December 12, 2012
National expected to fight water rights to the end
Greens co-leader Metiria Turei says Māori claimants need to dig in for the long haul in their battle to stop state asset sales.
The New Zealand Māori Council and Waikato river tribes are working to file an appeal before Christmas against a High Court judgment that found no connection between treaty rights to water and the proposed sale of shares in Mighty River Power.
Ms Turei says Justice Ronald Young seems to have swept aside past judgments that have stopped the Government from ignoring treaty rights.
The Māori Council says it wants to negotiate with the Crown, but Ms Turei says that is unlikely on John Key's watch.
“Don't forget John Key when he was an ordinary member of parliament, went around saying that Māori didn’t have any ownership over the foreshore and seabed, they had no rights to it either and he completely dismissed the foreshore and seabed issue too. He won’t say that again this time round because he’s Prime Minister, but that what he really thinks. He has no real concern for Māori interests in Natural resources, except where he can do deals”.
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