Legal threat over Okura protest action
The chairman of Te Papa museum is threatening legal action over protests outside the museum against his 864-hectare waterfront development near Okura marine reserve.
Weiti Bay developer Evan Williams confirmed letters had been sent by his lawyer to the protest group, the Evan C. Williams Removal Committee, which had been outside Te Papa in the past few weeks, group spokesperson Geoff Reid, and Friends of Okura Bush (FOOB).
The letters claimed the committee’s calls for Williams to be removed from his position, a flyer distributed to the public, and a poster suggesting Williams was damaging the environment for financial gain were false and defamatory. Williams’ lawyer requested Reid to stop publishing alleged defamatory and potentially harmful communications on his Facebook page or legal action would be pursued under the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015.
Protesters had been at loggerheads with Williams for two-and-a-half-years over alleged environmental damage to the Long Bay-Okura Marine Reserve, which they say was caused by ‘‘excessive sediment’’ from Williams Land’s development.
The marine reserve consists of sandy beaches, rocky reefs, estuarine mudflats and mangroves and is home to the endangered dotterel.
Williams said his company, Williams Land, planned to keep 80 per cent of Weiti Bay green, while only 20 per cent would be developed. Williams said Weiti Bay, located 1 to 3 kilometres behind Dacre Cottage in Karepiro Bay, was ‘‘completely divorced’’ from the estuary by a ridgeline and was not contributing to the ‘‘excessive sediment’’ seen in the marine reserve.
He said millions of dollars had been spent on sediment ponds, silt fences, and linings to streams and water flows to ensure the estuary was protected.
Protester Reid alleged Williams’ ‘‘threatening legal letters’’ were an attempt to shut down democratic processes and gag his critics.
Dr Maj De Poorter of FOOB said the group had also received a letter from Williams’ lawyer, simply for sharing posts from Reid’s Facebook page.
Reid said, although protesters were not happy with the legal letters, they would continue to campaign.