June 24, 2020
Mandate mess need’s Little hand
Click here for the full interview.
A former treaty negotiator says Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little needs to stop listening to his officials and fix the mess they have made in Te Whakatohea.
Tuariki John Delamere worked for the crown on a 1996 settlement that was voted down by the eastern Bay of Plenty iwi.
National’s treaty minister Chris Finlayson reopened direct negotiations in 2016, but the Waitangi Tribunal found the mandating process was flawed.
Mr Delamere says the tribunal recommended a way to fix it, but officials botched the referendum in the way they phrased the question.
"I have a lot of time, a lot of respect for Andrew Little but Andrew needs to stop just doing what those officials tell him to do. They have an agenda. They want to tick off their KPIs and says we've settled another claim. Well first, get the mandate done properly," he says.
Mr Delamere says if there was a will the problem could be resolved by the end of the year.
Copyright © 2020, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com