Ihumātao: Protesters react to footage of police being racially abused

Negotiations between the Deputy Police Commissioner and organisers of the Ihumātao protests have been ongoing for a full day now.

The meeting comes after tensions between the two sides escalated on Monday night, with video emerging of one woman racially abusing a policeman

"Here's another foreigner... occupying our whenua in our Aotearoa," video showed the protester saying to an officer. "F**k off back to your own country."

It was a heated moment shared live on social media, when tensions flared on the front line.

The protesters Newshub spoke to today said the abuse didn't represent how they feel towards the police.

"It's not called for, to be honest with you," one protester said.

The woman who made the comment wouldn't speak to Newshub, but posted online, "yes, I abused the shit out of the officers" and "I don't apologise at all".

While police said, "incidents involving intimidatory behaviour and verbal abuse are unhelpful and we continue to urge protesters to remain calm while those negotiations continue".

A private meeting between Ihumātao mana whenua and Deputy Police Commissioner Wally Haumaha was held on site last night but the details surrounding what was discussed are being kept secret on both sides.

Those discussions continued for several hours behind closed doors today and as tensions escalate, some of the iwi are disagreeing with the protest action.

"My suggestion is they go home and leave iwi to negotiate the ownership of the housing development,"  says iwi advocate Pita Turei. 

"We could progressively buy them all, but that thinking isn't there - it's stuck back in poverty, resentment, hype and emotional response."

And that's sparking a war of words in a battle over land that's skirted close to breaking point.

Newshub.