Ngāpuhi hapū members frustrated with their iwi's leadership have staged a rowdy protest today in Whangārei.
Hapū protest outside the Ngāpuhi rūnanga annual general meeting. Photo: RNZ / Lois Williams
The rūnanga chaired by Raniera Sonny Tau is holding its AGM in a Tikipunga church hall.
Carol Dodd, a former deputy chair of the rūnanga, said it was proposing changes to its constitution that weakened its representation and good conduct rules.
"It's actually the rūnanga's staff that are the scrutineers; it is the rūnanga's staff that will do all the counting. We asked in our submission to appoint independent scrutineers because of the lack of confidence in the rūnanga and particularly the leadership."
Ms Dodd said the AGM is packed, and the crowd includes many people angry at the rūnanga's role in the Ngāpuhi mandate dispute.