14 Sep 2015

Police keep watch on Kaitaia airport after occupation

1:09 pm on 14 September 2015

Far North police are keeping a close eye on Kaitaia airport after the Ngati Kahu occupation that stopped flights on two days last week.

The protestors have been served with trespass notices, banning them from the airport, and five were charged after police evicted them.

But protest leader Wikatana Popata has vowed they will regroup and return in greater numbers.

Acting Senior Sergeant Sergeant Glenn Taplin said officers were going out to the airport when flights were due to land or leave to ensure safety and reassure the public.

The five protestors arrested at the airport will appear in court in Kaitaia on Thursday.