On Thursday Ihumatao protestors marched on Jacinda Ardern’s electorate office and ACT leader David Seymour in response has pointed out that she has brought it on herself by legitimising the protestors unlawful behaviour by capitulating to their illegal occupation as her opening move. It was a serious error of judgement to put a halt to the development of 480 houses on private property.
After Ardern interfered she promptly hopped on a plane and left for the Pacific. The message she sent before she left the protest in her rearview mirror was “if you occupy private property, the government will take your side and give you a seat at the table instead of protecting the property rights of the legal owners.”
“Police should ensure the protestors are prevented from returning to the site and that the legitimate property rights of the developer are upheld. If the Government continues to undermine private property rights, the consequences will be far more serious than a bunch of ragtag protestors on the PM’s doorstep.”
The prime minister has now naively promised to visit Ihumatao. She is yet again interfering in something that she should have nothing whatsoever to do with. The protestors are illegally occupying private land at Ihumatao. If they were illegally occupying Jacinda Ardern’s house do you think that she would talk to them or do you think that she would expect the police to do their job and remove them?
By visiting the protestors Ardern will once again embolden and legitimise them.
“It is extraordinary that Jacinda Ardern has taken the side of illegal occupiers over the legal owners of the property.
The Prime Minister is undermining the Treaty settlement process and the entire system of property rights upon which our prosperity is founded.
This Government has legislated away the rights of licensed firearm owners and the oil and gas industry without consultation and without those groups having done anything wrong. But the Prime Minister is willing to consult and provide a seat at the table to a ragtag group of protestors illegally occupying private property.
When will Jacinda Ardern’s philosophy of kindness and inclusion extend to New Zealanders who own property and follow the law?”
ACT leader David Seymour