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March 21, 2016
Select committee place to air Kermadec grievance
Waatea Team
Posted On March 21, 2016
Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell says the select committee is the place to sort out any concerns about the proposed Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary.
Te Ohu Kaimoana is asking the High Court to confirm the unilateral way the sanctuary is being created is in breach of the 1992 Maori fisheries settlement.
Mr Flavell was warned by the trust that creating the sanctuary would mean the loss of Maori rights and assets given in settlement.
He says creating the world’s largest marine sanctuary is an exciting prospect.
"It’s a special place I'm told, I've never been there, but I'm told it is a very special place with a special ecosystem, so one side of me says we must make sure we protect that. On the other side I am fully aware of iwi rights and obligations so it is trying to balance that, but we'll hear about that in the select committee process," he says.
Te Ururoa Flavell says while northernmost iwi Ngati Kuri and Te Aupouri have negotiated a place on the sanctuary’s management board, the other 58 iwi also have fishing rights they will lose.
FULL INTERVIEW: TE URUROA FLAVELL
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