"Labour Spin Machine at it Again" says Tariana Turia, Sponsor of the Foreshore and Seabed Repeal Bill

Thursday 19 October 2006

Tariana Turia today expressed frustration at the time-wasting tactics and mis-leading statements being initiated by Labour list members about the Maori Party's Private Members Bill, repealing the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

"Their first tactic on the introduction of the Foreshore and Seabed legislation, was to raise the race card, and incite fear amongst ordinary New Zealanders" said Mrs Turia. "Labour tried to create a false - and a deceitful impression - that the iwi would not let Kiwi have a barby on the beach" said Mrs Turia.

"Tactic number two was to plant a perception that the Crown owned the foreshore and seabed" said Mrs Turia.

"The third tactic was to deny Maori access to justice by ignoring the Court of Appeal decision, which granted Ngati Apa the right to go to the Maori Land Court to test their entitlement to the Foreshore and Seabed".

"This from a Government which talks about the rights they have signed up to in international forum such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the Convention on the Rights of Children; the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women".

"But a Government which also has to eat its words because of its reluctance to support the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People" said Mrs Turia.

"New Zealanders of all hues demonstrated their abhorrence of the denial of human rights and due process of the law, when the Foreshore and Seabed Act was introduced" said Mrs Turia.

"Our Bill clearly repeals the government's legislation, which is what we said we'd do" said Mrs Turia. "We do not ask for special rights or privileges. All we are asking is that Maori are treated equally before the law. Maori property rights must be treated the same as others property rights. We ask for the right to due process and one law for all New Zealanders".

"This is an opportunity for nation building and responsible political leadership" said Mrs Turia. "In the next few weeks, we expect to see more tactics and spin, such as that currently being indulged in by Government spokespersons, one of whom is claiming that our Bill advocates Crown ownership of land".

"This is patently untrue and demonstrates the ends to which this Government will go, to mislead the people" said Mrs Turia. "What these last few weeks shows, more than any other time, is that you can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time".

"We are keen to play a role in moving forward into the future - our Bill repealing the Foreshore and Seabed Act does just that".

ENDS

© Scoop Media