Hundreds gathered on Wednesday morning to protest the mayor of Kaipara banning karakia in council meetings.
The protests in Dargaville happened today, despite mayor Craig Jepson changing his stance on karakia in council meetings. He now permits them at the opening and closing of meetings.
One of the protest organisers, Paturiri Toautu says he was happy with today's turnout, as he worked hard to get the word out to a wide range of people. He believed this protest was necessary, despite Craig Jepson reversing his stance.
"What people don't understand is that karakia belongs to tikanga Maori, it belongs to us as Maori. And it's also basically the only tikanga Maori that we had. We had that one minute karakia in Te Reo Maori and that's all we had."
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.