Kaikohe hīkoi protests against gang violence

Hapū and community members of Kaikohe have banded together to show gangs their violence is unwanted in the Northland town. A hīkoi of around 250 people walked the town’s main streets yesterday morning to lay down a rāhui – or customary ban – against the escalating violence. The move comes after shots were fired through the town in the early hours of Tuesday morning, as part of rising tensions between the Killer Beez and the Tribesmen that are also thought to have resulted in shootings in Auckland. In March, there was a vicious daylight assault on a Tribesmen member, followed by a series of shootings where one person was shot in the leg. Police have responded with arrests and a recent crackdown, but the rāhui is about hapū using a different kind of mana to make a stand and appeal for peace, organiser Mane Tahere (Ngāti Tautahi) said. ‘‘It’s intentional that the onus goes back onto the individuals.’’