November 19, 2012
Ngāi Tahu rejects splitter tag
Ngāi Tahu leader Mark Solomon is rejecting charges it is splitting Māoridom by weighing in to the High Court judicial review of the partial sale of Mighty River Power.
New Zealand Māori Council co-chair Maanu Paul and Labour MP Shane Jones say an affidavit from Te Rūnanga ō Ngāi Tahu is designed to bolster the Crown's position.
The rūnanga rejects the link between the state owned power generators and any Treaty of Waitangi rights in water.
It says its issues are around the way the Resource Management Act is applied, and it wants to continue talking with the Government through the Freshwater Iwi Leaders' Group.
Mr Solomon says the affidavit is to provide illumination to the High Court, and it should not be read as either supporting the Crown or opposing the Māori Council.
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