September 14, 2016
Nick Smith nixes Kermadec compromise
Talks between Maori and the Government over the Kermadec Ocean sanctuary have fallen through, with minister rejecting a proposed compromise.
Te Ohu Kaimoana chair Jaime Tuuta says the Maori fisheries settlement trust and iwi representatives worked hard to find a compromise solution where the 660,000 square kilometre marine reserve could go ahead without the unilateral expropriation of Maori rights as agreed in the 1992 settlement.
The iwi had offered to voluntarily shelve the use of Maori fisheries quota in the Kermadec region while maintaining extant fishing rights.
He says Te Ohu Kaimoana expressed the offer through drafting an amendment to the Bill, but The Environment Minister Nick Smith changed the text to explicitly exclude ongoing use of the quota.
Mr Tuuta says the Minister accepts nothing but legal nullification of all Maori rights in the Kermadec region, which is unacceptable to iwi.
Te Ohu Kaimoana will continue legal action in the High Court on behalf of iwi and will lodge a complaint through the Waitangi Tribunal.
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