Listen Now: 
Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox says New Zealand First's sabotage of a special Friday sitting to pass five treaty bills will cost iwi thousands of dollars.
After not raising any objections to the bills during the various stages, leader Winston Peters this week said two of the bills were flawed and he wanted a party vote.
Ms Fox says that would would have required massive disruption, and the other parties were not prepared to go along with it because they did not trust New Zealand First not to do something else to disrupt proceedings.
She says apart from the money already spent by people who were coming to Wellington for the day, it will affect the value of the settlements.
"Thirty years some of these claimants have been preparing for this day. The payments will go out on the conclusion of the settlement which was to be this day. Now we don't know if we can get them all in before the end of the year because there are just not enough days to the end of the year plus all the other business of the House that we can fit," Ms Fox says.
She says the delay was a stunt because New Zealand First has a history of agreeing to things in parliament's business committee and then reversing its position when Winston Peters wants to disrupt the House.
Copyright © 2016, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
RELATED NEWS
