MARISE LANT

Minister of Maori Development Te Ururoa Flavell says proposed reforms to the law governing Maori land will result in less red tape and give Maori rangatiratanga over their lands.

But less than five days before a national round of consultation began, he dumped a draft bill in excess of 400 sections in excess of the current Te Ture Whenua Act 1993 on Maori land owners. Maori have not seen the regulations that, no doubt, go with it. This consultation process is a sham and a disgrace!

Key policy drivers have already been before Cabinet well in advance of consultation with Maori. This is one of many Treaty breaches as a result of the bill. Sweeping changes have been made to the Maori Trustee (Te Tumu Paeroa) and Land Information NZ, with dire consequences to the protective mechanism of He Taonga Toku Iho under the current Act.

It is obvious discrimination when Maori property rights are the only property rights affected by a bill created to boost this Government’s economic development agenda by utilising private Maori land. It is unethical and racist.

The Government has been developing this policy reform since 2012, as seen in the governance structure provided — a model that indicates a corporate takeover of whanau, hapu and iwi!

Since 1865, various settler governments have played with Maori land laws to pursue their own policies of economic development, creating confusion for our people and resulting in land loss and heartache.

These new changes will only be good for councils, lawyers, accountants, surveyors, valuers and corporate speculators.

Maori land owners will once again become witnesses and bystanders to the rape of our land by others. Way to deliver rangatiratanga Minister Flavell.

The consultations are no more than a tick box exercise. However, I strongly encourage Maori land owners to file submissions by the 7th of August 2015. Please refer to the Te Puni Kokiri website for further information.