Public Meetings Should Be Held On Local Marae

New Zealand First Justice Spokesman Dail Jones has called for a series of Marae meetings to be set up to discuss Government moves to abolish the right of appeal to the Privy Council.

Mr Jones drew attention to the comments made by Professor Philip Joseph at the Justice & Electoral Select Committee that :

“Maori labour under the myth of right of personal petition to the Sovereign, and then draw a further mythical linkage from the Sovereign to the Sovereign’s Privy Council, of which the Judicial Committee forms part.”

Mr Jones said this is a challenge to the select committee to hold public meetings at Marae in Northland, Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Hastings, Gisborne, Tauranga, Christchurch Tuahiwi, Marae, Dunedin Otakou Marae, Invercargill Awarua Marae, as suggested by New Zealand First and commented on by Ngai Tahu at the select committee.

“I believe that unless the select committee is prepared to confront Maori face to face on their own Marae, then there will always be a grievance on the part of Maori (and rightly so) that they were never consulted, and possibly not even well informed on the issue of the abolition of the right of appeals to the Privy Council”, he said.

Mr Jones will be writing to the select committee requesting meetings on the above Marae and with a further request that Professor Joseph’s view be put to the meetings for discussion.

© Scoop Media