June 14, 2015
Smith promises letter of law will be upheld
Housing Minister Nick Smith says the Government is committed in both spirit and word to ensure that the crown’s treaty obligations to Tamaki Makaurau iwi are respected.
But that doesn’t mean they will automatically get a right of first refusal to government properties in Auckland that will be made available for housing.
Mr Smith says he’s pleased with the goodwill towards the Government’s housing aims showed by the 13 iwi at a meeting in Auckland yesterday, and he’s confident it can work with both the Tamaki Collective and individual iwi.
The Government welcomes partnerships, such as the Waimahia development being done by the Tamaki Collective on former crown land in Manurewa, but iwi involvement is not automatic.
"The law is very clear that the process of land being used by other crown agencies is prior to both the offer back to former owners and the right of first refusal," he says.
Nick Smith says his officials met with the Tamaki Collective a month before the budget announcement, so he does not accept that iwi were not informed, but communication among the iwi could have been better.
Copyright © 2015, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com