October 19, 2012
NZ Maori Council files SOE challenge
The New Zealand Maori Council will file High Court proceedings today in an attempt to stop the sale of shares in state power companies before Maori interests in water are defined and accounted for.
Lawyer Donna Hall says there have been extensive discussions with iwi around the country since the Government announced on Monday that it would push ahead with the sale of Mighty River Power.
Ms Hall says a clear consensus has emerged, as iwi realise they are getting little by talking on the Government’s terms.
“In the end there is no framework in place on which a tribe can base itself and understand what its legal interests are. If you have no legal framework then you have no traction. You are talking in a vacuum and it is always the Crown that tells you what your interest is worth,” Ms Hall says.
The request for judicial review will include an examination of the claim to the Waikato River, where Mighty River Power has eight hydroelectric stations.