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Regional | Mining

Representatives against oil exploration to meet with Indigenous Saami Parliament

A group of representatives from Northland carrying with them a message against oil-exploration at Te Reinga Basin are due to arrive in Oslo, Norway this Friday.

The delegation plans to speak with the Indigenous Saami Parliament next week as well as visit the head office of Statoil in Norway to directly relay the message that they are adamantly against oil exploration in the moana of their rohe.

The group which includes environmentalist Mike Smith, kaumatua Sonny Otene and Hinekaa Mako will take with them letters of opposition to oil exploration from Ngāti Kuri, Ngāti Kahu and Te Rarawa.

Hinekaa Mako says the journey carries with it the hope of "seeking to form a relationship of joint political, moral and legal co-operation with the Indigenous people of Norway."

On Monday the representatives will then travel to Norway's oil capital Stavenger where the Statoil company headquarters are located.

The group plans to tell management of Statoil that their ships are not welcome in Aotearoa's seas.

Kaumatua and member of Te Ahipara Komiti Takutaimoana, Te Wani Otene says , "the iwi wants Statoil to surrender their permits and go home. We only have to look at recent history to see our future, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is still causing so much damage, we are not going to let that happen in Ahipara, to Te Oneroa a Tohe."