The Rūātoki valley settles under a cloud of rain as their mistrust of police grows following fresh allegations that surveillance continued after Operation 8 in 2007.
According to Tame Iti, “The report was clear by law. What they did was not right, they did not follow their protocols, they did what they wanted to do.”
The community of Rūātoki are working towards an apology from the NZ Police for the way they were treated during Operation 8, they also want compensation and are working under a united front.
Tame Iti believes that the truth of police operations, during and after Operation 8 is going to come out eventually.
“The police and the government under Helen Clark at the time, did not follow their laws, and now we are seeing that there was no substance in what they put down.”
There's no deadline on when negotiations will finish between Tūhoe and the NZ Police on this issue, however the mistrust between Tūhoe and New Zealand Police maybe long lasting.