Maori Party keeps its promise as Bill passes second stage
te-pati-maori
Tue Mar 08 2011 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Maori Party keeps its promise as Bill passes second stage
Tuesday, 8 March 2011, 8:13 pm
Press Release: The Maori Party
MEDIA STATEMENT
Tariana Turia and Dr Pita Sharples
Maori Party Co-Leaders
8 March 2011
Maori Party keeps its promise as Bill passes second stage
The Maori Party is pleased to see that its promise to hapu and iwi is one step closer to being a reality with the passing this evening of the second reading of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill.
“We made two promises to our people – to repeal the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act and to restore their right to access the court. And this Bill will enable that,” Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia said.
“The Bill isn’t perfect but it allows for a longer conversation – and that’s a journey we will continue to advocate for our people on so long as we are in Parliament,” she said.
“To date we have had to try and balance the prejudice with the political realities and the aspirations of our people and we believe the Bill, for now, strikes that balance,” Maori Party co-leader Dr Pita Sharples said.
“Some say the Bill doesn’t go far enough, some say it goes too far but the majority of the people who have turned out to our hui, more than 15 hui we’ve held over the past three weeks, have told us to keep the waka moving and that’s exactly what we are doing,” he said.
The co-leaders said the biggest concern was over the tests and until hapu and iwi take a case to court the party can’t gauge whether the tests were too high.
“Interestingly we have been inundated with emails from the Coastal Coalition brigade and only 25 emails from tangata whenua opposing our position,” Mrs Turia said.
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“One would have thought the thousands of calls and emails, that Hone Harawira says he has received, would have come through to us.”
The Bill, when legislated, will benefit all coastal hapu and iwi throughout the country. Just some of those benefits include:
• Recognition of customary interests (mana tuku iho) of all coastal hapu and iwi, even those who do not claim or are not awarded customary title. Such recognition gives hapu and iwi the right to be consulted to participate in conservation processes (such as the creation of a marine reserve).
• For those hapu and iwi who are awarded customary title, they will get rights in all minerals except gold, silver, uranium and petroleum and all newly found taonga tūturu, development rights and a right to develop a plan which regional councils must recognise and provide for.
ends
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