
The National Distribution Union is a national trade union in New Zealand. It was formed in 1986 as the Northern Distribution Union by the merger of The Northern Drivers Union, The Northern Stores and Warehouse Union, The Auckland and Gisborne Shop Employee Union, and The Northern Butchers and...
leader Laila Harre
Laila Harré
Laila Jane Harré is a New Zealand politician and trade unionist. She was a Member of Parliament for the left-wing Alliance party, and became the party's leader for a brief period after the group experienced a schism in 2002.-Early life:...
.
In 2009, 8 August 2011 was set as the start date for the trial in Auckland. This date was later bought forward to May 2011 with an expected running time of 12 weeks.
In March 2011, the Court of Appeal
Court of Appeal of New Zealand
The Court of Appeal of New Zealand, located in Wellington, is New Zealand’s principal intermediate appellate court. In practice, most appeals are resolved at this intermediate appellate level, rather than in the Supreme Court...
ruled for the prosecution in saying that the defendants in the case could be tried by a judge alone. The reasons for this decision are suppressed from publication by the courts. Originally, on 9 December 2010, the decision not to hold a jury trial was itself suppressed by Justice Helen Winkelmann, but this was lifted later that month.
A documentary critical of the raids, Operation 8: Deep in the Forest, was directed by Errol Wright and Abi King-Jones and screened around New Zealand as part of the World Cinema Showcase film festival.
In September 2011 charges against 11 of the initial 17 were dropped. As a result the government passed the Video Camera Surveillance (Temporary Measures) Act 2011
Video Camera Surveillance (Temporary Measures) Act 2011
The Video Camera Surveillance Act 2011 is an Act of Parliament passed in New Zealand in 2011. The law is a response to the Supreme Court's ruling in Hamed & Ors v. R, and is intended to legalise surveillance ruled unlawful by the courts.-Background:On 2 September 2011 the Supreme Court of New...
.
External links
- Police affidavit Evidence collected by Police prior to the raids
- Paul Buchanan: Postscript on Operation 8
- Tuhoe Ruatoki residents plan roadblock
- A bad case of "Terrorism" hysteria Opinion article from the Anti-Bases CampaignAnti-Bases CampaignAnti-Bases Campaign is an organisation campaigning to remove foreign military bases and intelligence installations from New Zealand, and to dismantle the Government Communications Security Bureau....
- Anti-terror raids leave scars article published one year on from the raids (archived copy)
- "Safer Communities Together Blues"
- Operation 8: Deep in the Forest - a documentary film about the raids