September 19, 2012
Consultation fails to tackle main water issues
The New Zealand Maori Council has warned the Government its consultation hui don’t address the key points of the Waitangi Tribunal report on its water claim.
The first hui in Hamilton last night was sparsely attended, as most Waikato-Tainui iwi heeded the boycott call made at last Thursday’s national hui at Turangawaewae Marae.
But Maori Council lawyer Donna Hall says the iwi and hapu who made the claim need to attend, so they can show good faith in case further court action is needed.
The only topic to be discussed at the hui was the tribunal’s suggestion of a shares plus mechanism to recognise Maori interests in particular water bodies, which the Government has already rejected.
Ms Hall says the Government isn’t having a dialogue with claimants, and the hui fall well short of a treaty-compliant approach.