September 07, 2017
Turbulent water too much for Government
Greens leader James Shaw says governments can't keep kicking the issue of water down the road.
Water has emerged as a major election issue, with the various parties taking positions on cleaning up rivers and whether the resource should be charged for.
Mr Shaw says the Greens recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Maori have customary and proprietary rights and responsibilities regarding the wai.
He says National has maintained that no one owns the water as a way to avoid what is always going to be a difficult conversation.
"I don't think we are ever going to sort out issues like the over-allocation of river water and aquifers and so on or pollution or the ability of companies to take water from our aquifers for free and then bottle it up and ship it overseas, we are never going to sort those issues out without engaging in the conversation around rights and responsibilities. That is the first conversation you have to have before you get into allocation or pricing or pollution," Mr Shaw says.
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