MEDIA STATEMENT

Te Ururoa Flavell
MP for Waiariki
Sunday, February 05, 2012

Flavell calls for Iwi to go to Court on Section 9

Te Ururoa Flavell, Māori Party MP for Waiariki, is encouraging Iwi to put Section 9 of the State Owned Enterprises Act to the test, and take their cases to Court.

"I am asking for Iwi and Māori Trusts to keep the pressure on the Government, and to test your rights as tangata whenua through the Tribunal and the Courts." said Flavell.

"Sir Graham Latimer and the New Zealand Māori Council fought hard to put this clause in place to ensure that we had an avenue through which we could exercise our rights as tangata whenua."

"The principles of participation, active protection, and partnership are in place to protect the relationship between Treaty partners, which is yet again being put to the test."

"We must take our claims to Court to challenge whether the Crown is abiding by those principles, especially since we have yet to settle Treaty claims related to water, and the use of water resources."

"Today Iwi present at the Chairs Forum in Waitangi expressed unanimous support to apply Section 9 to the new legislation applying to the power companies to be partially privatised. I support that call, and urge our Iwi and hapu to take the next step." said Flavell.

"To start selling shares in State owned enterprises to private investors without settling pre-existing claims, is to prejudice the Treaty process. Surely this must be 'inconsistent with the principles of the Treaty.'"

Flavell said "This was exactly the reason why the clause was put in the legislation in the first place, so lets test it."

ENDS

Māori Party Primer on the proposed changes to the SOE Act can be found here

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