SOEs and Section 9

The protection to the Treaty offered by Section 9 of the State Owned Enterprises Act 1986 is and has been incredibly important to Maori and it is clear that both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Maori Affairs agree on that.

“Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu is fully supportive of both parties in their endeavours to resolve this issue and of their willingness to engage with iwi,” says Kaiwhakahaere for Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu, Mark Solomon.

“Both parties have agreed that the Crown has a duty to actively protect the rights and interests of Maori. So to resolve the issue the Crown must find a way of articulating that in any new legislation,” Mr Solomon says.

“The consultation document released by the Crown makes it clear that there is an opportunity to retain the existing s.9 provision or to put in place some more specific provisions. Ngai Tahu will join other iwi leaders in looking at the merits of each of these options and we will be consulting with our people before reaching a final conclusion on the best approach,” Mr Solomon says.

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