It was third time lucky for a controversial anti-co-governance roadshow in Dunedin last night.
Stop Co-Governance met at The Kensington, a pub in King Edward St, after being denied the use of a venue in Hillside Rd and Scouts NZ called off a meeting at its hall in Victoria Rd on Saturday.
Yesterday’s venue was kept under wraps until shortly before the meeting started.
The Otago Daily Times spoke to organiser Julian Batchelor about an hour before the meeting and he declined to say where it would be held, or comment on Saturday’s event.
Up to 70 people gathered in an upstairs function area at the venue at 6pm yesterday.
He said "good Maori" were against co-governance and the country was "marinating in racism".
Meanwhile, about 20 protesters were denied entry to the premises by The Kensington’s security guards.
One of the protesters said he was there to hold Stop Co-Governance accountable in a non-violent and peaceful manner.
A spokesman for The Kensington said people could hold whatever views they wanted and for him, the group were just paying customers.
He said it had been a hard time for hospitality after Covid-19 and it was just business.
A day earlier, the group’s Dunedin meeting was abruptly stopped.
Scouts NZ chief executive Chris Wilson said the volunteers who run the Scouts hall in St Kilda took the booking unaware of its true intent.
In a blog, Mr Batchelor said a Scouts NZ representative entered the hall and called off the meeting shortly after it started.
The police then "lost control" and protesters started to enter the room, one dressed in a monkey suit, he said.
A police spokeswoman said there was a police presence to monitor any issues that arose.
There were no arrests, and police were not required to assist.
"Police reiterate that security arrangements for events are event organisers’ responsibility."
A Hillside Rd venue which houses a Dunedin City Council pop-up library facility was also cancelled as a venue after the council came in for criticism.
