Attribute to Superintendent Jill Rogers, Counties Manukau District Commander:
Police and protest organisers at Ihumatao continue to have constructive discussions and Police remain pleased with the generally peaceful nature of the ongoing protest.
No further arrests have been made at the site since Wednesday and the atmosphere has been calm today.
Police have been having regular discussions with protest organisers to manage issues at the site and minimise disruption.
As part of this dialogue Police have this afternoon given protestors full access to one of the paddocks, which had already been partly occupied with tents.
This decision was made on safety grounds given the current numbers at the site, and in anticipation of further people arriving over the weekend.
Police and protest organisers also agreed to access through the cordon which allowed Police to remove some of its vehicles from the site, while a vehicle behind the cordon belonging to one of the protest organisers was also recovered by its owner.
The Police role continues to be upholding the law and preventing any breach of the peace.
Police commend protest organisers who have called for those gathering to continue to act peacefully and treat Police with respect.
We reiterate our commitment to doing all we can to resolve this complex situation peacefully.
ENDS