No More Dithering On Potaka Marae

The radical hotheads who are deliberately flouting the law at East Cape's Potaka Marae are doing so as a challenge to sovereignty, and the Government's right to govern, ACT New Zealand Deputy Leader Ken Shirley said today.

"The power of local councils, in exercising consents under the RMA and Building Code, are based on statutory requirements derived from central government," Mr Shirley said.

"Aquaculture permits are a statutory requirement directly administered by a government department and, while we may all be frustrated by excessive rules and regulations, no group can be allowed to deliberately contravene the law with impunity based on their ethnic origin.

"Many statutory rules and by-laws are unnecessary or excessive - I, for one, would welcome their diminution. Ant such review, however, must be comprehensive and apply to all citizens. We cannot have an ad hoc application of the law to accommodate individual agendas.

"It is also noted that Potaka Marae is divided over this issue of compliance with the law. The council and Government agencies must act decisively, supported by law enforcement agencies if necessary.

"Any failure to act would only encourage more of this kind of behaviour, and be an open invitation for anarchy," Mr Shirley said.

© Scoop Media