Thrower of sex toy to defy ban
The woman who threw a dildo at the National Party’s Steven Joyce at Waitangi says she will attend this year’s commemorations despite being trespassed by police.
Christchurch activist Josie Butler took to social media yesterday morning to say police had visited her home last week and banned her from attending celebrations at Waitangi.
She is best known for throwing a dildo at the-then economic development minister at Waitangi in 2016.
In a video on Facebook, Butler said she had been invited to speak this year about the benefits of protest and had recently discovered her great-great-great-grandfather was a signatory of the Treaty and had been the first person ever to speak at Waitangi.
She said the purpose of her trip was to honour and explore her whakapapa.
‘‘I feel really hurt that that opportunity has been taken away from me without anyone even giving me a phone call first and having a yarn.’’
Butler said that she had emailed every member of the Waitangi board four days ago about the trespass notice, requesting the opportunity to speak about the decision.
She said no-one had responded or acknowledged her email.
‘‘I feel really disillusioned that I could be trespassed from my ancestral lands without even having an opportunity to explore them.’’
Butler said the ‘‘real kicker’’ of it all was that former National Party leader Don Brash had been invited to speak.
‘‘Don Brash, [a] person who completely opposes Te Tiriti Waitangi. Don Brash, the person who thinks the Waitangi Tribunal should be abolished. Don Brash, the man who has been banned from universities because of his hate speech towards Ma¯ ori.
‘‘I think this is a really good example of where our race relations are at today.
‘‘Decisions being made on our behalf, without us being allowed even a voice in these decisions and when we shout often we are completely ignored.’’
Butler said she would still attend Waitangi despite the ban. ‘‘I will be exploring my ancestral land and I won’t be causing a fuss. I just want to go and see my marae and feel the wairua of the land.’’
She said no piece of paper was going to stop her having that right.