Parliament Has Duty to Put Matters Right
Te Urewera Tuhoe Bill:
Parliament Has Duty to Put
Matters Right
Parliament must now make amends after
the High Court of New Zealand, on 29 May 2014, overturned a
Waitangi Tribunal decision that prevented two iwi from being
heard by the tribunal, says New Zealand First.
At the
second reading of the Te Urewera - Tuhoe Bill, New Zealand
First Leader Rt Winston Peters pointed out that serious
boundary issues were being improperly dealt with in the
bill.
Members of the National Party, including
Minister for Treaty Negotiations Christopher Finlayson and
Māori Affairs Select Committee chairman Tau Henare,
scoffed at such a suggestion.
They both should now
publicly apologise for their wanton ignorance, says Mr
Peters.
“Now, much to their embarrassment, the High
Court has agreed with the position New Zealand First
took.
“Before the Te Urewera -Tuhoe Bill is passed
Parliament has the opportunity, and a duty, to address the
concerns of Te Upokorehe and Ngati Ruapani,” says Mr
Peters.
“New Zealand First has consistently said we
must not attempt to correct a longstanding wrong by creating
another wrong.
“We recognise Tuhoe’s grievance,
and we have never thought otherwise, but we have also
expressed concern that legitimate iwi, recognised by
respected parliamentarian Sir Apirana Ngata, have had their
claims sidelined,” says Mr Peters.
Te Upokorehe and
Ngāti Ruapani had previously sought urgent hearings with
the Waitangi Tribunal on the impact of the settlement but
these were declined and the Tuhoe settlement moved on
towards conclusion. It is now before Parliament.
The
iwi went to the High Court for a judicial review. The court
has now ruled in their favour, saying that the decisions to
decline the hearings were invalid as the Maori Land Court
judge making the tribunal decision did not have the status
to make these rulings when sitting alone.
“New
Zealand First has always held the view that Treaty of
Waitangi settlements must be right. This is not happening
for these two iwi. That is why New Zealand First voted
against the Tuhoe settlement bill on its second reading last
month,” says Mr Peters.
“We were disturbed at the
time of the vote to see other political parties totally
ignoring legitimate iwi concerns,” he
says.
ENDS