Auckland Council cancels anti co-governance meeting booking over safety fears

Tuesday, 28 March 2023

Julian Batchelor was to speak at the Mount Eden War Memorial Hall, pictured, on Tuesday night. (File photo)

Auckland Council has cancelled a planned meeting of an anti co-governance group over fears for the safety of those in attendance.

The meeting, set for Tuesday night, was organised by Christian evangelist Julian Batchelor, who is touring New Zealand speaking about his views opposing co-governance proposals.

Protesters from the Aotearoa Liberation League (ALL) had booked the Mount Eden War Memorial Hall directly after Batchelor’s meeting for a presentation debunking the preacher’s claims.

But on Monday night, both protesters and Batchelor were told both bookings had been cancelled in response to safety concerns.

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In a copy of the letter posted online by ALL, a council representative said they could not allow the meeting to go ahead following advice from police, security and health and safety advisers.

On Tuesday morning, Auckland Council customer and community services director Dr Claudia Wyss said the council had notified the event organisers and the decision to cancel was made “after careful consideration”.

“This includes the unsuitability of the site to host these events, and is based on the information available to us [on Monday].

“It is our view that there are insufficient mitigations in place to address the serious health and safety risks present to those in attendance and those nearby.

“Public safety is our top priority and we are taking these steps to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved and our communities.”

A number of previous meetings in other locations have also had to be called off after heated confrontations.

Police were forced to intervene at a meeting in Dargaville earlier in March when tensions ran high between those there to see Batchelor and those there in protest, Newshub reported.

They reported that during his speech, Batchelor claimed co-governance was part of a war between 'tribal representatives or elite Māori and the rest of New Zealand'.