Drawing A Line In The Foreshore Sand

Friday 3 Oct 2003 Richard Prebble Press Releases -- Treaty of Waitangi & Maori Affairs

ACT Leader Richard Prebble will tomorrow advance a 5-point action plan on foreshore and seabed, during ACT's Foreshore, Law and Politics Conference at Parliament.

"The issue of who owns the foreshore is a tipping point for the nation. The public has drawn a line in the sand over this issue," Mr Prebble said.

"New Zealanders' tolerance over Treaty claims is reaching its limits, and they are crying out for answers. Labour has no solution - short of saying that no one owns anything. Act believes, however, that

· The Government should appeal the Marlborough decision to the Privy Council - which it can do by joining the Marlborough Harbour Board appeal.

· Labour should abandon its plans to abolish our links to the Privy Council. This would send a message to judges that their duty is to interpret the law - not invent it.

· We must reject the concept of public domain. The concept of the Crown is our heritage. The Crown is all of us, and we are all equal before the law.

· We must uphold property rights. There are, and have been, legitimate private property claims to seabed and foreshore. Developments like marine farming require title allowing exclusive secure ownership. Public access to beaches does not require that those rights be extinguished. Crown ownership of seabed and foreshore does not exclude Maori from exercising customary title should they prove that they do, and have continuously, exercised such title.

· We must absolutely reject any law based on race.

"Race is the issue. Labour promotes race-based policies and laws. There is no such principle in the Treaty which, in Article Three, makes us British subjects equal before the law.

"Nations that base laws and policies on race cannot survive. New Zealand is no different - 25 years of the Treaty grievance industry has not united us, it has created two nations. It's time to make a stand.

"To paraphrase Winston Churchill - it's time to fight them on the beaches," Mr Prebble said.

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

© Scoop Media