2007 New Zealand Anti-terror Raids - Trial

Trial

On 13 February 2012, the trial for the remaining four defendants began in the Auckland High Court. Protestors and Tuhoe activists demonstrated outside the courts before the trial started. At the request of the defendants the trial was heard before a jury rather than a judge as had been planned. The prosecution said the four persons on trial were the ringleaders of the group which trained for months to take military action against civilian targets in their cause for an independent Tuhoe nation, with Tame Iti as leader.

The Crown opened its case by showing secretly filmed video of the armed group in the Urewera bush. They were filmed by micro cameras hidden in trees. This evidence was replayed on TV1 news on 14 February 2012 and showed the group with their faces mainly obscured by scarves and balaclavas manoeuvering with semi-automatic and bolt action rifles following military style commands. Another scene showed members running with lit Molotov bombs. Audio that was played claimed to be about 200 shots the group fired in practice. Two blindfolded boys who were taken to the training camp at gunpoint were the first Crown witnesses to appear. They said they had been blindfolded and taken into the bush by people with weapons. The Crown prosecutor said the police had found a recipe for a thermite bomb so violent it could melt metal. One of the group trainers – ex-soldier Lambert – is now dead. R Kemara was the supplier of weapons for the group as he had a legal firearms licence. Police have video of him loading weapons into his truck to take to the camp. The prosecution played secretly recorded tapes of the defendants saying they must be prepared to kill people. A transcript from Tame Iti talking online said they were part of a revolutionary army with the idea of taking over control of the Urewera area. Others were recorded saying they must be prepared to kill.