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December 08, 2015
Talking past each other as whenua bill evolves
Waatea Team
Posted On December 8, 2015
The Waitangi Tribunal will today try to wrap up its hearing on the reform to Maori land law.
Submissions filed with the tribunal show frustration among claimants at the way the government has consulted on the bill, which proposes a complete revamp of the way Maori hold and manage their land.
Kerensa Johnston, who represents the top of the South Island Wakatu Incorporation, says the consultation process has been undermined by a lack of quality detailed information.
She says there is a sense at the hui that the participants and officials are talking past each other.
Some participants continue to question the key policy drivers, such as the changes to the role of the Maori Land Court, while the officials seem to be proceeding on the basis that the bill and the associated policy and structural changes are a done deal.
The government has continued to develop the bill and plan for the new Maori Land Service that will take over many functions now done by court staff, making it hard for claimants to pin down whether what they are arguing about is still included.
A concern for the tribunal will be whether Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell is still determined to get the bill into the house by April, or whether it will have more time to assess the mountain of evidence and submissions and determine how the reforms square with treaty principles.
Copyright © 2015, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
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