20 Nov 2010

Taipa protestors given deadline to leave

12:33 am on 20 November 2010

The owner of the land occupied by a Ngati Kahu group in the Far North says he will take out a trespass order if they are not gone by Sunday.

The protestors on Thursday stopped a Dune Rider tour bus and spoke to passengers about their grievance, causing another company, Fullers, to cancel its morning tea stop at Taipa.

Owner Todd Male, who lives in Auckland, says he was receiving calls on the hour from Taipa people asking him to evict the protesters.

He says the occupation seems to have escalated in terms of the effect it is having on the Far North.

However, tour buses returned to the Taipa Resort Hotel on Friday without disruption from protesters.

Rsort owner Dale Synnot says both Dune Rider and Fullers were back on Friday.

She says she spoke to police about Thursday's incident, and understands they warned the protesters not to interfere with the tour buses.