The "Urewera Four" were revolutionaries training
to establish Tuhoe as its own governing state, the High Court in
Auckland has been told.
Tame Iti, Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara, Emily
Bailey and Urs Signer all face charges of participating in an organised
criminal group and of unlawful possession of firearms.
Crown
prosecutor Ross Burns told the jury during his opening address on
Tuesday that the four accused were the organisers of military-style
training camps held in and around Ruatoki, near Whakatane, each month
over a year between 2006 and 2007.
Among the evidence found was a recipe for making a molotov cocktail using a mixture of petrol and diesel, Mr Burns said.
At
the camps, which were attended by up to 30 people, the group dressed in
army-style clothing and wore balaclavas while undergoing various
training sessions such as sabotage and escaping an enemy.
The Crown alleges 180 to 200 shots were fired during each camp.
The
court was shown footage of men dressed in army-style clothing holding
guns carrying out the training exercises in the bush. Police had used
hidden cameras to film the camps.
Soundbites of guns being fired were also played which the Crown alleges was from a June 2007 camp.
The court was also shown transcripts of text messages, phone calls and emails between the four accused and acquaintances.
In
one message Tuhoe Lambert, who was to face charges alongside the four
accused but has since passed away, says those joining the group needed
to be prepared to "give their lives".
In another, Iti told a person that: "We are a revolutionary wing."
NZN