April 29, 2024
Waititi wants more power for tribunal
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi says the Waitangi Tribunal needs stronger powers because it is one of the few place Māori can go to hold the crown accountable.
Claimants are appealing a High Court ruling that the tribunal can’t make Children’s Minister Karen Chhour front up to explain her reasons for recommending the repeal of the section of the Oranga Tamariki Act acknowledging her department has Treaty of Waitangi obligations to the young people in its care.
Mr Waititi says it comes after the Government rushed legislation so it could avoid a tribunal investigation of its decision to scrap the Māori Health Authority, and it’s part of a pattern where the mana of the tribunal is being denigrated.
“And what we need to look at is how do we give the tribunal more teeth in our judicial system to ensure Maori have a fair judicial hearing when It comes to the many issues facing treaty breaches and the many issues our whanau continue to face,” he says.