Protesters have no plan to move on
A Waka Kotahi spokesperson said security guards have been in place on the Mt Messenger project since May 2022.
On Thursday morning a lone pro- tester sat in a tent near the top of Mt Messenger keeping out of the rain.
For close to six months protesters who oppose the current route for a new $280 million bypass of Mt Messenger have been camping on or near the summit. Haumoana White said they had no intention of ending the protest. ‘‘It’s a matter of what’s right and what’s wrong. Going down through that valley is absolutely wrong that’s wrong on many fronts. We want to count the dollars that’s wrong.’’
Security guards stationed at the summit visit the protesters every three hours or so, White said.
‘‘One of them stopped to give some lady’s magazines to the girls.’’
The protesters get a lot of visitors and people saying hello, he said.
‘‘It’s not just sitting around a gathering and a bit of food. It’s a battle,’’ he said.
‘‘We’re not happy with what’s happening in the valley.’’
White said he came and went from the protest, which usually had between one and 10 people on site, sometimes more.
He was on his own for a while yesterday morning, but modern technology stopped him from getting bored, he said, pointing to his phone.
The protesters set up camp on top of Mt Messenger in August last year, and were removed from the summit in November by police, and were now camping on the side of the road on the northern side of the summit.
A two-metre high concrete wall has been built in front of a worksite at the top.
A Waka Kotahi spokesperson said security guards have been in place on the Mt Messenger project since May 2022.
‘‘We have security guards on the project at various site locations to minimise entry of unauthorised personnel and to protect equipment, particularly when the site is unattended outside working hours.’’
The security costs for the project were managed within the total project budget, he said.