November 15, 2017
Finlayson vents spleen on Tau
There’s been an extraordinary attack in parliament on Ngapuhi leader Sonny Tau over the Northland tribe’s stalled treaty settlement talks.
Speaking in the opening address and reply debate, former treaty negotiations minister Christopher Finlayson said nothing will happen until Mr Tau changes his ways.
He accused the Ngapuhi runanga chair of bullying, and said he needed to adopt a generosity of spirit in his negotiations.
The runanga-backed body Tuhoronuku secured the mandate to negotiate after a four-year process laid down by Mr Finlayson, but the talks had barely started before the crown facilitator tried to engineer a merger or takeover with its Te Kotahitanga critics.
Mr Finlayson also urged the new Government not to throw out Te Ture Whenua Maori Bill, which he described as a brilliant piece of work undertaken by himself over the last six years.
New Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little will be in the north on Friday for talks with Tuhoronuku and Te Kotahitanga, followed by an open hui at Waitangi on Saturday morning.
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