[…] After previously saying the government would not intervene, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern vowed on Friday that no building would take place at Ihumatao while a solution was being sought.
A senior member of the iwi, Mr Rankin said he would lodge a complaint with police that the Prime Minister used her position to interfere in a legal transaction and as a consequence would deprive the iwi of dozens of homes which Fletchers had contracted to provide to the mana whenua.
“I don’t take this action lightly,” he said, “but the Prime Minister has directly interfered in a legally valid arrangement, and at great cost to the iwi”.“First, she destroyed KiwiBuild, and now she is destroying Iwi build. Fletchers have agreed to provide 40 houses to our people, which is exactly 40 more houses than the Labour government has managed to provide to us.”
newsie.co.nz/news/157823-ihumtao-senior-iwi-member-rankin-to-complain-over-pm-jacinda-ardern-interference
Mr Rankin admitted the complaint would make him unpopular, but said there was a bigger issue at stake.
“Ms Ardern has breached the kawa of our hapu, and her actions will leave some of our old people without houses. This is intolerable, and also breaches the law.”
