We Are, Truly, a Nation Divided

Pee Kay
No Minister

In late October last year, I posted an article about Northland iwi, Ngātiwai, landing on one of the strictly protected Poor Knights Islands, raising a flag and concreting in a carved pou in protest at the amendment to the Marine and Coastal Area Act.

That blatant act of law breaking and the inaction of DOC angered me to the extent I lodged an Official Information Act request with DOC.

This is the response I received from DOC – https://nominister.wordpress.com/2025/12/15/docs-oia-response/

Such was my belief that Ngātiwai was actually assisted in breaking the law by a government department I ended that post with –  To Be Continued

So, a new OIA request was sent to DOC.

Herewith their response –

Tēnā koe

Thank you for your request to the Department of Conservation (DOC), received on 08 December 2025. Following my response to your request (ref OIAD-5819), dated 3 December 2025, you asked additional questions about the landing on Aorangi Island by Ngātiwai.

We have considered your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA).

Your questions and our responses are listed below:

1. Did DOC convey to Ngātiwai, in writing, that they would be in serious breach of the law if they made a landing on one of the islands of the Poor Knights group?
2. Did DOC convey to Ngātiwai, in writing, the resultant penalty for an illegal landing on one of the islands of the Poor Knights group?

No, DOC did not have any written correspondence with Ngātiwai regarding the landing. However, as advised in my response to your request OIAD-5819, the department contacted Ngātiwai between 23 October and 10 November 2025 and conversations on the matter were held verbally.

• Please supply copies (written, recorded and electronic) of all the communications between DOC and Ngātiwai prior to Ngātiwai departing for their illegal landing.

(Six pages of copies of texts were attached to the response. Pee Kay)

Nāku noa, nā

Phelan Pirrie
Acting Regional Operations Director, Northern North Island
Department of Conservation
Te Papa Atawhai

“No, DOC did not have any written correspondence with Ngātiwai regarding the landing.”

That response simply amazes me!

DOC are advised a group are going to break the law: a law, if broken and a conviction resulted, a maximum penalty for an individual is a two-year jail term or a fine or $100,000.

And DOC don’t see the necessity to advise, in writing, the impending law breakers of the consequences of their action?

Even shoddier, DOC did not even request, let alone demand they desist from their plan of action!

Does that not indicate that DOC did not see the landing by Ngātiwai as a serious breach of the law? I suppose they can’t really, as they actually assisted in the endeavour!

For a government department where most actions are able to be scrutinised, would not the normal course of action be to advise the intending law breakers, in writing, of the law and the consequences, obviously couched in terms that denote the seriousness of the breach? You would want to cover your backside at the very least, wouldn’t you?

You have to wonder what a law breaker would have to do to activate a serious response from DOC?

Here is a copy of one of the texts received in the OIA.

“…it was a real pleasure to be allowed on the waka”. That’s the language of a couple of good friends. I’m surprised they didn’t make arrangements to catch up for a beer after the inspection!

Part of another text –

“…thank you for the opportunity to be involved and allow the department to put these checks in place.”

Geez, who is the ‘policeman’ and who is the law breaker?

These guys are planning to commit a serious breach of the law and they are being thanked?

A friend of a friend also submitted a similar OIA request to DOC. Interestingly this text was in the documentation he received –

4. Supporting Staff Through This

We understand that some staff may feel discomfort or concern about this decision. Please know:

Your work in upholding biosecurity and conservation values is deeply appreciated.

This decision does not diminish the importance of our protocols—it reflects a broader responsibility to uphold both ecological and Treaty values.

If you have questions or need support, please reach out to your Principal Ranger or the

Operations Manager.

If you have any H&S concerns, please raise these in Risk Manager so these can be captured and reported against.

“We understand that some staff may feel discomfort or concern about this decision.”

It is of some comfort to know at least some of the DOC staff in the Northland office believe in the rule of law and had, presumably, misgivings about the inaction of senior DOC staff!

Ngātiwai’s actions and DOC’s subsequent response of ‘do nothing’ is totally unacceptable. Ngātiwai’s  breaking of the law was a deliberate criminal act, but they suffer no consequences!

It is very difficult not to think that DOC’s obsequious engagements prior to Ngātiwai’s illegal venture and their refusal to bring any charges against Ngātiwai post their landing shows a definite racial bias.

DOC were turning a blind eye because the offenders were Māori? What would DOC’s actions be if the law breakers were not Māori?

Has DOC now established a precedent whereby any future landings on the protected Poor Knights Islands cannot be prosecuted?

In 2022 the amazingly inadequate MP Poto Williams made this comment to the Māori Affairs select committee “Māori hate the Department of Conservation!”

Apparently, that was what she had been told by Māori Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis the previous year when she was first appointed minister in charge of the Department of Conservation.

“One of the first things that minister Davis said to me was that Māori hate DOC,” she told the committee.

“They have a really poor relationship with the department so good luck to you sister,” Davis had said to her.

Davis, when speaking to the Herald said – “People would say they had no trust in DoC, they think they own all our land.”

Māori think DOC own all their land? 

Well, given the Ngātiwai debacle, there is no doubt in my mind DOC are going ‘above and beyond’ to change that perception!

We are, truly, a nation divided!

This article was originally published by No Minister.