About 100 SOUL members and supporters issued a clarion call to the Auckland City Council to protect Ihumātao.
Prior to gathering outside Auckland's Town Hall, Pania Newton and SOUL (Save Our Unique Landscape) made their presence known at an Auckland Council meeting.
Their message was simple, "The council must be part of the solution to protect Ihumātao for future generations."
Despite a significant decrease in the number of people that remain at Ihumātao, James Matiu-Epiha (Te Rarawa) believes their efforts are not wasted and that the wairua remains high.
"We are not dying down there.... don't believe everything that you see on the media, Facebook and all that. Come to Ihumātao, we are still fighting and we are still protecting at the same time," he says.