Court of Appeal decision

Prime Minister Helen Clark and Attorney-General Margaret Wilson said today that the Court of Appeal decision pertaining to the legal status of New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed has no immediate practical effect on either the current use or the regulation of the foreshore and seabed.

“The decision is a narrow and technical one relating to the jurisdiction within which claims to the foreshore and seabed may be considered.

“Ownership of the foreshore and seabed has long been considered to lie with the Crown, and the Crown has made provision for regulation of its use in the national interest.

“In a democracy, citizens are free to explore what their legal rights are through the court system. The government respects attempts to explore legal rights through the courts, but also acknowledges that issues of ownership and use affect all New Zealanders.

“The government will be giving consideration to how these issues are best resolved, “Helen Clark and Margaret Wilson said.

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