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September 05, 2012
Dismissive tactics undermine sales strategy
Waatea Team
Posted On September 5, 2012
Greens co-leader Metiria Turei believes the Prime Minister’s dog whistling on Maori water claims meant a delay in the asset sales programme because inevitable.
John Key has been accused of trying to appeal to anti-Maori sentiment by indicating before the Waitangi Tribunal reported that his government didn’t have to accept its recommendations.
Ms Turei says that tactic may have messed up the bigger strategy of selling the state-owned power companies without fully resolving what interests Maori have in water.
“His dismissive attitude could be considered unreasonable in his decision making and therefore the decision he makes to proceed could be considered unlawful so he has to basically do as much of what the tribunal asks as he can stomach in order to show that he has treated the tribunal report reasonably and so if there is any further court cases he can say he did a good job of taking the tribunal report into account,” Ms Turei says.
She says the reason John Key refuses to agree to the Waitangi Tribunal’s recommendation for a national hui on water is because the government wants to pick off individual iwi.
Meanwhile, Maori King Tuheitia has called Maori to a national water hui on water rights at Turangawaewae Marae at Ngaruawahia next week.
Spokesperson Tukoroirangi Morgan says the aim is to unite all Maori in a discussion on how questions of ownership can be resolved.
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