Protesters trying to stop trees being felled on Auckland's Ōwairaka/Mt Albert say the announcement that a hui will take place has taken them by surprise.
Photo: Tūpuna Maunga Authority
The group has been camped out on the mountain for around two weeks to stop the Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority from cutting down more than 300 exotic trees and replacing them with natives.
Spokeswoman Anna Radford said they had been trying to meet with the authority for a while, but with no luck.
"All we ever asked for was to be treated with respect and have answers to our not unreasonable questions. Is this the Auckland that we all want to live in? I don't think so."
Ms Radford said members of the protest group would be considering their response to the hui idea this weekend.
However, the authority claims its attempt to meet with the protesters has been met with resistance.
It said the whakawātea followed by a pōwhiri and hui will be held at Ōwairaka/Mt Albert on Thursday 28 November. It said after the pōwhiri, people would have the opportunity to speak.