MEDIA STATEMENT
Tariana Turia
Co-Leader, Maori Party
9 December 2010

Oh my, how the worm has turned

Maori Party Co-Leader Tariana Turia says the Labour Party’s grand announcement they would not support the Marine and Coastal (Takutai Moana) Areas Bill is hypocritical but entirely predictable.

“This is the same party that pushed through the Foreshore and Seabed Act despite receiving massive opposition to the legislation.

“In fact of the 3946 submissions made 94 per cent opposed the Act, not to mention the tens of thousands of people who marched to their doorstep to voice their opposition,” says Mrs Turia.

“This is electioneering at its worst. They seem to think that every Maori is against it but what they don’t realise is that those same people have not forgotten what they did.

“My how the worm has turned – it’s just a shame that they didn’t see fit to follow public sentiment in 2004.”

Mrs Turia says the Labour Party needs to be reminded that the Ministerial Review Panel that undertook a review of their Act received a large number of submissions opposing the Act.

“In fact 85 percent of the submissions were opposed with 10 percent in favour of extensive amendment or repeal.

“Nothing has changed – public opinion to repeal the Foreshore and Seabed Act remains remarkably consistent.

“I am embarrassed for the Labour Party – they are totally without principle and continue to try and fool people by pretending they care,” says Mrs Turia.

"It must be terribly disappointing for Dr Michael Cullen, who used his last press conference as a Member of Parliament to admit, that with the benefit of hindsight, Labour should never have introduced legislation to prevent Maori from going to the Maori Land Court to seek customary title for the foreshore and seabed.

“If the Labour Party really cared about what people thought then they would never have passed the Foreshore and Seabed Act in the first place."

ENDS

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