'We've been spat at': Wardens face abuse at slip cordon, build own shelter

Māori Wardens protecting Mauao say they have been spat at, had bottles and food thrown at them and dealt with repeated cordon breaches. 

Since the fatal Mauao landslide on January 22, Ngā Wātene Māori o Mauao wardens have worked in shifts to guard the cordon around the closed maunga. 

Wardens say the job has brought verbal and physical abuse, dangerous breaches and difficult working conditions, including having to build their own makeshift shelter against the weather. 

Sophie Te Moni is chairwoman of Ngā Wātene Māori o Mauao Charitable Trust, which is contracted by Tauranga City Council to provide security at the cordon. 

She also works as a warden at the base of Mauao. 

Te Moni said wardens had been at Mauao since 8am on January 22 and initially had 12 volunteers around the base. 

“From that day forward, we’ve been working 24/7.” 

Currently, two wardens are based at the Mount Main Beach end of the cordon. 

It has not been easy for the group as they try to protect the slip-scarred maunga they regard as whānau. 

Ngā Wātene Māori o Mauao chairwoman Sophie Te Moni and co-ordinator Katrina Hoko. Photo / Ayla Yeoman 

“We look after him to make sure that he’s not being disrespected.” 

The wardens’ co-ordinator Katrina Hoko said they had seen several breaches, usually from “hyped up” young people. 

Te Moni recalled three boys breaching the cordon and going to the top of the main landslide. 

“It was so scary because we could see them and the police refused to go in because it was a dangerous area.” 

Police said the trio were later arrested and charged. 

Hoko said while many people the wardens met had been supportive, including locals offering support and food, wardens had also been verbally and physically abused. 

“We’ve been spat at,” she said. Bottles and food had also been thrown at them. 

A warden on the Mount Main Beach side of the Mauao cordon. Photo / Kelly O'Hara 

Te Moni said wardens were told to remain polite despite the hostility, which had usually come from locals. 

“I say, just be polite and they won’t come back.” 

She said the wardens write daily reports to track what happens, including any negative encounters. 

She said the Māori Wardens based at Mauao receive funding from the council in the form of a koha (donation). This covered costs including fuel, meals, uniforms and wet weather gear. 

Local Facebook users recently raised concerns about the wardens’ working conditions at the cordons, with photos of their makeshift shelter shared. 

A makeshift shelter being used by Māori wardens at the base of Mauao. Photo / Kelly O'Hara 

The shelter, made using tarps, metal framing, timber posts, rope and cords, was described as looking like “a homeless shelter”. 

Te Moni said they initially used their limited funding to hire a caravan to provide shelter on the Pilot Bay side and later bought some gazebos, which had since “blown away” in the harsh winds. 

“Since then my crew constructed that thing that’s out there. 

“It’s quite ugly, but it’s the only kind of shelter they could put up themselves that stayed there.” 

She said they were in the process of removing it, as the council had said it would create a shelter. 

Tauranga City Council recovery manager Charlie Rahiri said it contracted the trust to provide security from the start of the emergency response. 

Its contract required the trust to provide welfare items, including temporary shelter. 

Rahiri acknowledged the wardens’ current facilities were “not ideal”. 

“The council is working with Ngā Watene Māori o Mauao to repair and/or replace this structure that has been damaged.” 

Tauranga City Council recovery manager Charlie Rahiri. Photo / Alyse Wright 

He said some “unacceptable and disrespectful behaviour such as throwing bottles and food at wardens” happened in January, right after the slip, but quickly stopped. 

Wardens’ daily reports to supervisors were not passed to the council unless there were cordon breaches or health and safety issues of concern. 

Security would remain necessary because Mauao was still a “high-risk” area and active recovery site, and breaches continued, Rahiri said. 

He said the recent reduction from seven to two wardens was a trial because there had been fewer breaches of the “more robust” Pilot Bay fencing. 

More people were also around after the boat ramp and surf club reopened on Adams Ave. 

The council has previously said it hopes to repair and partially reopen the tracks on Mauao this summer, if that can happen safely. 

A September 1 progress report on recovery efforts said it spent $192,919 on security in the initial response to the Mauao weather event, and $645,723 on security for the ongoing Mauao recovery. 

Total expenses related to the response and recovery exceeded $5.1 million. 

Western Bay of Plenty area commander Clifford Paxton. Photo / NZME 

Western Bay of Plenty Police area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton said three young men who breached the Mauao cordon on February 11 were charged under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act and pleaded guilty. 

Two were fined $800, while the third was due in court in January. 

He said the cordons on Mauao were clearly signposted and monitored by CCTV. 

“They are in place to protect public safety, and there is no excuse for breaching them.” 

– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. 

Ayla Yeoman is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based in Tauranga. She holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in communications, politics and international relations from the University of Auckland, and has been a journalist since 2023.