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January 27, 2016
Kaumatua won’t back down over cut to pension
Waatea Team
Posted On January 27, 2016
The chair of the Ngati Kahu runanga is blaming Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson for the plight of a war veteran who has been begging at the Kaitaia market.
88-year-old Selwyn Clarke’s old age pension was cut off because he wouldn’t turn up in court after he was arrested during Ngati Kahu’s occupation of Kaitaia Airport.
Margaret Mutu says Mr Clarke holds strongly to the 1835 Declaration of Independence and believes the government is a foreign power that has invaded his territory.
He doesn’t believe he is subject to the jurisdiction of the court for being on his own land.
Professor Mutu says the Kaitaia police are stuck in the middle.
"The Kaitaia police wanted to try and sort this out. They wanted to sit down talk about it sort it out. They were vetoed on it out of Wellington. And this has to do with Chris Finlayson and the treaty settlements policy. You either accept the treaty settlements policy or you will be demonised and victimised by Finlayson and his people and of course he can pull on all sectors of the government in order to do that including WINZ, including whoever he likes to pull on,' she says.
Margaret Mutu says Selwyn Clarke is a trooper who won’t back down.
Te Runanga o Ngati Kahu is currently before the High Court in its bid to get the Waitangi Tribunal to order the crown to hand over settlement assets and compensation.
Copyright © 2016, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
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