April 19, 2024
Stay in lane Māori lawyers tell minister Jones
The Waitangi tribunal is currently holding an inquiry into the Government’s plan to scrap Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act and in a rare move has summonsed Children’s Minister Karen Chhour to give evidence.
The head of the Maori Lawyers Association says Minister Shane Jones is out of his lane with attacks on the Waitangi Tribunal.
Mr Jones has slammed the tribunal for issuing a summons to Children’s Minister Karen Chhour to give evidence to its urgent inquiry into the repeal of section 7aa of the Oranga Tamariki Act.
Crown Law has asked the High Court to rule on whether the minister has to comply.
Natalie Coates says cabinet ministers are barred from commenting on judges or court cases – and because tribunal panels are chaired by Maori Land Court judges, the tribunal is off limits as well.
“They do sort of straddle a middle ground but we think the same principle should apply. They are the independent commission of inquiry set up by legislation applying a legal framework. There’s judicial decisions around jurisdiction that have been made that which was made here and the issue is now before a very live high court,” she says.
Ms Coates also slammed ACT leader David Seymour for weighing in with a press release supporting Ms Chhuor, who is an ACT MP.