Nelson’s Wakatu Incorporation says the crown is throwing good money after bad to keep fighting its claim for historic compensation for the loss of most of the Nelson Tenths.
The Government has allocated $3.6 million in the Budget for futher legal action, on top of the $5 millon it spent on last year’s 10-week hearing.
The incorporation represents descendants of the original owners who sold land at Nelson and Motueka to the New Zealand Company in 1839 on the promise that 10 percent would be reserved fo their use.
Wakatu chief executive Kerensa Johnson says the parties are waiting for the high court to rule on remedies, and rather than gear up for an appral the crown should come to the table.
“From the government’s perspective it’s an opportunity actually to do something incredibly proactive from an economic and cultural perspective – if they are willing to do that – rather than continuing to invest in proceedings that they ultimately won’t prevail in,” Ms Johnston says.
The Supreme Court has already found the crown has a duty towards the Wakatu owners, and the High Court’s job was to put a price on that.
