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September 16, 2016
Lack of respect creates Kermadec impasse
Waatea Team
Posted On September 16, 2016
A far north tribal leader says the Government’s failure to respect Maori treaty rights means the problems it now faces to create a marine sanctuary around the Kermadecs were inevitable.
Te Aupouri chair Rick Witana was supposed to be at the Oceans conference in Washington DC this week as part of the official New Zealand delegation, but pulled out because he disagreed with the Government’s approach.
The bill creating the sanctuary was this week held up after Environment minister Nick Smith rejected a compromise offer put by Te Ohu Kaimoana.
Mr Witana says Te Aupouri supports a sanctuary, but not at the expense of the treaty rights guaranteed in the 1992 Maori fisheries settlement.
"The Crown has never asked Maori whether and we consent to these rights being extinguished, and we object to being treated in that manner. I believe if Maori had been asked their views before the prime minister made his international announcement, we could have entered into a sensible discussion on it impact on Maori rights and how they could have been accommodated in a way that allowed both treaty partners to support the proposal," he says.
Mr Witana says Nick Smith called him on the eve of last year’s Oceans conference to say that John Key would announce the sanctuary the next day, but that did not amount to consultation.
Copyright © 2016, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
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