Listen Now: 
Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is decrying a proposed law allowing officials to enter a marae without a warrant.
She says the Water Services Bill represents a clash between a western-centric worldview and te ao Māori.
It allows officials to enter a marae if they believe its water supply poses a risk to public health.
The Bill is a response to the 2016 Havelock North water crisis, when e-coli in the water supply led to four deaths and 45 people put in hospital.
The Covid-19 Public Health Response Bill had similar measures giving police powers to enter marae without a warrant.
"What is it effectively that officials and government are so frightened of that we have autonomy on one of the very last bastions in our world that feel they have to continuously try to put up legislation that over-cooks one sector of our community, tangata whenua," Ms Ngarewa-Packer says.
She says Māori manage their own water supplies without issue.
!["p_facebook"]("/site/uma/images/story_img/facebook.jpg")
& !["p_twitter"]("/site/uma/images/story_img/twitter.jpg")
Copyright © 2021, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
RELATED NEWS
