August 23, 2016
Ture Whenua rewrite threat to Maori business
Ikaroa Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri says the Government seems determined to railroad through its rewrite of Maori land law despite almost universal opposition.
The Maori affairs select committee is hearing submissions on the new Te Ture Whenua Maori Bill.
Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell says is needed to give owners more control and allow them to unlock the economic value of their land.
But Ms Whaitiri says very few submitters have anything good to say about the bill, and some of the most successful Maori land-based businesses, including Wakatu incorporation from the top of the South Island and Tuaropaki from the central North Island, say it's a threat.
"Both of their submissions say there is nothing in the bill that will support incorporations. In fact they are fearful of it because of their current legal and financial settings and they are so concerned they have put in submissions to opt out of it to protect their investments under their current trust deeds," she says.
Ms Whaitiri says owners in smaller blocks are also concerned that the small print in the bill means they could lose contol of their land and see it sold or leased away.
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