Crown claims activist declared war on NZ

It described Lockett as someone who was an active participant in a group that had the potential to make a violent impact on New Zealand society.

The charges Lockett faces relate to alleged offences in January, April and June.

Police yesterday arrested 17 people after executing search warrants carried out under the Firearms Act and the Terrorism Suppression Act in Wellington, Auckland, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Hamilton, Whakatane and Ruatoki, which is 20 kilometres south of Whakatane.

Police Commissioner Howard Broad said the raids were the culmination of a year-long investigation into weapons training camps alleged to have been held in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

Firearms and reportedly a napalm bomb were seized in the raids.

Mr Lockett said he was effectively kidnapped by police, Radio New Zealand reported.

Meanwhile, Wellington activist Sam Buchanan, whose house was raided yesterday, said it was likely people using his house had links with prominent Maori activist Tame Iti, who was among the people arrested in yesterday's raids. But he said there was absolutely no chance terrorists had been meeting at his house.

SUSPEND JUDGEMENT ON POLICE UNTIL TRIALS - KING

Police Minister Annette King said people should withhold judgment on yesterday's police raids until cases go through the courts.

She was asked today if police had overreacted in their swoop and arrests as part of an investigation into alleged weapons training camps.

"Police have to do what they have to do, they have to decide how, when and where. It's not for me or for people standing on the sidelines to decide that," she said.

"We have to rely on their judgment to do that and we will see in the fullness of time what their actions bring."

Ms King said if police had made the right decisions or not would be revealed when cases went to court.

She said the Government had no role in the operation.

"I don't decide what call they make and it's not a political decision and it would be a sad day in New Zealand when the Minister of Police tells them who to arrest and who not to arrest. You'd really worry about a police state if that was the case."

The Terrorism Suppression Amendment Bill is before Parliament due for a second reading.

Some of the people yesterday may be charged under the Terrorism Suppression Act and Ms King was asked if the timing was favourable for the Government.

"There's no politics behind this action, in fact we were not aware there was an operation in place until the commissioner advised us that he was terminating an almost year-long operation," she said.

She did not think police's decision about the operation had anything to do with politics either.

"I don't believe the police are playing politics, I think that is a pretty unfair suggestion. They have to make decisions on the evidence they have and I suspect that anything had happened you would be standing here saying to me 'why didn't the useless cops do something about it'?"

RAIDED GROUP'S PLANS 'WILL HORRIFY MIDDLE NZ'

One left-leaning commentator who says he has links to political activist movements says "middle New Zealand will recoil in horror" when it hears the reasons behind yesterday's raids by police.

Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury said on one blog site that he had been talking to people in the activist community and was concerned that the activities of some "clowns" could lead to a backlash from the wider public.

"If the allegations as I understand them are true, this country is about to get very, very, very angry," Mr Bradbury said.

"Though I don't believe for one moment what will be revealed is anything more than stupid arrogant boasts... middle New Zealand will recoil in horror."

PROMINENT ACTIVIST TAME ITI AMONG THE ARRESTS

Fourteen people including high profile Maori activist Tame Iti appeared in court yesterday.

Iti, facing eight charges relating to possessing firearms and molotov cocktails, is due to reappear in Rotorua District Court again this afternoon to apply for bail.

Assistant Police commissioner Jon White said today there was at least one area in Ruatoki that was still subject to being searched and police wanted to talk to more people.

"The operation was not completed yesterday. There's a number of inquiries to complete as you might expect when you undertake activities of this scale and nature - it leads to other inquiries and so our work is far from finished," he said on Radio New Zealand.

However, police had scaled back their presence in Ruatoki, he said.

Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell yesterday questioned the manner in which police had carried out the raids in Ruatoki and the surrounding Urewera Valley.

He said a school bus was searched and Maori families living in the area felt "intimidated" and "harassed" by the anti-terrorism raids.

Mr White said police obtained warrants under the Terrorism Suppression Act, despite the offenders only facing firearms charges, because police believed there was evidence which could point towards offences under the act.

"We have to go to the solicitor-general, who has the delegated authority under the attorney-general, to gives his consent to any charges under the Terrorism Suppression Act."

The commissioner was assessing all the evidence before he decided whether or not he would apply to the solicitor-general to lay charges under the Act, he said.

In his blog, Mr Bradbury said he believed the police had been right to be concerned.

"There is going to be outrage when the full story gets out the likes of which talkback has never dreamt of."

Mr Bradbury gained some public attention for his public defences of Tim Selwyn who was jailed for sedition.

Elsewhere on anarchist web sites and independent media blogs meetings and protests were being against what they described as continuing repression by the state.

RAIDED CAMPS 'FOCUSSED ON HEALTH AND EDUCATION'

A member of the group running "weapons" training camps in the eastern Bay of Plenty raided by police yesterday were merely running fitness camps with an emphasis on health and education.

The man, known only as Dave, said the organisation was about 4000-strong and had been running monthly fitness camps in the Ureweras for more than a year.

He described the group as well-organised and well-disciplined, focusing on racism, mental health and "corruption in our Government".

Dave said the camps were training for health.

"You go down there, it's a very open forum. You can talk about things, you can go for a decent trek through the bush but you have to be reasonably fit do so."

He refused to comment on whether weapons were involved in the camps or with the group, but did say: "We have the ability to protect New Zealand in the event of any threat from any other country".

Dave said the group was not just about activism, although it did want land titles changed so land was returned to Maori.

It was made up of Europeans, Maori, Pacific Islanders and Americans. It was open to men and women and had no links to terrorist organisations.

"It's not a Maori activist bunch of people. We are there for fitness, we are there for education, we are there for mental health and we are there for the long-term goals of New Zealanders."

Maori broadcaster and Nga Puhi elder Kingi Taurua, who was approached by Tame Iti to teach "bush craft survival" in the Urewera ranges, said he saw nothing sinister in the courses.

"I don't know nothing about weapons. All he said was to train the kids [in] bushcraft survival in the bush."

Iti told him he was training young people and asked him to help because of his experience in the army, Mr Taurua told Radio New Zealand.

"I didn't see anything wrong with teaching people. I mean if you ring me and asked me to teach you how to survive in the bush, I will teach you and that's what it was.

"That's how I took it. I thought it was a good idea to teach young people survival skills."

He was unable to do it because he had other commitments and had to look after his wife, who had suffered a stroke, during the weekends, he said.

He had spoken to police about this yesterday, and everything that had gone on had given him a "bloody fright", Mr Taurua said.

"It gave me the bloody shits...and I'm bloody glad I didn't go."

- stuff.co.nz, NZPA