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Greens co-leader Metiria Turei says any delay to the Government's asset sale programme forced by Maori claimants will help other New Zealanders have their say.
The High Court has given the New Zealand Maori Council and Pouakani claimants four days in late November to put their case as to why shares in hydro power generator Mighty River Power should not be sold until Maori interests in water are defined and accounted for.
The Government has put off taking the company out from under the State Owned Enterprise Act until the case is over.
Ms Turei says the Government is still saying it will list the company around March, but by then enough signiatures should have been collected to force a referendum on the issue.
"The government's fighting two kinds of battles – one is the court action by the Maori Council, and the referendum, and if the referendum does happen, it will send a very strong message, I think, to the government, that the public don't accept the sale of their state assets, they're wanting to hurry it up and get everything done as soon as possible so they don't have to deal with that either," she says.
Metiria Turei says the rude and dismissive language John key and his ministers have used about the New Zealand Maori Council challenge could count against the Government in court.
Copyright © 2013, Uma Broadcasting Ltd
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