June 15, 2015
PM rejections first option right
Waikato-Tainui and Ngati Whatua say the Prime Minister’s rejection of their right of first refusal over Auckland land means they have little option but to go to court.
The iwi had invited the government to join them in seeking a declaratory judgment on whether using surplus government land for housing would trigger clauses in their settlements.
They say law firm Russell McVeagh has been instructed to file a statement of claim in the High Court at Auckland this week.
But John Key told a post-cabinet press conference the government always has the right to use the land for another purpose.
He said a Christchurch precedent involving Ngai Tahu gives him confidence the policy can go head, and in any event Ngati Whatua does not have a first refusal clause, with any such rights being tied to its involvement in the Tamaki Collective.
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