August 03, 2023
Hoki Whenua Mai strategy good for environment says Greens
The Green Party’s Tāmaki Makaurau candidate says the party’s Hoki Whenua Mai policy to return land to tangata whenua will be a winner for both the environment an the economy.
The policy includes setting up a commission of inquiry into the full extent of land dispossession and the adequacy of redress through the treaty settlement process, and opening the door again for historic claims.
Darleen Tana, a Waiheke-based conservationist, says the Greens know that what’s best for Māori is best for everyone in Aotearoa.
“So land back is a first step, and we know that when whenua comes back to Māori we see our biodiversity in our ngāhere improve. We also see things like the economy for our people working, and a case in point is Ihumaatao,” she says.
Darleen Tana says even though the crown is yet to formally return the land at Ihumaatao, it is providing a basis for jobs for the people in the community.