September 07, 2012
Te Wai Maori slams flimsy tribunal logic
Meanwhile, a trust set up as a result of the Maori fisheries settlement to advocate for Maori on fresh water issues has sharply criticised the Waitangi Tribunal’s interim water report.
Te Wai Maori released it analysis to help Maori prepare for next week’s national water hui.
It accuses the tribunal has erred by suggesting remedies, such as special shares for Maori, for breaches that have not been clearly established.
It says shares plus is generally agreed to be a bad idea, and the tribunal has used flimsy reasoning to push it as a settlement option.
The trust says the tribunal has so far done little to eliminate the confusion surrounding claims to water.
It also criticised the logic behind the Crown’s insistence that no one owns water, saying the Maori fisheries settlement offers pointers to how such resource claims can be resolved.