Waitangi Tribunal finds Maori will be prejudiced by Government reform of Ture Whenua Act

The Waitangi Tribunal has released its Report on the Claims about the Reform of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993, finding that all Maori landowners in New Zealand would be prejudiced if the Bill goes ahead with its current provisions and an unacceptable level of uncertainty for Maori.

The claimants for Wai 2512, filed collectively by Lorraine Norris, Michael Beazley, William Kapea, Owen Kingi, Ani Taniwha, Justyne Te Tana, Pouri Harris, Vivenne Taueki and Tamati Reid on behalf of their hapu, feel vindicated by the Tribunal’s findings. Now the Crown must take the recommendations on board.

The Wai 2512 claimants alleged that the reforms seemed focused on putting Maori land into production, rather than letting Maori make a choice about how their land is to be used. They also complained that the reform process had been rushed, and that no research had been under taken on whether reform was needed at all.

The Crown said that it did not wish to proceed with reform without sufficient support, but argued that it has sufficient support, and that Treaty principles, rightly understood, do not restrain it in any case.

The Tribunal disagreed with the Crown, stating that the Crown will be in breach of Treaty principles if it does not ensure that there is properly informed, broad-based support for Te Ture Whenua Maori Bill to proceed.

They said Maori landowners, and Maori whanau, hapu, and iwi generally, will be prejudiced if the 1993 Act is repealed against their wishes, and without ensuring adequate and appropriate arrangements for all the matters governed by the Act.

The claimants challenge the Minister to stop the reform process until the Tribunal’s recommendations are addressed.

ENDS

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