Fair, Full and Final Treaty Settlements

Sunday 3rd Oct 1999 Richard Prebble Speech -- Governance & Constitution

ACT Leader Hon Richard Prebble Address to Launch ACT New Zealand's Treaty of Waitangi Policy One Tree Hill, Auckland Sunday October 3 1999

Welcome to ACT's first major policy launch for the 1999 election.

ACT New Zealand has chosen to release our policy for the fair, full and final settlement of all legitimate Treaty of Waitangi claims because the settlement process is a key issue that will determine whether or not our country will succeed.

One Tree Hill has become a symbol of the failure of successive governments who have had no mandate for the course they have taken us on with the settlement process. It is a very reckless course that is creating new divisions and new grievances.

Sadly, it is too late to save the tree on One Tree Hill. But, it is not too late to get the Treaty process back on the rails, to settle genuine grievances fairly, fully and finally and bring New Zealanders together.

ACT says we must settle legitimate Treaty claims and we must also end the grievance industry so we can move forward together in the new millennium as a strong, positive country.

Fundamental to ACT's Treaty of Waitangi policy is our belief that all Treaty Settlements between Maori and the Crown must be fair, full and final.

First: ACT's policy sets the end of the year 2000 as the cut off date for the lodging of all Treaty claims. If a claim has not been identified and lodged after 160 years it is unlikely to have any substance.

Second: The Waitangi Tribunal must hear and make its report on all claims by the year 2005. ACT will resource the Tribunal to meet that timetable.

Third: The Government must settle all legitimate claims by the year 2010. All settlements will be fair, full and final.

Fourth: ACT would abolish the Waitangi Tribunal once its work is completed.

ACT's policy is about ensuring one law for all New Zealanders. ACT has set the deadline of 2006 for the repeal of all legislation that discriminates on the basis of race, colour, ethnicity or national origin.

National, Labour, New Zealand First and the Alliance have all voted against fair, full and final settlements. Those Parties are allowing the grievance industry to divide the country.

ACT is the only Party in Parliament that has voted against Treaty settlements that take private property, that create separate laws based on race and that create new grievances.

I am today challenging the other Parties to tell New Zealanders what they will do to lay the grievances of the past to rest.

National and Labour have no mandate for their Waitangi policies, which are exactly the same.

How we settle the legitimate Treaty Claims and put the grievances of the past behind us, is one of the most important issues facing our great country. Today ACT has given New Zealanders a real choice.

ACT - the Fair, Full and Final Party Vote.

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